Words of Wisdom

“ Children are the rock on which our future will be built-the leaders of our

country, which is why the rich potential in each child

must be developed into skills that our society needs to enable it to

prosper.”

Nelson Mandela

WELCOME TOPED 1140

Primary/Junior Language

Class 1:Foundations of Literacy

Who am I?

Maria Cardarelli-Makuch Phone: 613-834-7313 (7:30am-4:00pm) Email: maria.makuch@ocdsb.ca Office hours: After class I check my e-mail regularly, 7:30am-9

p.m. Sunday-Friday

Expectations for this class

KWL Organizer. A record of your reflections of the readings

Readings must be done prior to the class. They will be handed out or posted on the wiki the week before.

May want to keep tract of your thinking as you read. Entrance Routine: Pick up name card (*number) and

KWL organizer. Fill in K section. *For a PASS, I must see ample evidence that the readings were completed with meaningful reflections. Hand it in.

You will fill out the WL section as an “Exit” slip before you leave class.

Course Outline.

Tribes Activity

One Special Thing About MeThink for a minute about yourself and something about you that people would remember. Think about something that makes you special. It doesn’t have to be big but it needs to say something about you. It can be silly, funny or sentimental.

Turn and talk. Share with a partner for two minutes.

Learning Goals for this class

1. To learn WHAT to teach in Language with a focus on the connection between Reading and Writing

2. To learn HOW to teach Language based on the most current and effective instructional strategies.

Today’s Focus

Who am I?My expectationsMoral PurposeWhat is learning?Who is the learner?What is Literacy?Oral Language

Moral Purpose

What is your belief about teaching kids?

Turn and Talk.

“Quality teaching is intentional”. www.curriculum.or/secretariat/SYCL.shtml

What do you think was the “Big Idea” (the message) of his talk? Turn and Talk.

Turn and Talk

Let’s write:

To be successful personally and professionally, today’s students need to be independent, flexible, creative, critical, and strategic thinkers and communicators. They need to be proficient in many “literacies” – that is, they must be able to understand and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds by means of a wide and constantly expanding range of texts, media, and communication methods. They need to be confident in their learning and motivated to continue to learn throughout their lives.

A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, vol 1

Three Questions:

1.What is learning?2.Who is the ‘learner’?3.What is literacy?

What is learning?

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge by study.(19th century theory)

Learning is a permanent change in behaviour brought about by experience. (Behaviourist theory)

Learning is the sudden or slow acquisition of insight into the rules governing certain relationships in the environment. (Discovery learning)

Learning is the discovery of new facts and relating them to those already known. (Fundamental/active learning; store/retrieval system)

Who is the “learner”? Must consider:

1. Developmental stage

2. Learning Style

3. Multiple Intelligence

Stage  Characterised by 

Sensori-motor  (Birth-2 yrs) 

Differentiates self from objects  Recognises self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally: e.g. pulls a string to set mobile in motion or shakes a rattle to make a noise  Achieves object permanence: realises that things continue to exist even when no longer present to the sense (pace Bishop Berkeley) 

Pre-operational  (2-7 years) 

Learns to use language and to represent objects by images and words  Thinking is still egocentric: has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others  Classifies objects by a single feature: e.g. groups together all the red blocks regardless of shape or all the square blocks regardless of colour 

Concrete operational  (7-11 years) 

Can think logically about objects and events  Achieves conservation of number (age 6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9)  Classifies objects according to several features and can order them in series along a single dimension such as size. 

Formal operational  (11 years and up) 

Can think logically about abstract propositions and test hypotheses systemtically  Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems 

Lev Vygotsky, 1896 – 1934 Russian psychologist

Developed Social Development Theory which argues that social interaction precedes development; consciousness and cognition are the end product of socialization and social behavior.

He believed that social learning precedes development, this lies counter to the conclusions of Piaget who believed that development precedes learning.

He states: “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological).” (Vygotsky, 1978).

Developed the theory of the Zone of Proximal Development, which represents the gap between what a learner has already mastered (the actual level of development) and what he or she can achieve when provided with educational support (potential development).

Vygotskian Perspective on Cognitive Development:Teacher/Student Interactions

Zone ofActual

Development

Zone ofProximal Development

New Zone ofActual Development

What the student canalready do on his/her own.

Learning is not occurringin this zone.

It is important to assessstudent knowledge beforeteaching to determineexisting knowledge, skillsand abilities.

Assistance is providedby more capable others:teacher, peer orenvironment.

Transition fromother assistance toself-assistanceoccurs.

Assistance providedby self.

Internalization of newlearnings.

