Dictionary Guide Words

As ‘bell work’ my students complete a DLR. After independent reading time we correct them together. These five minutes often give me valuable insight into skills that need to be taught, re-taught, or emphasized. Today, as we looked at a dictionary guide word question, I realized something.

It was not the fact the several students had no strategies for identifying what words would fall on a page in the dictionary.

It wasn’t that some of them still need to have the alphabet written out, or sing it to themselves, in order to remember the order.

It wasn’t that some of them would rather guess than take the time to do their best work.

All of the above are true, but my realization was that my daughter, at nearly four, will never have a question like this on a test (or at least she shouldn’t).

Why is that?

She will never use a dictionary in book form, most likely. For her a dictionary will be an electronic resource therefore her dictionary searching skills will look very different.

What realizations have you had recently? How do you see learning (and testing) changing for the next generation?

Inspired to Link

We, the Web Kids by Piotr Czerski
We do not use the Internet, we live on the Internet and along it.

Why Does Writing Make Us Smarter?
The different brain processes used for writing by hand and typing [have] found that there are cognitive benefits to putting a pen to paper. These findings give support to the continued teaching of penmanship and handwriting in schools.

Functional bathtub made from books by Cory Doctorow
The idea is of immersing oneself in knowledge, books, truths…

And Dr. Seuss for the Digital Age…

Gleaners vs. Guides

World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others, an article by Will Richardson, brought up several ideas that are now percolating within me. He says,

"as teachers, we must begin to model our own editorial skills -- how we locate and discern good information and good partners -- at every turn, in every class, reflecting with students on our successes and failures."

How many of you have thought of something you wanted to share with your students, spur of the moment or planned, and typically will look something up, choose the best source, get the information cued and THEN turn on the projector? It was an ah-ha moment for me last year when I realized that I need to be modeling the entire process of information searching, retrieval, and selection.

We are no longer the gleaners of information, searching through books, etc. to find the best information to disseminate to our students. Our role has shifted to that of guide. We must remember to openly demonstrate the entire process, even when it doesn't work out as we thought it would. Even the 'failure' is part of the process. If we aren't willing to guide students through the steps how will they learn the steps? Or at least learn them well?