Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Welcome to Literature Circle Nine!

Your Super Summarizer schedule is as follows:

Section One--Due October 28, Carol Birgen
Section Two--Due November 4, Carolyn Karlin-Storms
Section Three--Due November 11, Michelle Larson
Section Four--Due November 18, Melanie Morehart
Section Five--Due December 2, Amy Paulson
Section Six--Due December 9, Jolene Vavra

1 comment:

  1. Chapter 2: How Can I teach students the skills they need when standardized tests require only facts?

    Concern about fact learning has intensified in the last ten years as the new emphasis on accountability in education has brought an increase in the use of standardized tests. (p. 26) It is also true (though less often appreciated) that trying to teach students skills such as analysis or synthesis in the absence of factual knowledge is impossible. (p. 26) I find these two quotes interesting as that is how I feel as an educator being pulled in two different directions when in fact it is one direction most teachers are trying to take their students and that is through the stages of higher levels of thinking by building a solid foundation so the student can explore/investigate more of the unknown independently.

    The very process that teachers care about the most—critical thinking process such as reasoning and problem solving—are intimately intertwined with factual knowledge that is stored in long-term memory (not just found in the environment). (p.28) This factual knowledge can be built by real life experiences and opportunities before most students enter the classroom. When students have a foundation of knowledge before entering the classroom; school and learning as gaining more knowledge is easier for them.

    All kids need real word experiences to build upon. Teachers can give experiences by reading books, watching videos, use of interactive web 2.0 tools with the computer. Trying to tie together separate pieces of information from the environment is called chunking.(p.34) I learned that background knowledge allows chunking, which makes more room in working memory, which makes it easier to relate ideas, and therefore to comprehend more material which enriches vocabulary, bridge gaps of the unknown and can help guide the interpretations of non-sense sentences.

    People who can really help teachers and student are the school librarians; who are a vital part of schools as they can lead students to books at their level and in their interests. We need student to read on their level for enjoyment but also to increase their own reading vocabulary and skills, books too easy don’t increase vocabulary and books too hard are not understandable and become frustrating.

    Trying to level the playing field is a teacher’s greatest challenge. There are no shortcuts and no alternatives to trying to increase the factual knowledge that the child has not picked up at home. (p.50) Knowledge can be learned incidentally; teachers use this opportunity all day long to add facts or to question more about what is begin taught. As well as, early intervention is the key to higher order learning; if a student is falling behind catch the student and begin an intervention to keep them on level if possible or they will always be behind their classmates.

    As any teacher knows, just drilling would do far more harm by making students miserable and by encouraging the belief that school is a place of boredom and drudgery, not excitement and discovery. (p. 51)

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