Module One

Turning on a Dime: Making Change in Literacy Classrooms

Charlene Cobb

This article focuses on the acronym DIME which is the four strategies that are mainly found in classrooms that have committed to transform and improve the success in all their students. DIME stands for differentiating, interacting, monitoring, and extending time for learning. 

Differentiating

Differentiation is a word that is heard constantly in the education field. Many teachers believe that by having their students work in small groups they are differentiating; however, the word differentiation means a lot more than having your students work in small groups or having students choose from different activities.  For differentiation to be affective, teachers need to have a clear vision of where they want their students to be at (end result) and methods on how to reach that goal. Differentiation calls for clearly defined goals and standards that provide teachers with a road map for designing instruction (Cobb, C. 2004). Also, is important for teachers to take into account students’ needs and abilities when they differentiate the content, process, products, and learning environment. The video below outlines different components of differentiating in a classroom.

 

Interacting

Providing opportunities for interaction as well as different types of interaction is one of the keys to learning. Vygotsky (1978) recognized the complex relationship between development and social interactions; learning is socially constructed and we learn from our interactions with peers (Cobb, C. 2004).Student conversations should be seeing in classrooms a lot more than teacher and student conversations. Classrooms should have routines and rules set that enhance conversations that focus on learning. Students should be included in the decision making process that focuses on their learning as well as teachers having a conversation with students and not talking to them. The following video talk about how the classroom environment and interaction goes hand in hand.

Monitoring

Continually monitoring instruction is key for teachers to know if their teaching strategies are being effective and reaching all learners. Monitoring can be done formally and informally. Informal monitoring is working in small groups, during teacher student conferences, or walking around the room gathering information and their observations. Formal monitoring is through assessments. Is important to give students feedback on their assessments in order for students to have more responsibility of their own learning as well as for the student to know what they need to do to achieve their goal. Showing students how to critically examine their own work (Stronge, 2002); by providing students with rubrics, teachers can make their expectations explicit and public (Cobb, C. 2004).

  

             Informal                                                                                  Formal

 

 

                            

Extending time for learning

In 1994, the National Education Commission on Time and Learning made many suggestions in regards to the use of time in school; however, now 2016 school are still struggling with teaching all that needs to be learned in 180 school days.  Different schools have come up with different solutions that work best for them. One school uses a large block of uninterrupted time for literacy, 90 minutes of uninterrupted  time for literacy in their daily schedules (these minutes were not necessarily at the same time each day) (Cobb, C. 2004). Another group of schools has the same 30 minutes block of time three to four days each week. During this time, students from the same grade level are grouped depending on their fluency, comprehension, or vocabulary.  The students are reassessed every six weeks and the groups are changed. Assessment results in these schools indicate that student achievement is on the rise.

Administrators and reading specialists can have a significant effect on change by providing the structure and support systems that enable teachers to become effective and efficient at “turning on a dime” (Cobb, C. 2004).

References

Cobb, C. (2004). Turning on a Dime: Making Change in Literacy Classrooms. Reading Teacher,
             58 (1), 104-106.

Literacy Autobiography

        As long as I can remember, I have always love reading and that is mainly due to my mother. I grew up in a household filled with an abundance of love; however, not an abundance of material things (such as a television or video games). I was blessed to be surrounded by a lot of books and a mother that loved reading to me and my sisters. My mother would read to us in Spanish, and would mainly read us chapter books which did not have many pictures. My favorite book that she read to me was Heidi. At an early age, I learned how to make vivid pictures in my head about the stories I read or they were read to me. The interesting part was that when I did read picture books, I always ended up recreating the stories with my own pictures in my head!

        As a student in elementary school, I remember teachers used reading as a form of punishment; when the class was not doing what they were supposed to, the teacher would say, “everyone take out your books and read”. I honestly didn’t understand it as a child, but as I reflect back I can see how many students would dislike reading because it was used as a form of punishment in a classroom. In middle school, I had a teacher that loved reading and she would have us pick what we wanted to read, even if it was a magazine. Mrs. Wilson would set 30 minutes of the day aside so we could read and during that time she would read as well. We were allowed to sit and read in any part of the classroom we wanted; and if we chose to lay on the floor we were allowed to, as long as we read. As an adult and a teacher, I now know that her teaching strategy was to get the students excited about reading no matter what it was and to model the behavior as well. 

 

     

   My favorite books as an adult are 'Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas', and 'I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell'. I love reading all types of genres... there are few things in the world that I like to do better than reading (one would probably be dancing!). I would love to have more time to read for myself, ratherthan only reading children’s book to my two year old daughter Mia, and to my preschool students (laughing). However, I know how important it is to read to children and how reading influences their vocabulary, compression, and language. 

 

         Prior to the internet, anything I read was physically in my hands. I am that person that will still go to the library to take out books. I personally love the feeling of holding the book and turning the pages. My husband has tried twice to incorporate me into this world where people read using Kindles, Nooks, and tablets but, I honestly can’t. I am that 30 year old still going to the library to take out books….. And I love it! LOL!