Strategic Reading, According to Wilhelm (Chapters 1-2)

      In the first two chapters, Wilhelm provides future teachers with some solid golden nuggets.  Being a future English teacher, I found this week's reading very interesting, especially the chapter in which Wilhelm introduces various reading techniques.  However, before Wilhelm divulges to the reader the ways to improve reading literacy, he spends the majority of the first chapter going over the basic foundations of pedagogy. 

      Chapter 1 really emphasized on the Vygotskian Theory, and Wilhelm definitely comes across as a big advocate for using this model in the classroom.  One thing I found interesting in this section, in particular, is that when Wilhelm discusses the Vygotskian Theory, he introduces it by mentioning that certain effective components of this theory is forgotten in the secondary grades. Wilhelm (2001) states that a typical high school classroom is a space where, "the teacher tells and the student listens" (p.10). The downfall to this teaching practice is that the student resorts to memorization rather than actually trying to learn something and apply it in a new area.  I can relate to this because I do feel like many high school classrooms are very lecture based. I have been in those classrooms where I felt like I was being talked to, and to be honest, I had no desire to learn.  When I had classes like that in high school, my objective was not trying to learn, but rather coming up with creative ways on not falling asleep. 

      As a future educator, I enjoyed reading this chapter because it furthered my knowledge on the Vygotskian Theory.  I obviously knew some things about Vygotsky and his theories, but Wilhelm goes in depth and provides useful snapshots of his own personal experiences to really illustrate Vygotsky's ideas.  When Wilhelm (2014) starts talking about Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) he states, "When you assign a task and the students successfully complete it without help, they could already do it. They have learned nothing" (p.16).  To me this is such a vital piece of information because it is a pitfall that I wish to avoid.  The zone of proximal development is predicated on a teacher providing assistance to a student to help them master a new skill, and to then have the student be able to enact that new skill on their own.  When teachers give these assignments and the students complete it without assistance, they have to be aware that the student might have not learned anything. 

      Chapter 2 was also a really great chapter because it delved deep into reading literacy and various techniques to teach reading. Wilhelm stresses that English teachers have to teach students how to read, and how to read effectively.  I love how this chapter opened up with Jack's poem as a cry for help.  Jack would like to read, but he exclaims that no one has taught him how to do so.  Jack's story was illuminating for me because it is indicative that not everybody has certain literacies, so I cannot automatically assume that a student is literate in reading.  These students may genuinely find it difficult to engage with a text.

      Again Wilhelm offers yet another golden nugget that I am putting in my teacher toolbox.  In the section called "Guided Reading" it states that "when you want students to learn something new, make sure everything else is easy" (Wilhelm, 2001, p. 44).  To me this makes sense, but it is not something that would be in the forefront of my mind when constructing a lesson plan.  So, this has made me realize that everything involved in a lesson is equally important. If I want a student to learn something then I have to create an environment where they will be able to succeed. Also, in the "Guided Reading" section Wilhelm discusses the importance of text selection and according to him, choosing a text should prompt further learning within that text, but should also provide a learning where students can carry over to different texts (p.44). So, what I believe Wilhelm is trying to say is that teaching reading strategies are more important than teaching the text.  Wilhelm also suggests that the students should have an interest in the text they are reading.  Someone should have handed this chapter to some of my former high school English teachers.  I just remember reading some of the most boring and awful books in 12th grade English, specifically.  Now that I am currently in these teacher education courses, I often think back to some of the teachers I have had and analyze their teaching from a different perspective.  There were some who knew how to teach effectively, but I am afraid that most of my English teachers were the type to pick a book and assign reading, and that was about it.  I did not really have an English teacher that taught the class how to read more academically, but I had those that would assign a pop quiz asking to ID a quote somewhere on page 339.  I refuse to be like that. 

