[Understand] Jen's post on struggling as a reader

[Palmer, Jennifer]

Hi Ellin
You are so right about this being a life-changing experience. It has already been that kind of experience and I am just starting this doctoral program. Five years ago I would never have thought myself capable of what I am doing now.
 
Last summer when I read what you wrote about the outcome "confidence"... I had really just applied it to a particular topic that I might be reading or learning about. For example, if I felt confident talking about variability and standard deviations to our school psychologist now after reading about them and coming to understand them, that would be showing confidence. Are you saying this outcome applies more generally to ALL topics?
 
What I am trying to convey is a more general sense of intellectual efficacy. Perhaps a better way to describe it is a willingness or an interest in seeking out new intellectual challenges with a feeling that I will be able to handle them too. It kinda fits in with that cognitive stamina piece too but not exactly there either. Maybe it is the recognition that there has been an 'intellectual" of sorts hidden inside of me that I hadn't realized was there. OR maybe it is what we want from kids...that high level of drive and engagement that brings kids back for more.
 
Make sense? Or am I missing the boat?  
 
 
Jennifer Palmer
Reading Specialist, National Board Certified Teacher
FLES- Lead the discovery, Live the learning, Love the adventure.
"Ancora Imparo." (Translation: I am still learning.) Michelangelo at 87 years of age

________________________________

From: understand-bounces at literacyworkshop.org on behalf of Ellin Keene
Sent: Sun 11/30/2008 8:37 PM
To: understand at literacyworkshop.org
Subject: [Understand] Jen's post on struggling as a reader



I loved reading this post, Jen!  It's such a gorgeous discussion of where
strategies can lead. . . you talk about a sense of efficacy which, in the
list of outcomes, I refer to in the outcomes as:

"Show confidence - the ability to discuss and contribute to other's
knowledge about a concept" but I also hear the use of several other outcomes
in your post.  For example:

"Revise knowledge - forgoing previously held knowledge/beliefs in favor of
updated factual information" and

"Sustain - the willingness to sustain interest and attention to the
exclusion of competing or distracting interests" and

"Remember - the sense of permanence that comes with deeply understanding
something - the ability to use something you understand in a new situation"



Generally speaking the outcomes will be invisible and inaudible and the
dimensions will be visible and audible (behaviors).  This isn't always (or
consistently) true, but generally, we want to model the dimensions and think
aloud about the outcomes when teaching them to children.  Thinking aloud is
going to be the better way to make thinking permanent and modeling is going
to be the most effective way to "show" kids the behaviors (dimensions)
associated with understanding.  You definitely describe several of the
dimensions including fervent learning, dwelling in ideas, struggling, and
engaging in discourse.   I think if I had it to do again, I might move a
couple of the dimensions to the outcomes list and vice versa. . .



I'm actually very excited for you, Jen!  This is the kind of intellectual
exercise that changes one's life forever.  Thanks for sharing it with us.
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