As the day of meeting and teaching our students draws near, I feel both excited and nervous. I’m excited because I like knowing that I’m part of a project that hopes to change people’s lives, in our case, young lives. But I’m nervous because I wonder if it’ll be a good change or not. How will this experience change them? Will they learn to love reading? Will they learn to hate it? Will they be wary of ‘Reading Buddies’ or will they yearn for our presence? How will this experience change me? Will I continue to want to work with kids? Will I swear off teaching in New York? Or will I continue on to teaching literacy skills to students of various age groups and levels? I’m grateful that within these three weeks we have be given the opportunity to learn from experts in the field of teaching and reading. After reading most of our reading buddy blogs, the word empowered seemed to come up the most. And here are a few of the ideas I feel empowered with:

The Three C's
As Reading Buddies we should...
...Provide the Context and establish a supportive learning environment,
...Build the students' Confidence such that they are able to believe in themselves and trust their ability to learn.
... Build on Content by enriching their vocabulary and helping them discover new strategies when reading

Adopt a more INTERACTIVE view of reading
Children will benefit from being provided "balanced instruction" rather just focusing solely on a phonics program or a whole language program.

The Five Finger Rule
If a child makes less than 5 miscues in a "100-word text" then the text is EASY.
If a child makes less than 10 miscues in a "100-word text" then the text is at the INSTRUCTIONAL level.
If a child makes 10 or more miscues in a "100-word text", the text is too DIFFICULT. Find a new one!

Choose Texts with strong picture-print relationship.
Also, book introductions is a good tool for preparing them for the reading task.
Talking about the pictures will help them predict the vocabulary/words that will be used in the book.

Students DO NOT need to know all of the letter sounds in order to begin reading!
We can tap into the children's sight-word reading, picture reading and background knowledge while they are learning phonics.

Find high-interest/low readability books
This especially works for children who are at the upper grade levels but are still struggling with the decoding task.

Apart from Acquisition Learning, there is also Maintenance Learning.
Once a skill has been taught, do not forget to apply/review it periodically.

Teach the children based on what they KNOW.
Children are not blank slates. They take with them a rich store of ideas and experiences, that may be used as a take-off point for a reading lesson.

Believe that your students can learn and reinforce their effort to learn.
"When students think of their ability as something they can develop, they are more likely to be willing to work hard and want to learn."

We must remember that we are ALL learners.
Though we're there to "teach," we must be willing to learn from our students too.
And when in doubt, ask for help. :o)
(Go team leaders! - Erika,Joy & Michelle - did I miss anyone?)

I sincerely thank all of the speakers for being instruments of our empowerment, for sharing their knowledge, unselfishly. And though this learning space that we're in is really just a part of the biggest classroom of all, life itself, as our lives intersect with each others and with that of the children's - I look forward to an amazing journey of discovery and of learning.

Goodluck everyone!!! :o)

I write this after having read Liz's October 6, 2006 blog (another Reading Buddy of the TC Edzone Project). She brought up some points that led me to reflect further. Below I post parts/summaries of her blog:

Cremin wrote, “What is taught is not always what is desired, and vice versa; what is taught is not always what is learned, and vice versa. Moreover, there are almost always unintended consequences in education; indeed, they are frequently more significant than the intended consequences. Hence educational transactions are often marked by profound irony.”

Not all learning happens in school. Though we expect children to learn as much as they can given the number of hours that they spend in the classroom the fact of the matter is, they don't. Learning is not limited to the four walls of the classroom. Learning happens as life unfolds. I was really excited the first time that I read about Vygotsky's ideas or sociocultural and interactionist views of education. I felt that - Finally! An alternative to the more traditional concept of development and education. Finally, a more 'open-minded' view of learning. If only the school's would widen their concept of education and acknowledge more what the child brings into the classroom. And to follow Liz's example we look back on Cremin's opinion about the kind of education we should give our students. He believes that "A school in which learning is not separated from, but joined to, the rest of life is something (to move)toward...fostering the crucial interaction between school and society."

