Reflective Journal 1
1.
You must pay attention to readiness and sequence
p. 4 “One of the chief causes for failure in formal education is that educators begin with abstractions through print and language rather than with real material action.”
I chose this quote because it is very true and unfortunately detrimental to the kids in our classrooms. It is easy to read about something; it takes almost no effort to direct kids to a book. Allowing students to work hands-on requires planning and effort that many teachers just do not want to put out. It reminds me of another quote. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” A lot of our teaching seems to be telling.
I chose this quote because it reminds me of my middle school science classes. We read about many, many things but very rarely did any experiments. For me, science would have been more interesting and I would have retained more if I had actually DONE something rather than just read about it. Now I see more of our kids excited about science and doing labs because they are not just reading. Doing brings more retention than just reading about it.
My students enjoy my class because they are constantly doing something – actively moving and creating music. They are listening, analyzing, and improving themselves. They can choose not to take my class the next year, but because they are producing something of value and actively participating each day, they come back.
2.
Wait time is important
p. 8 “Students need time to be able to think flexibly or creatively. Using longer pauses in group discussions provides students with the necessary think time to help them manage their impulsivity and take responsible risks as they answer questions posed either by the teacher or by the work they are studying.”
Everyone needs time to think. Putting kids on the spot (adults, too) gives no time to collect thoughts or ration out what to say. It can create a fear to speak or the fear of looking stupid if they do speak. For people with anxiety, it can cause them to forget what they were going to say – even if it was the “right” thing. Allowing wait time gives that moment to think it through and go a bit deeper.
My senior AP English teacher was great at this. We actually had graded discussions over the reading material each week. I did not realize it at the time, but her restraint in using wait time made our class discussion flow better. It gave everyone a chance to reflect on the material in connection with the point she or another student made. Everyone in the class had an opinion, but she gave us time to back it up with facts from the text. It also made shy people like me more likely to participate and share our thoughts.
3.
Family life effects education
p. 15 “Family life in the United States today often lacks the meaningful verbal interaction necessary to build a foundation for thinking, learning, and communicating in school. When children enter school lacking the complexity of language and thought needed to master academic demands, they often are disadvantaged.”
This quote reflects my thinking that as the core family disappears in many homes, the educational gap widens. It has little to do with money; it is about time. When kids have to interact with adults at home, they have to do it on a higher level. Talking to older brothers and sisters who will not “dumb it down” for their younger siblings has the same effect. It builds the skills needed for the education system early on.
I think this is reflected in the rise of fights and bullying. A lot of kids do not know how to talk to each other, negotiate, or express themselves. Without regular adult interaction and conversation, their linguistic and metacognitive skills are not developed. When something happens that they cannot express verbally because they have had no practice with doing so, they turn to physical actions – hitting or kicking for example. It reminds me of little boys in elementary school when they like a girl – they are more likely to pull her hair or throw a rock at her than to say something because they do not know how to express what they are feeling.
4.
Negativity breeds more negativity
p. 30 “Interestingly, people behave in response to others’ perceptions of them: They behave as if they are expected to behave that way. Over time, negative presuppositions accumulate, and they influence students’ poor self-esteem and negative self-concepts as thinkers. Negative behavior follows.”
I chose this quote because I have seen it in action between classes at my school. It is amazing how kids easily live up or down to your expectations of them. We all realize the tremendous influence we have on our students, but are not always judicious in our conveyance of that influence. On the other hand I believe that negative presupposition can be overcome by an individual’s resiliency.
Hearing something often enough can make you believe that it is true. For kids who have not built defense against this negativity, it eventually becomes the truth.
We had an amazing TAKS math teacher a few years ago. The kids looked forward to going to her class! That is because she told them they could succeed and she helped them pass their TAKS test the next time around. Her belief was that they could do it if they had the right tools. She built them up instead of tearing them down for failing the first time.
At home, many kids are called stupid or slow by their parents, and when that is echoed by the educator, it becomes reality. Those kids will adopt an attitude of, “Why try if I’m too stupid? I will never get it.” Then they act out in class to draw attention away from their lack of comprehension. Eventually they miss so much that they really do not comprehend the materials. It creates a cycle.
