Reflection

                Keeping a vocabulary journal throughout the entire course of the semester was a new and different experience for me.  I recall keeping journals while completing reading texts and assignments in the past but not to the same extent as the VSS vocabulary blog.  The first difference I noticed was the questions I was required to answer throughout the journaling process.  The VSS blog forced my interpretations to prompt and revolve around new words, their definitions, and their purpose.  The specific journaling made me more aware and focused of the actual words in the text and how well I understood the content surrounding them.

                I feel that I benefited a lot as a word learner this semester through the process of keeping a vocabulary journal.  I attained new knowledge and perspective of multiple vocabulary words by simply answering the questions in the blog for each word.  Often when I read a textbook or informational text, I come across words I am unfamiliar with.  I will admit that I do not always take the time to try to define the new word and/or put the new term into my own words.  Taking the time to create definitions improved my awareness of new vocabulary and ultimately expanded my knowledge of the reading.  I sometimes chose words I was already familiar with but never really had a clear definition that went along with it.  Through the journaling prompts, I was still able to further my development and understanding of new words in the reading.

                The VSS vocabulary blog assisted in my own ability to read-to-learn because it held me accountable for my reading process for the course material.  In most graduate level course textbooks and articles, I would simply read to get through the information.  The process of stopping at new terms and vocabulary required me to really stop and think about the information on the page.  This reading-to-learn process leads into writing-to-learn because I was then required to turn my new understanding into written form in the blog.  I was displaying and expressing my new understanding of terms and information through my writing. 

                The VSS vocabulary blog is something that I do not think I will continue updating or creating in my own time while reading.  I feel that I will take away the prompting questions from the blog though.  Even though I will not be answering the questions online in blog form, just simply taking the time to answer the questions on just a post note or sideline notes in the margins of the text will still benefit my comprehension.  I will definitely consider this task as a possible project for future students.  I truly think they will enjoy and learn a lot through both the process of the VSS vocabulary journal along with taking the vocabulary quizzes in the same manner we did. 

                The experience I had with the vocabulary quizzes turned my view of them to a more positive light.  My initial thought of holding students accountable for the spelling and definitions of numerous vocabulary terms is something all students, including myself, dread in the classroom.  I feel that the manner the terms were selected and defined is a way that students will truly benefit from.

                I feel like I learned a lot during the vocabulary quizzes during the semester.  Having the terms that were to be used for the vocabulary quizzes be made by the class had an extremely positive result in my mind.  This made the learning more personal and motivating because I had a say in what word I want to know.  Another great advantage of selecting the vocabulary terms ourselves was that it promoted confidence in succeeding on the quiz itself.  Every single person in class was guaranteed to get at least one questions correct even if they did not study because it was her word and definition from her blog. 

                Overall, the VSS vocabulary blog and vocabulary quizzes were a great experience that benefited my learning in many ways.  Although the VSS vocabulary blog was time consuming, I do feel like I gained a lot from the process and the content learned over the semester.  The time was needed to truly grasp certain concepts of vocabulary terms and expressing the newly learned words through quizzes was a simple way to demonstrate our understanding. 

12:3 Biopoems

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: Duggan and Knipper's article "Writing to Learn the Curriculum: Tools for Comprehension in Content Area Classes" (2006) mentioned the term 'biopoems' in this weeks reading.  The text explains, "An excellent strategy to achieve a deeper understanding of a historical figure is a biopoem" (p. 467).

What It Means: According to Dugggan and Knipper, (2006) 'biopoems' are a type of writing strategy that focuses on a key person or figure.  The outline of the 'biopoem' requires the individual to answer specific questions on the person to formulate the poem.  These questions help to generate a better understand of the person and content that surrounds their life and accomplishments. 

Level of Familiarity: I remember reading about 'biopoems' in another reading we had for this class earlier this semester.  It was in the textbook Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me, Then Who? by Rachel Billmeyer and Mary Lee Barton.  Durign the reading for that night's chapter, there were multiple new strategies that were new to me but I did not choose to do a vocabulary post on this term at the time.  Since the strategy resurfaced, I feel that I should take the time and reevaluate it's meaning and purpose in the classroom.

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?: I do want to learn the term 'biopoems' more closely.  The strategy looks good on paper and makes sense but I would like to have the opportunity to try it within a classroom lesson.  I can see in models and when I or other teachers perform the assignment of a 'biopoem' the content and understanding is there.  I am curious of how well students grasp on the purpose and overall performance of creating a meaningful 'biopoem' would actually be.

