Cosmos is Coming....Cosmos is Coming!

Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey starting Sunday, March 9th 

What triggers your curiosity to learn more? Over this long and messy February Break as I was checking Facebook posts, I found this quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson:

I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.

Not only did this resonate with me, but it prompted me to google Neil deGrasse Tyson....which, of course, led to additional clicks along the way. I had read in Parade magazine (there I go again, honey, check post of 8/13/13) about his new Fox/National Geographic show and was intrigued then. But, when I saw the trailer, I was hooked! I cannot wait for Sunday, March 9th to see the first episode. Click here to see the trailer: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Goosebumps, anyone? 

As I continued my Google research, I found more links, which triggered more curiosity about science, religion, our fragile ego systems, poetry, physics, and yes, even politics. One link caught my eye. Entitled "The Greatest Sermon Ever," how could I resist? My father was a Lutheran minister in Baltimore, and I had heard my share of inspiring sermons as a child. Yet, this one I had to check out: Sermon on Cosmic Perspective. Sorry, Dad! This one really got to me. 

We often talk about literacy because it will raise achievement scores, but what about science literacy? There's certainly a push to expand the study of math and science. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs are the rage in education now. Yet, it seems like the primary motivation is that it will strengthen our economy, which is fine, but does it miss the mark? Will economics inspire our young people to learn more, remain curious, become better people, feel connected to others, and improve our world? What do you think? 

Here's another Tyson quote:

Ignorance is a virus. Once it starts spreading, it can only be cured by reason. 

For the sake of humanity, we must be that cure. 

Will Slow and Steady Win the Race?

Are you a speed reader? Do you rush through books and articles? Do you pride yourself on how many pages you can read in an hour, or how many books you can read in a month?

You are not alone! As I read Thomas Newkirk's most recent book, The Art of Slow Reading, it became clear to me that we are doing a disservice both to ourselves and our students with our relentless drive to improve the quantity...and not the quality of reading. In an earlier post, I praised the benefits of close reading, but Newkirk takes this idea a giant step forward with his advocacy of slow reading.

In Chapter 1, Newkirk proudly confesses that he is a slow reader. He defines slow reading as: the relationship we have with what we read, with the quality of attention that we bring to our reading, and with the investment we are willing to make. It is based on the belief that good writing is never consumed (page 2). 

Newkirk recommends that we adopt these Six Time-Honored Practices for Engagement. They are:

1.  Performing: Attending to the texts as dramatic.
2.  Memorizing: Learning "by heart."
3.  Centering: Assigning significance to a part of a text.
4.  Problem finding: Interrupting the flow of reading to note a problem or confusion, and adopting strategies to deal with the problem.
5.  Reading like a writer: Attending to the decisions a writer makes.
6.  Elaborating: Developing the capacity to comment and expand upon texts.

These practices are not new...are they? Do you remember memorizing poems and passages from great literary works, and then performing them in front of your junior high class? I certainly do. At the time, we may have dreaded those moments, yet I bet we remember those words and the meaning of those words much more than what we read silently. If you pick up Newkirk's book, I promise you that you will be intrigued with his critique of the rise of silent reading in Chapter 3.

So, even if the Race to the Top motivates us to improve our instructional practices, let's not forget to ask ourselves this question: Can fluency and literacy be a race? Newkirk gently reminds us that "fluency can never be a race. Faster is not always better" (page 18).

I, too, have a confession. I bought this book last Saturday and actually thought that I would fly through it over the weekend and would be ready to write a blog post about it on Monday. Well, I'm only up to page 68...and guess what? I am savoring every minute of it!

Close Reading as a Habit of Mind

One strategy teachers can use to prepare their students for the increased rigor of the Common Core State Standards is close reading. Close reading was mentioned in the last blog post as an effective literacy strategy that helps students to focus, to think critically, and to make sense of the written word.

Close reading, according to Dr. Douglas Fisher, is "careful and purposeful reading. It's a careful and purposeful rereading of a text. It's an encounter with the text where students really focus on what the author had to say, what the author's purpose was, what the words mean, and what the structure of the text tells us."

Watch Doug Fisher explain the rationale of close reading in this short video clip.

In his iteachircoachiblog post, Court Allam explains five close reading strategies in more detail. He also provides a sample of student work. Have you tried these strategies? Do they work? Do they enable students to "own" their learning?

1.  Number the paragraphs.
2.  Chunk the text.
3.  Underline and circle...with a purpose.
4.  Left margin: What is the author saying?
5.  Right margin: Dig deeper into the text.

Another excellent resource is Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's book, Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading. You can watch them on this YouTube clip, if that's easier.

For me, the most compelling reason to integrate close reading strategies is the realization that we live in such a disjointed, frenetic, fast-paced, and sometimes mindless world. Perhaps we all need to slow down, ponder, reflect, and truly understand what we and others are thinking and feeling. Maybe close reading can become a habit of mind for all of us.

Can Storytelling Engage Students...and their Communities?

This past year a group of principals in southern Maine read and discussed Suzie Boss's book, Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World. This effort was organized by the Maine Principals' Association and the Great Schools Partnership.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this article by Suzie Boss about the power of storytelling on the Edutopia website. Her "Why Teachers Need to Be Great Storytellers" article grabbed my attention when she wrote about "what makes learning 'electric'" for students...and "how you and your students can harness storytelling to frame productive conversations about teaching and learning in your community."

I have not checked out the Sam Chaltain book, Faces of Learning: 50 Powerful Stories of Defining Momemts in Education that she recommends, but I plan to do that soon. I wonder what would happen if communities hosted "story slams" as a way for "parents, teachers, and other community members to share memories from their own personal learning journeys."

What I loved about the Boss article was a quote from a New Tech graduate. She said, "Your students graduate not just prepared, but inspired to chase their own whys." Wow!

BTW, if you haven't looked at the Edutopia website, it is chock full of inspiring articles about project-based learning (Maine is highlighted), technology integration, social and emotional learning, assessment, and integrated studies.