Through this course, I have gained a better insight about how difficult it can be to be an elementary school teacher working to teach students how to read, at the same time as how to learn from the readings. In the lecture portion of this class we learned multiple strategies to use with students that would help them understand text in a specific content area. Dr. Brooks also modeled how to facilitate classroom discussions with students so they can collaborate to learn from each other, not just from the text or the teacher.
I worked with a seventh grade student during my field experience for an hour every Thursday. Based on the data I was given before working with her, I came prepared with scientific articles and graphic organizers to understand the text. After the first session with her I decided to bring more hands-on activities so my lessons began to include experiments or simulations that would help my student make meaning of the text. I started noticing how much the graphic organizers would help her in taking information from the text and connecting the ideas to her own life and the world around her. Although my main focus was intended to be on science, I also planned lessons in English to help her learn how to make connections and draw meaning from text. Once she learned how to use those strategies, I began to focus more on the science content area literacy.
Before working with my student, I was nervous about teaching a student who was not only achieving below grade level, but also enrolled in special education. I quickly realized that these students are no different from any other students I would work with. I learned how one lesson with students can connect to future lessons in completely different content areas through my time with her. When planning lessons, I used the Common Core Science Standards and integrated the Science Literacy Standards. My ability to develop lesson plans that combined multiple content areas and strategies was strengthened through this course. I also learned which strategies are most helpful to students through trial and error. An even more important lesson learned regarding the strategies was that it is very important to introduce multiple strategies for students to accommodate to their various learning styles, and to allow the students to choose the method best for them.