Practice Perfect

I have been thinking a lot and having many conversations with a variety of people about our scholars' independence (or lack of) in reading and writing.

Why is the move from guided practice to independence so difficult?
How do we truly know if they are independent?
How do we find time for them to practice what they really need to practice and what should they really be practicing?

These are some of the questions that are rattling around in my head. I don't pretend to have answers to these questions, but I do have thoughts about them. There are some posts I have read by others who are more articulate and probably lots smarter than me about this topic. You can read about one view on the apparent shift in our practice from the "Gradual Release of Responsibility" to the "Sudden Release of Responsibility" in this post by Teachers to Teachers.  At the end of each lesson study, the group of teachers discusses their "take aways" or what shifts they will try and make in their practice to improve student learning. Frequently, the idea that we move our scholars towards independence way too soon comes up. We provide a minilesson, some guided practice and then are surprised when they can't perform independently.Why do we feel compelled to move so quickly through lessons? Is it because we feel strapped by time, the feeling of too much to "cover" and not enough time to get through it all? (pacing guides anyone?) "Less is More" is a refrain we often sing during our debriefs.

The importance of practice can not be taken lightly. I read somewhere (I can no longer find the source) that the best time to practice is when you have it right. I think we rob our scholars of the opportunity to practice as much as they should to really own a skill or strategy if we move them on to a new task, the next learning target as soon as they show us that they "have it". Do they really "have it"? Independently? When we aren't looking or telling them to use a particular skill or strategy, do they do it on their own? This is the power of the workshop model for reading and writing; that independent practice is built in, expected, valued, and accountable. There is a huge difference between practicing a skill or strategy in isolation, which will undoubtedly improve the ability to perform that skill or strategy (also important), and practicing using that skill or strategy in real world applications. All of that being said, it is also important to be sure our scholars are practicing when they have it right - it is not helpful to practice incorrectly. The book "Practice Perfect" by Doug Lemov states "The mere fact of doing something repeatedly does not help us improve...what we need is practice - real practice, not mere repetition...practice makes permanent." (pg xii).  I believe it is essential to be certain our scholars are practicing correctly by observing, conferencing,  setting goals with them and giving feedback before releasing them to practice independently. It is a big responsibility, but one we need to own if we want our scholars to truly be independent practitioners of their learning.

What are your thoughts? Post a comment!

Accountable Talk

Accountable Talk

I sat down to write a post on the importance of accountable talk in the classroom and then got stuck. Should I refer to this practice as accountable talk or purposeful talk? There are a variety of opinions on whether we should refer to talk in the classroom as dialogue, conversation, discussion, or talk - each implying a different purpose. Then I started thinking that really I should start with questioning, since meaningful discussion (dialogue?) starts with a productive, open ended question. I got stuck again when I thought - no, wait! I really have to start with creating a culture of risk free classrooms, because how will our scholars share their thinking if they think they are "wrong"? No, no, no; it all begins with listening, really listening, not just hearing.

I keep thinking about ideas and purpose and how hard it is to nail down what I really want to say! Our scholars face this conundrum frequently during writers workshop, when faced with that blank page. So here I sit, the day before Thanksgiving break attempting to find my focus (and apparently doing subjecting you to some rambling).

Anyone who has participated in lesson study with me, should not be surprised that I am attempting a post on talk in the classroom. Moving from a teacher directed to scholar directed environment, I believe is essential to growing thinkers. A common "take away" from lesson study from any group of teachers is that we (teachers) talk too much and we need to create more space for purposeful (accountable?) student talk. Where and how do we begin? I can recommend the book "Comprehension Through Conversation" by Maria Nichols.  She says important things about growing thinking in the classroom through talk. She writes about ways to move our scholars beyond "agreeing/disagreeing with" classmates in a discussion, to truly listening to and growing an idea. There is a huge difference in the level of talk when students learn to stick with and explore an idea as opposed to participating by adding on (are they really adding to the idea or using that as a chance to share their own idea?) or simply saying "I agree" which requires no thinking at all.

