Shanna Pittman November Blog

Mrs. Pittman’s November Blog: Teach with a Sense of Urgency

                “Teach with a Sense of Urgency” by Routman is one of my favorite chapters/articles from our class.  This article was particularly interesting to me because one of my professional goals this school year is to waste less time during the instructional day and make every minute in the classroom count.  In this chapter the author tells us “teaching with a sense of urgency is not the same as teaching prompted by anxiety. It is making every moment in the classroom count, ensuring that our instruction is engaging and using daily evaluation and reflection to make wise teaching decisions”.   This statement is the essence of what I hope to accomplish this year.  His first year with us, Thomas asked me what I wanted or needed.  I responded by stating that I need more time in the day.  That is one thing he could not give me but teaching with a sense of urgency helps us squeeze every teachable minute out of our day.

                First, Routman tells us we need to “do more teaching”.  Specifically, we must plan for intentional teaching combined with regular evaluations to determine our next steps. Next, Routman describes using an Optimal Learning Model.  This model moves students from total dependence on teacher to independence, handing over responsibility to the child. This is achieved through Demonstration first. The teacher “shows exactly ‘how to do it’ by initiating, modeling, explaining, and thinking aloud.  Next, the teacher leads and encourages the students to participate/collaborate and discuss.  This practice is called Shared Demonstration.  Third, the teacher uses Guided Practice.  This is a time when students practice thinking and acting like a reader or whatever the teacher is teaching at the moment.  They use and apply what has been demonstrated with the teacher’s direct support.  Finally, Independent Practice gives students the opportunity to show what they know by demonstrating the task with minimal or no assistance.  Using this model, students take responsibility for their own learning, giving them pride and a sense of success that increases their desire to learn more.