Literacy of Acceleration

       

       To think about what I am literate in, besides my academics, was extremely difficult because I have never really equated literacy with anything other than my schooling.  I began by composing a list of things I enjoyed and activities I did rather routinely.   After contemplating for some time, there was a potential literacy that kept probing my mind, pushing its way to the forefront.  For some reason, I decided to suppress this particular literacy because it is something that many people partake in, so I did not view it as a potential area that someone could specifically be literate in.   So, I took a step back and really thought about what literacy is supposed to signify, and I decided that the activity I was trying to suppress would serve as a good literacy piece.  Well, I am proud to say that I am literate in the act of driving. That is right, I am literate in driving automobiles, which is pretty impressive coming from a Rhode Islander.            

            Ever since I was a child, I was infatuated with driving, and I could not wait for the day that I would be able to get behind the wheel and cruise to California (not knowing how far away that really was).  I remember collecting little toy cars, of all kinds, but my favorites were the emergency vehicles.  I’ve always dreamed about driving an ambulance someday, but I could never make a career out of that because I make excessive Dunkin’ Donut pit stops, and that is obviously bad for business.  Being a literate driver is important because one mistake could provoke severe consequences.  I know I am literate driver. I must be, seeing as how I am everyone’s personal taxicab, within my group of friends.

            Before I could actually start rolling down the streets of my neighborhood, I needed to complete a thirty-three hour, state-mandated, instruction program to teach me how to drive.  At first, I did not really feel like thirty-three hours were necessary, but reflecting on it I think it was beneficial.  Yes, I have watched my parents drive many times, but I was in a passive mode, and I didn’t really pay attention to what they were doing and why they were doing it.  All I really knew about driving was that your hands were supposed to go on the wheel, right pedal was to accelerate, left pedal to brake, and seat belts should be worn at all times.  However, during the classroom instruction I learned that driving entails much more than just sitting and looking fabulous (although, I would argue, that is one of many crucial aspects of driving).

           Driving requires you to be literate in many things, and a person needs to rely on multiple intelligences to be an adequate driver. There is a specific language one must master when it comes to driving, and I am not talking about the profanity that drips from your mouth during a fit of road rage when I-95 is backed up.  The first thing I had to learn right was how to read the road signs. Whoever decided to use visual aids for these signs was a genius because not everyone is literate in reading or literate in the English Language. This makes me think of an ELL student within a classroom who may benefit from the use of pictures on an assignment or assessment.

  

       My first driving session was a big mess, and here I thought I was going to rock out like a superstar for my first time.  By law, with my permit, I was required to be under the supervision of a licensed adult when operating a motor vehicle.  So, my parents assumed that role. This is like using the Vygotskian Theory, where a teacher helps push the student to learn a new skill. It’s called the zone of proximal development, and student driving is very much predicated on this notion. It was a daily struggle, but I finally got the hang of it. Of course, I had to put up with the stress that my parents induced on me when I messed up, but I have to say it did benefit my driving skills.  I learned that it was a collective process to get me to that level.

        My driving literacy definitely impacts the rest of my life because knowing how to drive efficiently offers you a sense of freedom. The road is mine for the taking, and I can discover new places whenever I want to. However, I drive a gas-guzzler, so maybe road trips are not in the foreseeable future, but it is something I could do if I wanted to.  Being literate in something provides this sense of power and expertise, but it would be incorrect to say that learning this new skill was easy work.  I realize that I was lucky to have the opportunity to gain this literacy.  That was my biggest epiphany, and I am taking this golden nugget with me for my future classroom.  As a teacher, I cannot expect everyone to be literate in something because they may have not had the same opportunities as I have.

        I will also carry this literacy with me as a future teacher. I may not be teaching students how to drive a car, but I can teach them multiple skills to master literacy within the classroom. With driving, I realized that everyone has a different way of learning and absorbing new information. This is why my parents stressed me out whenever they were in the passenger's seat.  I knew how to do something one-way, while they knew another method.  Sometimes, I could sense the frustration from my parents because they just automatically assumed I would pick it up within a day.  Oh, and another bonus of this literacy is that I actually have a way to get to work, which in the future will allow me to teach students.