The teacher’s central task is to facilitate the process of learning and to ensure that all learning needs of elementary school students are satisfied.
However, in elementary school classroom, the needs of children usually expand beyond the traditional reading and writing limits: in elementary school environment, the teacher’s central task is to address children’s learning concerns through the prism of their social needs.In other words, learning should be flexible enough to form a cohesive learning environment, where children have unlimited opportunities for working individually and in groups, socializing and interacting with other children. Scheduling group and individual activities will make the learning process consistent, while gradual transition from individual to group work will guarantee that all children are able to finish the school year at or above the required level of reading and writing proficiency.Putting It All Together IntroductionThe teacher’s central task is to facilitate the process of learning and to ensure that all learning needs of elementary school students are satisfied. However, in elementary school classroom, the needs of children usually expand beyond the traditional reading and writing limits: in elementary school environment, the teacher’s central task is to address children’s learning concerns through the prism of their social needs.In other words, learning should be flexible enough to form a cohesive learning environment, where children have unlimited opportunities for working individually and in groups, socializing and interacting with other children.
That means that reading and writing in elementary classroom should be approached from a different social angle, which comprises numerous elements necessary for the successful development of a child. I am confident that for elementary school learners, group work is equally important as the development of individual reading and writing skills.The problem is in that the levels of reading and writing proficiency among elementary students may display significant variations, and these variations needs to be addressed before children are gradually transferred to more complex levels of instruction. That is why planning should become the essential component of quality reading and writing instruction in elementary school. Regardless whether we imply the need for short-term or long-term planning, any instructional strategy should start with assessing student needs.Taking into account that student needs tend to change, needs assessment should become a daily component of the learning and instructional methodology in elementary learning environment.
At the beginning of the school year, children can be given an opportunity to devote a whole day to discussing their interests in reading, their goals in writing, their favorite books and their interests beyond learning. On a daily basis, each day can start with the so-called “shared discussion” about anything that took place the day before.All this information will form reliable foundation for organizing reading workshops, literature circles, and ultimately, making Learning Center Approaches more effective. Individual reading and writing tasks should be reasonably combined, to make sure that by the end of the school year small learners are able to finish on or above the required grade level. In the first weeks of a new school year, special emphasis should be made on individualized learning (e.
g. , excessive use of independent reading and writing).The first half of the learning day is likely to be devoted to independent reading and writing activities that will be later replaced with group discussions. Independent reading will develop autonomy in children; simultaneously, independent reading is expected to provide critical information about the level of the children’s proficiency, the barriers they face in learning, and the ways these barriers can be eliminated in group work. With time, all independent activities will be replaced with group work, with emphasis made on literature circles, reading and writing workshops, and LCA’s.
Reading aloud” activities governed by the teacher will also be replaced with “reading aloud” activities governed by students. All these activities will promote better socialization in class, and form an interactive learning environment, where entertainment is effectively combined with instruction. A sample daily schedule may include a sequence of 1. shared discussion (morning), 2. loud reading accompanied by singing (morning), 3. group work (e.
g. , literature circles or grand conversations), followed by 4. writing workshops.After the lunch break, children can devote their time to . working in LCA’s.
Students should be interested in what they are going to do in class, and it is probable that a sample daily schedule will change depending on the specific needs, moods, or proficiency levels of students. Each day should start with shared discussion and word walls. Word walls should accompany children across all types of reading and writing activities. Whether children are able to achieve the basic instructional objectives, will also depend on the teacher’s ability to combine the use of word walls with other types of independent and group work.Flexibility is another integral component of good elementary instruction. That is why it is essential that group work is reasonably combined with individual approaches to literacy.
Various types of reading / writing activities need to be sequenced in a way that does not turn learning into a routine boring process. During a school day, children can be involved in no more than two different types of group work, but during the school year, various types of group work should be changed, replaced, and combined so that students are constantly intrigued about what they are going to learn next.For example, every Monday will be devoted to group reading; on Tuesdays, children will always work in reading/writing workshops, while Thursdays will be centered on individual work with struggling students. The reasonable combination of free writing time with group work (guided or not guided by teacher) will form a cohesive learning environment, where students will work to achieve their learning objectives, while the teacher will guide and redirect this process to match instructional goals to students’ specific needs.
