It seems its never too late to go back to school and learn something new, this 91 year old senior proves that.

Bertie Gladwin has just completed his masters degree in Intelligence History and now plans to do a PHD. Bertie didn’t want to do home learning so he joined twenty-something students in the busy corridors and classrooms.

This story amazed me, even more so because I’ve recently written two articles about whether its even worth going to university, clearly Bertie thinks it is! Going back to school is certainly an interesting retirement choice. Although is certainly keeps the mind active, I wonder what the other students must have thought and Bertie when they first saw him.

Funnily enough what they were studying in the Classroom the senior student had actually lived through it himself. That must have certainly helped him with his studies.

Here is the link to the original article, plus my article: is it worth going to university? And, Life After School?

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/i’m-not-stopping-yet–91-year-old-becomes-britain’s-oldest-masters-graduate.html

Applying Constructivism to the Social Studies Classroom

Renea Ross

University of Pittsburgh

Elementary Education 1173

March 23, 2012

Jadallah, E. (2000). Constructivist learning experiences for social studies learning. The Social Studies, 221-225.

Myers, P., & Savage, T. (2005). Enhancing student comprehension of social studies material. The Social Studies, 18-23.

Obenchain, K., & Morris, R. (2011). 50 social studies strategies for k-8 classrooms. Boston: Pearson.

Applying Constructivism to the Social Studies Classroom

            “Who would like to read from the textbook next?” the teacher asks, ignoring the collective sigh of the students as some shift restlessly in their seats, stare out the window or pass notes to one another when the teacher is not watching.

            “Who cares what happened to the pioneers,” one student grumbles under his breath to another. “What does it have to do with me?”

            Creating a relevant and engaging social studies curriculum for students can be difficult for some teachers if they do not understand how children construct knowledge, and how that construction applies to the classroom.

            According to the article, Constructivist Learning Experiences for Social Studies Education (Jadallah, 2000), there are two constructivist theories that teachers should consider when developing the social studies curriculum. The cognitive constructivist theory proposed by Piaget suggests that children gather information about the world through direct experiences and enquiry, whereas the social constructivist theory proposed by Vygotsky implies that children develop knowledge through social interactions or sharing their ideas and beliefs with others and consequently creating schemas of their learning by listening and analyzing others thoughts and opinions.  In order to create social studies that is relevant to students, Jadallah (2000) recommends applying not only the cognitive constructivist theory, but the social constructivist theory as well.

            Students want to know why history, geography, or any social studies discipline is important, and how it relates to them on a more personal level. Meyers and Savage (2005) contend that reading social studies requires processing and analysis skills as well as memorizing important names and dates and utilizing a carefully selected textbook, which exposes students to a wide range of cultures, histories, and other social studies disciplines. Teachers who utilize social studies textbook content must be cognizant of and sensitive to “…backgrounds and experiences, motivations, interests, attention spans, and beliefs…” (p. 19) of the students. Engaging students in the content is the key to aiding students in understanding social studies relevancy.

            In order to engage the interest of students and build upon any prior knowledge the students may possess, teachers should model strategies such as think-aloud to assist in the comprehension of not only the content of the textbook, but also its arrangement. For example, to scaffold comprehension of social studies material, teachers should model asking questions such as, “I wonder why…” or “I wonder what…” To further aid students in comprehension, teachers should draw students’ attention to the arrangement and organization of the text and content by pointing out subheadings and bold type vocabulary and explain their uses and purposes (Myers, 2005).

            More importantly, however, is that students should be subjected to a wide range of social studies materials and strategies, and should not be limited to the classroom or the curriculum textbook. This begins with the teacher’s decision of which social studies concepts are important and the techniques in which to not only present the information, but also the method of application utilized by students to demonstrate what they have learned in order to promote relevancy and interest (Jadallah, 2000).

            The curriculum decisions a teacher imposes in the classroom stems from the purpose of receiving an education, which is to “…have students develop the knowledge skills, attitudes, and values…” (p. 224) that enable all human beings to “…participate in a constantly changing society” (p.224). Teachers enable students to become citizens who are cognizant of their rights and responsibilities as human beings. Central to this purpose is the development of experiences within the classroom, which act as a stimulus for constructing meaningful understanding and connection to social studies concepts in students (Jadallah, 2000).