Though we hope that the government will do its part in making sure that each child receives the 'right' kind of education, the truth is the responsibility really lies on the kind of teacher that the student has in the classroom. What does s/he believe in? What does s/he deem important? What are his/her views of children, teaching and learning? Bottomline, it's still the teacher who is key. S/he is the one in the classroom... touching the children's lives. And to illustrate my point let me share a story close to home. Just last month I received a call from my sister who is currently living in Vermont. She's a University professor on Literacy and she was concerned about something her son's teacher had reportedly said in class. She called me so that we could discuss in-depth, how she plans to approach the situation. Her story goes as follows:

One afternoon my nephew (who's in 4th grade) came home seemingly discouraged. Though he had at the start of school, like his teacher. His opinion seemed to have changed. He said that he didn't want to go to school anymore and wanted to move back to New York. When asked why, he said that his teacher had said that "Girls were smarter than boys," and that "Girls worked harder than boys." He took this of course to mean that his teacher didn't like boys, ergo his teacher didn't like him. My sister tried to explain that that was just his teacher's way of challenging the boys so that they would work harder. But then my nephew reasoned out, "But Mama, isn't that stereotyping?" (Smart boy!) And though she agreed with him, she instead told him to do his best and meet the challenge.

The following week, it seemed timely that they had a parent-teacher gathering. My sister bravely decided to ask the teacher about her views on children. She wanted to see if she truly believed in what she had told the children and wondered if she would share the same opinion with the parents. Sure enough, she reiterated what she had told the children. She said that in her experience, that's what she had observed. Not sure of what would be the best way to handle such a situation, my sister let the discussion go.

The following week, my sister recounts that my nephew came home upset and said, "Ms. ______ told everyone that I was the youngest in class. Now my classmates are saying that I'm a baby." My sister, though clearly affected by her son's feelings towards being teased, explained to him that maybe she was just challenging him to show her what he can do. (Clearly this teacher doesn't seem to realize the effect she has on her students!) My nephew didn't believe that that's what his teacher meant when she said that but let the discussion go.

But what brought my sister and the other parents to action was something far more damaging and this happened when their school had a "lock-down." A lock-down is an emergency procedure wherein in the event that an armed person comes to the school, all the students are to hide in specific places, stay absolutely quiet until their teacher tells them that its safe to come out. At the end of the exercise one of my nephew's classmates asked their teacher, "If a bad man comes into the school, will you protect us?" And surprisingly the teacher replied, "No, because you are not my children." The next day, the boy who asked the question refused to go to school.

What did this teacher vicariously teach her students? That it's right to judge a person by his/her gender? That students learn at a fixed rate and age? That school is not their second home? That teachers cannot be relied on and think only of themselves? Doesn't she realize that more than the lessons, children learn by the teachers example? Clearly she does not or she would not have said what she did.

Because of what had happened, several parents approached the principal to complain. We have yet to see if they will do anything about the situation.


I want to differentiate between “know” and “believe.” We “know” as students of education that all students have potential and different untapped strengths, etc… But do we “believe” it?
.... I am still trying to get beyond quantifiable smartness.
As long as IQ tests exist it will be hard to completely let go of the notion of "quantifiable smartness." But we can try. It's one of those many things that we have to struggle with everyday. Which is why I appreciate Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. It gives everyone a chance to be regarded as 'special' - and in a good way. It highlights a person's strengths and encourages us as teachers to build on these. All of us have strengths, untapped strengths and ... things that we are not exceptionally good at (I do not like using the word weaknesses!). Believing that children have the potential to grow stems from one's chosen view of intelligence. Is it fixed or is it malleable? Is it predetermined or can it grow? As long as we believe that intelligence is not predetermined, fixed and that it can be nurtured then we can believe in children and their potential to grow.

A decade ago, I remember having been told in one of my Educational Psychology courses that John Locke described the human mind as Tabula Rasa or as being a blank slate. There was a time when this view was prevalent in classrooms as teachers took on the role as sole provider of learning. We have come a long way from this mode of thinking. Now the terms Schema Theory (Anderson), Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky), constructivism or sociocultural view have become buzz words in the field of literacy. Instead of viewing the child as a recipient of knowledge, the child is now seen as a partcipant and co-creator in the meaning making process.

