Regie Routman never shies away from challenging my practices. She leads me to a place of reflection. She challenges me to look more deeply at why I do what I do and to consider whether my practices result in student learning. That's exactly how I feel after encountering this quote of hers.
When I contemplate Routman's thought, a particular first-grade face comes to mind. I can see her sitting at my feet in our class' living room looking very much like an appropriate learner with her hands to herself and her eyes on me. She's also the one who expressed concern to her mom about a math concept she wasn't grasping. I'm relieved that her mom directed that information my way, because I dropped the ball and didn't have a handle on this little one's level of understanding.
From day one I consistently work on establishing a classroom of appropriate behaviors. I teach my kids the importance of eye contact. Yet those two things do not automatically result in comprehension. I believe they are important but not a guarantee. And honestly, being well behaved and using eye contact won't be of much use if the students aren't learning. Looks can be deceiving and, as Routman so wisely reminds me, cannot be the signal for successful comprehension.
As I get closer to another year in the classroom, I'm thinking, "How am I going to do a better job of consistently knowing what my kids know?"
And then there's the little guy who squirmed and fiddled with his clothes constantly, never looked at me, yet managed to hear and understand everything we were doing. It gets tricky:). But that quote is a great reminder. Glad you shared it.
ReplyDeleteBarb, you make a great point. It can be tricky. All the more reason to find out what our kids know.
DeleteExit tickets are a great way to check if students understood my lesson that day. A quick view on an exit ticket poster of their responses informs my lesson for the following day.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I used exit tickets but not consistently. I think that's where I've dropped the ball. There are certain areas where I feel like I do know where the kids are and others where I haven't been as consistent. Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteI was just reading about this same thing in Reading in the Wild. That some students are very good at looking like they are learning (reading in her book) but they may not actually be doing that. Just another aspect to keep us on our toes, so to speak, as we try to juggle everything in the classroom and reach every single learner in our classrooms. We can never say that teaching is boring! lol!
ReplyDeleteLori
Conversations in Literacy
Lori, no it's never boring when we're constantly working to improve our practices and ensure kids are getting our best.
DeleteI love to stop by and soak up your reflections and thoughts. Thanks for the reminder that life isn't about perfection, but improvement. I sure hope I modeled that for my own children as they turn into adults. YIKES.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I can only imagine that you beautifully modeled that principle to your own children. We certainly have to live it out on a daily basis.
DeleteThanks for that reminder. I feel like I see this in my math group and I need to make sure I chip away time this upcoming year for more individual time for those kiddos.
ReplyDeleteEm, time is sure a key factor isn't it? And it does take time to find out what they know and then more time to move them on. Tiring just thinking about it. :)
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