In the video, it was great to see the different strategies Ms. Taxel used to cater to all of her students. The interactive games, shared readings and vivid imagery throughout the classroom made reading an active learning experience for everyone. Like Bianca and Harpreet, one of my favourite activities was the restaurant role-play. Not only did it promote co-operative learning, it also allowed for students to recognize that literacy is universal and goes beyond the classroom walls.
- Naveen
In the video, I think by the kindergarden teacher using labels on many objects in the classroom was a great idea to help the children not only learn where the objects belong, but also to read them everyday. The students could relate to the items all around the class, which made the classroom more visually stimulating as well. A method I would like to employ in my class was the sound/word bag, where the children are to bring back items in their bag that begin with a certain letter. The word bag allows for parental involvement at home, but also is a form of assessment for whether the student understood how to use that particular letter. I found the activity in which the children go outside and find what they can see encompasses a lot of language skills and even different subjects. The children can represent what they see with pictures or words, and having the students share with the class what they saw can be part of the oral communication strand. This activity can be used for science or the visual arts section of the curriculum. The last thing I thought was great and I would like to use in my class is having the restaurant scenario with the class playing different roles. This makes students aware of money value (perhaps what certain items may cost), and the proper manners to be exhibited in a public setting like a restaurant.
~ Bianca Morra ~
The video entailed many strategies that the teacher used to develop early literacy skills for young children. She incorporated real life settings into her classroom and essentially provided young students with an opportunity to practice reading outside of the classroom. In particular, the teacher in the video used centres such as a restaurant in which students were required to act out the role of a waiter and thus read menus to the people visiting the restaurant. I felt like this was an excellent way to encourage and promote students to read outside of the classroom. I also noticed another effective strategy that the teacher used to develop literacy skills. The teacher held one-on-one writing conferences in the classroom to promote interaction between the student and the teacher. This is also an excellent way for the teacher to determine what areas of difficulty a particular student may have and to work collaboratively to help the student better. I also felt that shared reading such as having a student come up and read a large scale book to the entire class was helpful as it promotes interaction with students and a sense of comfort in reading aloud.
Harpreet Kainth
After watching the CTELL video, I was very impressed with the variety of methods the teacher used to incorporate literacy in her classroom. One method I really liked was the labelling of individual objects around the classroom. By putting a name to an object this helped students to become familiar with the process of identification. Another activity I really found interesting was when the teacher found an opportunity in a spontaneous occurrence (changing the light bulb) to include a shared writing lesson. This ensured that all students were familiar with the topic, which would potentially increase participation. By incorporating routines like 'the daily message’, the teacher is ensuring that there is a daily opportunity for her class to engage in shared writing. I really liked her idea of bringing in menus, which had the potential to integrate areas such as: reading, writing, art, drama and math. By allowing the students to become interactive in their learning, through having them act out a restaurant scenario allowed them to gain a realistic perspective and is a great way for accomodating for the multiple intelligences found in the students.
Fathia Nasir
I also agree with Fathia when she says that acting out a restaurant scenario allowed the students to gain a realistic perspective. I think it is important for students to be able to have a chance to learn literacy through various forms. Drama is an excellent source for incorporating many different literacy skills. Drama allows students to write out scripts, edit, and read out the lines. Multiple intelligences are developed with such a basic activity. There is a lot of room for higher order thinking when students are allowed to explore real life experiences.
Jagjeet Grewal
After viewing the video, I too was very impressed with the numerous strategies that were outlined for promoting literacy. As a visual learner, I can appreciate the activities that incorporated art and drama. I believe that children get the most out of visual experiences. I picked up a lot of ideas that I will include in my future classroom like the "author's chair". The children get a real sense of ownership and take pride in their work. They also can relate their own ideas to the particular text that they were reading. Creative programming to promote literacy takes a lot of imagination and dedication to implement meaningful learning opportunities. The restaurant center and the participation from the teacher really conveyed the message that the teacher was part of a team. Getting down to the student's level and guiding them through active instruction allows the children to build trust and feel safe within the environment encouraging them to ask questions and explore new opportunities to improve skills in all areas. I also liked how the teacher built an environment that incorporated both written words and picture representations so children of all learning abilities can feel confident with the routine and schedules. The home/school connection was constantly addressed in homework, so this allowed the children to take learning home with them and continue the process outside of school.
Amy Cook
Much like Amy, I was too impressed with how Mrs. Taxel’s classroom promotes literacy by labelling, word wall, reading their own work aloud, from the Author’s Chair to the class, computer center, classroom volunteers, book talk, (to name a few). I also liked how she provides ample authentic opportunities for the students to put literacy into their everyday lives. When writing the letter to the janitor, the whole group was able to collaborate and find a solution to an actual problem in their classroom. On top of the authentic teachable moments this teacher embraced and the collaborative and group focused work; I liked how she encouraged leadership. Mrs. Taxel was able to promote student guided lessons with out ever centering the students out in a negative way.
Jenny Gordon
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.