"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -- Marva Collins Chapters 5, 6 & 7 were as always, with the whole book full of loads of information. I felt as I read through the chapters, I will constantly refer back to these chapters for more in depth information, and most especially when they discuss assessing a classroom. I especially like the statement: Every educator knows that literacy is not accomplished in schools alone. (Lipson & Wixson, page 123) I especially enjoyed how Chapter 5 discussed how standards of competent performance are determined by culture. I had a constant question lingering, when assimilating into another culture what do the students take with them, from their existing cultures and what do they leave behind? I liked how the chapter discussed the tools and strategies techniques for assessing the instructional setting, general instructional practice, and specific instructional activities. These techniques include questionnaires and observational devices such as guiding questions, rating scales, and checklists. Most are informal and require some organization and reflection on the part of the person doing the evaluation. I feel that I am doing all these things mentioned in this chapter, I have some background knowledge.
In chapter 6 I found I paid close attention when they examine the important characteristics of tutoring programs and how they influence student performance. My career has mostly dealt with being a tutor, and I am doing exactly that with my full-time job. I also liked how the chapter describes computer software and information/communication technology. It was very helpful to see how computers have aided the educational process in general.
In chapter 7 the factors that form the foundations of literacy was discussed. The gradual emergence of written literacy skills in the context of oral language development provides the perspective adopted for this chapter. The two major areas of competence were detailed and are necessary for literacy learning: oral language development and literacy experiences.
Image taken from: http://tutoringalaxy.com/main/classes-available/humanities/reading-comprehension/
Quote taken from: http://ripplemaker.hubpages.com/hub/50_Inspirational_Quotes_for_Teachers
