Toward Independence
Newsletter
Welcome to my weekly round up, which includes a brief post and recommended reading and resources. This week reminds us of our larger purpose in education. Enjoy this site? Share it with your colleagues.
Seen as a Reader
As I personally delivered copies of a faculty book study selection, one of our students saw this exchange. “Where’s my book?” she asked her teacher.
We laughed. “You know what,” responded the teacher. “I will read it and then tell you what I learned. How does that sound?” She nodded and got into line (they were coming in from recess). “It’s really great that I can be seen as a reader,” the teacher commented to me.
This occurrence was serendipitous, yet we can plan for these types of experiences too. Maybe it is sharing with our students what we are reading personally and how we engage in a reading life in general. Students are also good models for each other.
Teaching reading skills and strategies are important. Of equal importance is communicating the why for reading and its rewards beyond school.
Recommended Reading and Resources
I have learned that issuing an apology as a leader builds trust and better positions teachers as authorities in their professional lives.
Is fiction able to open closed minds? In this study, the researchers found that literature may, in fact, help people remain open to alternative solutions and resist the need for cognitive closure. (Additionally, both frequent fiction and nonfiction readers tend to be more open-minded.)
Beth Moore (Two Writing Teachers) shares strategies for fostering independence in a hybrid or in-person model and meeting writers where they are in this post. For example, she recommends keeping our instruction simple and teaching students structured routines for learning at home.
In this Ted Talk, Todd Rose compares the Air Force’s inclusion of adjustable settings in cockpits with education’s need to create more flexible and personalized learning environments. (h/t Missy)
Two children’s books that would make excellent read alouds: Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (picture book) and War Stories by Gordon Korman (chapter book).
Any current children’s literature you would recommend as a read aloud? Share you suggestions in the comments.
Take care,
Matt
P.S. The third writing tip, “Capture and Organize Your Stories”, was posted yesterday for full subscribers (Writing Tip #1 is available to all.) Six more tips along with two writing groups will be offered later this school year. Subscribe today!