Articles for this week:
Allington, R. L. (2002). You can’t learn much from books you can’t read. Educational Leadership, 16-19.
Bean, T. W. (2002). Making reading relevant for adolescents. Educational Leadership, 34-37.
D’Arcangelo, M. (2002). The challenge of content-area reading: A conversation with Donna Ogle. Educational Leadership. 12-15.
The readings for this week have really affected how I view reading throughout the curriculum. With a focus in biology, I have noticed that many readings within my field, whether from a scientific journal or a textbook, are very straight forward and to the point. They don't beat around the bush to get to the point they are trying to make. While science textbooks are generally very organized, I feel that I will have to make more of an effort to get my students to engage within the reading. Using the textbook will not be my only source of reading for my students.
It is important that students are aware that reading is an important skill to know. They will not just need it for my class but for all the others they are taking now and in the future. Even for those who do not see themselves going to college and furthering their education, reading is used every day. Part of my job as a teacher is to help students gain the skills necessary to help them in life. This goes beyond just knowing biology knowledge.
Making readings relevant for students will be tricky but there is one thing that all adolescents have in common, the internet. There is a plethora of information that can be found on just about any topic on the internet, it is just a matter of knowing where to go to get it. Although not a good primary resource for papers and such, Wikipedia is a great resource for getting facts to help you delve further into research. It even provides resources from which its information was gathered. Allowing students to find their own sources provides a way for them to engage within the material by finding something that is relevant to their interests or to their lives.
Becoming a teacher is much more than just providing content-based knowledge; it is providing the tools of knowledge that individuals will need to succeed in everyday life.
7 comments:
Great post, Hannah. Looking forward to following your studies! Big hugs and good luck! <3
Thanks Christina! I'm happy to have you following my posts. :)
I enjoyed your post! You should also explore linking the students readings to physical science using experiments or excersizes. Redundancy woo hoo!
As an elementary teacher we work very hard on teaching students reading skills and a love for reading. In addition we incorporate reading in all areas in hopes when they move into secondary education they are successful readers.
We also integrate technology in reading and in research skills. Today many kids can "surf" the web and find a plethora of information but do not know how to research websites correctly and how to distinguish between what they should use for research and what they should not use.
We had a guest speaker two years ago at a professional development who was discussing how to properly use Google as an example. So many students think you should just type in your keyword into the search bar and truly don't know how there is so much more to it. It was very eye opening to us teachers as many of us did not know the tips and tricks either.
Can't wait to see what else you post!
You will make a fabulous teacher! Great post and I can't wait to read more. :)
That's very interesting! One of the articles (I can't remember which exactly at the moment) mentioned how elementary schools are the only ones that are preparing students with reading. It mentions that after fifth grade, the level of the textbooks greatly increase to where they are above the students reading levels. Many teachers for secondary education are not making the necessary steps to aid in this.
I definitely see what you mean that readings within the science field can be straight forward with hypothesis, data, and conclusions. As we are in such a rich technological age, you can use a vast array of programs on the internet that can make the learning experience more intriguing to your students. Not only will it be fun for the class, it can also reinforce the material you are teaching.
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