Small Miracles
I'm trying to accommodate learners and learning styles in my class. One thing I'm doing is making each test the same format, so that students know what to expect. And on the final test, I've offered to let students take the essay portion orally, in a conversation with me, if they would prefer this. I don't know yet how many takers I'll have.
I am also trying to give more chances for grades on homework and on oral, in-class participation, through discussion, questions, and reading. I'm doing these things because some students are so much better at speaking than at writing. When they talk, they suprise me with how much they know and how well they express themselves.
As far as letting students talk, I still find it is the most difficult thing to do. I ask a question about The Miracle Worker, and students volunteer answers. My tendency then always seems to be to jump in and agree with them, or amplify what they've said. I go on and on like a know-it-all, and oops, they're not talking anymore. I think the hardest thing for a teacher is to keep quiet and let the students talk, to guide the conversation, but let the bulk of it be theirs, to ask clarifying questions and perhaps more importantly, allow long silences. I'm talking to myself here!
As for the oral reading, I do it because we are reading a play, and I think it's good for the students to have their parts and begin somewhat to identify with the characters they are "playing." I don't make them act--but sometimes I insist that their voices reflect the emotions specified in the stage directions. Also, I can correct pronunciation and answer questions on vocabulary and idioms as we go along. Another thing is that when, the following week, they get to watch the same scenes in the movie, they will remember the lines to some extent and be able to listen better. They will also compare the way they read them to the way they are spoken on the screen. To me there's a parallel with their speaking, then hearing these English words, with Helen Keller's coming to the realization, in the play, that these words mean something: "Water. It has a name." They see the words come to life. It's a small miracle. And that's a very good thing.
It's not at all similar to the tortuous reading classes of my elementary school years, when we had to listen to our classmates struggle through paragraphs and sentences while we counted down to the paragraph we would get, and got ready.
At least I think it's not like that--and I hope the students agree. They have done so well with their reading. I do think at least some of them have gotten a kick out of being the characters. I thank them for their willingness and their good work.
I am also trying to give more chances for grades on homework and on oral, in-class participation, through discussion, questions, and reading. I'm doing these things because some students are so much better at speaking than at writing. When they talk, they suprise me with how much they know and how well they express themselves.
As far as letting students talk, I still find it is the most difficult thing to do. I ask a question about The Miracle Worker, and students volunteer answers. My tendency then always seems to be to jump in and agree with them, or amplify what they've said. I go on and on like a know-it-all, and oops, they're not talking anymore. I think the hardest thing for a teacher is to keep quiet and let the students talk, to guide the conversation, but let the bulk of it be theirs, to ask clarifying questions and perhaps more importantly, allow long silences. I'm talking to myself here!
As for the oral reading, I do it because we are reading a play, and I think it's good for the students to have their parts and begin somewhat to identify with the characters they are "playing." I don't make them act--but sometimes I insist that their voices reflect the emotions specified in the stage directions. Also, I can correct pronunciation and answer questions on vocabulary and idioms as we go along. Another thing is that when, the following week, they get to watch the same scenes in the movie, they will remember the lines to some extent and be able to listen better. They will also compare the way they read them to the way they are spoken on the screen. To me there's a parallel with their speaking, then hearing these English words, with Helen Keller's coming to the realization, in the play, that these words mean something: "Water. It has a name." They see the words come to life. It's a small miracle. And that's a very good thing.
It's not at all similar to the tortuous reading classes of my elementary school years, when we had to listen to our classmates struggle through paragraphs and sentences while we counted down to the paragraph we would get, and got ready.
At least I think it's not like that--and I hope the students agree. They have done so well with their reading. I do think at least some of them have gotten a kick out of being the characters. I thank them for their willingness and their good work.
posted by Lynne Davis at 11:53 AM
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