            In order to deepen the comprehension of what citizenship signifies, teachers may present students with strategies that facilitate the organization of their thoughts on paper by utilizing graphic organizers such as KWL charts, webs, and concept maps. One such graphic organizer, recommended by Obenchain and Morris (2011) is the decision tree, which is often used in economics for mapping decisions related to money, time, and products, but for the purposes of understanding citizenship, can be employed to demonstrate the results of what might transpire if we as citizens relinquish our rights or neglect our responsibilities (Obenchain, 2011).

            To expand upon the concept of citizenship, students could apply Obenchain and Morris’s (2011) digital storytelling strategy, in which students apply audiovisual media such as video clips, podcasts, and slideshows of historical artifacts, pictures, or events to an oral report. Through digital storytelling, students could delve into the lives of citizens in their communities by recording interviews, or they might research what life is like for those who have no rights by developing a documentary (Obenchain, 2011).

            Not only does this strategy involve students in research using primary and secondary sources, but actively engages them in the social studies concept. Students can also be assembled into small groups to contribute information or media through the implementation of individual roles, but who, as a group, must collaborate to complete the project (Obenchain, 2011). This strategy is beneficial to not only the students by actively engaging them, but by also applying to both Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s constructivist theories.

            When developing the social studies curriculum, teachers should remember to create an engaging and relevant atmosphere to attract and retain student attention as well as promote the comprehension and importance of concepts. This can be accomplished by utilizing graphic organizers, which not only apply to Piaget’s cognitive constructivist theory, but aid students in the comprehension of complex concepts and allow them to visually organize information. In addition, by applying strategies such as think-aloud to model the questions that good readers should ask while reading content related information, and by organizing group projects, students are socially interacting by building and accommodating schemas of knowledge, which applies to Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism.

References

Jadallah, E. (2000). Constructivist learning experiences for social studies learning. The Social Studies, 221-225.

Myers, P., & Savage, T. (2005). Enhancing student comprehension of social studies material. The Social Studies, 18-23.

Obenchain, K., & Morris, R. (2011). 50 social studies strategies for k-8 classrooms. Boston: Pearson.

The United States, nicknamed the Melting Pot, is full of diversity. With today’s large student diversity in classes, teachers can struggle a lot if they don’t know how to react to this large diversity. There are four categories of diversity that can be seen in the classroom. These Categories are language barriers, cultures, abilities, gender, and exceptionalities. Because of these five categories diversity has had a profound effect on my education.

Language as a barrier in learning is becoming more and more prominent in the classroom as our country continues to grow. There are two ways to handle language, Immersion and Transitional learning. As a student from a rural town, I’ve always had teachers use full immersion in class when it comes to language barriers. From my experience the students struggle at first but usually end up doing better in class for it as if it were a learning curve forcing to learn study skills at a much younger age than most.

I think culture and ethnic background are the most political types of diversity in schools today. Fortunately I was raised in a rural town and there were no big conflicts with diversity in terms of culture and religion. Most students’ families celebrated all the same holidays and my teachers never made holiday celebrations religion based but more centered towards the class having fun and enjoying their break.

Going to a public school my classes were coed. In contrast, my younger sister went to a private school for a year with gender separated classes. Some people think that it’s better to separate students by gender so there isn’t any social distraction between genders allowing the student to dedicate more time to their studies. I believe that the coed classroom is the best. Combining girls and boys is better since it improves their social skills.

Every teacher has their own style of teaching. Unfortunately a teacher’s teaching style doesn’t always fit with the students being taught. Every student learns differently, whether they need a kinesthetic, linguistic, or logical approach. Because of this a teacher must be willing to leave their teaching style to better provide for the student. I think the best way for the teacher to find a suitable teaching style is to interact with the students, questioning about the subject being taught and how the student can relate with it.

As schools grow larger and standardized testing becomes stricter, it is becoming more apparent that the current day teacher must be ready and willing to combat diversity in schools. As a future teacher I believe in my current ideas and beliefs about teaching. I also know that to be a good teacher I may have to compromise my ideas to teach better due to the diversity of students and culture in the classroom.

Renea Ross

University of Pittsburgh

Elementary Education 1173

January 23, 2012

Klein, D. (2005). Voyages of discovery: experiencing the emotion of history. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18(1), 7-10.

Burstein, J. (2005). Planning and teaching with multiple perspectives. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18(1), 15-17.

The Advantages of Implementing Role Play and Multiple Perspectives in the Classroom

Imagine seeing America for the first time from the deck of Henry Hudson’s ship Hopewell, as it entered the snowy, icy, Hudson Bay. Imagine the disappointment on the crew members’ faces and Hudson’s face as they slowly began to realize they had not discovered a shorter route to the East Indies, but instead had stumbled upon a frozen climate, disease and starvation as they weathered the winter aboard a cramped vessel, trapped by floating icebergs.

