Joining the Teacher/Writer Community!
Introduction
For this assignment, we were asked to immerse ourselves into the teacher/writer community by reading a number of articles and blog posts written by Language Arts teachers detailing their ideas and experiences in the classroom. I used the note-taking organizer to reflect on ideas and techniques that I may want to use in my future class. As well as brainstorming ways I can change or enhance such lessons to incorporate them into my class.
Takeaway 1
I specifically enjoyed browsing the Writers Who Care webpage as I was able to subscribe to the page and skim through a lot of different articles. One in particular that I chose to write about is titled, Collaborations between Teachers and Therapy Dog Teams: Increasing Children’s Writing Skills and Inspiring Them for Life. Written by Barbara Vokatis and Lucinda Ormiston, they discuss the advantages of dog therapy in the classroom. At first, I had no idea how a dog in the classroom could help students improve their writing, but after reading the article I can see how it works. Lucinda and Barbara met by chance when Lucinda noticed Barbara walking down the hall with her dog Carmel, and asked them to join the class. Lucinda noted instantly “The presence of Carmel gave children a sense of calmness, joy, relaxation, fun, and confidence and even helped with focus during learning”. After noticing the interest the students took to Carmel, the dog, the two of them instantly began working on how Lucinda could incorporate this interest in the classroom. They found right away that having students write about something that interests them led to an easier writing experience for the students, they began visualizing ideas as they were reading and even added their own creative visualizations. In addition, students began to participate more and became more engaged in the subject of what was being taught when Carmel was involved. In the future, Barbara hopes more teachers will be open to the idea of incorporating dog therapy into the curriculum. This article stuck out to me because of the way the kids flourished when Carmel was introduced. They instantly became eager to read and write about the things they cared about. Though I know it may be difficult, I would love to incorporate this into my classroom one day. That being said, If I can't find a dog therapy team to visit my classroom, I may utilize our surroundings. Perhaps I can have class outside one day and have students write about their senses, what they smell, hear, and see around them. Or I can assign an at-home activity where students take time to write while sitting with their pets and see how that may improve their writing skills. The most important thing I have learned from this article is that students thrive when they are comfortable and can engage in something they enjoy. When students are given the option to read or write about something they like, they are more likely to engage with the subject.
Takeaway 2
Secondly, the next article I enjoyed reading is titled, Fostering Structured Discussions: Coffee Talk by Samantha Sivils. In this post, Samantha was struggling with class discussions as students were reluctant to participate and share when it came to reading and writing. That being said, Samantha began to think of a way to get every student involved in the lesson. First, she noted, students love to talk, and if they can talk about something, they can write about it. Therefore, she implemented structured discussions in her classroom. To do this, students would start in a small group sharing their thoughts for briefly 90 seconds about the topic at hand. After hearing everyone share their ideas, they are able to build upon their classmate's ideas and create a more structured focus. Afterward, they can have a group discussion where they can ask questions and respond to one another. I love this idea because, for one, it allows every student to have the same time to speak. Secondly, when the discussion is structured like this, there is no room for students to go off topic with weekend plans or something unrelated to the subject. In addition, this activity can be altered to students' needs and learning styles which is always something to think about. For example, you can have students who need extra help work with those who have extra time to offer help. Or you can strategically place students in groups where you know they will work well together.
Fostering Structured Discussions: Coffee Talk | Three Teachers Talk
Takeaway 3
Lastly, while browsing educator innovator I came across an article titled Letters to the Next President 2.0. This project started in 2008 and was sponsored by the National Writing Project. This project allows students to voice their opinions on topics that matter to them and those they care about. This activity can be beneficial in and out of the classroom. For example, as kids, they may feel they have no say or power when it comes to social issues because they are too young. But this gives them the opportunity to know that their thoughts and opinions matter. By having students address the letter to the president, it holds power and a sense of belonging that all young adults should strive for.
In the classroom, this activity can be utilized to learn about argument writing, formatting, formal writing, etc. As every classroom is made up of students with diverse opinions, it is important not to focus too much on politics, but on the social issues and claims to support their opinion. If I used this activity to teach argument writing I would most likely ask students to think about something they feel passionate about, make a claim, and support their claim using evidence. For example, students can write about issues concerning their school or neighborhood. This activity will hopefully leave room for a great class discussion. Students will understand how to support their claim, debate, and become involved in their community. I remember as a student I was once asked to write a letter to a celebrity but never someone of power like the president. I think this activity would be very inspirational for young adults.
Educator Innovator | Letters to the Next President 2.0
References
Ormiston, L., & Vokatis, B. (2022). Collaborations between teachers and therapy dog teams: Increasing children’s writing skills and inspiring them for life. Writers Who Care. writerswhocare.wordpress.com
Shelton, E. (2016). Letters to the Next President 2.0. Educator Innovator. educatorinnovator.org
Silvis, S. (2022). Fostering Structured Discussions: Coffee Talk. Three Teachers Talk threeteacherstalk.com
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