Webcast Blog

The webcast "Making Decisions for Individual Learners With Small-Group Setting" focused on giving helpful tools to improve the reading and writing skills of students. Although a lot of the information presented in throughout the webcast has already been covered and discussed in class and our readers, the three keynote speakers honed in different aspects of improving student learning in small-group settings.

The first Ah-Ha that I had came from the first speaker Pat Johnson, in which she stated that it's crucial to teach the students not the texts. This really stuck out to me because it encompasses the fact that not all students will be at the same skill level...this meaning that rather than trying to teach an entire class one book, it would be better to focus on how to teach each individual student in regards to their skill level. By doing this teachers will be able to help all students. I think that this is when the concept of small groups come into play most crucially... if a teacher is able to assess student ability and then divide or sort students into groups according to their skill levels they will be able to use a variety of different instructions meeting the needs of all students in an appropriate manner.

The second Ah-Ha moment that I while watching/listening to the webcast comes from a combination of both the second and third speakers, Diane DeFord and Mary Cappellini. DeFord focused the majority of her discussion on student-driven instructions. This meaning that teachers should get to know all of their students and know their individual strengths and weaknesses so that instructions can meet their needs. The main focus of Cappellini's discussion was ELL students and how important it is to incorporate lessons that allow students to 'mix' with students who are not in the same skill level. Combining the main components of these speakers, I realized how getting to know students both ELL students and English proficient students, teachers have to aware of the social aspects of one's learning. DeFord mentioned the importance of assessing a student both academically and socially. Being aware of students sociability teachers can better enhance their classrooms experiences and essentially improve the students abilities.

At the end of the webcast I realized that although we are learning about all of these strategies and scenarios in class and in our readings, it's going to be much different once I'm actually in the classroom and experiencing these situations first-hand. It's a bit intimidating to think about all of the different parts that go into truly teaching all students in a way that is meaning and lasting to each individual student. While this webcast covered a lot of material we've all already been introduced to, it still made me think further about how I will structure my classrooms in the future.