Kim Plexico's Blog #2 August Article: (Mills/Clyde)- Children’s Success as Readers and Writers: It’s the Teacher’s Beliefs That Make the Difference

Blog2: Kim Plexico- August Article (Mills/Clyde)- Children’s Success as Readers and Writers: It’s the Teacher’s Beliefs That Make the Difference

            All teaching is theory driven whether we as teachers realize it or not.  Our beliefs about learning play out in our classrooms as evidenced in the article.   The article provides data showing children in six different first grade classrooms who were taught reading by examining the teachers’ choice of materials, assignments, and focus which aligned with the teachers’ beliefs of how children learn to read.  Due to these differences, the programs looked different in each classroom and produced various outcomes of student learning.  In addition, the teachers’ observations about the students and their potential in the classroom were either expanded or limited based on the teachers’ assumptions even though they may have been well intended.

            Matt’s story was documented demonstrating how he performed poorly in a kindergarten classroom where the teacher described him as immature, inattentive, and irresponsible.  She also stated that he had poor fine motor skills and was unable to behave in accordance with the standards set in the classroom.  After being enrolled in the Child Development Center, Matt excelled in the classroom which was based on a whole language philosophy.  According to the examples in the article, Matt demonstrated his exposure to assorted kinds of print, awareness of the relationship between letters and words, ability to apply what he knew in new and different ways, and his knowledge of the relationship between pictures and books.  Based on his work samples, the teacher from the Child Development Center met with the kindergarten in order to recommend Matt go to first grade.  Much was discovered about the kindergarten teacher’s beliefs about learning.  She valued correctness and convention as she taught language with worksheets in her classroom instead of introducing language through meaning-based systems encouraging students to use what they know about language to construct meaning.  The belief at the Child Development Center is that children learn to read and write the way they learn to talk and listen. 

            The articles affirms what I strive to do for my students each day as they work through their language groups being exposed to literacy through a whole language approach integrating reading, writing and technology.  Year after year I reflect on my beliefs, teaching, and student learning in order to create an environment where my students are exposed to language in meaningful ways and are encouraged to use their knowledge as they apply it to new learning.  They are given opportunities to read, write, and talk about what they are learning in various experiences each day.  It is exciting for me to see them excited about learning as they share their learning with me and their classmates!  This year I have made some changes in the way I am teaching reading and writing.  As a grade level, we had the desire to focus on providing choice in their reading and to introduce reading through meaningful text as opposed to a scripted reading program.  We are seeing great results thus far in the students’ literacy development.  Using running records and conferencing have provided the guidance I needed in order to tailor the learning to meet the individual needs of my students.  I am seeing the importance of refection on my beliefs and teaching style in order to provide the most beneficial learning environment for my students.