My ELA classroom

Many of the ideas I had regarding my ELA classroom early in the course still apply but are now more fully developed and extended. For example the ideas I had regarding accessing a wide variety of sources is still valid but I now realize that it is not only exposure to a variety of sources and genres that is important but also providing students with choice in their reading and writing topics. By giving students choices they are personally invested in the reading or writing and is more likely to make it relevant to their lives.

In point form I will present some of the ideas I would use in my classroom to enhance learning and engagement and develop effective writers, readers and speakers.

• Reading and writing workshops are a great way to satisfy the PLOs while engaging students, allowing for differentiated learning and providing effective feedback.
• An effective way to get students thinking about writing is to develop writing territories.
• Mini-lessons can be derived from formative assessment and are an effective way to address problem areas while maintaining engagement.
• Stress that writing is a process, nobody produces excellent first drafts!
• Writing must be authentic and have a purpose to it. Encourage students to have their final drafts published in some way.
• Writers must be supported in the writing process by the teacher and by peers. The metaphor of a growing plant is useful here (seeds: notebook ideas, quick writes, lists, topics, sprouts: whole story written out quickly without concern for spelling, grammar, bud: second/final drafts and bloom: publishing)
• The importance of feedback in the writing process, not just the teacher but also peers. Use conferences and ideas like two stars and a wish for positive feedback.
• Readings can be used as effective springboards for generating writing ideas
• Questions should be set up before reading to the class so the students realize it has a purpose (these can include questions such as: thinking about the theme, characters, how it might apply to their life...).
• many strategies can be used to enhance reading, writing, representation and oracy, several are listed here (first blurt, brainstorm, listen to poems and write your own from remembered words, mind maps, fractured fairy tales, variations on a theme as with Mr. Blueberry, KWHL charts, providing prompts in jars, formal presentations, talking circles, simulations, interviews, town hall meetings, pair talk-share, tea/garden party).
• Technology can be useful for learning and engagement including, but not limited to: music, videos, podcasting and voicethreads.
• Students should be encouraged to experiment with reading and writing in many genres and if having trouble writing about their ideas in one should be encouraged to try in another.
• Cross curricular activities can enhance learning, for example drama is very effective in developing oracy, writing and representation.
• To support students who may have difficulties with writing, reading or oracy alternatives can be used such as high interest low vocabulary books, representing in another form (video, pictures) instead of writing and one-on-one interviews instead of a formal class presentation.
• To enhance authenticity and stress that writing is a process it would be a good idea to invite a real writer to speak to the class and have the students send the writer samples of their own writing from their portfolios.

The incredible number of strategies that can be used to teach ELA will result in an eclectic and diverse learning environment in my classroom. I want my classroom to provide my students with a safe, non-threatening learning environment that presents students with choices. A class where a rich selection of literature covering all genres is available both for reading and as inspiration for writing and expanding and refining the students' writing territories. I would like to build an environment where not only the teacher supports learning but peers also contribute to each others learning and development. The emphasis will be placed on the process of developing writing and oracy. Real writers do not produce excellent, error free first drafts and I would not expect my students to do so either, nor should they expect it. Redrafting and revising are a normal part of the writing process and will be incorporated in my class through peer and teacher review. Constructive criticisms will be stressed with methods such as two stars and a wish. I want my students to produce authentic work that is relevant to their lives and connects with their community and school.

Transforming the Classroom: The Writing Workshop and Habitual Writers

Writing is an idiosyncratic process. If we accept this statement then it should be quite clear that there is not one, best way of teaching writing to students. Students should be exposed to a variety of different strategies and be able to determine which ones work best for them. In my own experience in our class, different strategies have had varied results with my writing. For example, I found with the “first blurt” approach I was able to write a large amount very quickly and had an influx of many ideas. Looking back at the results I realized that some of the ideas could be used and expanded on in a story while others were not as useful. Others in the class did not write very much using the”first blurt” approach and did not find it useful for them. Even with this one example we can see that there is not one approach that works best with all students. To become engaged and successful writers, students must not only have a lot of time to think about writing and actually writing but also must feel that the writing is meaningful and authentic.

By looking at how writing is done in real situations, by real writers we can gain insight into authentic ways of how writing is accomplished. As with real writers, students should be encouraged to share their ideas and their writing with others (both peers and teachers). By sharing, their work can be developed and improved from constructive comments, questions and other feedback provided by their peers and teachers. To make writing meaningful, students should be offered a choice in their writing both in topic and genre and should be encouraged to take risks by writing in a variety of genres. The kind of writing environment I am describing, where the writing the students choose to do is: meaningful, authentic, shared, supported, developed, improved, varied, and frequent lends itself well to a writing workshop model.

