Our class discussion focused on the readings and glossary terms that where set as a workshop task. As a group we focused on why it is important for students to know the meaning of words and their relationship within a text. We touched on the fact that although some of the glossary terms are not as prevalent within primary classroom situations they play a major role in teacher understanding and knowledge and also are an important aspect when focussing on children with speech impediments.
Throughout our in class discussion we spoke about understanding persuasive and informative texts and the power of words in their ability to be able to convince the reader of something. The understanding of the two types of texts is imperative for students as they can then develop an understanding of the power of words and develop the knowledge of how not to be manipulated.
A large portion of our discussion also looked at the concept of grading text and finding engaging texts that are at the students reading level but also provide interest and enjoyment. The development of reading levels and students ability is imperative but similarly allowing students to choose and explore different texts allows for an enjoyable and engaging learning experience.
I must admit that I was a little stumped at the point of the glossary terms, as I struggled to understand why we would need to know the complex terms, or why students would need to know them. They really confused me and were hard to make meaning of. When Petrina explained that these terms could be used in regards to students who struggled with reading or had learning difficulties, the importance of knowing these words became clearer to me. We, as teachers, need to understand how students read and possibly what techniques they may need help with and these words enable us to pin-point certain issues.
ReplyDeleteThe preparation for this week’s workshop was particularly valuable in defining and deepening our understanding of many of the elements of reading and writing that we implicitly know how to interpret and implement. This both enriches our own literary experiences, and, most importantly from a teaching perspective, develops our ability to explicitly teach specific skills and strategies to our students as well as assess the areas requiring further attention.
ReplyDeleteAs Maddy indicated, the ability to match students’ abilities and interests with appropriate texts is one of the vital elements in assisting students to engage and catch the ‘reading bug’! I am keen to further develop my ability to assess and develop programs that cater for individual skills and interest, empowering them to become even more effective readers and writers.
I found this weeks preparation useful in developing my knowledge as a teacher of English, I found the glossary terms an interesting task. Although I feel that I would need to revist these again to grasp their full meanings and would also need to refer back to them when analysing my students work as they are quite complex as a one off lesson in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned above, finding engaging texts that are at the students reading level but also provide interest and enjoyment was a discussion topic I really enjoyed, on placement last year I had a lot of experience with this. I had a child in my class who was not fond of reading but when asked his interests (cars, bikes) he was given a fictional book on racing at his reading level. From this the child's interest to reading was enhanced. This was a rewarding task and good to share with my group.