My Reading is Changing. What's Going On?

I finally got started on Shelfari yesterday. It was something I’d wanted to do for a while. As I was entering a few of the books I’ve read in the last year and books that I plan to read over the summer, I realized how my reading material has changed. And as I reflected, I realized the way I read has changed as well. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, it’s just different than it used to be.

I always believed that when you read a book, or article, or anything for that matter, you read the whole thing – beginning to end. I have even finished books I didn’t like. Maybe it’s that philosophy I have, “when you start something you finish it.”

My reading habits have also changed with a huge increase in reading online news and blogs. A couple of years ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be reading blogs and be so interested in what other folks have to say. I used to equate blogs to talk radio, and I really dislike talk radio. But I've found I learn so much from bloggers. They really stretch my thinking as I continue to learn.

Another change I’ve noticed is the speed at which I read. I do a lot of skimming and scanning. Hardly ever do I hang on every word authors have to say even if I do respect them and consider them to be experts.

I also like to listen to music while I'm reading. Noise in general doesn't bother me anymore. What can be more distracting is the silence. Not so a couple of years ago.

This change in reading has wreaked havoc with my reading for pleasure. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s the fact that the genre of my pleasure reading has changed. I used to lead a book club. In fact we were together for three years, and I really enjoyed it. I relished not only my reading (every word, cover to cover) but also the discussion that went with each selection. Now I rarely read for pleasure the old way, and when I try, I find myself skimming and scanning—not exactly the best way to enjoy a good novel.

I wonder what’s going on. Is it a physiological change? Is it simply a change in my preferences? Have I become impatient and expect instant access to all kinds of online material? Or does it really matter? What I do know is that I read so much more now than I ever used to even though it is a different kind of reading. And, I am enjoying it.

However, it's summer. And I AM going to get back to Madame Bovary, the classic novel I started several months ago, and I AM going to read it word for word, cover to cover. I’ll do that though, after I skim the first few chapters—I don’t remember what the book's about.

Personalizing Learning to be Successful in the 21st Century

The Manson Northwest Webster School Board had it's monthly Education Board Meeting on March 3, 2011. The agenda focused on reform and preparing our students for the future. It was an exciting evening and there was rich discussion about education in the future, preparing students for life beyond school, and what Manson Northwest Webster might look like in the years to come. I feel priviledged to have facilitated such a rich discussion about what's best for students. We used this guiding question as an umbrella for conversation.

What do our students need to know and be able to do to be successful in the 21st century?

The basis of the discussion was framed around the report that came out of the Personalized Learning Symposium that took place on August 4-6, 2010 in Boston. The symposium brought together three key groups of education leaders – local and state practitioners, national thought leaders, and senior technology executives – with participants selected for their vision, leadership, and expertise with personalized learning.

The following five essential elements were identified as being central to personalize learning. These elements provided the framework for the MNW Board's discussion. The bullets under the elements below are summary points of the discussion.

1) Flexible, Anytime/Everywhere Learning

● you don’t need to be in the building to learn (or access curriculum)

● learn at their own pace

● don’t have to be with peers

● focus on student interests

● kids need to be engaged and accountable for their own learning

What does this look like, might look like? Do we know for sure?

● Kids coming and going to see instructors

● might be referred to as the open campus model.

● It could mean a more automated system

● more access to experts (Kahn University)

● is there a base or core knowledge that all students need to have?

● teachers become facilitators of the learning

2) Redefine Teacher Role and Expand “Teacher”

● Teacher is facilitator

● Students may not always go to the teacher for information

● Students have advisors

● Perhaps not one teacher per group of students, but a team of teachers with differentiated roles.

● Teacher would not necessarily have to be in building

3) Project-based/Authentic Learning Opportunities

● We don’t want virtual learning without collaborative projects

● What is the role of project-based collaboration in virtual learning?

● If teachers trust student inquiry--children will discover great things.

● Classrooms become nation-wide/ world-wide and students collaborate online

● When technology increases, the authentic learning opportunities grow

4) Student Driven learning Path

● Long range planning needed

● Gives individual students more opportunities to learn, their method of learning

● Students would have more control of the pace of their learning

● Time should become the variable, not the learning(mastery)

5) Mastery/competency-Based Progression/Pace

● The only place this happens now is in the alternative program

● Quarters, semester, trimesters wouldn’t work in this type of learning

● How does this impact funding?

● Reauthorization of NCLB will be based on the growth model (Jeff H.)

● Does this system lend itself to year around school?

● As soon as a student masters a topic, s/he moves on.

The meeting was live streamed, collaborative Google notes were taken and shared, and several teachers and anonymous viewers joined in via the u-stream and Google Doc.

The discussion will continue at the April Education Board Meeting.

Metacognative Thinking in 4th Grade? Yes!

Jodi Jacobsen is a 4th grade teacher at Manson Northwest Webster. Besides that, she wears several other hats. She's on our District Leadership Team, the Elementary Assessment Team, and our Iowa Core Leadership Team. In her "spare" time she agree to write a post for my blog.

As I read it I was impressed with how succinctly she describes the importance of questioning and metacognition. I recently did a walk-through in Jodi's class and I can tell you that her blog post isn't just a description. It really happens in her classroom. The deep thinking, and collaboration that went on among the 4th graders during my visit was remarkable. It was concept-based, 21st century learning all the way.

Jodi writes:

"When you were a child, did you ever have a teacher or parent ask, "What were you thinking?" It typically had a negative connotation. I'm pretty sure that was my dad's first question when I had a fender bender at age 17. This was, of course, a legitimate question. He wanted to know what I was thinking when I took that corner too quickly. I didn't know it at the time, but maybe he was on to something. He made me think about what I had done, and why I had done it.

Now that I'm a teacher, I realize the power of that question. It is my favorite one to ask my students, and I do it often - probably to the point that they now answer it before I even ask. As we study the Iowa Core Curriculum and its Characteristics of Effective Instruction, questioning seems to be at the heart of good teaching and learning. As teachers, we strive to develop life-long learning in our students. To achieve that, we must nurture thinking - and thinking about thinking. Metacognition develops in my fourth graders when I ask them appropriate questions. I see them grow when the questions I model for them are not necessarily about what answer they want to give, but why they want to give that answer. The challenge is to pose questions that will encourage them to think more deeply than they thought possible. When faced with complex questions to ponder, students develop confidence and higher-order skills. This means teaching with flexibility and being ready for those teachable moments. I used to worry that I was getting off track when that happened. Now I realize that these moments can sometimes benefit students more than planned out lessons. I have also decided that asking myself, "What were you thinking?" is very valuable. It helps me reflect on my day-to-day teaching in a way that encourages relevancy and strategic instruction.

A positive effect of open-ended questioning with students is that they tend to pick up these habits themselves. When listening to small groups collaborate, I often hear them ask each other questions like, "How did you get that idea?" To me, that's the end goal - that students are naturally able to ask each other and themselves questions that will make them think things through before making decisions. When they are able to do that, and learn more about their own thought processes, life-long learning is sure to follow. "What do you think?" "

Twitter: JodiJteacher

Diigo username: jodijj

Wiki: http://awesome4thgraders.wikispaces.com/