The writing workshop model also supports the principles of learning as described in the Integrated Resource Package (IRP):

• Learning requires the active participation of the student.

• People learn in a variety of ways and at different rates.

• Learning is both an individual and a group process.

• Learning is most effective when students reflect on the process of learning and set goals for improvement.

The IRP also recognizes that students will be of varied backgrounds, interests, abilities and needs. In a writing workshop, students are encouraged to write about what is of interest to them and about what is relevant in their lives. Their writing is supported by both the teacher and their peers (in the form of conferences with the teacher and other students). In fact the IRP discusses the writing workshop as a way to organize writing so that the teacher can introduce a range of writing strategies, and students can move toward independence at different rates. The IRP also discusses the different strategies used in each step of the writing process:

• prewriting – generating ideas for getting started, often including building criteria and setting goals

• drafting – writing down ideas

• revising – meaning-based refining and polishing

• editing – grammar and style refining and polishing

• presenting and publishing – preparing a presentation or representation and sharing it with others

To generate ideas before writing, Atwell uses "writing territories". These territories are unique to each person and are generated at the beginning of the workshop and expanded throughout the year. They comprise the sphere of interest and areas of expertise of the writers. These territories include subjects you have written about or would like to write about, audiences for whom you write and genres YOU have written in and would like to try. Atwell describes a list of territories representing a self portrait of the writer. This list may at first be quite small but will grow over the year as students write more pieces in a variety of genres for different audiences.

From the initial territories students can then begin drafting from one of their ideas in a chosen genre. These drafts can be reworked and revised after conferring with other students and the teacher. While conferring with students and observing, analyzing and tracking their work, topics for minilessons are generated. These minilessons address what students need to know next. These interactive lessons can vary anywhere from five to twenty minutes and must be thoughtful, appropriate and authentic. Genuine writing samples are used to show, for example, solutions to writing problems. These minilessons address and support student learning during any step of the writing process. From prewriting and setting goals, to drafting, revising and editing and finally to presenting and publishing. These minilessons should be designed to scaffold learning in what the IRP describes as the zone of proximal development; challenging students to learn what they need to know next, to progress in their writing.

Depending on the level of support the students need, various writing strategies can be employed. For example when a high level of support is required the teacher can do modelled writing (which is done with the whole class or group) where the teacher thinks aloud while composing. In this way the teacher is modelling the writing process he/she uses. As support is gradually removed the class can move on to shared writing where texts are composed together to guided writing and independent writing as well as writing share (where students share their writing as it progresses) and writing conferences. The point is the students receive the amount of support they need and this support is gradually removed as writers become more independent. During the writing conferences the students are performing ongoing self assessment where they learn to look at what they've done and what they need to do next. Atwell places self evaluation at the heart of the evaluation process. Atwell accomplishes this in part using questionnaires that enable students to reflect on where they've been as writers and where they are going. The questionnaire also generates hard data in the form of output (how many pieces of writing, genres represented and so on). Students are also asked to choose their best writing and comment on it and also describe new things they tried as a writer. This self-evaluation puts the ownership of writing and learning on the students and helps them to reflect on what they have learned and where they are going. It reinforces the concept that their writing is an ongoing learning process. The teacher evaluation uses these self-assessments along with the full body of work the student has accomplished to come up with fair evaluations that are based on the expectations explicitly stated at the beginning of the term. These evaluations always include goals for the student.

The principles of learning spelled out in the IRP are well represented by a writing workshop model. I believe this model can be used effectively to engage students in the learning process and address the needs of a varied class where students have diverse backgrounds, different ways of learning, different abilities and interests. If implemented correctly this model can deliver the correct amount of support appropriate for each student and will gradually lead students to be independent writers. Learning is accomplished both individually and in groups with feedback from the teacher and peers and self assessment helping students define their strengths and also helping them set their learning goals. By using a writing workshop model to teach writing I believe that students will not only improve their writing but will be more likely become engaged, habitual, lifelong writers.    

Podcasts and Voicethreads in the Classroom

As we discussed in class, podcasts and voicethreads could be very useful in the classroom. Uses could range from interviews (real and role-played), to uses with shy students, to voice blogs, to radio plays, to reading for the blind and many others. Below are some interesting links to how others are using podcasts and voicethreads.

Here is a good tutorial on how to use podcasts in the classroom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExkMeQfuLGc

Here is a huge list of different podcasts spanning many different subject areas:

http://www.onlineclasses.org/2011/01/25/80-excellent-podcasts-for-every-kind-of-classroom/

There are some excellent examples of the use of voicethreads in the classroom at this site:

http://www.slideshare.net/suziea/voicethread-examples-in-education-presentation

I have only begun to scratch the surface of using these technologies in the classroom and will be browsing these and other sites in the future.   

