Choice Words - Palabras de Elección How many times do you remember of a compliment a teacher gave you? How many times do you remember being acknowledge for your effort? You see the saying "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is not true because words do hurt even if we don't show it. The way we speak to our students can and will impact their learning as well as their identity. (Fisher et. al) | Resources |
School's role in in building students’ agency and identity As a school community we need to first realize the power of words and how they can build on, empower students’ and staffs’ identity. We should start as a staff acknowledging each other by saying how thankful for the support we have. This is something that we have done at our school every friday before Professional Development. This helps us become grateful, joyful and thankful for the people around us. Educators need to learn how to encourage students using the correct language and guide them to be successful. If this is not part of a school culture, educators might not realize that the way they are speaking to their students can impact students’ identity and learning. The book Choice Words by Peter Johnston gives an example of how students perceive themselves in different classrooms. Two students in 4th grade. One telling other students that he is not a good reader because he doesn’t read as fast as his classmate. The other student shares that he loves to read mystery and suspense books, while his classmates like reading about animals. Both students talk about reading differently and how language in the classroom has build their identities as readers. Commitment
How might you figure that out? What will you do next? Why? | How aware are you and your colleagues of the impact our choice of words have on developing students’ agency and identity? Can you give examples? I know that the choice of words develop students’ agency and identity because growing up I’ve heard at home how I was compared to my cousins about weight, school work, behavior etc. Words do hurt, and it impacts you more when it is from someone that you care about. According to Fisher et al. in their Book on How to create a Culture of Achievement, agency is When students have a strong understanding on how their actions and accomplishments are linked. In a first grade classroom, I had a student who needed to learn how to work independently. He knew how to read and answer questions, and did not follow through during independent practice. Through scaffolding and words of encouragement he was able to work independently. Student had to create goals and check them everytime he finished. Student would look for words of encouragement and I had to learn to encourage him through the correct word choices. Conscious and Accountable School wide Practice Start with staff and model how to use choice words amongst each other.Have clear examples of how to use it in the classroom. Sometimes it is hard to follow through when there are no real examples of how I can use it in the classroom. In addition, I would have teachers create a cheat sheet to remind themselves so it becomes a habit. During math time, we need to be conscious about using accountable talk similar to the Language Frames for Argumentation in Science mentioned in How to create a Culture of Achievement book.. During our Professional Development, we interacted as if we were students and our math coach would model how it would look like in the classroom. This gives us a different perspective and show us how it would look in the classroom. This is how I would demonstrate to staff how to use choice words in the classroom. |
Reference
Fisher, Douglas, Nancy Frey, and Ian Pumpian. How To Create A Culture Of Achievement In Your School And Classroom. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD, 2012. Print.
Johnston, Peter H. Choice Words:How Our Language Affects Children's Learning. 2004. Audible
Johnston, Peter H. Choice Words:How Our Language Affects Children's Learning. 2004. Audible