One thing I hope to use in my classroom quite a bit is what Elizabeth hale talks about, "Turn and Talk." This is where the teacher gives a prompt or question and then turns to the class for a few minutes while they reflect. They then share their ideas with the class. I think this can be very effective in the classroom but I also think it has its' downfalls. How do you make sure that the students are staying on task and talking about the subject at hand? One way I thought would be a great way would be to pair them up instead of larger groups. That way it's not as easy to get off task. The students can talk to one another and then once they have done that the teacher can bring them together as a whole.
Another great technique I liked was the "Writing Try-Its." This reminds me of when I was younger and made note cards of different facts and ways the teacher was teaching a subject. It made me write it down and read it more and more so that I embedded the concept in my head. What better way to do this then to have the students write down in their writers notebooks the same way the teacher has taught them to. Then they are seeing the importance in the way the teacher is teaching. Once a teacher has a conference with a student she/he can go back to this notebook and look to see what they are having troubles in or if they got the lesson.
One of my biggest fears in teaching is getting the student's to reach their full potential. Sometimes you will get a student who is extremely creative and intelligent and has great writing but like Elizabeth Hale states, every writer can be better. How do you help that student make an even better attempt at their writing when all the mechanics/spelling and so on are correct?
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What a great question! This is so important and you'll have a chance to explore this with a writing sample this week. One response to this is to have children read, read, read so that they have lots of models to consult.
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