I like that she gave us the examples of direct instruction vs. scripted instruction. I hope in the future I won't be as scripted as the sidebar from the reading mastery book was. Students probably don't get much out of scripted instruction because the teacher wouldn't know how to answer any of the students questions. I found it helpful to differentiate between strategy and skill. The bike riding analogy was a good analogy to reading comprehension.
The Kate story was interesting to see how she used her own past experiences as a student, even though she hated them, in her new classroom. Then after she tried a new way of teaching, her students responded better and she had a more productive classroom discussion. I also like that you can have direct instruction, but at the same time you can have breakout sessions, group work, and individual work to go along with your lessons.
I also liked seeing the example of direct instruction vs. scripted instruction in the text. I agree and understand how you would not want to sound scripted like the example the text gave, however there are so many programs out there that school districts use that are just that a curriculum that uses a scripted instruction program. The ones I have encounter and worked with in my short few years in special education are ridged in design and do not leave much room for teacher creativity or input. The school district that I am in uses a scripted language arts program. The educators who are assigned to teach it as their curriculum have no choice or room for creative independent strategies. They have to follow it down to the last detail of how they stand, the hand and arm gestures they use, and even the sound and intensity of their voice and diction. It is recommended that students do not miss class. The district expects and the curriculum requires the program to stay on pace and keep moving forward. I have been told if a student misses even one day that it can cause that student to fall behind enough that he/she will have a difficult time catching up to the rest of the class. There is limited time for review, back tracking, or individual and independent instruction. The teacher simply must keep moving forward.
ReplyDeleteAs a substitute teacher I only had introductory training to the program and I am not fully trained. I spent a few of my days working in classrooms that follow this curriculum. I can see the attraction and the potential for success with such a curriculum, however I do not know if I would be good at using it to teach and if I would enjoy using it to teach. It did not seem hard to learn, however it is not as easy to use successfully as one might think it first appears. The educator has very little room for contribution and must be very disciplined and practiced at using a predetermined plan and a script. I respect those teachers who use it successfully.
I agree. I really liked how she used the examples of directed and scripted instruction. Since I had never heard of scripted instruction it was something new that I learned. This chapter really put me at ease when it comes to teaching. I definitely liked that Kate story because it made me realize we are all human and won't be the best teachers right when we start. It will take year to develop all the skills and knowledge that we need, but what matters is that we learn from our mistakes and correct them.
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