StudentResponsibility

TeacherResponsibility

JointResponsibility

StudentResponsibility

Gradual Release of Support

PRIVATE SPEECH

Student uses for himself/ herselflanguage that adults use to self-direct behaviour

SOCIAL SPEECH

Adult uses language to model

Adult and student sharelanguage and activity

INNER SPEECH

The student carries on innerdialogue with self:conscious mental activity

speech internalized andtransformed to inner verbalthought

The Zone of Proximal Development

The opportunity for effective learning.

Learning must be connected to previous experiences and learning that the learner has already experienced.

Learning must be broken down in to small steps based on tasks that the learner can already perform but present a challenge just one step ahead of current mastery.

Learning must be scaffolded - tasks must be carefully modelled and supported until the learner starts to demonstrate mastery

2. Learning styles:

Visual – learn best through seeing Auditory – learn best by listening and talkingKinesthetic – prefer to be actively engaged, doing

What style of learner are you?

3. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, vol 1, p.23

What is Literacy?

Literacy is about more than reading and writing – it is about how we communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. Literacy … finds its place in our lives alongside other ways of communicating. Indeed, literacy itself takes many forms: on paper, on the computer screen, on TV, on posters and signs. Those who use literacy take it for granted – but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communication in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the notion of “literacy as freedom”.

(UNESCO, Statement for the United Nations Literacy Decade, 2003–2012; italics added)

21st Century Education New Brunswick.

n What implications do these results have?

What authors/stories do you remember from your childhood?

Read Aloud time!

What is the criteria for a “rich” or meaningful text? Facilitates higher-order thinking. Text encourages the question…”What is the author trying to get

us to think about?” (Author’s intent). Rich (juicy) vocabulary. The text supports a variety of connections because it has a

universal message/theme (i.e., feelings, character development, etc.,).

The text necessitates reflection (Would I do this in that situation?).

There is something to be learned. Can be used in one’s life. The message is implied…reader has to think to reach it. The text promotes discussion as there are many questions to be

explored. The text almost demands a reread.

What is Oral Language?

Oral language is the interactive process of speaking and listening for various purposes: to communicate, to learn and to socialize.

Speakers and listeners must interpret nonverbal cues and process meaning, grammar and syntax of what is heard in order to comprehend and respond appropriately.

Importance of Talk

“We talk with each other to sort out what we don’t understand to get more information, to gather different perspectives or to express emotions. Talk expands our understanding and helps us clarify our own feelings; it is a pivotal tool for learning.”

Fountas and Pinnell, 2001, pg 22 A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction Grades 4-6 Volume 4

“”

Oral Language is much more than just talking…

Oral Language involves: Informal or Unrehearsed Talk Accountable or Purposeful Talk/Discussions/

Dialogue Formal or Scripted Talk

Adapted from A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6 Volume 4 Pgs 8-9

Creating a “Learning Community” is key

This is a community (classroom environment) “that uses purposeful talk to initiate their own problems and questions, explore possibilities and construct and negotiate meaning together.”

Courtney Cazden, “Classroom Discourse: The Language of Teaching and Learning”

Accountable/Purposeful TalkTalk that Builds Deep Thinking!

Agreeing: “That’s what I thought” “I agree with...” “Me too because...” “That’s just like...”

Disagreeing: “I disagree with you because... “I don’t think...” “Wait but...”

Talk that Builds Deep Thinking! cont’

Adding/Building on an idea: “I’d like to add to...” “I’d like to build on that idea...” “I’d like to piggie back X’s idea...” “That’s because...” “This reminds me of...” “And also...”

Making sure you understand: “Could you say that again?” “Could you say that differently?” “What do you think?”

“Every experience becomes a potential source of oral language

development when children speak and listen for real

purposes in an environment which challenges them to extend

their language and learning abilities.”

(Ministry of Education of Western Australia, 1994, p. 29)

Oral Language

Talk underpins all reading activities

Chants and

Rhymes

Word Wall

Games

Word Sorting

"Word Discussions"

Phonemic Awareness, Phonics &

Word Study

Independent Reading

Discussing books

Questioning

Book Talks

Formal & Informal Sharing Reading

around the room

Listening stationListening

to taped stories

Shared/Guided Reading

Reading & retelling stories

Questioning Before, during & after reading

activities

Picture walks

Predicting

Brainstorming

Read-alouds

Predicting

Inferring

Retelling

Synthesizing

Questioning

Teacher Talk

StudentTalk

The Ontario Language Curriculum

A Continuum of learning

Assignment 1: Children’s Picture Book Collection

Next week’s Readings(will be posted on the wiki)

Hand outs: “Reading is Thinking: within, Beyond and

About the Text.” “Six dimensions of Fluency”

Reading Comprehension (MCD): Effective Instruction in Reading K-3, pg. 8.3-8.5)

Website: http://www.eworkshop.on.ca Open Running Record Module. Read “Overview”

Professional Resources