So maybe another day I will ramble on about risk free classrooms, or open ended questions, or ways to get started as a teacher with giving up some of your control to the kids. I would love to hear from any of you about successes you have had or maybe things you have tried that didn't work out the way you hoped.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yet

"I just don't get it." Remember in school when you said that sentence to yourself in despair, or to a teacher in hope? As a writer now, I move sideways, try something oblique, bring in new material, start over with gusto. Not getting it means I must be doing original work. The feeling of not getting it is a good sign, not a paralyzing signal.

The feeling of not getting it is like rain for the dry-land farmer -- uncomfortable as you hunch on the tractor seat, but the best thing for the ground. This anxious feeling is the growing place. To be an expert -- assured -- is death to the process that creates expertise. For expertise comes from not knowing -- yet."

Kim Stafford

Carol Dweck, Stanford University Professor of Psychology and author of the book "Mindset" speaks in this short video about the power of the word "yet" in developing a growth mindset.

The Power of Yet

In order to encourage our young scholars to have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset, we must begin with ourselves. Do we embrace that uncomfortable place of not knowing, of being unsure, of making a mistake as an opportunity to grow or as a wall that blocks our path? Eduardo Briceno, a colleague of Carol Dweck, challenges us in this TED talk video to listen to our fixed mindset voice, and when we hear it to talk back with our growth mindset voice. If we hear ourselves saying "I can't do this" add "YET".

Every time we hear a scholar say "I don't get this" or "I can't do this" add "yet" to that voice and then help them see the opportunity for growth so they can do it, so they can understand it, so they begin to change the voice in their heads and say back to themselves..."yet". 

For more resources on developing a Growth Mindset, see Larry Ferlazzo's blog post from October 2012 

The Best Resources on Helping Our Students Develop a Growth Mindset

Yet is such a little word with such huge potential.

DCF and SFR

I don't like speaking in acronyms ( my husband would disagree heartily with that statement); but I couldn't resist. The  Dorothy Canfield Fisher list and Short Focused Research; what is the relationship between them? The focus for lesson studies this year is on Short Focused Research due to the shift in the Common Core away from sustained research projects to more frequent, shorter, more focused research. While I am slowly making my way through the DCF list; I have been thinking about opportunities for our scholars to conduct SFR that connect to the various books. I feel like the most meaningful, authentic research originates with the scholar's questions. What questions do they have while you are reading one of the DCF books aloud or they  read independently? Are there any that can be researched in a short time frame and would deepen the scholars' understanding of the book?
Christopher Paul Curtis says in his Afterword (emphasis mine) : "What I want The Mighty Miss Malone to do is, first, to provide an enjoyable read. Second, as with all of my books, I want this to be a springboard for young people to ask questions and do more research on some themes the book explores, in this case the Great Depression and poverty in general...."
The first boxing match between Joe Lewis and Max Schmeling plays an important role in this book. I found myself quickly looking it up ( I admit I wanted to know the outcome of the fight before the book got me there). I found some interesting information including (See what I did there? If you have read the book you might notice) the fact that there were two matches although the book only refers to the first. I wonder why he doesn't include the second match in his book? There's an opportunity for discussion about key ideas and details, author's message, and setting.
Most of the DCF books I have read either led me to do some research or I could think of many opportunities for our scholars to do some short research. I will put some of my thoughts on the Google+ Community you have all been invited to join under the category "Short Focused Research". Please add your own ideas!

Start small, "start where you are", start.

                                                  image from Pinterest.com - oneordinaryday.wordpress.com

Greetings!

Greetings and welcome to my blog. It is my hope to share my thoughts and the thoughts of others about literacy through this blog. My target audience is CESU K-8 teachers, although I welcome anyone interested. I hope to build my PLN (Personal Learning Network) and hopefully yours as well through this blog, my community on Google+ (CESU K-8 Literacy Learning) and the various links we make. As Ken Blanchard says "None of us is as smart as all of us."