Professional+Development+Group+Reflection

PDG Reflection April 6, 2011 Diller, D. //Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work//

The first thing that I really liked about this book is that Diller sets you up to be fail proof. For each subject she goes into, she first explains how they are important to children, why children need to do it and examples of ways you could give the children opportunities to complete it. She then offers you a clear outline and several ways to set up the workstations. She gives you so many different options to make that particular center effective and fail proof. She stresses the importance of setting up these centers with routines so that students understand exactly what they need to do when they get to the center.

The first chapter that I really enjoyed was the one on the classroom library. It can be a very daunting task to create a successful library to foster enjoyment in reading. She actually gives you a list of all the suggested items you should put into the classroom library. Some of these things I did not expect to put into the classroom library, for example a lamp, a silk plant, a tape recorder for playing soft music and stuffed animals for children to read to. Not only does she give you a checklist for developing a great classroom library, she sketches out how to introduce the library to your class and how to show the students how to use the library. She emphasized the importance of modeling for your students. She also gives the advice not to out all your books at once. It may be overwhelming to students to have to choose from so many books at one time.

Diller takes the whole second chapter to cover the importance of establishing routines in your workstations. She talks about how it is very important in the first weeks to go over what is expected in each workstation. She also explains the importance of role-playing or the modeling the behavior that is expected of the children. If you want them to do something each time they go to a station it is important that they are aware of your expectations. Taking the time in the beginning of the year to cement routines can save a lot of trouble later in the semester. Diller also explores options for organization. In order for workstations to run smoothly it is also very important to keep them fully stocked and clearly organized. This can help avoid any headaches down the road that could have been avoided.

In the writing workshop I really liked how Diller expressed writing in general. She did not say that children had to write specific things, she just stressed that at this stage children needed to write no matter what it is. She pointed out that some children are in a stage where they just copy words they see around the room and others might write a short story. She also wrote that it would be great to have mailboxes for each child and the students can write letters to each other. Her main goal was more that the children write something or anything, than be stressed about writing something specific.

The last really great thing about this book is the appendix. They have a large amount of signs that you can post around your room. Those signs come in English and Spanish, so you can post them side-by-side and students can associate them with each other. There are also several check sheets and worksheets for each station that Diller had mentioned in the corresponding chapter. She provides you with all the tools and resources to complete setting up workstations properly. This book provides its readers with fail proof ways of creating successful workstations in your classroom.