We need to accept our students for who they are. “They are who they are. They know what they know. They bring what they bring.” says P. David Pearson.
I apply this by thinking about applying my teaching as I Do, We Do, You Do or gradual release.
I Do: The students see me model a task, thinking through a strategy, or how to apply a skill.
We Do: The students help me with the task, strategy or skill. We share the work. I honor their responses thinking about scaffolding on a building. How can I remove my help so that the students will be able to do the task, strategy, or skill successfully alone?
You Do: I remove my support or scaffolds. The students are working independently while I monitor. What does the student have automaticity over?
When a student is not thinking about something and is able to work through the task independently, the student is working in Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development.
Practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect and leads to automaticity. Teachers should consider what students can perform alone and what are tasks, strategies, and skills that the student is ready to learn with modeling (I Do) or with you (We Do).
Filed under: Comprehension, comprehension strategies, Debra Renner Smith, debrennersmith.blogspot.com | Tagged: Debra L Smith, debrennersmith, Gradual Release, http://www.debrennersmith.blogspot.com, P. David Pearson, Vygotsky, Zone of Proximal Development, ZPD | Leave a Comment »
