Common Core Thoughts

Common Core State Standards are all the rage right now among teachers and schools.  Many people are freaking out about what this is going to mean for them as teachers and how it is going to affect them and thier students.  Here are a couple of my thoughts:
 I feel that these standards are a good thing.  We want our students to succeed in a higher level thinking world.  We the teachers are preparing them for this future and we want them to be ready.  The past standards are good but now what?  Education is becoming more and more challenging and we need standards that can push our students a little farther.  Yes this idea might be uncomforatble for most teachers to be thinking about the new CCSS, but the more that we read about them and become familiar with how to use them in our classrooms, you can see the higher level of education that we are giving our students.

Ch. 8 & 9 Discussion

As an undergrad I recieved my degree in Early Childhood education, therefore, I really enjoyed reading this chapter and felt it as a good review. I also feel this is where muuch of my philosophy of teaching comes from. Piaget and Vygotsky are major influences that can been seen by just walking into my classroom. I think that its important to really think about how young children learn to build on the foundations of reading. If we look at these theoriest, we can gain insights into the young minds of learners and begin to teach them in the ways in which they learn best. Most of Chapter 8 focused on these theorist and the social learning that takes place among young students. I feel that much research and theory that we have been reading this semester also contributes to this idea. Children need to opportunity to learn in a social situation and from their peers. They will be able to learn and practice by being social beings, which as humans we are. Early Childhood is so important to me as an educator of first graders and I feel that this educational physology has set a basis for how I teach literacy and what I know about children and how they learn.

After reading Chapt 9 I was very overwhelmed about the brain. I know that it is a good thing as teachers to understand how the brain works to understand more about how are students are learning to read. I really liked how in the beginning of the chap. the author was discussing that the brain will ready itself for learning to occur. p. 175 I feel that this also fits in with begin developmentally ready to learn to read. At what age or stage of development is our brains ready? If within the first 3 years of life our brain dramatically changes at what age should we be exposed to explicit literacy instruction? Hope that makes sense!

As for Annes awesome youtube video:

I think that The fMRI's are a great glimps into the brain and how students with Dyslexya are using parts of their brain. Yes there is controversy and being aware of both sides helps us to critically think about this. I really think that seeing those pictures and hearing about all the studies show us an view of what is happening on the inside that can be so frustrating to figure out. I dont know how I feel about the extensive phonics instruction for thsie students. Yes it was seen successful and it awesome for those students to rewire thier thinking/brain but I'm just still a little curious about it. I know how great phonics instruction is for students but I just cant explain it.

Thoughts about Schema

The shift from asking what students know and filling their heads with information to the

new found schema theory – asking what they already know and can bring to a text then using that to learn new information is important in the reading process.  As teachers we know we need to activate our students’ schema as they engage with text.  This will help them make connections and inferences with a text and create a higher level of thinking than if a student had no schema.  As I was reading through the chapters, I came across the idea that schema can be modified and built.  I really like thinking about schema in these senses because I feel that our schema is always changing depending on our surroundings and what we have encountered and learned.  We can change schema due to new information.  We as teachers can also build schema.  This is really important in the students I teach.  Most of my students lack schema and it is my responsibility to build that schema.  These students need to be able to build a new schema and make a deeper connection to text than they would have previously without that schema.   It is the student’s schema that lies within comprehension and as a teacher I need to make that for my students.

Schema is powerful.  It is our knowledge that connects the facts and ideas that surround text.  Without that there is no connections or inferences therefore, there is no comprehension or understanding. 

Schema is a foundation for reading.  Yes we need phonics and phonemic awareness and all of the important concepts to learn to read words, but to understand text and really become a reader we need prior knowledge.   We need to have experience about topics so we can relate to text in a personal meaning making way.

After listening to D. Pearson about the Common Core and prior knowledge here are my thoughts.  First, I so see how some teachers can over indulge in prior knowledge with students.  This meaning that more time is spent on hearing children’s stories than reading the text.  Yes I think it is an important part of the learning process to activate that schema but we cannot forget hat the text is also important.  I think that he brought up a good point that if common core leaves out this prior knowledge there will be trouble.  Just like D. Pearson said, it’s a cycle.  What we know affects what we read and then after we read again it adds to our schema.  We cannot take this out of the reading process but there needs to be a balance. If we want our students to reach that higher level thinking that Common Core possesses we cannot remove schema and bringing what we know to our learning.  Taking this away I feel will lose meaning and connections to learning. 

All teachers needs to active, modify or build upon their students schema.  We need to remember just how important it is in reading.  We need to be aware of what we know about the world around us and bring that to reading of text.  It is through our schema and a text that we make connections and inferences, therefore creating a higher level on comprehension. 

Reading as a Transaction

There are many contributing factors that influence us as readers, especially influencing children learning to read.  There is the reader, the text, and the context.  All of which work together in transaction.  The reader brings about schema which influences his or her knowdlege of what they already know and bring to the text.  The text is what we choose to make meaning from.  Lastly, the context which is our surrondings that play a part to how we make meaning of a text.  It is through the interaction of these factors that create reading as a transaction. 

Take a look at the model above.  Each is working in transaction with one another.  In this model, the context has a larger influence on both the reader and the text.  Therefore, having a larger impact on comprehension. 


After class discussion, EDU 541 came up with a thought ------ why can't these change?  For example, take a look at how my model would look teaching young first graders to read.  The reader would make up the larger portion/influence on reading.  They are beginning to develop themselves as readers and bring about schema that they are still building upon.  Next, the text.  This is still important a plays a large role in reading.  What they are making meaning of and how they are able to grow as reading depending on the text.  Lastly, the context.  This is smaller due to the fact that young children are just beginning to learn to read.  They have not yet fully developed in what context they are reading, yet it still plays a role.   

Take a look at my role:

What would your model of reading as a transaction look like?  For your students?  You as a reader?