[etni] Fw: Lit Pilot: comments

As I've brought my logs to my group leader, I can now not only breathe a 
sigh of relief, but I can now write on ETNI about my observations and 
feelings
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Linda Kuras Mizrahi - lsk120@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Lit Pilot: comments

As Sharon Stern and I have finally brought our logs to our group leader, I 
can now not only breathe a sigh of relief, but I can now write on ETNI about 
my/our observations and feelings!

We were part of the Literature Log Pilot that started last year. Like a 
mother who has given birth, I seem to have forgotten the "labor pains", but 
I will try to recapture the moments!

Yes, this was an experiment; therefore, as I told my class and repeated to 
myself on numerous occasions (!), an experiment, by definition, is that 
there is going to be confusion! However, let's not throw out the baby with 
the bathwater!

Sharon Stern and I have discussed our feelings about this pilot practically 
non-stop since last year- while we were together at crazy hours during the 
night working on our templates or via Skype at 1 am- we noticed the 
following: our girls were also discussing the literature and their logs at 
crazy hours! Parents and home-room teachers told us that the girls were 
running home from their National Service interviews, for example, to work on 
their logs instead of staying over night, that the girls were constantly 
with their logs at school, discussing things; other teachers complained that 
the girls' logs on were their laps during their lessons!  Sharon and I loved 
every one of these comments! English has once again taken on such 
importance! The girls were so proud of their logs- they handed them to us, 
almost reluctantly, not wanting to part with them! They worked SO hard.

OK, tachlis: Our teaching hasn't changed- we've always done lots of 
activities before, during and after a literature piece, We have always made 
them delve deeper into the literature and have always had them think "out of 
the box" and apply things we've learned and discussed to outside issues and 
their own lives. Is it so important to stress the name of the HOTS? Just 
like teaching grammar, it's important to give what we're doing a name in the 
beginning and then get on with applying it naturally. The same with HOTS; I 
believe it's good to explain what thinking skill we're using the first time, 
making them aware of it, but that's it. I don't think we have to push it 
down their throats. I must put in a comment here: one of my girls asked me 
if the questions on Module G were HOTS type questions!

We both found the templates/unit planners extremely helpful. In the 
beginning, we were upset about it, complained and found them daunting. 
However, once we understood what to do, we realized they made us very 
organized and focused. Moreover, we found ourselves questioning tasks we 
wanted to do before we put them in and again, after we did them. We ended up 
changing things (and keeping most!) because of that sharp tuning.

It was A LOT of work and pressure, for us and the girls. However, one of the 
things that kept me going was knowing that this was an opportunity for my 
weaker girls to shine and they deserved this opportunity.

With that said, Sharon and I feel this should not be considered part of our 
jobs, without any monetary compensation and a significant reduction in our 
workload. Make no mistake; this is time consuming and the marking of the 
logs is draining. Should the whole thing be discarded? NO. Should it be 
spread out and therefore, more doable? YES. This should be a two year 
program, in 11th and 12th grades and not done in one year.  We found 
ourselves cutting back on "great stuff" to do in conjunction with the 
literature due to the time restraints- what a shame that was!

Well, with Shabbat around the corner, and me being far from ready, that's it 
for now.
We hope this added something to your understanding of the literature log 
program.

Shabbat Shalom.
Sharon Stern and Linda Kuras Mizrahi

 


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