Over the Shoulder Miscue Analysis (OTSMA)

     This past week I was able to conduct an Over the Shoulder Miscue Analysis with one of the students in my practicum class. To give you a little background, this student is a 2nd grade girl who has been placed in the above level reading group for her class. She read a book of her choice, which was Judy Moody Goes to College by Megan McDonald.

     Miscue Analyses are not new to me. I've done two more extensive ones last semester for a 6th grader and another 2nd grader. But the miscue analysis I completed most recently was less time consuming and still beneficial. I have worked with this student before in small groups, but I have never been able to see her read out loud because the students read quietly in small group and during independent reading. This gave me the chance to see what she sounds like when she reads out loud, what types of strategies she uses while reading, and how much she actually comprehends.

     I wasn't surprised to learn that the student I was working with made only few miscues while reading this book, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't get valuable information from the miscues she did make and the reading strategies I could hear or see her follow through with. All the miscues that I observed were syntactically acceptable and little or no change was made to the story as a whole. So the miscues she did make weren't extreme miscues. The strategies that she used often were re-reading the sentence/phrase and reading ahead. Most of the miscues she made weren't really considered miscues because she self-corrected them by re-reading the text correctly. I could also tell she was reading ahead because at times she would pause after a sentence for a few seconds and then would precede to read.

     I feel that teachers could learn a lot from their students by performing a miscue analysis. There are subtle things that teachers may not catch just by having them read aloud to the class or just having them read to themselves. I also feel asking the students about what they are reading and seeing if they comprehend what they have read is important. I remember when I was in the 4th grade and each student from my class was sent out to the hall to read a passage out loud. I read the passage quickly, but when the teacher asked me to explain the events from the text, I couldn't remember a single thing and had to re-read the entire passage again. I think that shows how important asking questions or having the student re-tell the text is. Students can sometimes read quickly without many miscues, but then they might not even understand or remember what they read. And isn't that the point of reading? To understand the information given to you?

Classroom Environment

     When I think of my future classroom I get goosebumps (no joke!). I know I want my classroom to be engaging, comfortable, and organized. I want my students to walk into the class and know that it's their space. Their space to take chances, to explore, to question, and to learn. But what is the best way to organize a classroom so this can happen and how can I organize it in a way that supports my teaching beliefs?
     Creating a classroom community with student led discussions and establishing an engaging literacy environment are two of my teaching beliefs that I think will influence how I set up my classroom. Debbie Miller mentions how a large meeting space, small group station, and grouped desks (I think I would prefer groups of 4), all allow students to converse and collaborate with each other, which is perfect for what I want to have happen in the classroom. Allowing students to talk with peers and discuss the topics at hand, not only help foster independence and discussion skills, it creates connections between students. They learn to bounce ideas off each other, or pose a question and get help from their peers. All these formations throughout the room helps develop these skills and connections.
     Having a classroom library is important when deciding how I want to set up the classroom. I want my students to realize how important books are, so having them as a staple to the classroom is important to me. I want organized bins of books that are labeled with either the genre of book or the topic of books, so that students can get a varity of books based on their interests (I feel like it would also save time for the students searching for a book to read). I also want this area to be comfortable, so I would love to have bean bag chairs and/or a comfy love seat. I think it's important to allow students the opportunity to decide where they want to sit and read because not every student is going to be engaged in a book while sitting at their desks. I'm sure some would prefer to find a secluded area in the room to stretch out and read. I'm definitely one who prefers to sprawl out on the floor than sit at a desk or table while doing homework.

 http://2ndgradestuff.blogspot.com/2013/08/classroom-tour-2013-2014.html

     Granted, during my first year of teaching I probably won't be able to get (aka afford) everything I want to have in my classroom, but it's good to have these ideas in mind, especially since the environment of the classroom has such an great impact on student learning. I hope I'm given the opportunity to make my ideal classroom a reality. 

Teaching Beliefs and Practices

     I feel that as a starting teacher it is easy to claim what your teaching beliefs are, but it's slightly more difficult to actually carry out your beliefs in your curriculum. Debbie Miller, author of Teaching With Intentions, discusses how matching beliefs with practices takes time. You must make observations of your student's work and discussions, reflect on your lesson plans, and alter practices that don't align with your beliefs. Since I don't have a classroom of my own, nor have I had the opportunity to observe, reflect, modify any lesson plans to fit my beliefs, I'll do my best to explain a few teaching beliefs that I hope to work into my curriculum.
   
Holistic Approach to Teaching
     I believe that students learn best with holistic practices. Last semester I took two classes, Literature and Learning I and II, where I was able to look through basal readers, books with lesson plans designed to fit the core curriculum. Many school districts have adopted this curriculum and require teachers to use them in their classes. Glancing through them during class was surprising for me because many of the readings were small sections out of entire chapter books and students had no context whatsoever. One lesson I looked at had a reading assignment based on the last chapter of a book. Teaching reading to students like this cuts out their ability to make well developed settings, character qualities, plots, etc. I would rather have my students read an entire chapter book to find information than use various sections of books to answer questions given by a basal reader.
   
Read, Read, Read!
     As discussed in many of my education courses, reading is the best way students learn how to read. Independent reading, literature circles, & whole group reading will all be apart of my future classroom curriculum. As a teacher, it is important to know your books. Authors, titles, genres, etc. should be stored in your brain, or at least in a notebook of some sort, so that you can help students find books that are perfect for them. Giving students ample time to read and discuss their readings are important as well. Students can discuss amongst themselves about each of their books, which might even spark some reading interest from other students.

Student Led Activities
     Teachers are great for modeling how to carry out a great discussion, lead groups, and take on roles and responsibilities, but I believe that students need to eventually become less dependent on the teacher leading every activity. In my classroom, I want natural discussions and I want students to be able to take on their responsibilities with little to no guidance from the teacher. Miller talks about this being one of her teaching beliefs and how it takes time for this to happen. You can't expect students to know how to create a good and productive discussion or expect them to be able to take on classroom roles without modeling and constant practice.

Safe and Inviting Classroom Environment
     All students deserve a place where they feel safe, respected, and valued. Like many students the classroom may be that only place for them. I think creating a classroom community where students are able to freely express themselves and able to talk openly with others is one of the most important things to establish at the beginning of the school year. When students feel valued and respected, they will demonstrate that towards others and lessons will run more smoothly. There will always be hiccups and arguments that arise, but if the class has already developed a sense of community, those issues will hopefully be resolved quickly. Rules created by students will help establish the sense of respect and community because the teacher is giving them the power to determine what they want for a classroom environment. It's not created by the teacher and ordered to obey the teacher's rules.

     Most of the professors for my education classes here at the University of Iowa have discussed how the core curriculum and school district policies influence your curriculum and how you teach, even if you and your school have conflicting ideal practices. With experience and thoughtful planning, I feel like teachers not only find interesting and creative lessons, they make a classroom more enjoyable for themselves and their students. Students should have fun at school and they should enjoy being in class. Not every lesson will be enjoyable, but if you put time and effort into making lesson plans that focus on students' interests and are engaging, you are going to make your students love school.

Introduction

Hello,

 This is a blog that I'm starting for a literacy course I'm taking at the University of Iowa. I hope to be able to discuss different topics within the subject of literacy and education.