Portfolio+Jessica+Falkowski

Jessica Falkowski Teaching Reading Final Portfolio 13 December 2011

Where I am as a Learner When I first came into this class, I honestly did not know what I was going to take from it. I have always considered myself a good reader, and I have always had trouble understanding what it was like to be a struggling reader. I could never imagine what it would be like to not like reading, to not want to read. I remember sitting in classes where my peers would never read the book we were supposed to yet they would do better on the test or essay than I would, and I had actually read the books. It used to drive me crazy. Why would they not want to read, even if it was a book they did not choose? It baffled me.

For the most part, I understood what reading meant. It was not just something done for a class. It was just something you do, usually many times every day. This class helped me understand that not all students view reading this way. They see it as something that requires them to memorize facts and take tests all of the time. And I can see where they get that idea from. Many teachers I remember having in high school put a lot of emphasis on tests at the end of each chapter or section. It drove us all crazy, but it never made me not like reading. However, I can see why some students would get discouraged from reading, especially if they don’t do well on the tests.

Reading literature was something I have always liked doing, so for me, why we read it just always seemed obvious. “Why not?” was usually how I would respond, but now I have much better answers to it. Thanks to discussions we have had in class, I now have answers to actually give my students, such as "Most people can relate to the themes,” and “Because they can teach us so much about different cultures and of our own culture.”

If there is one thing I am to take from this class, it is that the most important teaching choice I can make is somehow allow my students to have as many choices as I can give them. If I want them to become engaged with their readings, I have to let them feel like they are in control of the reading itself. As a teacher, I must understand that my students will get discouraged if I make too many decisions for them. At the ages I want to be teaching, these students are going to be trying to discover themselves, and it is hard for them to do that in an environment that is strict and forceful. They need to be in an environment where they feel they are in control. It will support them as readers and as learners.

I never really imagined myself incorporating alternative texts in my classroom. Where I went to school, there was no such thing as alternative texts. We just read the “classics” and went from there. Maybe because I was in the advanced classes, but we just never seemed to need alternative texts to help teach us. However, after taking this class, I can see where they can be useful, especially in a class of reluctant readers. While taking this class, I thought about all the times I would be reading for pleasure and realized that what I was reading reminded me of a book I had to read for school. For me, I cannot see teaching an alternative text, but I can see myself using passages or parts of the other texts to help explain the main texts.

Where I am as a Reader I have always had a slight problem with comprehension when it comes to reading. I am a good reader, but sometimes even the simplest of reading assignments confuse me. I remember when I had to read for my Science Fiction class, I had trouble visualizing what was happening in the story, so I kept getting confused and did not do all that great on that portion of the test.

After doing the Reading Partner Project, I realized that many of the things we did in this class can help me with my comprehension. The main reason, I think, that I have trouble understanding is because I tend to read really fast. I think I might not be registering all of the words, so the story gets messed up in my head. Some of the ways that can help me “slow down” would be the reading protocol (artifact #2) and the daybook (artifact #3). By writing down my thoughts while I read, I can slow down and try to make sense as to what is going on.

Where I am as a Teacher Although I have wanted to be a teacher since I was four, I do not feel completely ready for the task. There is still a lot I want to learn before I step into a classroom to teach for the first time. However, I feel much more prepared to teach about reading than I was before. Like I said, I have always loved reading, and I want to spread that love to my students. For me, the most important thing I want to teach my students is about themselves. I want to be able to teach students how to express themselves, how to let their opinions and views be heard. I want to pass on the joy of the written language, to keep the generations of masterpieces alive. I have been living off this dream for so long, so I am going to see it through until the end. Artifacts: