Reading Blog #2

This blog entry is from Gillet’s Ch. 3. I wanted to write a bit about the organization and recording keeping associated with the reading. I appreciated the discussion in the text dealing with the specific student tracking systems and teacher organization. As the “scatterbrain” teacher I know that “clean systems = less teacher (and student) stress.” However, I think I gained more from visiting Tonia’s classroom in Molalla than I gained from the textbook. (Last week I attended class with the Molalla cohort).

It was really powerful for me to see the systems Tonia set up. I took a couple of iPhone photos of the student journals and learning logs. I even copied down the class library check-out system notebook and the way books are organized on her shelves. As an adult learner I’ve discovered that I really learn from exemplars. I think I always have benefited from seeing good (and bad) examples. I know that I’m not alone. Many of my students seem to really appreciate examples of work.

From the reading I’m most drawn to (and intimated by) the depth some teachers have deployed with using student portfolios. I know that my current system is little more than a collection of work to show off at conferences. I want portfolios to include true baseline data, snapshots of progress, reading history/logs, writing, student designed reading targets, etc. I’m more interested in the “authentic” tracking of reading progression by my students so that we can monitor and celebrate growth. By “we” I mean me, her/his parents, and the student. But, before I get overwhelmed with all of the ideal portfolio elements I need to remember to walk before I run.