Ch 6 of Jago's Text

Even though this Chapter was quite long, I got a lot out of it. I learned how to use comprehension tools to better understand texts and I felt it was really important for me to see a lesson plan laid out for me. I also liked the idea of giving a quiz after homework reading. Like Jago, I would make sure that the quizzes do not hurt any grades, but allow the students to 'worry' their way into reading. There were 3 topics/points made that I found to be most interesting and important to me.

1. I have been extremely nervous about my lesson plans and planning weeks ahead. I know that things change like students learn the material faster or it may take the students longer. It made me feel better that Jago said on pg. 103, "Even after 29 years in the classroom I still can't write lesson plans more than a week in advance. Teaching is an organic process, deeply dependent upon relationships between students and their teacher, students and the content, students and one another. Not to be responsive to the ever-changing demands of the young minds in my care is to abrogate my responsibility as a professional." This quote made me realize that it is ok if I need to change my lesson plans each week than what I had originally planned. I need to make sure my lesson plans cater to the needs of my students rather than just trying to push them along whether or not they are ready to.

2. On pg. 127 Jago says, "I have found that giving students less time than they actually need to complete the task (and then giving in when they beg for 5 more minutes) is a better plan than allotting too much time for group work." Jago has answered the question that has always been on my mind, how long do I allow students to work or discuss? I think that giving a shorter time period will force the students to work on the task or discussion and not be distracted from their work.

3. I have to say I have a love-hate relationship with students taking over the teaching. I love it because it allows students to "move their Zone of Proximal Development one stage further along" (Jago 138). I hate it because I know I have had to do this in the past and I did not read anything that I was not assigned to teaching. I do not want my students to take the easy way out and read just their assigned reading. That is my only problem with that idea because I would have no way of knowing if all the students' read or not.