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The Freedom to Choose in Mixed-Ability Classrooms VATE Annual Conference Roanoke, VA

The Freedom to Choose in Mixed-Ability Classrooms VATE Annual Conference Roanoke, VA October 24, 2008 Katie Dredger, Doctoral Student Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. Who am I?. English Teacher 9th , 10th, 11th, 12th General – AP English, SAT Verbal Preparation

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The Freedom to Choose in Mixed-Ability Classrooms VATE Annual Conference Roanoke, VA

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  1. The Freedom to Choose in Mixed-Ability Classrooms VATE Annual Conference Roanoke, VA October 24, 2008 Katie Dredger, Doctoral Student Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom@pbwiki.com

  2. Who am I? English Teacher 9th , 10th, 11th, 12th General – AP English, SAT Verbal Preparation Class Sponsor, Project Graduation, Prom Coordinator Tuesday Tutoring for At Risk Youth 9th , 10th, 12th English, Cheerleading, Tennis Coach, SGA Sponsor Middle School Teacher, Student Learning Specialist Data Mentor Facilitator of At-Risk Reading Programs Staff Developer 7th, 8th Reading / Language Arts, Drama Production Sponsor English Department Chair / AP-SAT Teacher Consultant AP English Literature and Composition teacher Standard 10 HSA English teacher AP English Language and Composition teacher 2003-2004 Remediation Coordinator Yearbook Sponsor 2004 Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  3. Who am I? I am a teacher. I am a student. I am an optimist. I am a writer. I am a passionate advocate for children. I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, a mother. I am a Virginian on my mother’s side. "TO BE A VIRGINIAN, by Birth, Marriage, Adoption, or even on one's mother's side, is an Introduction to any State in the Union, a Passport to any Foreign Country, and a Benediction from the Almighty God.“ – Thomas Jefferson Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  4. "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . ." Why I Choose to Welcome • Caleb • Nancy • Selena • Kiki • Nina • Latisha Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  5. When teachers drop entrance criteria to advanced classes . . . Progression • Discuss with department, supervisor, administrator • Winter registration, spring: invite students • Summer: Reflect on summer reading • Fall: Reflect on assessment of summer reading • Fall, Winter, Spring, 24/7: Teach who you get • Fall, Winter, Spring, 24/7:Collaborate • Fall, Winter, Spring, 24/7: Reflect Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  6. What you believe about inclusion will be transparent in your summer reading assignment. Summer Reading • Motivate kids to read by offering a carrot instead of a stick. • Assess summer reading fairly. • Give them choices. • If they already know it all, why do they need to take your class? Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  7. . . . teachers can retain rigorous instruction for all . . . The 3 R’s Relationships Relevance Rigor Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  8. . . . by guiding student choices of content, product, process, and affect. Differentiation (Teachers need differentiation too!) • Content • Product • Process • Affect You can not do this without knowing your students’ abilities, motivations, goals, thinking styles, and previous learning experiences. Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  9. Not only are formerly marginalized students welcome . . . Tried-and-True Journals timeline of your reading life (xtimeline.com) personal time allocation (Excel) comfort with technology books really read / liked perception of self as a reader / writer a day in your life comfort with literary analysis being a a stranger in a strange land Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  10. . . . they find success in the autonomy that is inherent in a classroom that values their decisions. Shakespeare Projects Before I taught in a welcoming classroom, we marched through: Beowulf The Canterbury Tales Hard Times Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth Pride & Prejudice Tess of the D’Urbervilles Invisible Man (I can explain.) Blake, Browning, Keats, Donne . . . . etc., etc. etc., etc. . . . NOW, I let them choose. Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  11. “I will not choose what many men desire, because I will not jump with common spirits ...” William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare CHOICES Mondays –the sage on the stage Tuesdays – Othello dramatic interpretations, seminars, film, art, dance Wednesdays – Hamlet film, internet sites, paraphrasing games, mock Dr. Phil character analysis, dramatic monologue Thursdays – King Lear digital stories, musical interpretation, graphic novel, soliloquy, international film Fridays – Time to write Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  12. “Literature provides the reader with a ... door to walk through forever changed….” There isn’t one text “that does this for every member of every class at the same time.” –Fisher & Ivey Start small, but please, consider letting go of some of your favorites. Teaching English is a constant tension between the content/skills of the discipline and the student. I choose to err on the side of the student. Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  13. References Allington, Richard L. “Effective Teachers, Effective Instruction.” Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice. Eds. Kylene Beers, Linda Reif, and Robert Probst. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007. Alvermann, Donna E. and D. Moore. “Secondary School Reading.” Handbook of Reading Research. Eds. R. Barr, et al. Vol. 2. New York: Longman, 1991. 951-83. Dredger, Katie. “Incorporating Student Choice: Effective Practice and the Courage to Change.” English Journal 98.1 (2008):29-41. Guthrie, John T. and A. Wigfield. “Engagement and Motivation in Reading.” Handbook of Reading Research Eds. M.L.Kamil, et al. Vol. III. Mahawah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000. 403-22. Fisher, Douglas, and Gay Ivey. “Farewell to A Farewell to Arms: Deemphasizing the Whole Class Novel.” Phi Delta Kappan88.7 (2007): 494-97. Kajder, Sara. “Teaching Struggling Readers: Helping Adolescents when the Text Is Rough.” Session delivered with Kylene Beers and Robert Probst. NCTE Annual Convention. New Your. Nov. 2007. Kohn, Alfie. “Choices for Children: Why and How to Let Students Decide. (Cover Story). Phi Delta Kappan 75.1 (1993): 8. Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of a Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. New York: Crown, 2005. Marvel, J., Lyter, D.M., Strizek, G.A., and B.A. Morton. “Teacher Attrition and Mobility: 2004-2005 Teacher Follow-up Survey.” American Institutes for Research. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007. Pirie, Bruce. Reshaping High School English. Urbana: NCTE, 1997. Tomlinson, Carol. “Deciding to Teach Them All.” Educational Leadership 61.2 (2003): 6-11. Wheelock, A. Crossing the Tracks: How “Untracking” Can Save America’s Schools. New York: New Press, 1992. Yonezawa, Susan, and Makeba Jones. “Students Perspectives on Tracking and Detracking.” Theory Into Practice 45.1 (2006): 8. Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

  14. Contact information: kdredger@vt.edu www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com Katie Dredger ~ www.thewelcomingclassroom.pbwiki.com

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