Driven to Understand

Keene chp. 3 Driven to Understand

This chapter went into developing a classroom culture of "Rigor, Inquiry and Intimacy" along with creating a balance between them. Creating a classroom where environment fervent learning occurs is quite the task. Personally I find passion in learning and when the learning is so intense to be labeled as fervent I get excited. This chapter helped to illuminate different ways to foster an environment where students are driven to learn and driven learn and apply that knowledge to the classroom.

I agree with Keene when she mentions the fact that all children are capable of learning fervency, it's just a matter of pulling the passion out of students. The structure of the classroom and the roles of the people in the classroom need to adjusted. Once a restructuring occurs students have a better chance of finding the passion and being enthusiastic about learning.

Four Perfect Pebbles chp. 2

A small town in Germany puts the transition into Nazi Germany into the perspective of those living in Germany at the time. I was surprised that at how slow the transition was from political crock-pot to German ruler and also not afraid people were of Hitler. The slow migration to safety was painful to read about, all I wanted to do was to jump into the book and tell them to leave. Reading that the family just sat and stayed in harms way because they were connected to the town and were too emotionally attached to depart. Then once they finally decided to leave there was an impossible task of getting the right paper work to leave the country or to enter a new country.

This chapter was frustrating to read, because I new all the parts of the story. None of the parts were particularly happy and seeing how people lived and chose to stay in some cases killed me.

Four Perfect Pebbles and the second chapter of To Understand

Four Perfect Pebbles

Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl and Mrion Blumenthal Lazan is great introductory text towards more graphic informational texts. The perspective of the text was unexpected, from the introduction it seemed like the book would be more first person based but instead it was written from an observers perspective. The book would be an interesting resource to use in sixth grade. This would be a good book to start introducing materials that are non-fictional and historically based. At this age students are mature enough to be exposed to material that is a little more raw and has drastic imagery. This book would be a fantastic stepping stone in the learning process of students, a first step to more adult resources that are more graphic in their depiction of history and events.

To Understand

The second chapter of the Keene text introduced the literacy studio, which reminded me of The Daily Five. I preferred the descriptions that Keene used instead of the original titles. crafting instead of writing, composing instead of independent reading and writing, invitation group instead of small group reading or writing, and reflection instead of sharing. These terms are for more evocative and interest me and are for more inspiring when it comes to utilizing the literacy program.

Understanding?

Often times there will be a wonderful external trigger that will spark a complete and unabashed understanding of something that you have been struggling with. Those sparks are relished, to finally be able to grasp an idea that you have been reaching at is a relief. Although not all sparks lead to understanding, some lead to the question that drives you to understand. That is the kind of spark that intrigued Ellin Oliver Keene to investigate the concept of understanding; culminating in her book titled To Understand New Horizons in Reading Comprehension. Keene acted on the spark she received from a bodacious 7 year old named Jamkia, who dared to ask what does it mean to make sense?

While reading I attempted to answer the same question and came up with all the short falls of Keene, yes i can explain comprehension in 12dollar words and long sentences full of commas and semi-colons. But how to do explain understand/make sense/comprehend to a seven year old so they can grasp that idea they longingly desire to know. It is a task that took Keene several years to complete. Along her journey she stated that she felt worried about the books use to other educators. Worry marks a concern and passion for the topic at hand, when you worry you care about what you are doing. You want to do it justice.

"...how rewarding is it to teach children to think rather than to recall, retell, and answer endless comprehension questions." This excerpt from the prelude explains, rather succinctly, the overall aim of the text. This aim is one I wish to accomplish in my own teaching as well. Through the reading it seems as if there are many people saying: we barely have time to teach what we do teach and now you want us to add this too. Personally I don't see the shift to teaching comprehension instead of testing comprehension as taking up more time. I see it as a rewording of what is already said. Give the children a chance to show us how much they can and do understand before we go question their ability. I think the students will show us how resilient and knowledgeable they really are.

Children are like sponges they absorb and absorb and if given the chance they will willing share their contents. As a child I was always part of the adult conversations at the table, unlike Keene, I was encouraged to share my opinions on the world happens as I knew them. My opinions and ideas were seen as equals at the table; this respect gave my intellect a chance to flourish under the supervision of my family. Teachers should foster so intellectual discussions at school too. There is no reason that they should be excluded form the happenings on that are all around them. Perhaps more open respectful discussions in schools will lead to a better sense of knowing for the students.