The focus of our October faculty meeting and subsequent planning period meeting was about the benefits of station teaching. This best practice is something that we have been able to do over the years in classrooms, but it's something I really focused on when I moved into the media center just because it was an excellent use of the space and our resources in the media center (i.e. me (the Media Specialist) and our technology). We just successfully completed a three week introduction for the 9th Grade Literature classes and their study of The Other Wes Moore, an nonfiction book by Wes Moore that follows his life and the life of a man serving a life sentence in prison. The other man just happens to share the same name as the author and he explores what happened in both of their lives to cause each of them to have such very different outcomes. We used stations in three different ways: 1) to introduce the four central ideas or topics of the text: poverty, crime, drugs, and racism; 2) to give students the opportunity to research one of those central ideas throughout a time period in history (the 1960s, the 1980s-1990s, or the 2000s); 3) to have students present their research and information to their classmates via station teaching. So exactly how did we do this? 1) All of the classes were in the media center during the three week time period. This was a great co-teaching opportunity between myself and the 9th Grade Literature teachers. We collaborated on the lesson plan in the weeks prior and used that time to collect resources for the introductory texts for the first week of thee unit. 2) There were two periods in the day where we had TWO classes doing this simultaneously; that means we successfully used stations with 60+ freshmen AT ONE TIME. 3) I had the opportunity to serve as the lead teacher for this three week period. We collaborated together and supported each other through out the process, but it was a great chance to co-teach with our 9th Grade Literature Teachers. When we informally surveyed our students at the end of the three week period, they gave us excellent feedback:
-They loved presenting in small groups. It took the pressure off of them having to stand in front of the whole class (or two classes) and they had the chance to improve each time they presented. -When students weren't presenting, they liked getting to move around to take notes. We included tiered graphic organizers that were tailored to each student's needs. -The students also enjoyed having the extra help they could get in the media center and the flexibility of the space. There's something magical about doing research from a bean bag chair! This was the third year that we did this assignment, but there was a stronger sense of community and engagement this time around. We got "all up in our feelings" that first week, we shared a meal of s'mores around a fire pit, and we talked about some tough subjects. But this experience created a sense of trust and an open line of communication between the students and I. They are now coming to me for help outside of the 9th Grade Lit classroom and because they trust me, it's even easier for me to work with them in other classes too. Trust the process & give stations a try!
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Regardless of the subject that you may specialize in, if you are a teacher, you are a READING teacher.
Let that sink in. Research shows that if students are not read to early on, they will struggle in school and that is compounded in high school when a student doesn't want to admit that they struggle with literacy because it's assumed that they can read and read well. According to the National Education Association: "...only 53 percent of children ages three to five were read to daily by a family member (1999). Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read to aloud everyday than are children in families with incomes at or above poverty." "The Educational Testing Services reported that students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older." Did you know that students who do not or cannot read well deal with other negative impacts ranging from "dropping out of high school...[to] increased criminal activity & incarceration to poorer health outcomes" (Education Commission of the States). So why is it important that we understand that we are ALL reading teachers? Each teacher can have a dramatic impact on student literacy and achievement by encouraging a culture of reading regardless of what content area he or she teachers in. The infographic below (courtesy of Library Girl) is a great starting point for teachers to use to develop their own reading lives and support students. Giving students access to reading materials of any kind (books, magazines, newspapers, digital formats, etc.) can make a huge difference, especially if the student does not have access at home. While access is important, I honestly believe the most important thing you can do is share what you are reading with your students and do it with passion! They want you to engage them in conversation that goes beyond the normal school talk so what a great way to do so! |
Author: Jenn Gibson
Teacher. Librarian. Technology Guru. Barista. Archives
May 2019
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