As I used this weekend to work on my Rationale rough draft, I was really . . . I don't even know what the right word to use is. I think there is no ONE word that can express all the feelings inside me as I typed, deleted, typed, thought, typed some more, and then deleted plenty. I thought, "UGH!!!! Why do I have to tell you why I think these lessons are great to teach kids?!" But then, after a few glasses of wine, (wine glass emoticon), I decided to chill. OK, maybe the wine relaxed me a whole lot.
I went back and looked at my Smago notes and something jumped out and caught my attention. It was as if a little Conceptual Unit guardian angel decided to have me re-read some notes. In my notes, I found one of my favorite quotes by Smagorinsky, "If you can't defend something, you shouldn't teach it." I think that was something I needed to read. I can tell you why I think focusing on certain texts can be beneficial and how they can help scaffold certain skills for kids. It's easy when I talk about my ideas, to talk about them. I don't know, however, why it's hard to type these thoughts down.
In Chapter 10 of Teaching English by Design, Smagorinsky asks, "If someone were to challenge your teaching, how would you defend it?" He goes on providing examples about how, in different instances, teachers are challenged. This made me think: I shouldn't just be able to talk about my ideas and why I think they're great with my peers and friends (none of whom are teachers, but nod and smile at me when I speak about Education), I need to think about the "bigger picture."
Re-reading this chapter kind of put things in perspective for me. Thanks, man! If you're having trouble defending your unit, I would say think about reading or re-reading this chapter. It kind of sets things up for you, so you're not so lost. It is really helping me out right now. He provides examples for Unit justifications and provides a quick blurb about aligning your unit with the Standards.
(Thumbs up emoticon!)
I went back and looked at my Smago notes and something jumped out and caught my attention. It was as if a little Conceptual Unit guardian angel decided to have me re-read some notes. In my notes, I found one of my favorite quotes by Smagorinsky, "If you can't defend something, you shouldn't teach it." I think that was something I needed to read. I can tell you why I think focusing on certain texts can be beneficial and how they can help scaffold certain skills for kids. It's easy when I talk about my ideas, to talk about them. I don't know, however, why it's hard to type these thoughts down.
In Chapter 10 of Teaching English by Design, Smagorinsky asks, "If someone were to challenge your teaching, how would you defend it?" He goes on providing examples about how, in different instances, teachers are challenged. This made me think: I shouldn't just be able to talk about my ideas and why I think they're great with my peers and friends (none of whom are teachers, but nod and smile at me when I speak about Education), I need to think about the "bigger picture."
Re-reading this chapter kind of put things in perspective for me. Thanks, man! If you're having trouble defending your unit, I would say think about reading or re-reading this chapter. It kind of sets things up for you, so you're not so lost. It is really helping me out right now. He provides examples for Unit justifications and provides a quick blurb about aligning your unit with the Standards.
(Thumbs up emoticon!)
I've experienced similar struggles while writing my rationale outline for this week! It's refreshing to know that I am not the only one experiencing a little difficulty with this assignment. I am definitely revisiting my notes and second your notion about revisiting Smago chp 10!
ReplyDeleteP.s. Happy Veterans Day :)
Thanks, Stela! :)
Delete