            This is exactly what Daniel Klein II had his third grade students do as he delivered a social studies unit on Henry Hudson that spanned the course of two sixty minute class periods. In order to more thoroughly explore, and become more emotionally invested in the series of historical events leading to the mutiny aboard the Hopewell and Hudson’s eventual expulsion from the ship, Klein pretended to be Hudson, showing his map with its plotted course to the Orient and broadcasting the possibility of discovering wealth beyond measure, to his students who were considered potential crew members for his voyage. Next, the students were shown a sack with which they could fill with objects they would like to bring along for the voyage. The lesson then progressed to the students designing the ship and listing the types of functions performed by crew members, such as “…swabbing the desk, hoisting sails, and keeping a lookout for land and icebergs, as well as cooking” (Klein, 2005, p. 8). Once the crew functions had been established, each student alternated role-playing the different responsibilities until they found one that suited them, and then, in unison, as though truly aboard a sea vessel, each student performed their chosen task (Klein, 2005).

            Through the strategy of role play, Klein was teaching his students what life was like aboard a ship during the 1600’s. He was teaching history from the perspective of the sailors aboard the Hopewell. According to the article Planning and Teaching with Multiple Perspectives (2005), Joyce Burstein Lisa Hutton indicate that school textbooks are often restricted to the exploration of a topic or an event through a single viewpoint, but by using several perspectives of that one topic, teachers can create a community of accounts stemming from a single event which makes learning more three dimensional and real for students. It not only helps them to make connections, but also builds a foundation for helping students to understand complex ideas and situations (Burstein, 2005).

There is also an argument among some teachers that using the strategy of role play and implementing the multiple perspectives surrounding one event stimulates a child’s innate curiosity and makes them want to learn more about the topic. For example, Klein had a student in his classroom during his Henry Hudson unit that struggled with reading and comprehension because lecture did not interest or motivate her, but who, after the Hudson lesson, had borrowed and read three of Klein’s several Henry Hudson books and shared with him a map which plotted Hudson’s course to America; the same course she and her class had reenacted. Klein had successfully engaged a struggling student in his lesson through role play and multiple perspectives. That student then enriched her learning by extended reading outside the classroom (Klein, 2005).

            Klein’s lesson was not entirely based on his students mimicking the role of sailors aboard the Hopewell. According to 50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8 Classrooms (2011), Kathryn Obenchain and Ronald Morris agree that teachers should “Ask students to evaluate the motivations of the characters, the conditions of the society, and the results of the actions of the characters.”(p.172). Klein asked students to place themselves in the position of Hudson’s crew as they navigated the perilous, icy waters of the Hudson. He had the students make decisions about whether or not to stay in the Hudson Bay or to continue onward with a different route. He placed the students in the same situation as Hudson’s crew by surrounding the ship with icebergs and having the students decide what they should do next. He even introduced the idea of fellow crewmates stealing food, and at intervals distributed slips of paper to the students revealing which of them had survived the cold, disease and starvation, and which had expired. This last, the paper deciding the fate of the crew members, producing some unexpected comments such as, “I don’t want to look” (Klein, 2005, p. 7), or “Not me. It’s not me” (p.7).

Obenchain and Morris concur that during role play students should be given plenty of opportunities to deepen their understanding of an event or topic through analyzing the different views or perspectives (Obenchain, 2011). Following Obenchain and Morris’s outline for role play, Klein’s students were asked how and why they felt about their captain, the situation and the voyage. They were asked how they would confront Hudson if they were actual seamen aboard the Hopewell. By doing this, Klein gave the students a deeper understanding of what seamen endured under captains like Hudson, what the conditions were like on the ship during the time that Hudson’s men were trapped by icebergs and the emotional toll it took on the crew members (Klein, 2005).

The end results of Klein’s unit were students who, being placed in the same situation as Hudson’s sailors, experienced the same emotional frustration as the actual crew members. For example, those students who had been accused of stealing food vehemently defended themselves. Without leaving the confines of his classroom, Klein had offered his students a real-time glimpse into life aboard Hudson’s ship (Klein, 2005).

Just as the article, Planning and Teaching with Multiple Perspectives explains, “Students are burning to report their version of what happened” (Burstein, 2005, p. 15), Klein’s students reacted in much the same way through reflection and discussion. They were eager to discover more about Hudson’s explorations as well as “…their adventure” (Klein, 2005, p. 10).

