Ok. Now that we are ready to go, let me begin by telling you why I think we need to move to a reader's workshop model. I think we teachers a Surline have learned a great deal about how to teach the skills of reading. Teaching those skills have gotten us so far. Now we need to take the good things we know about isolated skill instruction and put it together with lots of integrated practice. Read, read, read... with a purpose. In chapter one of Mosiac of Thought, it talks about "meaning from text is constructed socially," (p.7) It also talks about four key elements: time, ownership, response, community. (p.7)
I do not think this is a time to "throw the baby out with the bath water", we need to take the great things we have learned and practiced (skill instruction) and move to the next level (reader's workshop).
I understand and am trying to embrace this. I struggle with getting myself into the routine of conferencing with students and coming up with strategies...I am such a whole-group teacher and I know that is not best practice. I am very excited to get all this underway. Time management is another struggle with this model. It is very hard to do short mini-lessons!
ReplyDeleteKeep trying. Your attempts will pay off!
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