As I read Chapter 4 I kept picturing myself in front of my students and thinking about how many times I tell them they had good thoughts, or said that’s what good readers or writers do, or told them I liked how they did something. I even thought that perhaps Peter had secretly been eavesdropping on my groups because he certainly nailed much of the language I use. Hopefully I’m not too old to change my ways, because now, thanks to Peter, I understand how the use of more process-oriented feedback instead of person-oriented praise can make all the difference. Katie Keier (Catching Readers Before They Fall) talked about using a cheat sheet until the language becomes more natural. I love this idea, and will definitely be creating one.
One of my goals with all of the reading groups I see is to make kids more aware of their process. I tell them they need to know lots of strategies for getting unstuck as they read. We make charts of different strategies and I’m always asking them how they figured something out or what they could try. But…once they are successful, I never asked them to go beyond, to think of an alternate strategy. I didn’t build in the opportunity to understand the flexibility I wanted from them. Perhaps that is why I see students using the same strategies over and over again, even when they aren’t working. This was a huge aha moment for me and will influence the interactions I have with my students as I listen to them make sense of text.
Some favorite quotes from Chap. 4-6:
“…the more process talk becomes part of classroom conversations, the more strategy instruction will be occurring incidentally, without the teacher having to do it.”
“The purpose of feedback is to improve conceptual understanding or increase strategic options while developing stamina, resilience, and motivation – expanding the vision of what is possible and how to get there.”
“The heart of formative assessment is finding the edge of students’ learning and helping them to take up possibilities for growth. Assessment isn’t formative if it doesn’t influence learning in a positive way.”