Using role play and implementing multiple perspectives into learning not only creates connections for students and builds strong foundations for the expansion of simple ideas to more complex ideas, but can also create a more thoughtful social interaction between children and their peers because they have had the chance to explore and reflect upon multiple viewpoints.

References

Burstein, J. (2005). Planning and teaching with multiple perspectives. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18, 15-17.

Klein, D. (2005). Voyages of Discovery: Experiencing the Emotion of History. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 18, 7-10.

Obenchain, K. R. (2011). 50 Social Studies Strategies for K-8 Classrooms. Boston: Pearson.

Does any student need to be told that if they are surreptitiously texting while in class their grades will suffer? Apparently there are a great many college students who didn’t get the memo and are still frequently texting during class and are seeing their class performance suffer as a result.

A new study proves that students who text are having difficulty staying attentive to classroom lectures

College students (and one can easily assume the same applies to students in lower grade levels) who are regular texting users habitually engage in text messaging during class lectures and that interferes with their ability to pay attention, which prior studies show is necessary for effective cognitive learning, say the researchers

In the new study, students who were enrolled in selected undergraduate general education classes completed an anonymous questionnaire at the end of the semester. The questionnaire asked about the class that they attended immediately before their general education class. Students reported how many text messages they sent or received during the class, on average.

Participants also rated themselves on specific learning variables regarding their class – things like self-control, sustained attention, etc. Because it is difficult to prove that texting alone can have a direct impact on students’ learning, the researchers came up with a model analysis to describe the relationships between texting, as a “mediator” or intervening variable, and cognitive learning.

Texting on a qwerty keypad phone (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Lot Of Texting Going On In Class

Among 190 completed questionnaires from students who attended a lecture-based class lasting 50 or 75 minutes, the average number of text messages students viewed in class was 2.6. Students sent, on average, 2.4 texts while in class. The researchers found no difference between the two class lengths in the extent of texting or students’ sustained attention to classroom learning.

They did find a direct positive relationship between self-regulation and sustained attention, with students who possessed a high level of self-regulation being more likely to keep their attention focused on classroom learning. In turn, sustained attention to classroom education was positively related to improved cognitive learning, in terms of better grades and especially the perceived amount of learning, the researchers said.

The highly self-regulated students were less likely to text message in class than students with lower levels of self-regulation. On the other hand, students who frequently texted during class were less likely to sustain attention to their instructor. The results suggest that texting diverts students’ focus from the main learning tasks.

College students may believe that they are capable of performing multitasking behaviors during their classroom learning, such as listening to the lecture and texting simultaneously,” the researchers said. “But the real concern is not whether students can learn under a multitasking condition, but how well they can learn if they cannot sustain their full attention on classroom instruction.”

Though it probably won’t do any good to tell them, the researchers suggest students should consider limiting their texting during class. Don’t hold your breath.

Click here for more articles by The Writin’ Cowboy.

Reading aloud to children has numerous benefits:

• promotes visualization-kids must make “movies” in their head to comprehended the story
• increases interest in the act of reading
• adds to child’s background knowledge
• adds to child’s vocabulary
• increases correct grammar usage
• increases prosody-intonation, emphasis, and punctuation
• increases fluency-child copies teacher’s fluent reading style
• increases child’s attention span
• increases child’s listening skills
• being read to is just plain enjoyable

Read- Alouds that Mesmerize Kids

Some books and stories made the list for good read-alouds, and some just flopped I have read aloud to students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Many times,I just stopped reading if I didn’t see that fixed look in their eyes. There are some books and stories that hook kids from the start. These are the “I had you at the first sentence” read-alouds.

Little Orphan Annie

by James Whitcomb Riley

To all the little children: — The happy ones; and sad ones; The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones; The good ones — Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.

.

Read Full Text of Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,
An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch Out!

Leopold the See-Through Crumb Picker

It is a mystery to me why this one works, but one can hear the clock ticking during the reading of Leopold the See-Through Crumb Picker.

“Leopold The See-Through Crumb Picker” by James Flora
Okay, Leopold is always hungry. He waits on street corners hoping that a passerby will just drop a few crumbs for him to eat. Now, Leopold is invisible which makes his crumb picking quite easy. Little Minerva has two missing front teeth. Luckily, the crumbs from her cookies fall all over the place. Oh, it truly is a happy day for Leopold. He follows Minerva to school. They pass restaurants and bakeries on the way, oh my! There are hundreds of sack lunches at school, oh no! They must be able to see the crumb picker to stop the chaos. What to do? What to do?