"Teach the children based on what they already know." Mr. Yukish shares a good point. They do not come to school as blank slates. Within each child is a wealth of information --- his/her own personal history, likes, dislikes, culture, language ---- a full network of schemata waiting to be tapped. Not only do we build upon information that they themselves bring onto the table but we encourage ownership as they re-construct old ideas into new ones. Reading a book becomes easier when we call their attention to what they already know. Doing Book Introductions, using books from a series and going through the pictures found in a book will help them may text-to-text and text-to-self connections.

Another point which I found interesting was the need to facilitate the transfer of episodic learning - learning something within a specific context. The example shared today was the ability of children to read words found on a 'word wall.' We can tap on this potential resource by using the words that they've mastered from this list and having them spot these words in connected text.

Mr. Yukish also mentioned that apart from acquisition learning we must not forget maintenance learning. There should always be opportunities to apply what has been learned in previous sessions. Lessons can spiral which will allow for regular review.

Finally, Mr. Yukish stressed that most of what he had learned for the past 20 years, he learned by working with children. I look forward to learning as much from my own students.



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A Special Word of Thanks: I wish to thank Mr. Joe Yukish for sharing his knowledge and expertise. His lectures were interesting, relevant and served to inspire. The handouts that were generously distributed were comprehensive and clear. He is definitely one of the best lecturers I've had the pleasure of listening to at TC. Again, many thanks! :o)

What It Feels Like to Be Wrong...

I remember standing at the back of the room, my stomach in knots as I waited for the teacher to flip her cards. We were having a multiplication drill and I had been chosen by my classmates on the left side of the classroom to go against the annointed one of the right side of the room. My hands were cold and clammy and I was wishing that I wasn't there. It was bad enough that I knew that I wasn't good at the times table... but to have the rest of the class find out as well? I was in third grade and I couldn't do the 6's, 7's, 8's and 9's tables as well as was expected of me. Sure I excelled in other things. I could read, sing, declaim, draw... but none of that mattered as I stood at the back of the room waiting for our math drill to begin.

As soon as I heard my teacher say "Go!" I felt both faint and panicky. I kept squinting to fight back the tears that started to well up. Though I was grateful that my classmates cheered me on, I could feel myself shrink as my opponent confidently shouted the answers to the multiplication problems. I felt my nose turn red and my vision blur but still I held my head high, pretending that I was looking at the cards and computing in my head. After failing to give an answer for 4 consecutive problems, my teacher decided to ask me why I wasn't participating. She didn't say it an offensive way. Actually, she sounded surprised that someone as active as me in class had gone quiet. I told the truth (well, part of the truth) and said that I couldn't see the cards. (Turns out I needed glasses too but they didn't find that out till I was in 6th grade). It sounded like a silly excuse for not being able to give the right answers but with my teacher now aware of the unfair circumstance, she decided to put things right - she asked me to come forward to a point near enough for me to see the drill cards. But instead of feeling relieved I felt worse. Not only did it not solve the fact that I wasn't good at the higher times tables, but she unknowingly had just robbed me of the only legitimate excuse I had to save face. And so my classmates, thinking that my silence was because of my vision resumed their cheering. But as two more problems went unanswered and another two were answered incorrectly, the cheers began to quiet down. Some looked disappointed. Some looked away. And what had been a secret for a long time was now known by the whole class. I was not good at multiplication. The knowledge that I wasn't performing at par with my classmates was pretty discouraging. But having the whole class know about it, was truly devastating. I felt like a failure. I felt like a fraud.

When I see students struggling with their school work I am reminded of what I felt as a struggling learner. Everyday, struggling readers come to school knowing full well that they won't be able to accomplish all of the tasks as well as their teacher would generally want them to. They sit at their desk, avoid the teachers gaze and pray for recess, dismissal or art class to come. That's what I felt when it came to math. And that's what some other children would feel when it comes to reading.