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: Since I am still skeptical on the 'biopoem' I can only suggest that other teachers continue to try out new strategies in their classrooms.  This strategy might be very beneficial for some individual students to truly grasp the concept and understanding surrounding a historical figure while it might fall short for others. 

Duggan, Timothy, J. & Knipper, Kathy J. (2006). "Writing to learn across the curriculum:
               Tools for comprehension in content area classes." The Reading Teacher 59(5):
               462-470.

12:2 Microthemes

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: Duggan and Knipper's article "Writing to Learn the Curriculum: Tools for Comprehension in Content Area Classes" (2006) described the term 'microthemes' as a writing strategy.  The text stated, "One such strategy is the use of microthemes in which students are asked to draw together key ideas in their own words from a reading assignment, demonstration, experiment or lecture" (p. 466).

What It Means: According to Dugggan and Knipper, (2006) 'microthemes' is a writing strategy that students complete after a task such as a reading assignment, demonstration, experiment, or lecture and record key ideas to form a summary.  These summaries can be recorded on note cards for easy review technique and study habits. 

Level of Familiarity: I had never heard of the term 'microthemes' before reading this article and would say that I have zero familiarity with the term. 


Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?: I do want to learn the term 'microtheme' better because I do see the effectiveness it has on students in the classroom.  I really feel that when students participate in 'microthemes' in the classroom, they are having a the opportunity to understand themes and topics further by writing out their thought process and having the chance to develop these ideas individually. The really important factor of 'microthemes' is that the students are putting the themes and summaries in their own words, making it personal to them and forcing them to think independently.

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: More teachers should become aware of the strategy of 'microthemes' because it does seem to be very productive in involving students to produced summaries and themes on their own.  'Microthemes' can also be done on index cards allowing for easy access to collecting and quick grading which all teachers can easily monitor in the classroom.I think once teachers are familiar with the strategy 'microthemes,' students will benefit from the writing as well. 

Duggan, Timothy, J. & Knipper, Kathy J. (2006). "Writing to learn across the curriculum:
               Tools for comprehension in content area classes." The Reading Teacher 59(5):
               462-470.

12:1 Learning Fair

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: ‘Learning Fair' came up in my reading in  Content-Area Writing: Every Teacher's Guide by Daniels, Zemelman, and Steineke.  The context where I found the ‘Literacy Fairs’ states, "A learning fair enables students to study a topic of interest in depth and then share that knowledge with a wider, very public audience" (p. 224).

What It Means: ‘Learning Fairs,' according to Billmeyer and Barton (1998), put a "strong emphasis on field research...require strong visual and oral components" (p. 225).  'Learning Fairs' are very elaborate and require a lot of preparation and emphasis on the display component of the presentation.

Level of Familiarity: I was not familiar with the term 'Learning Fair' before reading this chapter.  I had head of Science Fairs and have participated in one but never a 'Literacy Fair.'  I closely associate my prior knowledge of Science Fairs to help me visualize and understand the components of a 'Leanring Fair' and do see many similarities between the two.

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?:  I do want to learn more about 'Learning Fairs' and feel that I will grasp a better understanding of the term once I execute my own research at our LTED 625 'Learning Fair' in a couple of weeks.  I want to know the term better because I feel that I can have my students participate in 'Learning Fairs' when they have research assignments to present in the future.  I feel that the style of presenting is unique and can be very beneficial for students to address findings in smaller groups instead of whole group, which is more traditional.
 

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: I think more teachers, besides Science teachers, should learn about 'Literacy Fairs' as possible presentation assignments in their classrooms.  Too often is whole group presentations the first option for student presentations and they can be stressful and less interactive than the results of 'Learing Fairs.'  I truly feel that if teachers learned more about 'Literacy Fairs' that the presentation of research for student could be more enjoyable and meaningful.

Daniels, H., Zemelman, S. & Steineke, N. (2007).  Content-area writing.  Portsmouth, 
             NH: Heinemann. p. 121

11:4 Study Goal

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: Susan Davis' article "Applying Content Study Skills in Co-Listed Reading Classrooms" (1990) used the term 'study goal' as major part of study skill.  The text stated, "After the self-assessment, the reading teacher and I ask the students to set study goals" (p. 277).

What It Means: According to Davis, (1990) 'study goals' refers to setting a reasonable purpose for studying. 

