Making Decisions for Individual Learners Within a Small-Group Setting

October 12th, 2014

Making Decisions for Individual Learners Within a Small-Group Setting

Throughout this Webcast I learned much about what strategies to keep in mind while working with readers, especially in small groups. A lot of it is the same as we have been learning in class, however it is nice to recover it incase I have missed anything and also so that I can refresh on the topics. The Webcast starts out by reminding the teacher to teach the reader, not the book. Also do not just teach individual letters. Must support the reader as they build a reading process. They should become active participants and be able to overcome their obstacles at the word or text level. Students need to be able to self-monitor while they read and use their sources of information to solve words. They can do this by using a balance of the meaning, syntactic, and visual information. They should not focus on only one of these sources. The struggling readers in the groups are having trouble making a reading process system. Stay future oriented. Reading is not always about accuracy- would rather have synonyms at first if needed. Need to use strategic action.  Children need to have opportunity (guided reading time) to be able to make their reading system automatic. Let children have discussions to make meaning of their reading. Also, should make the books about something so that the children can make meaning. Know your students’ strengths and interests. Know their common experiences so that you can guide their thinking and help them make connections. Match the text to the readers for their passions and experiences. No more than one or two new things to learn at a time. Plan for change and note self-correction. English language learners can be grouped by looking at the ELP and DRA levels as well as their primary language and interests. They do not always need to go down a reading level if they cannot do one book because of vocabulary, because he or she may be more successful with another book at the same level with different vocabulary.