I remember reading materials and constantly asking the person next to me in class to explain what we just read, or just sitting there waiting for the teacher to review what we read. Part of time I was just being lazy, but other times I truly didn't understand the text before me. In this chapter, we learn that that is the norm for a large number of students. I think it is important to understand that we shouldn't water down all the material that students are reading because then they aren't learning anything new and are not growing in their academic learning rather they are just mastering one specific reading level. We need to push our students, but the level we push them needs to be different for every single student. It is so vital as a teacher to know that you can not just teach at one level and expect every student to understand. Teachers have one of the hardest jobs in that they must get to know all of their students and create a learning field in which every student can succeed. As a future teacher, I want to meet my students where they are and at the time it may be more work on myself to find 15 different texts that are at different reading levels, but in the long run I am allowing my students to be successful and feel accomplished which affects their overall academic life. I don't want to have students that look back and say they hated my class because they never understood the reading. I can't expect to separate reading from my content area because I wouldn't be able to teach it without reading. Ultimately, if I don't want my students to be lazy learners than I cannot be a lazy teacher.
Subject Matters: Chapter 11
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Katie,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that students need to be challenged with their reading. I know that when i read pieces that I do not completely understand, i get frustrated, but that is just how we gain knowledge. Students are not going to improve their reading and understanding skills if we make everything too easy for them. We need to emphasize that it is okay to ask questions, as long as they have done their own thinking first.
I like how you talked about getting readings that are at different levels. While we do need to challenge our students, there comes a point where we need to find a happy medium.
I really enjoyed reading your blog!
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Hey Katie! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter! I agree that we should cater to each students’ needs and challenge them in the ways they can personally handle. I definitely agree each student should be challenged though. I think students experience the most growth when they are forced to examine what they don’t understand and ask questions to reach a point of understanding.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it would be very difficult to print out that many primary sources for every student, but it would definitely be helpful for their growth as a student.
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