1.
You must pay attention to readiness and sequence
p. 4 “One of the chief causes for failure in formal education is that educators begin with abstractions through print and language rather than with real material action.”
I chose this quote because it is very true and unfortunately detrimental to the kids in our classrooms. It is easy to read about something; it takes almost no effort to direct kids to a book. Allowing students to work hands-on requires planning and effort that many teachers just do not want to put out. It reminds me of another quote. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” A lot of our teaching seems to be telling.
I chose this quote because it reminds me of my middle school science classes. We read about many, many things but very rarely did any experiments. For me, science would have been more interesting and I would have retained more if I had actually DONE something rather than just read about it. Now I see more of our kids excited about science and doing labs because they are not just reading. Doing brings more retention than just reading about it.
My students enjoy my class because they are constantly doing something – actively moving and creating music. They are listening, analyzing, and improving themselves. They can choose not to take my class the next year, but because they are producing something of value and actively participating each day, they come back.
2.
Wait time is important
p. 8 “Students need time to be able to think flexibly or creatively. Using longer pauses in group discussions provides students with the necessary think time to help them manage their impulsivity and take responsible risks as they answer questions posed either by the teacher or by the work they are studying.”
Everyone needs time to think. Putting kids on the spot (adults, too) gives no time to collect thoughts or ration out what to say. It can create a fear to speak or the fear of looking stupid if they do speak. For people with anxiety, it can cause them to forget what they were going to say – even if it was the “right” thing. Allowing wait time gives that moment to think it through and go a bit deeper.
My senior AP English teacher was great at this. We actually had graded discussions over the reading material each week. I did not realize it at the time, but her restraint in using wait time made our class discussion flow better. It gave everyone a chance to reflect on the material in connection with the point she or another student made. Everyone in the class had an opinion, but she gave us time to back it up with facts from the text. It also made shy people like me more likely to participate and share our thoughts.
3.
Family life effects education
p. 15 “Family life in the United States today often lacks the meaningful verbal interaction necessary to build a foundation for thinking, learning, and communicating in school. When children enter school lacking the complexity of language and thought needed to master academic demands, they often are disadvantaged.”
This quote reflects my thinking that as the core family disappears in many homes, the educational gap widens. It has little to do with money; it is about time. When kids have to interact with adults at home, they have to do it on a higher level. Talking to older brothers and sisters who will not “dumb it down” for their younger siblings has the same effect. It builds the skills needed for the education system early on.
I think this is reflected in the rise of fights and bullying. A lot of kids do not know how to talk to each other, negotiate, or express themselves. Without regular adult interaction and conversation, their linguistic and metacognitive skills are not developed. When something happens that they cannot express verbally because they have had no practice with doing so, they turn to physical actions – hitting or kicking for example. It reminds me of little boys in elementary school when they like a girl – they are more likely to pull her hair or throw a rock at her than to say something because they do not know how to express what they are feeling.
4.
Negativity breeds more negativity
p. 30 “Interestingly, people behave in response to others’ perceptions of them: They behave as if they are expected to behave that way. Over time, negative presuppositions accumulate, and they influence students’ poor self-esteem and negative self-concepts as thinkers. Negative behavior follows.”
I chose this quote because I have seen it in action between classes at my school. It is amazing how kids easily live up or down to your expectations of them. We all realize the tremendous influence we have on our students, but are not always judicious in our conveyance of that influence. On the other hand I believe that negative presupposition can be overcome by an individual’s resiliency.
Hearing something often enough can make you believe that it is true. For kids who have not built defense against this negativity, it eventually becomes the truth.
We had an amazing TAKS math teacher a few years ago. The kids looked forward to going to her class! That is because she told them they could succeed and she helped them pass their TAKS test the next time around. Her belief was that they could do it if they had the right tools. She built them up instead of tearing them down for failing the first time.
At home, many kids are called stupid or slow by their parents, and when that is echoed by the educator, it becomes reality. Those kids will adopt an attitude of, “Why try if I’m too stupid? I will never get it.” Then they act out in class to draw attention away from their lack of comprehension. Eventually they miss so much that they really do not comprehend the materials. It creates a cycle.