Here is a nice report from another one of those truly fine CI teachers in Maine:
I am doing well here in Maine. Spring has finally arrived and my kids can play outside without jackets. It’s amazing really, to feel my hair on my bare shoulders!!! What a long frigging winter.
I thought I’d write – since I haven’t been adding to the blog – and just catch you up on what I’ve been spending all my spare time doing here while I’m not teaching.
I’ve had an intern for the last 4 months and it has been fabulous to have her because I have had to explain everything I do with TCI and why to her, which further helps me clarify it for myself. She has totally immersed herself in TCI and has been using it with the students she tutors at her college (and with 3 of my classes) and they love it! I just read her teaching philosophy that she has to write for her certification and it is a wonderful explanation of a teacher who has just acquired an understanding of TCI. And she’s off on a Fulbright next year to Colombia, teaching English to university students with TCI.
On another note, I’ve been asked this year to attend the 6 day training in the Danielson teacher evaluation framework. I’ve already attended five of the days and it’s pretty grueling. I asked the administrator why she asked me to attend as I’m not an administrator. She knew I would enjoy doing AND when she came into my classroom to evaluate me, I was in the four range because of how much student ownership of she witnessed. That was pretty cool to hear. Teaching using CI lends itself to students taking ownership of their learning as well as them being highly engaged. At this point in my teaching I know I can engage all of my students. The next step is for me to think about the level at which I’m engaging them. How can I incorporate more authentic text, real world issues, social justice issues? One of the wonderful things about having my intern is that she was super intuned into these issues and together we worked to incorporate them into the curriculum. She and I split the 7th grade classes. Her group had many more faster processors. So when they got ahead in “Piratas” she would do a Spanish song with them that was related to the text either through structures or themes. I have 3 brand new students in my 7th grade class, so we have to spend a lot longer on the text. Students that sit next to those students are my translators. It’s pretty awesome to watch them translating under their breath to the new students. They are so proud of themselves!!
And lastly, Becca and I ran a district offered workshop on embedded reading and reader’s theater. Participants loved it and we were immediately asked to offer it again in the fall. I chose an English text that my 6th graders are reading in the ELA class and used a excerpt with high action and emotion. I told the participants I had never tried RT in English before. I had two actors come up as my guinea pigs and they were so wonderful!!! It was so great. I was channeling Carol Gaab! And Becca was channeling Laurie Clarcq.
I’m really sorry I won’t make it to iFLT this summer. I need a serious break from work because there has been way too much on my plate.
Hopefully my intern will join the blog and have interesting things to share from Colombia!
All the best from Portland, Maine,
Annemarie
The Problem with CI
Jeffrey Sachs was asked what the difference between people in Norway and in the U.S. was. He responded that people in Norway are happy and
