The article Being in the World explains that children's learning experiences are facilitated if we recognize the way in which knowledge can be constituted and promoted. Most teachers treat this as a external sign and Gestalt of learning proposes a new way. Gestalt of learning feels that this should be made available to children as a tool that can help them when need be. This will help with participation in practice and help them reach a purposeful goal. This learning style also wants to emphasize the background of the child. The way the child acts are key to the performance they give. "The learners intentional structure direct his/her participation, interest, volitions, targets and predisposition's towards any learning experience" (285). This learning style needs to act around the child and not force them to be something they are not. The teacher needs to enhance the child as a way of learning.
Building a Literacy Community by Britsch and Meier discusses the role of literacy and social practice in a classroom. Recently literacy as creeped its way into pre-k classrooms. Because of this Britsch and Meier have done a study of an urban and rural classroom. After their research they found three key items. They found the importance of literacy ownership from both the children and the teacher, the notion of literacy as an inclusive process, and the role of thinking processes in the children's evolving literacy involvement. These three aspects are key to a successful classroom. From these findings come implications in the classroom. One recommendation they had was to make for writing and drawing materials and to have them accessible at all times. When it comes to reading a child might respond by drawing or writing rather than speaking. "Is readiness based on a numeral score or is it viewed as a social meaning?" (p. 214) This is something else that all of us teachers must consider. When looking at development of young children they will not all be at the same score but rather we need to look at how are they socially prepared. If the child has the right social skills but maybe is not the strongest reader they will eventually get there because a social environment will help them.
Vivian Gussin Paley wrote an article called HER Classics: On Listening to What Children Say. This article discusses her experience in the classroom when leading discussion with children. When having a guest teacher in her classroom she realized that her way of talking with children needed to change. When talking with children about a topic it is important to link them together to form one long chain. By holding on to one child's thought until another child speaks allows for this chain reaction to occur. To have a chain occur the teacher needs to ask an open ended question that will allow all children to have no right or wrong answer. The hardest part of this idea is to let go of what you think is the right answer and to encourage children to participate. The author found herself having to record her discussion to find out what was interesting to kids and what they reacted moer to because at times they would have great discussion while others they would not. She found in her recordings that the students on their own were making natural connections in their own play. "We are, all of us, actors trying to find the meaning of the scenes in which we find ourselves." (p.162) By acting together and by allowing each other to bounce ideas off each other allows them to connect more. Paley discovered this through her trial and error and ups and downs. She may have struggled but over time she found a way to have a valuable and beneficial discussion and learning experience with children.
This link shows children acting out different poems and readings. This allows children to reflect on what they are learning but also allows children to be who they are and feel comfortable in the classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3b7-A-E_p8
No comments:
Post a Comment