Integrated Resource Packages: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The BC Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs) set out the curriculum for each subject area and at each grade level. The IRPs were guided by some important principles of learning: that learning requires active participation by the student, that there are a variety of ways and rates of learning, that learning is both an individual and a group process and is most effective when students reflect on the process of learning. The IRPs also attempt to recognize and accommodate for, diversity in the classroom. These are all laudable objectives but in one case study described below, the IRP is failing a student. This failure may be indirect, and may actually be caused by the reality of budget constraints and limited resources for schools, but the constraints of the IRP, in terms of assessment and Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are ultimately a large part of this failure. Also the constraints of the IRPs, specifically with regard to the Recommended Learning Resources may present a challenge for teachers who attempt to implement a reading/writing workshop model (where students choose what they read and write) in the classroom.

The IRP provides us with a framework for curriculum delivery. Specifically the IRPs supply the teacher with the learning objectives the students need to attain in each subject and grade, that is what the students need to learn but not how they learn it- this is where the teacher's creativity, vision and training become important. Since the IRP allows for flexibility in curriculum delivery, I would use many of the ideas from our readings and discussions in order to engage the students in their learning while still reaching the PLOs as described in the IRPs. For example, a precursor to any real learning is dependent upon building a relationship with each of your students, as illustrated so clearly in the case of Zerina in the article “The Need to Write, the Need to Listen” written by Ruth Shagoury. Zerina is also an example of some of the diversity of students we will encounter as new teachers. It was a difficult challenge to engage Zerina, who had been traumatized by her wartime experiences but it was well worth the effort. Through the process of engaging Zerina, the teacher not only brought out Zerina's writing talents but also helped her come to terms with her past while at the same time helping other students, and the teacher to understand the horrors of war. The case of Zerina provides a vivid example of the importance of building relationships and engaging all students, making sure that they all have a voice and have something to contribute. Zerina also provides us with an example of the diversity we could meet in our classrooms, in this case an immigrant from war torn Bosnia. There will most assuredly be students in the classroom with varied backgrounds, cultures, learning styles, students with disabilities, behavioural issues, personalities, the list is endless. This diversity presents both a challenge but also an opportunity for learning, exploring and understanding for the teacher and the students.

There are certain things which can be done to encourage engagement in learning. A key aspect of any effective learning seems to be relevancy to the student. As Atwell and others have pointed out, giving students a choice in their reading encourages students to read more widely and carefully and allowing them choice in what they write about also increases their enthusiasm for writing. The workshop model that Atwell presents has been shown to be successful in engaging students in reading and writing and encourages students to discuss what they are reading and writing in a collaborative way with fellow students and the teacher. Of course one of the challenges for the teacher that uses the workshop approach would be to ensure that the PLOs in the IRP are all being satisfied in the context of the workshop. Since the IRP is a curriculum guide it itemizes what the outcomes must be not how to get there. Thus a workshop model should be able to be used in order to reach the goals set out in the IRP. Though Atwell's focus is on reading and writing there is also a large oral component in the workshop setting. Students spend time discussing their readings and writings with other students and the teacher.

Though the IRP is a curriculum guide it does contain a Learning Resource section for each grade. These learning resources have been approved by the Government of BC for use in the classroom and if the teacher wishes to use other resources they must be evaluated through a local, board-approved process. This fact may make the practical implementation of a reading and writing workshop problematic. If the idea is to allow students to have choice in their reading and writing, the fact that each book chosen by the students must first go through an approval process makes the implementation of a workshop very difficult. Also the fact that the resources a school may have could be very limited (due to budget constraints) the choice the students have is even more limited.

When looking at the oral development of the students, we want to strive for authentic discourse in the classroom. This does not consist of a teacher simply asking questions and eliciting answers from the students; rather, the students themselves are encouraged to wonder and generate questions, to become independent learners. As Probst explains in “Tom Sawyer Teaching and Talking”, the teacher's role lies in managing the discourse, keeping it organized and flowing but also in enriching it by bringing up points they may have missed and questions that may not have occurred to them. Gradually the students will be able to speak in more sophisticated and intelligent ways independently of the teacher. As with reading and writing the responsibility for learning is shifted to the student. From observing students, knowing them, engaging them in learning relevant to them and slowly letting go, students will begin to learn independently.

A case I recently learned about came to mind when considering how, indirectly, the IRP did not serve the interests of the student. The case involved a student who was having difficulty in all subject areas and when assessed, her report card was all “not meeting expectations” and a few “approaching expectations.” The teacher expressed frustration with a system that officially proclaims that “the curriculum must fit the child”, when in the real, day to day world the child has to fit the curriculum. The student had been the subject of school based team meetings but had not been formally diagnosed (now in grade 5, she has been on a wait list for official diagnosis since grade 1).

