The Literacy Workshop

As I start to envision what my reading workshop will look like, I considered two aspects of a literate environment. The first aspect of a literate environment is the physical arrangements of the resources in the classroom, in particular the classroom library; the second aspect is the social dimensions of a literate environment. Focusing on the physical arrangements of the classroom, three dimensions are important to consider, namely; authenticity, definition, and access. Authenticity has to do with whether our classroom environment is like a literate environment outside of school. Real texts, comfortable places for students to sit, writing supplies, reference materials, and other accoutrements that literate human beings use need to be present in the classroom. The principle of definition refers to the classroom having specific areas rather than just desks in the center of the room and all supplies around the perimeter. If we are going to have a classroom library it should be defined as a classroom library with its own spaces and shelves serving to define the area. The third principle, access, refers to the resources we have available for students in the classroom. Students need access to a wide variety of reading materials on a wide variety of levels if we expect them to find something both interesting and appropriate for their reading time. Choice depends on access. You don’t really have a choice if you don’t have access to a wide variety of materials. The American Library Association, has recommended between 20 and 25 books per student. if teachers would check out 20 books from the public library and 20 books from the school library each week over the course of a 40 week year they would have approximately 1600 books coming through their classroom with no charge to them whatsoever. This may be a good place to start. I like to involve students in the creation of the classroom allowing them to put together certain spaces, organize their own materials, and add to the decorations of the classroom. It’s not my room, it’s their room. Another important consideration is the teacher’s desk. Some teacher desks seem to take up about a third of the classroom. Teachers sit behind a “Titanic” of a desk and hold court over their students. We certainly need a place to put our things but the classroom should focus on the students and their learning not on our desks. Over the course of the first few weeks of school, my job is to build a classroom community, a place where students feel at ease sharing their ideas, finding interesting things to read, and learning how to share ideas with other students. Until we have a class where students share their honest ideas our discussions will never get anywhere. Community is a dynamic entity changing over the course of the year. We don’t just build a great community and assume that it will stay that way through the course of the year. The dynamics of community change as new students enter the classroom and things happen during the course of the year. We need to pay attention to community to make sure it is working for us and not against us.

As the fall approaches, thoughts turn to students and the upcoming school year. This fall, I begin a new position at Arizona State University, teaching classes in reading education and literacy. Moving from masters and doctoral classes to undergraduate pre-service education is a bit of a challenge. As I prepare my syllabi to meet the requirements of the Arizona Board of Education, I am confronted with new mandates based on the National Reading Panel Report from 2001. I know that Louisa Moats played a major role in the reading academies based on the NRP report. The focus on “scientifically based reading research and instruction” is having a profound effect on what I am required to cover in my classes and what assignments students are required to complete and submit. Having been a proponent of what P. David Pearson called the “Radical Middle” or a balanced approach to reading education, I wonder how the changes brought on by the NRP report and the Reading First Academies envision balance? It seems we have moved past what I would consider a balanced approach to a skewed focus on decoding, phonics and fluency, to the detriment of a focus on comprehension, discussion and literature. When teachers complain that they no longer have time to read aloud to students, I have to wonder what they are spending their time during reading doing? Blind allegiance to a basal program or scripted phonics program is as dangerous as ignoring explicit instruction in favor of an “osmosis” program where we simply put children and books together and hope they learn to read. As I prepare to help pre-service educators understand the linguistic aspects of reading (graphophonics, navigating text, and fluency) I need to be sure that I balance that with a focus on authentic literature, building classroom communities, discussing text, and classroom discourse patterns. WE need to teach children not only HOW to read, but WHY to read and WHAT it does for us as human beings.

As the pundits turn up the heat under the topics of the Iraq War, the Economy, and Immigration, one has to be asking why there is so little talk about education in this presidential campaign? In 2000 and 2004, education was big stuff. I quick glance at the websites of the major Republican and Democratic candidates reveals little detail in their platform for reforming education. In fact, the word reform isn’t used very much. In general, the Republicans offer various forms of vouchers to solve any problems. It may be the only thing they are Pro-Choice about. Ron Paul wants to do away with Federal intrusion, suggesting that we close down the Department of Education in DC. An interesting idea in many ways. Obama had the most extensive section on education of all the Dems. Most of them suggest that revamping NCLB is necessary, but offered few ideas as to how it will proceed. What hasn’t been addressed is the stranglehold that standardized testing has had on teachers, children and the curriculum. Until we can demonstrate, and I think david Berliner’s new book on St Tests does just that, the problems with high stakes testing, we cannot address the challenges of literacy education. As long as teachers feel undue pressure to teach to the test, and know that their jobs are being evaluated by these test scores, little will change. The public should hold us accountable, but there needs to be new measures for doing this.

Fellow Educators,
This blog is designed to support the monthly, on-line video conferences being conducted in your school or district. By adding ideas or asking questions on this blog, I will be able to better respond to your needs and areas of interest. Between our monthly sessions, I encourage you to post a comment to our discussions and read through what others are saying. Each month, I will use some of these ideas and questions to frame my on-line presentations.
Since each month’s video session focuses on a different chapter in Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days, the blogs will be archived each month, so that the threads of our discussion will retain a particular focus. I will be monitoring the blog and adding comments and responses on a regular basis. I believe that these on-line interactions will support our professional development activities and provide more avenues for participants to share ideas and get response to particular educational isssues.
Frank

Welcome to the NEW Literacy Workshop weblog. This blog will serve as a forum for sharing and disseminating information pertaining to literacy education, the reading workshop, lessons in comprehension and other literacy education issues. You are invited to add comments and post your responses to the ideas contained in this weblog. Simply click the REGISTER button in the bottom right of this screen under META and choose a user name and add your e-mail. A password will be mailed to the email address you use to register. I look forward to your comments.