The time factor greatly concerns me, which is one reason why I chose to read this chapter in Routman's Reading Essentials. I feel like so many other things in the classroom are suffering, being left behind, swept under the rug because of the overwhelming amount of time that is required of ELA instruction. Most days I feel like I am in a whirlwind during the school day and a zombie after dragging myself home after a 10 or 11 hour workday. Two very important things that stuck out to me in this chapter came in the section entitled, Live an Interesting Life. Routman stated that you can't come to work enthusiastic about teaching if you spent the night before doing schoolwork. In addition, teachers need to stop feeling guilty if we leave school at a reasonable hour so we have time for our families and things we enjoy doing. Yes and yes!
So, how can this problem that so many of us are faced with day in and day out be solved? According to Routman, you must trust your own experiences to help you plan well. You know what works with your classroom and it doesn't always come from a teacher's guide or manual. Keeping the students requirements simple, pleasurable, and more importantly meaningful, is crucial. Students will happily engage in assignments that they are connected with in some way and have value. Making every minute count during reading, according to Routman, is essential to success. We are spending too much time creating activities or literacy centers that do not increase our students skills or knowledge. As my grandma always said, "Time's a wastin'!" The requirements of our students should be beneficial to their literacy. He suggests asking yourself when planning, "How is this activity helping my students become more independent as readers, writers, and thinkers?" Assessment is important to assist you when planning what your students need from you. Routman stresses to eliminate time wasters, even something as simply as giving directions. If it takes more than a few minutes to explain then chances are the tasks are probably to complicated for students to work without your guidance.
Oh how right you are my friend! I'm open to more suggestions as to how I can work more efficiently and still be very effective.
ReplyDeleteTimes a wastin for sure! It is so hard to make it all happen but sometimes I don't think that we give ourselves enough credit for the things that we are doing. When I think of all of the great units like yours, I think of literacy being part of it. Then the reading and writing come naturally, simply as part of the experience instead of a time constraint. That is the magical moment that comes from your own experience and interests as a teacher and yes, as a person too. Letting your classroom be a place of discovery where literacy is just natural part of the process.
ReplyDeleteTime concerns us all! Your question is important--what are these activities doing for our learners? When I'm visiting classrooms, I even like asking the kids themselves, "Why are you doing this? What are you learning?" It's quite enlightening. :-)
ReplyDelete