I was so excited for this day because we were able to learn about someone so close to home. We focused on Jim Thorpe today who is a Native American Oklahoma hero. It was funny to see how close a like Reggie looked to Jim Thorpe. They had a lot of similar features so it engaged the student even more. I think the student is really beginning to enjoy the sessions and I think it is in large part due to the types of materials we are reading. He is loving learning little things because he loves being able to drop facts to friends about random things.
I enjoy watching him create his story as well. He really does have a creative mind and getting to see him lay things out is great. He has really put thought into the storyline and has went in a variety of directions with it but has officially selected the way he'd like it to go and has already begun inputting it into the computer. He likes writing on his blog too so technology is vital but I don't think he expresses himself as freely online. He said he actually tried blogging before on his own but it just ended up being a bunch of song lyrics. I tried to encourage him that, that's great and he should pick it back up. He is a popular young boy and I think it would be great if he could pick it back up and get some friends to pick one up to so that they stay interactive with one another.
Reggie was able to explore a site that offered a biography, stats, pictures, etc. of Jim Thorpe. He seemed to enjoy that because he mentioned he would rather read things online rather than in a real book. Weird? I always enjoyed real books better. I do have a NOOK and love it but the computer screen bothers me when I try to read unless it's short and sweet. Reggie was able to continue with the sticky note activity, which he loves and is practically a pro at now. :) I am for sure going to mention this to the parent's so that they may be able to implement it during the school year.
I learned today how old I am getting with the whole book vs. computer reading. Reggie spends a lot of time online and I can see why he has more of a preference of it, but it still catches me off guard because it's not something that would be appealing to me. He mentioned it was because websites usually have more pictures and things to do than a book does, which is usually true so I can see this. I just realize how much work it will take in order to keep up with everything that will come out due to our technology advancements.
It is getting towards the end but I would like to look into finding more online readings for him since this is a preference I am now aware of. I didn't think to ask him about this preference because I automatically assume he would like real books better. Little did I know :)
Wow! NOt only is he enjoying the types of materials but he is not "ashamed" to drop facts to friends about random things. That is a sign of comfort as well as joy. That is a big step in the tutoring world when a student shares what he is learning in "school" to the real world.
ReplyDeleteIn your class, the Internet should be a great source. Also book sets of different genres, topics, reading levels, etc should augment your content. Textbooks only have one grade level, one learning style, and one point of view. When you can integrate other resources into the classes, then the content is broader and more interesting.
Teenagers (as you know) are hard to predict. That is why we have to find their interests, preferences, learning styles, skills at least a couple of times a year. They change and will continue to change until around when they are juniors. Then they settle into a pattern for learning.