Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Children Can and Want to Learn

Readers Theater at the Library

I enjoy being a children’s librarian but the art of teaching is my first love. Therefore, the joy of working alongside teachers and collaborating jointly on lessons helps me create and experience those teachable moments I once enjoyed while in the classroom.

To make sure that my story times are an effective part of the students' learning experiences while visiting the library, I have aligned my lessons against the Pennsylvania Common Core standards in English & Language Arts and the mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia, to advance literacy, guide learning, and to inspire curiosity.

These lessons introduce new and challenging concepts that will bring about active listening and critical or higher order thinking and writing.

These lessons expose students to a variety of genres, enhancing fluency and comprehension.

This school year, I have decided to teach readers’ theater: reading, writing and thinking. It is a participatory unit of  lessons engaging  reading, performing in groups, and developing scripts with the overall goal of performing a play for the entire student body at the local school.

I was pleasantly surprised during our fourth session how quickly the children were able to grasp the concept of work -shopping.


They listened to their group members read, and then scored them accordingly, providing a narrative  justifying their scoring.

View the rubric and read the feedback from one of the fifth grade students.

Take note, while these lessons are in the beginning stages, the beginning is looking very bright… proving that children want to and can le
arn.



2 comments:

  1. Ms. Muldor thank you for your commitment to the profession of education. Teachers have the awesome responsibility of educating our children and preparing them for the future. As you mentioned with the rapid pace the students picked up the concept you taught them, so is true with their overall ability to learn. Please continue the great work you're doing for our children. God Bless, Bro. Wayne

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    Replies
    1. Wayne,
      I believe children are born into the world with the capacity to learn at very high peaks. They are born with innate intelligences that allow them the capabilities to absorb like sponges. Whenever I hear someone say children can't learn, it makes me recoil because I strongly don't agree. What I do agree with is Howard Gardner's (developmental psychologist) multiple intelligences theory that suggests we all have different learning styles that can enhance our abilities to learn more effectively. Gardner calls these styles multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical, visual, musical, intrapersonal, kinesthetic, interpersonal, and naturalistic. So, whenever I hear an educator/s say that a child can't learn, I’m lead to assume that either the educator/s is unwilling to invest time and effort needed to properly address the child’s style of learning (child-centered learning environment) or simply put, the educator/s just don't know how to teach. These are clear signs that this educator/s is pursuing the wrong profession.
      Thank you and your point of view is appreciated.

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