Summer Reading

I had at least three books for summer reading every year that I was in high school, plus one before my first year of college.  After that, my summers were spent blissfully avoiding academic reading!  So when my future employers sent me a package with two books to read prior to training, I must admit I was a little bit grumpy.  However, they were both interesting and relatively quick reads that made me really excited about the school community that I am joining :)

The first book I read was In Search of Understanding:  The Case for Constructivist Classrooms.  I know that a book's going to be good when as soon as I start reading it, I'm itching for a pencil so I can underline and notate my copy.  Constructivism is all about providing opportunities and experiences for children to take their prior knowledge, and take responsibility for creating new understandings for themselves.  It goes hand-in-hand with an inquiry-based approach, which is how I was trained to teach math and science in my college methods courses.  In the public school where I did my student teaching, we employed inquiry whenever possible, and I am looking forward to moving into a school wherein I'll have greater flexibility to employ "non-traditional" approaches to early education.

Once I finished that, I moved on to Making the PYP Happen, which is a manual on the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate.  The PYP too emphasises constructivism and inquiry.  Their ultimate goal is raising internationally-minded students who can critically assess and take action to bring about change.  Education is through several transdisciplinary units throughout the year, making knowledge transfer accessible and allowing for deep learning rather than cursory memorization.  While the text itself was rather dry and somewhat repetitive (it is a manual, after all!) these lofty goals were inspirational to me.  I can't wait to see how my third graders grapple with their learning tasks throughout the year and continue their growth into thoughtful and critical adults.

So, although I whined a bit about summer reading, I suppose the hours spent on these two short texts were worth the renewed enthusiasm I have for my new adventure.

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Currently reading:  between books, but looking forward to the arrival of There Are No Shortcuts, recommended by my dear friend JH!
Current high:  in just under an hour, several friends will arrive for my going-away party -- Christmas in July :)
Current low:  trying (in vain?) to finish a knitting project before I leave on Thursday!