There’s a moment during students completing their warm-up where I can sometimes see how they are thinking. It’s in the way they hesitate before writing down their answer or how they help a classmate through reading a new text. Chapter 2 of Slavin (2020) put language to those moments, it’s all connected to the development of their cognitive, language, and literacy.
While reading this chapter, I made so many connections with Piaget’s stages. They weren’t just theory, they were my classroom. Many of my students are in that bubble between the concrete operational and formal operational stages. That space shows up in how they problem-solve. Some still need scaffolding, chunking, and graphic organizers to assist with organizing and developing their ideas, while others are eager to tackle the task head on. As I lesson plan, this reminds me to always start small. This is usually with something concrete like an image, a short video, or a simple analogy instead of jumping straight in. Slavin (2020) emphasizes this transition as key to student growth (p. 28).
Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development gave me language for what I’ve always practiced, that's meeting my students where they are. I've had students struggle this year with independent reading responses. So, I begin implementing 1 on 1 conferencing. We practiced breaking down prompts, using different writing strategies, and what it looks like to organize thinking on their own. Within a few weeks, I saw so much improvement to the point that we began peers conferencing. That’s scaffolding in action changed how I view my role as their teacher. I can model, but at some point they need to be released no matter how much they want to lean on me for help. I have to build the bridge to independence for them.
Slavin also highlights how language development connects with cognitive development. It reminded me that language isn’t an add-on, it's a part of the foundation. In my classroom, vocabulary isn’t just front loaded and forgotten. I create space for students to play with language through discussion stems, word of the week presentations, and even classroom glossaries. These routines support students who are English Language Learners, but also benefit everyone. They allow students to be introduced to grade-level vocabulary and beyond. It's amazing to hear them add different words into their vocabulary. They receive extra credit if they are heard using words properly, but don't realize that we are actually building their vocabulary as we go. Language is the entry point to higher order thinking. If students don’t know vocabulary, it becomes difficult or may even feel foreign to them during activities, discussions, reading texts, and unit tasks.
When it comes to reading, I’ve shifted from focusing just on lexile levels to thinking about reading as something that empowers students. I have implemented a classroom library where students can add books, writers, sports that interest them to a chart. I occassionally add books for students to check-out. One of my students who has been labeled a “reluctant reader” and an attendance issue lit up during a unit when we analyzed texts about basketball, more specifically Lebron James. He had the background knowledge, the interest, the confidence and suddenly the desire to come to ELA. Slavin (2020) stresses the importance of leveraging student interests and cultural experiences to build literacy skills (p. 54). That moment taught me to keep searching for texts that reflect my students’ worlds and give them space to respond authentically.
Finally, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory encouraged me to zoom out and reflect. My students are shaped by more than what happens in my classroom or my hallway even. Family dynamics, the community, and cultural identity all influence how they show up for us in school. I’ve stopped making assumptions about student motivation and instead started asking more questions. It's all about building a rapport and seeing the student as a whole person. What might they be carrying with them? How can I make this room feel safe enough to take risks? How can I help them be successful in the short time I have them with me? What do they need from me?
This means I’m not just teaching 7th grade ELA curriculum, I’m teaching adolescents with unique paths who are growing into people who will one day run society. As their teacher, it's my job to plan with intention, be flexible, and remember that even the small things might be exactly what a student needs to grow. Cognitive growth isn’t linear, language growth isn’t predictable, and literacy isn’t mechanical. It’s human!
Reference:
Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (13th ed.). Pearson Education.
