The 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence

1 The 10 Steps toTeaching and LearningIndependenceWhen we follow these routines day after day, our students can use theirenergy to grow as readers and learners rather than to figure out what weexpect them to do. And we, in turn, can focus our energy on Teaching , not managing, our independent readers. Kathy Collins3 The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades (Second Edition) by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. (c) 2014 Stenhouse Publishers. No reproduction without written permission from core beliefs create a strong base for student achievement. The10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence are another cru-cial element of our core beliefs and the success of implementingDaily in our careers when we taught a behavior to our class, whetherhow to walk down the hall correctly or how to do read to Someoneindependently, we assumed that once shown how to do something, chil-dren would do it successfully ever after.

2 If we provided practice time, weoften made the first few practices too long or did not repeat the practicesessions often enough to ensure success for all. Thanks to MichaelGrinder s influence, we were able to realize why many of our studentswere not able to successfully demonstrate the behaviors we explains that the brain receives input through three differentmemory systems: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (1995). When infor-mation is stored in more than one of these systems, the memory isimproved. Memory stored in the kinesthetic system evokes the longest-lasting memory. To activate this system, teachers can provide kinestheticlearning experiences so children hear and feel the behaviors expected ofthem. Over time, this movement is stored in muscle memory andbecomes part of students default on Grinder s research and our backgrounds and training in spe-cial education, we were able to, in essence, task-analyze the independentbehaviors we were asking of students.

3 This task analysis allowed us to for-mulate ten Steps to improve muscle memory, build Independence , andincrease stamina. These 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independenceare a unique and essential element that sets Daily 5 apart from the tradi-tional workshop model as well as from other management systems: step 1. Identify What Is to Be TaughtStep 2. Set a Purpose and Create a Sense of UrgencyStep 3. Record Desired Behaviors on an I-ChartStep 4. Model Most-Desirable BehaviorsStep 5. Model Least-Desirable Behaviors, Then Most-Desirable step 6. Place Students Around the RoomStep 7. Practice and Build StaminaStep 8. Stay Out of the WayStep 9. Use a Quiet Signal to Bring Students Back to the Gathering SpaceStep 10. Conduct a Group Check-In; Ask, How Did It Go? 36 The Daily 5 The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades (Second Edition) by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.

4 (c) 2014 Stenhouse Publishers. No reproduction without written permission from 1. Identify What Is to Be TaughtIt may seem simple, but articulating exactly what is going to be taught isan important step to creating independent learners. Children and adultsalike are better able to attend and focus when they know exactly what it isthey will identifying for the class what is to be taught as we launch eachof the Daily 5 choices, we follow a simple pattern. This involves creatingan I-chart (just like a T-chart, except that we make the T into an I, whichstands for Independence ). This I-chart can be created on a piece of paperon the chart rack or easel or on an interactive whiteboard. Any mediumwill do so long as the chart is not erased; this chart will become an anchorto our Learning and we will refer to it, add to it, and revise it all year the top of the I-chart we simply identify what is to be taught bywriting the Daily 5 choice we are introducing (example: read to Self).

5 Weadd more text to the I-chart as described in the next two 2. Set a Purpose and Create a Sense of UrgencyMost of us have a deep need to know why we have to do audibly or not, we often find ourselves asking, What s in it forme? For that reason we always clearly articulate and post why we dothings in the classroom. Setting a purpose and creating a sense of urgencyestablishes a culture in which every moment of Learning and create the sense of urgency with the I-chart, we follow the same pat-tern for the introduction of each of the Daily 5. At the top of the chart, oneither side of the title, we record that the reasons we do read to Self arethat it is the best way to become a better reader and it is ll never forget the time two administrators who were visiting ourclassroom experienced firsthand the sense of urgency our students feltworking on the Daily 5.

6 We were sitting on the floor with a small group ofchildren. The rest of the class was scattered about the room independentlyworking on their Daily 5 choices. The room had the lovely hum that is pro-duced when children are comfortable, happy, and actively engaged in whatthey are doing. The two male administrators deep voices resonated abovethe hum as they discussed their observations. Jenna, a fairly quiet childwho uses her words sparingly, walked up to the men, tugged the pant leg37 Chapter 3 The 10 Steps The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades (Second Edition) by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. (c) 2014 Stenhouse Publishers. No reproduction without written permission from one, and said in no uncertain terms, Mister, can you take it outside?You are too noisy. I am working on read to Self. I really need to practiceto be a better reader.

7 He glanced at her with a bemused expression on his face, held hishands up in front of him as if to say I give! and backed quietly out ofthe room. Jenna walked back to the corner of the couch she had previouslyoccupied and continued felt the sense of urgency we want to instill in every child thefeeling that reading is so important, they can t and won t let anything getin the 3. Record Desired Behaviors on an I-ChartRecording on an I-chart behaviors that are most crucial to student successis the next of the 10 Steps to we wrote the first edition of The Daily 5, we suggested brain-storming with the class the most desirable behaviors when launching each ofthe Daily 5. We hope you will recognize that because of our ongoing learn-ing, this is one of the many changes we have made to our Daily 5 found that when students brainstormed the most desirable behav-iors for the I-chart, the length of the lesson became longer than recom-mended by the brain-compatible Learning guidelines we had adopted (see Brain Research, page 28).

8 In particular, when young students brain-stormed ideas, their list often contained a menagerie of extra suggestionsfor the I-chart, and the required conversations about each brainstormedidea simply took too much time. Rather than have students brainstorm what it feels like, sounds like,and looks like to be independent as we used to do, we now merely recordthe desirable behaviors on the I-chart in front of the students and brieflyexplain each one. When introducing read to Self, these are the five desir-able behaviors we explain: read the whole time Stay in one spot Get started right away Work quietly Build stamina38 The Daily 5 The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades (Second Edition) by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. (c) 2014 Stenhouse Publishers. No reproduction without written permission from d like to draw your attention to the way in which these desiredbehaviors are written.

9 Notice they are recorded in terms of the behavior wewant to elicit from students. All too often it is easy to slip into the patternof telling children what not to do: Don t walk around; don t talk to Grinder found in his work with at-risk students that many chil-dren act upon what they hear at the end of a sentence or statement: walkaround, talk to others. By subtly shifting our words to state the exactdesired behaviors, children learn exactly what the behaviors look like, thussetting them up for success. For young children with little stamina, we don t add all of the desiredbehaviors to the chart the first day. Instead, we name the first two desir-able behaviors and write them directly on the I-chart. For example, on thefirst day of launching read to Self, we write read the whole time and Stay in one spot on the I-chart (see Figure ). We add the other behav-iors with each new practice 3 The 10 Steps Figure toyoungerstudents, we listand explain onlythe first twobehaviors on thefirst Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades (Second Edition) by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.

10 (c) 2014 Stenhouse Publishers. No reproduction without written permission from students, or students with previous experience in the Daily 5,may be able to draw from past experience and generate all desired behav-iors or have enough sitting stamina for us to add all the desired behaviorsto the I-chart on the first day. As with everything related to the Daily 5, welet the students who are present in front of us guide our Teaching , basedupon their experience, stamina, needs, and 4. Model Most-Desirable BehaviorsModeling takes the two-dimensional recorded behaviors from the I-chartand presents them three-dimensionally, allowing the behaviors to comealive for many of our Michael Grinder points out that the visual input of seeing cor-rect behaviors modeled for the whole class and the kinesthetic input forthose doing the modeling is the beginning of the process of creating chil-dren s muscle is a concept every teacher is familiar with, but often it may notreceive the priority or time it deserves.