The learning assistance teacher initially worked on her literacy skills and during the year the student’s assessment rose only slightly in some areas of literacy from “not meeting expectations” to “approaching expectations”. The teacher noted multiple problems with language acquisition including reversals, leaving out words and sounds, comprehension, problems with written output and others. During this time the student was also going through the emotional upheaval of family breakup and lived part time in three residences. Despite these conditions, the student did receive home support in her schooling. The teacher also noted that the student had attention issues: she was very easily distracted, often forgot her homework, used avoidance techniques, had trouble focusing and wanted to draw during silent reading time.

The student still struggled in all areas except was recognized as being creative and very artistic (visual arts and drama); she also had coordination issues (gross motor skills). During this time the teacher attempted to teach to the student’s strengths, using her art skills in an integrated manner in order to teach other areas of the curriculum. The teacher also implemented “best practices” accommodations such as scribing for the student, one-on-one oral interactions, computer text input with spell checks and home research on projects with parent involvement and others. This “band-aid”solution was also designed to attempt to engage the student and keep her self-esteem intact. Currently the student is still receiving learning assistance and is scheduled to be formally tested by Christmas.

Recognizing that students have different learning needs is key. The problem is that the learning disability or disabilities the student has are not clearly defined because of lack of formal assessment. This formal assessment is a key factor in moving the learning of the student forward, making an individual learning plan that recommends approaches and/ or treatments and sets realistic learning goals. In essence, the formal assessment is necessary in order to understand what they are dealing with and to devise a clear IEP (Individual Education Plan) for the student with appropriate modifications and accommodations. Here with the long delay in diagnosis, the system has let down this student, the teachers have done their best to accommodate the student, taught to her strengths and attempted to keep her self-esteem intact but without a diagnosis and corresponding IEP, the IRP has forced the teachers to give the student poor assessments which undermine her confidence and engagement. This case study illustrates how students can “fall through the cracks” and end up struggling and disengaged and finally may end up dropping out of school, even when teachers have the best intentions.

Overall the IRP provides a framework and a good starting point for the teacher. It provides the goals for learning in the form of PLOs as well as some useful considerations for delivery. It also provides us with assessment models and recommended resources. It presents the teacher with a “toolbox” which can help the beginning teacher to build his classroom. How these tools are used is up to the teacher: this is where the training and creativity of the teacher becomes so important. One challenge the IRP presents is in limiting the choice of students to approved learning resources thus making the implementation of a reading/writing workshop model more difficult. Also framing a workshop so that it satisfies all the PLOs may also be a challenge. Finally in a situation where a student who has a learning disability or other undiagnosed condition and therefore does not have an IEP, may not be served well by the IRP and the PLOs when all the student ever gets on their assessments are “not meeting expectations.” This is a sure way to lower a student's self-esteem, erode their confidence and disengage the student from learning.

ELA in Middle School

At this early stage in the course I am still trying to envisage what English Language Arts would look/ be/ sound like in the middle school classroom.  I would like to offer some of my ideas thus far but of course these are always subject to future change.  First I think the best approaches would all involve access to the widest possible number of different types of sources of English.  These sources must not only be wide but also rich in content and relevant to the students enabling them to connect with the various materials and providing them with choice.  I imagine these sources including, but not being limited to: short stories, plays, poetry, legends, novels, newspaper and magazine articles (electronic and hard copy), non-fiction accounts, use of dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference materials and other online sources.  Here the sources need not involve solely the written word but can also involve audio (oral), imagery and other physical materials. These myriad of sources would not be used in isolation but be integrated in the learning environment. This integration can be used to increase meaning of the texts. Also the richness of the sources being presented would be much more likely to make a connection with the students, foster student choice, allow for multiple literacies and lead to learning autonomy. 

Various teaching methods would be used in the classroom in order to provide variety and foster inclusivity and interest. These could include (but not be limited to): reading and writing workshops, problem based learning, group learning and open ended activities (dramas and others). By using rich, varied, engaging and relevant sources, providing students with choices and a voice in the in learning and tailoring teaching methods to the needs of the students, I believe a teacher would be providing a positive learning environment for ELA in the classroom.  

Introduction: My Goals

To me teaching ELA provides an opportunity to engage and motivate students in their understanding and acquisition of the English language (speaking, writing, reading, viewing and representing).   The challenge is to address the needs, interests and abilities of different students who may be at varying developmental levels, be from diverse backgrounds and may have various learning challenges.

Personally, my goal is to impart my love of language to the students, thus putting them on the path of lifelong learning.