Beyond Forums: Online Teaching to Engage Graduate Students Friday, Nov. 22nd at 9:30 AM Hynes Convention Center Ballroom A, level 3.

Documenting and Analyzing Literacy Instruction through Photographs An Online Session Developed by Helen Freidus and Mollie Welsh Kruger Bank Street College of Education

Overview for Students: Setting the Purpose The goal of the work in this session is to identify and document diverse forms of literacy instruction through photographs and the analysis of these photographs. You will be: – visiting a classroom, either that of the child you are working with or a child his/ her age – sharing this experience online with a small group of your classmates through a series of visually oriented activities. As you visit this classroom, consider where literacy learning might be taking place. Look at both traditional forms of literacy materials and things that you might not at first identify as ways of teaching literacy. When you reframe activities and materials that are not traditionally thought of as relevant to literacy instruction and identify how they may be used to support reading, writing, and language development, you will extend your repertoire of instructional strategies.

Step 1: Applying Course Readings Informed by the readings and class discussion, take a set of 5-7 photographs that document opportunities for literacy learning in the classroom you are visiting. Upload the photographs to the small group forum that includes your name. Include a caption for each picture that you upload. (See Rubric) You may create a collection of all your photos in a Power Point, and then insert that Power Point into your forum posting or you may insert the photographs individually into your posting. In either case, it is essential that you reduce or compress the size of the photos before you do this. Posting Due No Later Than 11:45 PM Friday 10/18

Step 2: Analyzing Diverse Forms of Literacy Instruction Look over your collection of photographs. Write a 1-2 page analytic reflection explaining your choice of pictures. In this reflection,discuss: – In what ways do these photographs connect to the texts you have been reading and the classroom conversations we have been having – What do you see that surprises you? – What questions do you have about the content of these photographs? Then, look at the photographs posted by other members of your forum, and read the reflective responses that they have inserted. As you do this, think about the concepts that have been discussed in the readings and in our class meetings. Posting Due No Later Than 11:45 PM Friday 10/18

Step 3: Beginning a Conversation After viewing the photographs in your small group forum, read the reflective papers that have been inserted by each member of your group. Add a reply to each member that addresses his/her photographs and analytic reflection. In your postings, talk about the diverse ways in which teachers create environments, choose materials, and implement instructional practices in an effort to support literacy development in all children. Pose questions that emerge from the similarities or differences between your photographs and the photographs of others. Posting Due No Later Than 11:45 PM Sunday October 20.

Step 4: Collaborative Work - Building a Framework This section requires synchronous communication. All members of the group must be available for a mutually convenient planning "chat" in person, by Skype, Google Chat, Blackboard Collaborate, or another tool that facilitates "conversation". If you choose to meet in person, that is fine. Individually and Together: – Review all postings that have been made in your group forum. – Identify common themes that you see emerging across the postings that are supported by the readings and by class discussions. As a Group, create a graphic organizer, comic strip or other form of visual representation that identifies these common themes and concepts that together constitute effective literacy instruction. The visual representations must be posted in the appropriate Drop Box by 3PM on Tuesday October 22.

Curriculum Classroom Management Student Driven Teacher Driven “There are two ways in which we can help a child learn. One of them is by attempting to teach him; the other is by facilitating his attempts to teach himself. We need to give the child freedom to explore and learn his own way.” - Cashdan (1976) in Clay (1991, p. 61). “Effective word study takes place within the context of a classroom where language is in constant use. Children use writing and reading for a variety of purposes and they also wonder about aspects of words - the way they are, what they mean, how they are related to each other.” - Fountas & Pinnell (1998, 87). “How I set up my classroom, the way I organize my day, and the materials I provide can either “make or break” my efforts to work with children...: ‘Much of our teaching energy is spent on compensating for an unfavorable environment. It would be far more sensible to use our energies first on the environment itself.’” - Taberski (2000, p. 19). “Writing and reading are parallel and complementary processes. Learning in one area helps children learn in the other area. We sometimes serve as the scribe for children, writing for them as they dictate their experiences and ideas…We call this language experience, and it offers an opportunity for teachers to demonstrate the writing process.” - Fountas & Pinnell (1998, 29)