Archive for January 27th, 2009
Workshop 1 Video Blog
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
After experiencing technical difficulties I finally had the chance to view the video. I was very happy after I saw the video because it was worth the trouble and the wait. I will be honest, I was a little hesitant after I listened to the opening speaker who was older. I thought the video was going to be boring, but I was very wrong. I learned a lot from the video. Not only from listening to the perspectives of the teachers but by watching the activities the teachers did in their classrooms. The video gave me a chance to think about the kinds of activities and values I want in my classroom. I like seeing how each of the teachers tried to implement a safe learning environment in their classroom. I got to see the things I liked and didn’t like about each of their teaching styles. For the most part I liked what the teachers were doing in their classrooms but there were some aspects that I didn’t think would work for me.
The general topic for the video was creating a community of writers. One common theme that each of the teachers shared was the idea of creating a safe environment for the students to learn. This idea involved different things for different teachers. They each had their own ideas, some of which were similar, on what makes a safe environment. They gave strategies for feeling safe which included; having a writing voice and speaking voice that students feel comfortable sharing, sharing stories and personal experiences, the teachers writing along with the students, and also the physical environment of the class room. I think all of these aspects are very important. I found that the two most important strategies across the board were writing with the students and having the students share their work and their voice.
I thought Velvet McReynolds was a very effective teacher and I liked everything she did with her class. It seemed like her class was very comfortable and they were always having a good time learning. Her class also seemed like they were the most willing to share their thoughts and their work. She had a lot of really good ideas that she implemented in her classroom. She expressed that building a community starts from day one with the teacher. She stressed how important it was for the teacher to share personal stories with their students. Also, she talked about the importance of having rituals and routines. In her opinion the children need to feel valued and respected and I couldn’t agree more. She focused a lot on sharing and participation in the classroom. She also talked about how critical it was for the share their work and for the students to view the teacher as a writer too. I think this is a good concept because I think modeling is the best tool in teaching. She said the finished product is often intimidating and it is important for the students to have the idea, “were all in this together.” Velvet did an activity where she wrote and story and had the students read it and give her feedback. I thought this was really cool because the students felt like she was learning just as much as they were and they got to see that writing was an ongoing process for everyone not just them. This activity also gave the students a chance to see Velvet in a different light, not just as the teacher who knows all.
I think that as a teacher sharing your writing could be very intimidating. I don’t think I am the best writer so even though I think it’s a good idea, at the same time I feel like they would find me less credible if I shared my writing and my students thought it was terrible. I think it is different in the high school setting than the middle school setting. At the high school age the students might tend to feel like they already know a lot and they might be harsher critics to my writing than a middle school student might be. Regardless I think I would be willing to try it for the sake of my classroom learning community.