When using texts in the classroom it involves more than just choosing which pages your students will read from the textbook. As teachers we will have a variety of texts to choose from in any content area, and should use all forms of texts in the classroom. Our students need to be familiar with all types of texts, and as teachers we must take into account when choosing texts including student motivation and subject matter familiarity, readability, and the complexity of the task.
I have always liked to read so I was not one of those students who needed much of a incentive to read (money, candy, pizza parties, etc.) But as a future teacher I know that all of my students will not like to read as much as I do. One of the things Conley discusses in this chapter is that as teachers we need to find a variety of texts to share with our students. By doing this we can hopefully meet the needs of every student including those who would rather surf the web or play video games.
Conley also tells us that we need to be knowledgeable about what our students bring with them for understanding the text, such as their motivation, interests, knowledge and skill. Also as teachers we need to assess students' and their experiences with reading. We need to use a wide variety of texts as well as student-generated texts. We need to be aware of the challenges that the different texts present for the students and address them. We can do this by modifying assessments, teaching the students how to use the texts, show students how I have (and am) learned through texts, as well as helping students make connections with the different concepts within the text.
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You are totally right! Teachers should use as many different texts as possible in the classroom. One text might not connect with one student,yet, it could connect with 5 other students. Teachers should use different methods to reach each individual student. I remember in grade school my teachers just teaching from the required text. We all know that this can be boring at times. I don't want to be known as the boring teacher, and I'm sure you don't either. I want to bring in material from all types of areas.
ReplyDeleteWe are the role models for our students, so we should show them how we learn from different texts and help them make connections the same way we do.