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Stellaluna chokes me up whenever I read it aloud to a class. Hey, it’s about a mama bat who has lost her baby. How can a mom get through that read without a few tears. The tears show how making connections to what your are reading can produce powerful reactions.

Budlinik

Budlinik lives in a little cottage in the forest with his granny. Every day, Granny goes to work and tells Budlinik not to open the door no matter who knocks. Well, along comes Lishka, the sly old mother fox. She knocks on Budliniks door. Does Budlinik let her in? Yes, he does. Boy, is Budlinik sorry he did that!

The full text of Budilnik can be found by clicking on the link.

Full Text of Budlinik

• The Baldwin Project: The Rainbow Book of Fairy Tales for Five-Year-Olds by Lisa Ripperton
  Budulinek from The Rainbow Book of Fairy Tales for Five-Year-Olds by Lisa Ripperton

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

Every middle school and high school teacher should have a copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. Mr. Trelease has compiled newspaper articles, excerpts from novels and more. He has given us the best of the best in one handbook! “The Elevator” is a short little story that will scare the daylights out your bravest listeners!

Bijendra Singh, Awadhesh Kishore Yogesh Kumar and Rakhi Sharma*

Sarvoday Mahavidyalaya, Chaumuhan-281406, Mathura (INDIA)

*Institute for Development of Technology for Rural Advancement, Mathura-281004 (INDIA)

Summary:

Work in an area as free from destruction as possible, if you are in an area with excess noise, student activities etc. It is externally difficult for some students to focus on the lesson, repeat back the directions, move closer to the students, put up a question and ask the students to raise their hand to answer, explain the objective of the lesson, reinforce the students, and wait until everyone is ready to begin.

Keywords:

Activities, Answer, Attention, Classroom, Closer, Destruction, Directions, Education, Explain, Instruction, Lesson, Noise, Objective, Question, Raise hand, Reinforce, Repeat back, Secondary class, Student, Teacher, Wait, Work.

Before beginning instruction with students, it is crucial to make sure you have their undivided attention. So how do you establish student attention and maintain it throughout the lesson. The following are some suggestions to consider-

1.       Work in an area as free from destruction as possible, if you are in an area with excess noise, student activities etc. It is externally difficult for some students to focus on the lesson.

2.       Excite the students about learning make the activities you are doing with them fun and explain the activity in an enthusiastic manner.

3.       When directions are being given, make sure that the student is listening to what you are saying next ask the student to repeat back those directions. Have then summaries what they are supposed to do before starting the activity.

4.       Some techniques you may use to help students pay attention are, say the students name and move closer to the students, or gently touch his or her arm.

5.       A signal, such as a raised hand, may work as an attention getter for a group of students who are talking and not paying attention.

6.       If you explain t students the objective of the lesson, or why they need to know something, they will understand the importance of the lesson.

7.       Use reinforcements if students know they will be reinforced for learning something, they may be  more motivated to pay attention.

8.       Wait, until everyone is ready to begin. Wait in silence, for students to realize that you are waiting for their attention.

9.       Ask teachers, what they have tried with students to establish and maintain attention. They may have additional suggestions and ideas for working with students.

10.   It is important to realize that some days are better than others as far as students attention is concerned. Events outside of school may affect a student ability to pay attention. Though out there are many tips for establishing attention, best knowledge comes from experience.

Bijendra Singh, Awadhesh Kishore and Yogesh Kumar

Sarvoday Mahavidyalaya, Chaumuhan -281406, Mathura (INDIA)

Summary:

Student should be directed towards the teacher, able to see chalkboards, screens presentation and displays, teachers can see all students at all times, established to display student work, able to quickly and easily find their work and being working. Classroom rules should be clearly posted. They should face the front of the room and away from windows.

Keywords:

Classroom, Education, Students, Management, Arrangement, School, Teacher, Secondary, Chalkboards, Screens, Presentation, Displays, Student work, Work and being working, Classroom rules.

Large group:

1-        Students should be selected so that their attention is directed towards the teacher.

2-      Students should be able to clearly see chalkboards, screens presentation and displays.

3-      Students should face the front of the room and away from windows.

4-       High traffic areas should be free of congestion.

5-      Students should be seated so that teachers can see all students at all times. Adults in the classroom provide monitoring and attention to students. It is important that all the students are within the view of the teacher at all times.

6-      Students should be seated so that teachers can easily move among students to monitor work and behaviour.

