Journal III

Highlight anything that you have learned through this course and discuss why this is meaningful for your learning and instruction?

    

Throughout this course, I’ve learned a lot of skills and strategies that I can apply to my reading process. Since my major is early childhood education, I did not have a chance learn how to teach specific reading strategies or skills before entering this class. The focus was not on teaching reading skills or strategies but rather on attitude toward reading.

    Interestingly, I am taking teaching language for young children this term as well. So, I had many chances to see microteachings for both young children and middle/high school students.

   One of the common characteristics that I found between two is that teaching reading is not separated from using other aspects of language but integrated as a whole.

    While teaching reading for middle or high school students, the teacher prepares activities for speaking and writing as well. For example, student can write his or her own definition of the word that has been read. Student can also write his or her opinion about a topic that has been read.

    Moreover, extensive reading, somehow, requires writing. After reading a novel or a poem, the student can write a summary or review. He or she can write a letter to the favorite character or write a different ending. All of these activities requires and is a good practice of writing. In addition to this, student can read a passage and play a question and answer game. They can also have an oral interview after reading. These activities can be a good alternative assessment for extensive reading while practicing speaking skills.

   Playing games, talking about feelings after reading, writing a letter to favorite character are very widely-used method for assessment in Kindergarten. Frankly, I've never thought that the methods can be applied to middle of high school students. But, now I believe that using these types of informal assessment can be much more fun for students-at least they'd think that it's better than to have a pencil-paper test.

   Lastly, I learned that all of things that I am learning are connected. Teaching left-to-right, top-to-bottom conventions, pointing to the letters one by one, modeling how to read, varying paces and voice tones for reading... all of these little things I am learning to teach young children are maybe one of important milestones for those children to be a good reader-so, there is nothing to be neglected.