ABSTRACT
RATIONALThrough my seven years of teaching experience, I have taught at schools that serve low socio-economical communities. Some students come from homes that have an abundance of books, are involved in conversation with adults often, and engage in experiences in and beyond the community with their families. However, many students haven't been given the opportunity to hold a book before coming to kindergarten, don't engage in conversation often, and only experience what happens inside their house. We find students in both situations, and in between, all around the world.
As a teacher, our greatest task is to provide all students with the best educational experiences. However, for some students this is more challenging because they may not have developed background knowledge or experiences in topics relating to what are studied in school. Through literacy, we can strategically develop plans and instruction for students so that they gain the experiences, conversations, and exposure to literature. We cannot control what happens outside of our school day, however, during the school day we can give students all that we know how to do. |
FINDINGSOver the past two years in the New Literacies and Global Learning program I have learned how to effectively impact students' literacy development through the use of differentiated small groups in both reading and phonics instruction. I have learned about the impact that can be made by exposing student to a variety of texts and books, deepening vocabulary knowledge, using scaffolded and modeled read alouds, creating rich writing environments, and using project based inquiry experiences.
Beyond the strategies and new concepts that I have learned during these two years, I have also been able to add to my "teacher toolbox" a variety of assessments that can be used to drive instruction and learn more about students' academic needs. I have experienced the impact that can be made through the use of needs assessments and strategic planning to strengthen my relationship with and support parents, as well as how effective intervention programs can be used to support students. I have also acquired more knowledge of professional development texts, models to support mentoring and collaborating with colleagues, and ways to develop and conduct research that will positively impact my teaching and my students. With the combination of strategies that impact students' literacy development and strategies that have been added to my "teacher toolbox," I can use my knowledge and experience to better reach students that need strong, explicit, and consistence support in order to grow in their literacy development. |