7-       Classroom rules should be clearly posted.

8-      The teacher should have a place near the front of the room so that learning material can be organized and available prior to the lesson.

9-      Area should be established to display student work.

10-     Students should be able to quickly and easily find their work and being working.

11-       Students should have easy access to frequently used material.

12-     Separate student materials from teacher materials.

Small group:

1.         Supplies and learning material should be easily accessible so that learning activities are not interrupted.

2.       For teacher lead activities students should be seated facing the teacher not other students.

3.       Students should be able to clearly see and use learning materials.

4.        The teacher should be able to clearly see and monitor all students work.

5.       The teacher should be able to monitor other students in the classroom during the lesson.

6.       The arrangement should limit destruction such as student’s traffic, discussion of activities accruing in the classroom, windows, noise.

7.        Students should be seated so that they do not interfere with each other work space.

8.       Rules, public procedure for learning activities should clearly posted.

However, teaching reading shouldn’t just merely ask the students to read some texts and answer some questions. This activity will just bring boredom into the classroom. For the first time, this teaching method might be useful but for the subsequent times students will lose interests to be engaged in the activity. Some refusal to follow the activity can be clearly seen from students’ expression. It is actually a sign of demanding new activities, as if they are saying,” Please, teacher, give us another activity that can engage our feelings and emotions.” Or if the teacher keeps carrying on the activity time by time into the classroom, students can feel like being prisoned. To this extend, teaching reading is not a piece of cake because it requires the teachers’ creativity in designing the classroom activities to be more attractive to gain the students‘ attention and interests. Then, comprehension process will come next.

Principally, there are two approaches to teaching reading. The first one is reading component approach. In utilizing this approach, teachers consider some components of reading skills that students must acquire as part of comprehension processes. Those components include automatic recognition skills, vocabulary and structural knowledge, formal discourse structure knowledge, content or world background knowledge, synthesis and evaluation skills or strategies, and metacognitive knowledge and skills monitoring (Grabe, 1991 in Chun & Plass, 1997). These components can be a guideline for teachers in designing the classroom activities.

The second approach is metaphoric. As its name, this approach illustrates reading process by using metaphors. Bottom-up processing models are the rudimentary metaphor. Readers or students view the texts as input in which they only pay attention on letters or words building the texts. Additionally, another metaphor is top-down where the interpretation and prior knowledge of the readers or students are the underlying emphasis. The last metaphor is interactive approach. According to Chun & Plass (1997), the interactivity can refer to how the readers process the information to (re )construct knowledge or the interaction among components in reading skill that works simultaneously in the comprehension process.  

Theoretically, each of the above approaches is good and nothing is better that the other. Yet, the ways teachers transform the approaches in their reading classroom can be the measurement to prove which one is more superior or more effective or even more applicable. Further, in the implementation, kinds of tools that teachers involve in doing reading activities predictably affect the effectiveness of the teaching approaches. In such a sense, a wide variety of multimedia tools that is available either online or offline may come in handy to boost students’ ability in comprehending the texts or acquiring the information.     

Reference: Chun, D.M. & Plass, J.L. 1997. Research On Text Comprehension in Multimedia Environments. Language Learning & Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 60-81.  

First, teach kids attitude first.

Second, use an adaptive curriculum to make sure that whatever situation you find yourself in will anticipate the needs of your students.

Third, utilize every resource you have to immerse your students in being respectful of each other as they learn to govern their own and other people’s behavior.

The first and the third are actually unavoidable.

You are teaching attitude first and immersing your students in some form of governance, even if you don’t think you are.

What I am suggesting is that you stop doing it on accident and start doing it on purpose.

If you happen to be a classroom teacher in a mainstream school then you may be reluctant to acknowledge out loud the nearly absolute power over students that you are supposed to have.

I know that I was immersed as a student in public school classroom cultures of just this kind.

I was well schooled for 18 years, with 13 of those years in five different K-12 public schools.

The attitude I learned from it is a revulsion of the tyranny combined with a heavy dose of resignation that it is inevitable and therefore a shameful thing to point out.

For those in traditional classroom settings it is this necessary shift towards the transparency of power relations that I expect to be most uncomfortable.

The second recommendation for the adaptive curriculum may be the key to making that transition easier.

The adaptive curriculum can be used as a tool for collectively examining the reality of your situation.

If you can be honest enough to acknowledge that your concepts about reality are not reality, then the adaptive curriculum is an ideal method for working with others to truly discover what is really going on.