Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones

I had seen Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For by Thomas Newkirk mentioned various times and was always curious to see what it would be like. When received the email flier from Heinemann with Nancie Atwell raving about the book, that sealed the deal, and I ordered it right away.

Early on Newkirk emphasizes that the book compiles his personal list of what is worth fighting for in hopes that others will ponder what their own most vital pieces are. I have essentially been reflecting on just that as I develop my curriculum for next year (I will be posting throughout the summer with more details). In a time when teachers are bombarded with numerous standards, it is important to take a step back and prioritize. Our school began an official process to look at the language arts standards this summer. This book gave me more to consider as I continue this thought process.

A common theme throughout the book is to "challenge a growing trend in education that requires teachers to work in preestablished (invariably 'research based') systems that sharply limit their capacity to make decisions about curriculum and students" (p. 10). I especially chucked at a section titled "Why Can't We Be More Like Doctors?" because at a previous placement I shared my frustration that I was going through a program to receive my reading endorsement in order to become highly qualified, yet I did not feel my school valued the knowledge/ideas I was gaining from the experience (33). As I voiced this thought my supervising administrator told me to put myself in the shoes of a parent having to decide which doctor to trust my child with if she needed a major operation - a young doctor that people have said is great or a seasoned doctor. The point being that I needed to stick with the "research" backing the benefits of scripted direct instruction for literacy. My experiences of feeling trapped in my short stint of scripted programs built my interest more for the book - knowing just how important it is to hold on to the "good ideas" despite pressure to go with pre-fabricated programs. I appreciated how Newkirk argued that research and theory should play a dialogic role (p. 38). He mentioned that "studies of the way doctors and other professionals actually make decisions show that they rarely proceed in the straightforward, deliberate rational way that we might expect" (p. 34). Pulling from a body of professional development resources teachers should then be able to use their expertise and get to know their students in order to make the best decisions for the context. I am thankful every day that I am now in a position where I am able to do this.

SIX PRINCIPLES

Balance the Basics
The importance of balancing reading and writing instruction was a good reminder. It sounds like after this year I may have a shorter literacy block. It will be ideal to make sure that both reading and writing receive the attention they deserve for a well balanced literacy program, as well as dedicating time to social studies (my other content area) despite the emphasis on reading, magnified by NCLB as I develop and refine my curriculum.

Expressive Writing
Newkirk says, "[...] the balance needs to be shifted--more writing on the part of the student, and less (or more selective) response from the teacher to each piece of writing [...] We may overvalue feedback and undervalue practice--and in doing so have created a purgatory for diligent writing teachers. Volume, to be sure, does not equate with quality, but young writers can't get to quality without volume" (p. 82). This is a good thought to keep in mind when having multiple classes of language arts can lead to a lot of writing if we assess every piece necessary to foster a life-long love of writing. One of the areas that I am considering this summer is exactly which of the components of our writing workshop I will officially assess and which pieces will be peer or self assessed.

Popular Culture as a Literacy Tool
In this section the author explains why it is vital to not disregard the potential popular culture has to build literacy skills.

Literacy and Pleasure
The most important issue from this section for me was his discussions about the correlation between declining reading for pleasure and textbooks. He then outlines four dimensions where textbooks fail. I had been considering whether or not it would be beneficial to request the option of having a social studies textbook, but after reading this chapter, I wholeheartedly agree that it is not the best route for my students. Of course they need to have experiences and strategies to comprehend non-fiction texts, but a textbook route does not seem the best way to achieve this.

Uncluttering the Curriculum
I touched on this section at the beginning of this post. When I read the following line, I couldn't help but chuckle, "The school curriculum becomes a wonder of physics, where material can continually be added, with nothing removed" (p. 132). As I develop my curriculum and prioritize I often go back to the idea of what is really the most essential in order to avoid what Newkirk mentions as "multiple, unconnected programs increasingly chop up the day into smaller and smaller units, often giving the entire school a frantic sense of pace and reducing the sustained time for writing in particular" (p. 139). I try to reflect on ways to integrate best practices that blend together seamlessly to provide a balanced block. Once I have my plan for the year, I will have to step back and analyze it one more time, as well as reevaluate throughout the year that what he describes is not happening in my room.

Finding a Language for Difficulty
This was one of my favorite sections of the book, cautioning teachers against becoming disheartened if they do not feel they live up to the fantasy of being a perfect teacher. He explained "we 'lose' the creature by our focus on the future, on expectations, benchmarks, standards, on 'where they should be.' Where we want them to be" (p. 169). It is easy to want every piece to come together and fall into place immediately as it is hard to know that our implementations are not perfect yet (since there is always something to improve), but he reminds teachers of the importance of enjoying the present and our students. He further mentioned, "Teachers have responsibilities that parents don't have; they are responsible for long-term goals. But I would argue, paradoxically, that as teachers we might be more successful if we can bracket the moment and really pay attention to what is happening before our eyes" (p. 170). Once again the essential theme of balance emerges.

I appreciate the reflections that this book provoked and I look forward to continuing dialogue on the book on the Heinemann teacher forum.