ConclusionThroughout the year, students will be encouraged to express their opinions on what they would like to do during literacy classes. From my experience, children always benefit of various types of group activities, working in a comfortable space, receiving teacher’s support, and accommodating their specific needs to the needs of the instructional process. Scheduling group and individual activities will make the learning process consistent, while gradual transition from individual to group work will guarantee that all children are able to finish the school year at or above the required level of reading and writing proficiency.Putting It All Together Introduction The teacher’s central task is to facilitate the process of learning and to ensure that all learning needs of elementary school students are satisfied.
However, in elementary school classroom, the needs of children usually expand beyond the traditional reading and writing limits: in elementary school environment, the teacher’s central task is to address children’s learning concerns through the prism of their social needs. In other words, learning should be flexible enough to form a cohesive learning environment, where children have unlimited opportunities for working individually and in groups, socializing and interacting with other children. That means that reading and writing in elementary classroom should be approached from a different social angle, which comprises numerous elements necessary for the successful development of a child. I am confident that for elementary school learners, group work is equally important as the development of individual reading and writing skills.
The problem is in that the levels of reading and writing proficiency among elementary students may display significant variations, and these variations needs to be addressed before children are gradually transferred to more complex levels of instruction. That is why planning should become the essential component of quality reading and writing instruction in elementary school. Regardless whether we imply the need for short-term or long-term planning, any instructional strategy should start with assessing student needs. Taking into account that student needs tend to change, needs assessment should become a daily component of the learning and instructional methodology in elementary learning environment.
At the beginning of the school year, children can be given an opportunity to devote a whole day to discussing their interests in reading, their goals in writing, their favorite books and their interests beyond learning. On a daily basis, each day can start with the so-called “shared discussion” about anything that took place the day before. All this information will form reliable foundation for organizing reading workshops, literature circles, and ultimately, making Learning Center Approaches more effective. Individual reading and writing tasks should be reasonably combined, to make sure that by the end of the school year small learners are able to finish on or above the required grade level. In the first weeks of a new school year, special emphasis should be made on individualized learning (e.g.
, excessive use of independent reading and writing). The first half of the learning day is likely to be devoted to independent reading and writing activities that will be later replaced with group discussions. Independent reading will develop autonomy in children; simultaneously, independent reading is expected to provide critical information about the level of the children’s proficiency, the barriers they face in learning, and the ways these barriers can be eliminated in group work. With time, all independent activities will be replaced with group work, with emphasis made on literature circles, reading and writing workshops, and LCA’s. “Reading aloud” activities governed by the teacher will also be replaced with “reading aloud” activities governed by students. All these activities will promote better socialization in class, and form an interactive learning environment, where entertainment is effectively combined with instruction.
A sample daily schedule may include a sequence of1. shared discussion (morning),2. loud reading accompanied by singing (morning),3. group work (e.g., literature circles or grand conversations), followed by4.
writing workshops. After the lunch break, children can devote their time to5. working in LCA’s.Students should be interested in what they are going to do in class, and it is probable that a sample daily schedule will change depending on the specific needs, moods, or proficiency levels of students. Each day should start with shared discussion and word walls.
Word walls should accompany children across all types of reading and writing activities. Whether children are able to achieve the basic instructional objectives, will also depend on the teacher’s ability to combine the use of word walls with other types of independent and group work. Flexibility is another integral component of good elementary instruction. That is why it is essential that group work is reasonably combined with individual approaches to literacy.
Various types of reading / writing activities need to be sequenced in a way that does not turn learning into a routine boring process. During a school day, children can be involved in no more than two different types of group work, but during the school year, various types of group work should be changed, replaced, and combined so that students are constantly intrigued about what they are going to learn next. For example, every Monday will be devoted to group reading; on Tuesdays, children will always work in reading/writing workshops, while Thursdays will be centered on individual work with struggling students. The reasonable combination of free writing time with group work (guided or not guided by teacher) will form a cohesive learning environment, where students will work to achieve their learning objectives, while the teacher will guide and redirect this process to match instructional goals to students’ specific needs.
ConclusionThroughout the year, students will be encouraged to express their opinions on what they would like to do during literacy classes. From my experience, children always benefit of various types of group activities, working in a comfortable space, receiving teacher’s support, and accommodating their specific needs to the needs of the instructional process. Scheduling group and individual activities will make the learning process consistent, while gradual transition from individual to group work will guarantee that all children are able to finish the school year at or above the required level of reading and writing proficiency.
