Ch 8 Establishing Routines and Organizing the Classroom
In order for students to work in their zone of proximal development or the zone of actual development children need opportunities to work with flexible groupings in an organized classroom (p. 103).
Children need a well-organized learning environment to promote independence with familiar routines. Self-regulation comes from learning how to organize, plan and rehearse the learning structure of the classroom. Small grouping and whole grouping are used to provide experiences at grade level or at the students’ individual levels. The development of a rotating schedule allows for interactions with all students throughout the day or block within heterogeneous or homogeneous groups. And of course organizing materials is key to a successfully smooth functioning classroom. An assignment board lets students know where they are going for that day or what options they have as well as what areas are open for that day during literacy time. Students know what to do because the teacher has already explicitly demonstrated the activity and is supervising to increase their responsibility. Materials vary according to what is available, collected or purchased and design is up to the teacher and her specific needs when meeting with groups of students.
Some areas to consider are:
Attribute Sort - use magnetic letters, letter cards or cereal
Writing Wall - butcher paper, markers
Word Building - picture cards and magnetic letters to make words
Rhythm and Rhyme Center - enlarged copies of poems, songs, chants, pointer,
word cards, etc…
Book Nook Corner - bookshelves for leveled books, baskets, big books, pointers beanbag chairs, stuffed animals
Writing corner - assorted paper, greeting cards, writing tools
Name Corner - cards with names, pocket chart, letters
Other areas could include computer area, listening area, book sharing area, or author of the week.
This chapter was full of activities to promote independence in children. With explicit demonstrations, guidance from a knowledgeable person children become competent learners. As children move through the literacy activities, the teacher has time to work with small groups who need guided instruction. The framing question of what conditions promote literacy development is answered in this chapter. The conditions include a well organized classroom in which children learn self-management techniques for guiding their own learning, established routines so kids can focus on the literacy tasks, carefully planned lessons to enable independency. This chapter validated best practices and the idea of centers to create capable students for tomorrow’s world.
Do reading programs allow for literacy centers or are they more focused on reading and comprehension?
Are most administrators able to see literacy centers as valuable teaching tools?
Can these types of centers be geared toward upper elementary without making it seem too low level? Especially if students are in need of practice in 4th, 5th or 6th grade?
Students need to know what is expected of them in a classroom. When routines and procedures are carefully taught, modeled, and established in the classroom, children know what’s expected of them and how to do certain things on their own. Having these predictable patterns in place allows teachers to spend more time in meaningful instruction.Organizing the classroom may be a little harder to do with a college class since we do not have a classroom all to ourselves, but I think I can still do certain things, such as using poster papers to signal certain work areas or putting up a bulletin board for vocabulary learning... I really like the idea of organizing a classroom into different work areas or activity centers.
ReplyDeleteYes, I tried that with my Arts of Teachers class one summer and I found that adult learners needed guidance as much as elementary students. I attempted to model how centers could work in an elementary classroom. Maybe in a college class it may take the form of activities in baggies or baskets with a form to ensure everyone gets to all the required activities.
ReplyDeleteInteresting descriptions of classroom layout conducive to building independent reading skills!
ReplyDeleteI think they are more focused on reading and comprehension??
ReplyDeleteYes and practice tends to be worksheets or drill which is not very interesting.
ReplyDelete