INDEPENDENCE
independence: free from outside control; not depending on another's authority.
Independence within the literacy work station is something that Addison has struggled with in the past. She is able to follow simple directions and picture cue that describe her task have been helpful in guiding her. However, she still struggles with actually doing the work or activity that is in the work station. For example, in photos 1a, 2a and 3a Addison chose an activity card that indicated she was supposed to sort magnetic letters into two letter words. She was able to sort the letters into two and three letters, however, he was only able to make one actual word and that word was not a two letter word. The word wall is located directly above her and the task card shows a picture of an example. She was unable to copy the words into her stations journal at the end of the task however she worked very diligently on her task and showed independence in finding her task card and working toward her goal for the activity.
We just finished our "at" word family and photo 4a provides an example of one task that Addison worked on within the word work station. Addison's task was to create rhyming words using an app called the Doodle Buddy. Addison was instructed to look at the two words already on the screen and create more words that rhyme. Addison's partner was absent on this particular day so this gave me a good idea as to whether Addison could work independently within her work station or if her partner was keeping her on task. Photo D shows that she was able to work independently and produce the words "rat" and "bat". This was an improvement over the previous task when she had a basket full of letter tiles which I believe became a distraction for her in performing her task. Developing activities that are directly linked to skills has helped her stay on task and work independently. Researchers from other kindergarten classes have found similar results when looking at young children working directly with skill based apps; "the apps that we are using for literacy are directly connected to those skills," said Sue Dorris, administrator at East Auburn Community School in the Auburn School District. It is also important for Addison to be responsible for her own learning. "The classroom organized for independence helps students become self-managed learners who can take over the process for themselves" (Fountas, Pinnell, 1996, p. 44). When planning the activities or looking for applications to install onto our iPads I kept those ideas in the forefront of my thinking. Addison needed activities that were directly linked to skills we were practicing while also providing her freedom to work independently. Addison's performance greatly improved in that she successfully fulfilled her task of making the rhyming words and although she failed to transfer her words onto her stations journal, she gained the confidence in completing the task assigned to her.
Addison's work with the ABC Magnets app. using the same task card set forth from the first example resulted in her making two letter words manipulating the letters. She was able to find the letters and organize them into two letter words. Photo 5aa illustrated her work for this task. This was another significant improvement from just using the magnet letter tiles in the first example. Motivated by their ability to create and show, students of all ages can acquire, apply, and integrate information and skills, set standards for their own work, communicate in a variety of formats, and collaborate and coach on another. (Riddle, 2009, p. 124). I believe this is the foundation for Addison's success with these two apps. She feels motivated to create something other than just manipulating letter tiles and she can interact with the iPad in a variety of different formats using multiple apps.
My final sample for Addison was taken at our computer work station, which is incorporated into our word work station. Both children have their own computer to work on and the website they were working with was called www.starfall.com. This website provides students with differentiated instruction in reading from letter naming/sound recognition to reading stories and poetry. Addison knows that she is to work in the tab titled "Learn to Read". There is a list posted next to the computer for each group that instructs them on which page to play. The computers are also located directly behind my chair for small group reading time and this helps me to monitor the children when they are working on their activities. Within this page Addison has many choices from exploring stories or word family games. These activities directly link to our lesson on rhyming words. Photos 6a, 7a and 8a illustrate her work during this time. She was able to navigate through the page and open a link to a book titled Zac the Rat. I observed that she would point to the screen and read the words while appropriately tracking print. Photo 7a shows this. If she was unsure of a word, she would click on that word and the computer would read it for her. Photos 6a and 8a are examples of words that Addison was unsure of and clicked. This was helpful in keeping her from becoming frustrated during the story and it also provided her with the ability to sound out the word with the computer as she read each sentence. Addison worked independently on this website and I believe because the page is both interactive and engaging, it kept her attention.
When I took the time to sit down with Addison and ask her about her work on each task, she was very excited to tell me about the iPad. She initially wanted to discuss other apps that she enjoys playing with during "free choice" time, however when I asked her about the specific apps she interacted with she was able to recall her task and feelings about the apps. She stated, "I like the magnets on the refrigerator Mrs. Milius. They say the letter name when you touch them and I like that." I feel this was beneficial for Addison because sound/letter recognition can still be a struggle and when the letter is named, she can easily associate that with our sound cards that are located right on the wall where she sits. She also stated that she, "liked the sparkly letters on the Doodle Buddy and I think it's neat that when I touch the screen it follows my finger." I think this keeps Addison engaged in the activity and because I had already modeled two other words on the screen she easily made an association between those rhyming words and what she was supposed to accomplish. She couldn't tell me why she didn't fill out her stations journal. She stated that she wasn't sure what to write. Overall, Addison's independence significantly improves when she has not only hand-on activities, but interactive activities that can help keep her on task. The apps she worked with as well as starfall.com greatly enhanced her ability to focus on the skills set for her to practice. This helps me because now I can see that other students perhaps have similar issues within the word work station. I will continue to find apps that are directly linked to the skills we are working while supporting independence within my students.