http://vimeo.com/mdamiano/
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This is a clip from the time of day that we call read aloud. It seems further away from Julia's read aloud time - possibly more towards what she would term literature discussion??
Regardless of the name of the instructional activity, it does highlight social expectations and norms for interacting in my classroom. Read aloud was (and is) a ritualized practice used to establish classroom community and culture from the start of the year. I have a no-hand raising classroom, but you will see some of the children using hand signals (such as linking their fingers to show they have a connection, or holding their hands up to ask a question). At the start of the year kids used these hand signals as I read to show that they were actively thinking during this time. It also became a way to signal to their classmates that they had something to say when we moved towards a community based on peer discussions and "unrestricted" talk.
The clip shows the kids discussing the book In Our Mothers's House by Patricia Polacco. While we do have an ongoing conversation as we read, this clip occurred at a stopping point on the first day of reading. After a reading only a few pages (with discussion between) I asked the kids to jot down what they were thinking, then discuss. There are comments that demonstrate their continued attempts to make meaning from the story, and also determine the author's intent.
(And yes, that is most of my entire class - only one girl was absent that day)
That might be interesting to look at -- I could only see 2 girls, and it seems from your comment that you don't have many girls -- but in the moment between comments when one kid is going to come out as the speaker, in this discussion it seems like a boy always comes out as the speaker. And it's also interesting to look at how they negotiate that, even though I know you've done a lot to make that happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd also, can I just say - WOW, they are having such a great discussion!!! :)
So fun to watch your students have a meaningful discussion on topics that most adults can't talk about! What happens along the way that makes us so squeamish?
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting also if you showed this and then discussed as a teacher what YOU'RE thinking about as you watch it. WHat students are you concerned about (if any) and why? How will you follow up with them? Do you think there is equity in the discussion, and if not, what can you do about it? I'm not sure if Julia asked herself these questions, but these are the kinds of issues we've been looking at as reading about Julia's classroom...
Thanks so much for letting us see your classroom!
I always find it interesting to watch my classroom lessons after I have lived them. Sometimes I see things that I was blind to, other times I sit back and enjoy the moment. It has taken a great deal of work to move the children towards conversing in a "jump in" type manner. Initially, there was not equity in the conversations. A student who struggles with decoding and comprehension tended to echo what other children would say or he would stay silent. Another child, who had recently returned from attending a school in Japan, hesitated to share his ideas and often got embarrassed when he found it challenging to express his ideas in English. On the flip side, there were two students who thought they WERE the conversation. They have learned that new ideas can come from listening as well as sharing. One strategy that we found helpful to encourage the non-participators (both in this class, and in previous years) was to have the kids turn-and-talk first, then help the hesitant kids sort out and rehearse their ideas first. Then myself or my associate teacher would sit behind them and whisper for them to jump in when it seemed like an appropriate time. They are comfortable talking in this manner now and are equal participants in the conversations. Every year, although I prefer and appreciate this style of conversation, it always worries me when we start the year and children who are shy, feel academically insecure, or have difficulty expressing themselves are more passive in the conversations. I often wonder if this method of participation empowers the more confident set and silences the already quiet set. After some time and teaching, it evens out and the kids seem to enjoy feeling in control of their participation.
ReplyDeleteThe strategies you're describing make it seem like they might be possible ways to address some of the challenges we found in Julia's classroom -- if you explicitly coach and encourage kids to know how to participate in this way, you might have kids who still prefer this discussion more than others, but more/all of the kids CAN participate, even if it's not their favorite thing.
ReplyDeleteI guess inherently this does maintain the structure that this is the way to do discussion over others, but at the same time, it allows more kids access to that mode of discussion (which has power in our society and therefore is something that we want kids to be able to access when they choose to do so). And of course in our classrooms (and Julia's) there are lots of other times of the day besides literature discussions and readalouds, and we can look at those places as chances to possible privilege other modes of knowing as well.
The more I watch this video the more I love your class, Michele! They are so awesome. Thanks for posting this.