Level of Familiarity: I am more familiar with the term 'goal' when it is related to a sports reference.  I can use what I know about 'goals' in sports to relate it to 'study goals' in the classroom.  In both situations, participants strive to obtain their 'goals' and obtaining these 'goals' will put them ahead in a certain aspect.  For sports, the players try to score 'goals' in order to put them ahead of the other team and win the game.  In the classroom, students set 'study goals' of how to improve their study habits or strategies.  Once students obtain their 'study goals,' the result should improve their weakness and result in better grades.

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?: I feel that I have been aware of how to set my own 'study goals' in the classroom and 'goals' for my lessons successfully; what I want to know more about is how teach my students to set 'goals' in the classroom as well. Having students set 'study goals' will give students a purpose to study and learn besides just getting good grades. 

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: Everyone in the classroom should be aware of what 'study goals' are and how to set meaningful ones as well.  Teachers and students alike need to know the purpose of setting 'study goals' in the classroom.  Some teachers need to be aware of the impact setting their own 'goals' have on their students' 'study goals.'  Once teachers are more familiar with their own 'goals,' they can model the process of becoming aware, setting a 'study goal,' and how to obtain it as well.

Davis, Susan J. (1990). "Applying content study skills in co-listed reading classrooms." 
                   Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 33(4): 277-281.

11:3 Conspiracy Days

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: I found the word 'Conspiracy Days' in Farrell, Simmers-Wolpow, & Tonjes' article "Implementing a Secondary Reading/Study Skills Program Across Disciplines" (1991).  The text stated, "Thus, the concept of Conspiracy Days was born: On designed days, all faculty members "conspired" to teach and reinforce one agreed-upon reading/study skill in their area" (p. 277).

What It Means: According to Farrell, Simmers-Wolpow, & Tonjes, (1991) 'conspiracy days' means a chance for faculty to share and exchange instructional strategies for introducing and reinforcing reading and writing skills in their lessons.

Level of Familiarity: I had never heard of the term 'conspiracy days' before reading this article.  I had been aware of gatherings of teachers like team meetings or just simply planning meetings between faculty members in a school but never to the commitment and aspect of what teachers do during 'conspiracy days.'

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?: I do want to know more about the term 'conspiracy days.'  I feel that time for collaboration and planning between teachers is very important to developing meaningful and effective lessons.  The difference between "conspiracy days" and traditional faculty or team meetings of teachers is the focus on reading and writing strategies.  Often times meetings between teachers focus on topics besides common strategies to reinforce such as behavioral issues or new students.  Having a set time to focus just on planning between teachers is very beneficial and should be included more often in teachers' schedules. 

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: I think that administrators on all schools should be aware of 'conspiracy days' and the importance and effectiveness it has on lesson planning in school districts.  If more administrators were aware of the differences between faculty meetings, team meetings, and team planning time such as 'conspiracy days,' they might be more willing to provide available time for teachers to have that collaboration.  If more teachers were more familiar with the term 'conspiracy days,' I feel that they would strive to have that planning time with other professionals.  The more collaboration teachers can have with other educators while planning, the more opportunities they will have to share, reflect, and improve their lessons.

Farrell, Daniel P., Simmers-Wolopow, Ray, & Tonjes, Marian J. (1991). "Applying
                   Implementing a secondary reading/study skills program across disciplines." 
                   Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 34(8): 590-594.

11:2 Study Skills

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: I found the word 'study skills' in Susan Davis' article "Applying Content Study Skills in Co-Listed Reading Classrooms" (1990).  The text stated, "When they are teaching study skills, success depends on whether or not the students transfer the strategies to other classes" (p. 277).

What It Means: According to Davis, (1990) 'study skills' refers to a special form of reading that is done in order to perform an identifiable cognitive task. 

Level of Familiarity: I have been aware of what 'study skills' are seeing as that I have been in school all of my life.  I feel that I have been taught the same few strategies throughout my schooling life such as rereading class notes and creating flashcards.  Although I used these skills to pass tests, they never helped me remember material once the test was completed.  I feel that there are more 'study skills' that could help me retain information more successfully than what I am familiar with.

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?: I feel that I want to know less about what 'study skills' mean and more on different 'study skills' themselves.  I want to know as many different strategies and skills as possible to aid my students in multiple ways to study, review, and learn content materials in class.

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: More teachers should definitely become more familiar with the term 'study skills' along with more examples of different types of 'study skills.'  Having just one go to 'study skill' to teach students is not effective seeing that students all learn in different ways and the one method the teacher may prefer and continue to enforce may not help all students in the class.  Having multiple skills and strategies to teacher to students in the classroom will be very beneficial to the individual success of each student.

Davis, Susan J. (1990). "Applying content study skills in co-listed reading classrooms." 
                   Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 33(4): 277-281.