MCLB #5: Workshop Model

The workshop model is certainly an inclusive pedagogy tool. (Examples are drawn from Dudley-Marling & Paugh, The Children’s Literature Institute, and the Teaching Channel).

• Use text to connect to background knowledge and personal experiences in order to make more sense of what the text is about. Teachers can specifically teach this content, especially to struggling readers who may not have this come natural to them.
• Metacognition: teacher is modeling the thought process that is going on in his mind while he is reading. This gives the students real life strategies to bring to their reading. Also supports text-to-self connects.
• Flexible classroom arrangement leads to more student choice. Students are on all different levels of reading and they are not expected to work on reading as a whole group at this time. Students are able to work at their own pace and the teacher can come to the students one-on-one to help them with their specific needs.
• Uses independent reading time to teach students successful reading strategies, strategies that are specific to one student or a small group, not strategies that are necessary to teach the whole class.
• Uses guiding reading with struggling readers. Allows the teacher the opportunity to talk to struggling readers about what they are thinking about while reading and how they can improve.
• Opportunities for capable readers to split into literature-sharing groups (sort of like a book club).
• Uses combined assisted and repeated reading to work on specific reading skills with certain students.
• Opportunity for quick conferences to build on prior knowledge and refocus a student on what they should be work on.
• Different types of print are available throughout the room.
• Allows more opportunities to read with struggling readers, and not just use skill drills.
• Keeping track of what readers need to become better readers as well as teaching every kid every day. Individualized instruction will lead to all kids reading at their own level and understanding what they are reading. There is no pressure to read at a higher, unattainable level, because that is what the rest of the class is doing.
• Overall, the reading workshop model allows a teacher to have students doing various reading activities. Students are able to get into small reading groups, read independently, or work with the teacher one-on-one. These strategies allow students to strive at different levels of reading.
• Teaches the students a skill and then they can take that skill into their own reading; making differentiated lessons and text structures available.
• Opportunity to teach and have active engagement with neighbors. Various forms of teaching will allow all students the accessibility to the lesson.

Pivotal Pausing

One moment that was pivotal during the Teaching Channel video was at 16:20 when Rick was conferring with students during silent reading time. Rick sent all of the students to their desk to read independently and then he took that time to work on skill work and comprehension work with students that needed the help. He also took this time to differentiate lessons for each student and gave them the opportunity to practice and get what they need with the help from the teacher one-on-one. By taking this time during independent reading, Rick was able to differentiate instruction for each student and support him or her where it was needed. Along with going around to each student, Rick specifically helped a student at 14:30. This moment was pivotal because Rick went to a student that needed help and gave her a practical solution to the problem she was having. He was going around the room and knew that the one student needed help with vocabulary. She was struggling with specific words and Rick differentiated her experience by partnering her up with a vocabulary partner. This non-threatening partner was able to help her build vocabulary and comprehension without judging her for not knowing the words. This experience was not necessary for all students in the class so Rick was being thoughtful when he chose the students to partner.

The moment of pivotal pausing is so important to further learning. If a teacher realizes that a student needs help or is confused, they are able to pause and make sure that every student is on the same track. This teaching strategy was very helpful for myself when I was in school. If I was confused, I loved that a teacher was able to stop the lesson or stop reading the book and pause to make sure all students understood the lesson. This also allows the teacher to pause during a lesson to model different strategies that they think their students should be taught explicitly. This is certainly a strategy I will be using in my future classroom. I can see myself viewing a video or reading a book with my students, like Rick was in the video, and pause the lesson to ask the students what they are learning or what is confusing them. This will allow students to have the confidence to ask questions and know that there will be a point in the lesson where questions are honored and answered.

Literate Citizenship

The workshop model fits into Kliewer’s ideas because they both have the same focus that all students can become literate citizens. As Kliewer writes, all students will not learn the same. What works with one student is not going to necessarily work will all students. The workshop model definitely agrees with that idea. Each student will have individualized interests, strengths, and weaknesses and individualized and differentiated instruction can only help them toward their goal of educational success. All kids are readers (as Kliewer’s book title states) and they should all be treated as knowledgeable. In addition, both models of thinking believe that it is necessary to use small group and individualized instruction. With the opportunity to have one-on-one time with the teacher, the student can really show their knowledge and what they can bring to the literate classroom. Also it is vital to make sure to understand the child as a literate citizen. Each student will be on a different level, reading about different interests, and connecting their experiences to different writing. Each student brings to the classroom different prior knowledge and that can be a strong component to a more collaborative community in the classroom if each student is recognized for what they CAN bring to the classroom.