Mr. Joe Yukish of the TC Reading and Writing Project was the speaker for today's training. and he cautioned us about correcting children's miscues by saying that they were wrong. And I agree with that. Pointing out that they're wrong is like squeezing a lemon over a wound. Many times, struggling learners are made to feel that they are a failure. Even when trying to learn to use/speak English as a second language. One of the examples Mr. Yukish shared was a sentence spoken by a young Asian girl, "Yesterday, I go outside but there no ice cream." Instead of saying, "Your version of English is wrong!" he suggested welcoming the child's "own" language. Trying to recount his analogy, I believe he nicknamed the kind of English used in school as The Red Lobster way of saying things as opposed to the colloquial form of English which we could designate as The Hotdog Stand form of English. Using this analogy, he didn't berate the student for speaking conversational English but he made her see the difference between academic language and social language. He transformed the experience into an opportunity to help the student distinguish one from the other without making her feel defeated.

What I take from Mr. Yukish's talk is not to point out what was wrong but to lead them towards a path of discovery by asking guide questions and giving examples. This reminds me that as a teacher my role is to facilitate rather than evaluate learning.

"All are divine but some don't know it yet... so watch your belongings!"(mentioned by Dr. Lisa Blackwell during her lecture, a message she had seen by the lockers at a yoga center) It's been a year since I first arrived in the US and this experience has been a journey of rediscovery. After ten years (some painful, some not) of teaching and learning I thought that I had a pretty good idea of who I was, how I'd perform and what I had to offer. I say rediscovery because I had learned more about myself this year given this sudden shift of roles - I had to set aside my identity as a teacher, and focus more on my role as a learner. "All are divine but some don't know it yet..." I thought I knew what I was capable of and dove into graduate studies starting the semester with 12 full credits (instead of the recommended 9 for international students) and volunteer work. Soon after, I was suprised to learn that though I spoke pretty much the same language as the rest of the class (English), they were using it in a different way. Idiomatic expressions peppered their stories. Some used words that were not in my everyday vocabulary. And though English was my first language back home (Philippines) I found myself wondering if I was an ESL learner after all. Is my English different from the Standard American English version? I know I passed the TOEFEL. But why did my voice start to shake when I would recite in class? Why was I beginning to stutter when asked to speak? I began to wonder if I sounded very different from the way my classmates spoke and if I was communicating my ideas clearly. Halfway through the semester, my confidence had plummetted and I felt "academically challenged." The roles were now reversed. I was now, a struggling learner.

If it were not for the teaching assistant in one of my classes, I would not have been able to pick myself up from the very depths of where my confidence lay. Desperate for support and advice, I knocked on her door and asked for help. I asked her about what I could do to survive the courseload and meet the requirements. Kindly, Ms. Mary Anne de Fuccio spoke in her gentle and soft voice and said, "You wouldn't be here if you couldn't do it." Her vote of confidence thus became my lifeline... that night, after my visit to her office, I mapped out my strengths and weaknesses and devised strategies for me to be able to retain the information better. I made plans to ask permission to use the recorder so that I could listen to the lectures again and verify how much of it I had really understood. I created a schedule to go over my notes and handouts and allowed myself to use all 5 colors of my highlighter set. By the time I was done, I actually had to laugh at my situation because after 10 years of writing remedial plans for my students, I was now writing one for myself. :o) It marked a great shift from having an entity view of learning to a more incremental one. It was not long after that when I began to give myself a pat on the back for what I've been able to accomplish versus what I was not able to do well or do at all. I began to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. And it all began with Ms. Mary Anne. Teachers play a vital role in creating an environment that encourages struggling learners to take risks and allow them to change their minds about themselves or about their learning. "All are divine but some don't know it yet..." May we all serve as an instrument that will help these children take on the reigns and drive down the path towards learning and becoming. To discover who they are and and help them become the best that they can be.

(I still stuggle with the course readings and activities that require memory work... but focusing on how to accomplish a task rather than the grade I'm going to get for it has certainly been a more productive approach. :o) And the learning goes on... and on... and on...)