GOLDEN LINES

"If students are to truly become lifelong learners, then they need to understand what successful learners do."

"Secondary students need to assess their own experience as reader, writers, and learners and to set the direction for the year's work in these areas."

"As I started to internalize the LR, I realized my place in the classroom had to change if I wanted more time to conference with individual students and to observe."

OVERVIEW

This book is a helpful resource for secondary teachers of language and literacy. It gives a common language to communicate with students, parents, and colleagues. The Learning Record is divided into three distinct yet collaborative parts: Documenting Prior Experience (Part A), Documenting Student Learning (Part B), and Reflecting on the Year's Work (Part C). The last chapters of the book focus on what a Learning Record classroom looks like: management, organization, and how the Learning Record provides a basis for professional development.

Part A focuses on learning what students think about reading and writing and what their previous experiences have been. The first type of data collected is through a parent conference. This tool allows parents to give information about what they know about how their son or daughter learns best. This gives the teacher some prior knowledge they may not otherwise be able to access. The next type of data is collected through student conferences. The students have an opportunity to talk about themselves and discuss their strengths, needs, goals, and interests.

Part B the teacher, and the student as well, collects data in the areas of listening, reading, and writing and keeps track of three things with respect to these areas: what has been learned, what might next be learned, and what learning contexts seem favorable. The teacher is provided with set forms with which to collect data in listening, reading, and writing through observation. The book gives examples of several students and the data collected on them.

Part C is a reflection piece. This tool encourages participation again from the parents and students. The student, teacher, and parent review the growth and development that has been documented. Areas for improvement are also discussed. A recommendation is made as to next year's teachers as to what resources the students found helpful.

The Learning Record is a portfolio-based system and therefore requires organization and management. The last sections of the book provided feedback and frequently asked questions about the learning record: Where do I find the time? What do students do while I observe? How can I be supported in using LR?

As a novice high school English teacher I found the book to be a good tool that I would eventually want to review at even greater depth in order to effectively implement it in my classroom. The section with the feedback provided some answers to questions, but still left me feeling that I need some time to incorporate the LR into my curriculum. It is a large task to organize and seems very daunting to me at this point in my career.

ESSENTIAL BELIEFS:

. "The LR approach to involving parents and students in assessment grows out of the emphasis that the current learning theory places on the need for students to make connections between their own prior experience and the concepts and skills that schooling offers" (25-26).

In order to promote growth and development in literacy we need an assessment tool that observe strategies that are apt to aid the student in reading, writing, and listening.

Portfolios are a must.