Answer the questions for chapter 11
posted by Barney Slowey at 8:45 AM
Thursday, June 15, 2006
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- Answer the questions for chapter 10
- Answer the questions for chapter 9.
- Answer the questions for chapter 8.
- Respond to the Summary (this is for the 7-12 teach...
- Answer the questions for chapter 7.
- Answer the questions for chapter 6.
- Answer the questions for chapter 5.
- Answer the questions for chapter 4.
- Answer the questions for chapter 3.
- Answer the questions for chapter 2
2 Comments:
HI...I have learned that students learn at different paces (adults too) and THAT'S OK...WE JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT KIDS ALL DO NOT LEARN ON THE SAME DAY IN THE SAME WAY...SO WHY DO WE INSIST THAT THEY ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE!...So with that said, I would like to make some general statements that respond to your comments so far...I hope to challenge some of you to really think over your teaching...I see where many have already seen the need for some changes in the way you do things and most of you have also been affirmed that some of the things you do are already brain based...So here goes...I'd like you to respond to these three questions (take time at home to do this by yourself...you do not have to post these) 1. What are you teaching?...2.Why are you teaching that?...3. How are you teaching it?...4Why are you teaching it that way?...5. How do you know the kids are getting it?...6. How do the kids know they are getting it?...In other words do you teach nouns, verbs etc without looking at the research that has historically proven it does not help writing. No one has ever stopped me on the street and asked me what a noun or verb is ...i suggest that if you are still doing this, you need to read "Entertaining an Elephant" a short book that will take you an hour to read but has a super message about teaching...Every teacher should read it twice a year especially thos that have taught for over ten years...Through brain research we know that cursive writing is easier for kids to grasp yet we insist on making them print which takes much more cordination than cursive (especially with boys)...We insist that everyone be reading in the same way on the same day even though brain research indicates that some kids are ready to read at 4 and some aren't ready until they are 10...and if left to their own devices kids will not have any problems picking it up but only after they are ready...and if they are forced to read before readiness they will develope many problems...and I know you see this in your classrooms...yet we don't do anything...just keep plodding along doing what we have always done...Next issue I'd like you to think about is homework...Dr William Glasser has called homework the "stupidest thing we do in school"...I wholeheartedly agree...Even thought the research out there supports that statement here is a personal anecdote or two...My youngest children grew up in a house with parents that had two master degree plus... It was a constant war every night first in getting them to sit down and do it and then we didn't know what the teachers wanted other times but what really got me ticked off was the monotonous worksheets ...one semster we counted over 200 worksheets that recounted mundane stuff that was throw away knowledge...and of course math was the worst because we could help early on but later it became so much more difficult...Now what happens when a student goes home to a place where there the parents don't place a priority on education...I learned early in my teaching career that most of the stuff I gave as homework was not necessary to learning and that if it was important for them to learn then it should be done with me so i could help where needed...The only homework that is valuable is when you ask kids todo real life stuff like going to the grocery store and learning about prices of groceries, or attending a meeting of the city council, or having mom and dad fill out a Multiple Intelligence survey so they can compare with the kids...Really take a good look at the kind of homework you give and why you are doing it...As pricipal of a middle school we went to a block schedule and at the end of the year we handed out a survey to every parent and 97% of them said the best thing about the block was that there was very little if any homework...There was a parent who came in shortly after the semester started and asked why her daughter didn't have homework(you've met the parent I'm sure whose Molly is so perfect!)My response to her was that kids were more involved in learning projects that were done in the class room and so there wasn't any...she insisted that homework was essential to learning and even i couldn't convince her that it wasn't...so I told her that I would see all of her child's teachers and make sure they give her homework, but its not going to happen for others...but if she wanted homework she'd get it ...well she backpeddled pretty fast...think about it...I hope you are all familiar with Multiple Intelligences...if not I suggest Tom Armstrong's book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom...it is very readable and above all has practical suggestions for implementing it...basically it allows you to meet the needs of all kids...not just those with Verbal Liguistic Logical Mathematical intelligence...95% of the kids we label at risk are bodily kinesthetic learners(most are boys as if you didn't know)..if you try to stand and lecture all hour eventually they will eat you up or psychologically drop out...But ifyou use multiple ways to teach your lessons they (and others with other intelligences) will be able to learn just as well as those with VL and ML...and heres my challenge..how can you give them a low grade or fail them if you don't teach to and allow them to demonstrate their learning in their strong intelligence...I have enclosed copies (Products and Performances and Assessments) with your book to help you with ideas...a great exercise that i do in workshops is have teachers check those things they include in their units more that 50% of the time...you will procbably find that you teach in YOUR strong intelligence and chances are you will love those kids that are your intelligence as well...that's what I found out!...Lastly ...many of you have lamented the fact that you would like to teach this way but the tests!!! All the research I have seen indicates your students will do as well as or better than those that are taught traditionally...plus you will have more kids be successful because of your teaching this way...ok...I'm off the soap box for now...
1) In what ways might you translate the principles presented in the chapter into practical, everyday ideas you can use in your classes?
The first thing I should do is look at my rewards and ways I give feedback. When I was a beginning teacher I used rewards a lot more. Like the book said the kids were working for the reward and often asked when doing an expected task, "Don't I get...?" I think concentrating on verbal and written feedback is more effective for students in the long run. Also I can look at life skills in my classroom. Rewarding students with praise or recognition for acheivements in life skills can make a difference in their self-esteem and encourage them to continue to do well. The last part this chapter talks about is having a celebration at the end of units. This can be a great way to create excitement and bring a unit to a close. The students feel that the end of the unit is there instead of just going on to the next unit. They also feel like their is acknowledgement of their hard work.
2) Armed with the brain research found in the chapter, what should educators be doing differently? In what ways might you suggest we start doing this? We should be looking at the ways that we reward our students for doing well. Are we just making temporary gains or are we working to create better students for the long run. Extrinsic rewards may help short term but really only help until the reward has been given. We should concentrate on giving praise and building students confidence in other ways. Last of all we need to find ways of recognizing our students for the good work that they have done. It could be with certificates, at an assembly, or through other methods.
3) How will you incorprate this research into your curriculum to make it more brain based? I really looked hard at my reward system a few years ago and I think it did make a difference. Using verbal praise has been way more efficient in making my students better learners and build confidence. I think the thing that interested me the most was the idea of a celebration of learning such as a fair or community event. I think this is a great way to build rapport with parents as well as get the students excited about their work.
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