Let me start by saying that this may be one of the best text books I have had to read. The authors' ideas were portrayed very clearly and backed up with many relevant examples. I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks and what I will learn from this book.
The Fast Food Nation project at the beginning of Chapter 1 was a great attention getter. It was exciting for me as a future educator to see how passionate these students became throughout the project. I also thought it was great how the school implemented it across content areas. For example, after being given the "Fast Food Nation" book to read, students studied digestion, nutrition, bacteria and viruses. (Daniels & Zemelman 3) They made the content relevant to the students and they were able to make real life connections. This was a great first example.
When discussing the "stuff-kids-don't-know" critics, they addressed the point of students not remembering material that they learned. It is not that they were never taught, "the problem is: they don't remember it." (Daniels & Zemelman 12) I read this and exclaimed, "YES!" I say this all the time because it happens to me. I can ace an exam but the second I leave that room, I could forget 90% of it. I haven't truly learned anything except that I'm a good memorizer. I have found that I do well in research, when I immerse myself in a question or topic. I can totally relate to that Fast Food Nation project.
The last thing I'll mention that really resonated with me was that students do not truly understand what they are reading. This seems to be the trouble with the imaginary Mr. Cosgrove. His students may have read but they did not comprehend the material. I loved their suggestions about using prior knowledge to access one's schema. The Columbus exercise really brought it home for me.
I really feel I'm going to learn so much from this book. I loved the "Thinking Strategies of Effective Reader" as well as the "Stages of Reading." It's true what they said, reading at times becomes like driving a car to a familiar place, you just go without even thinking about how you're getting there. I think I'm going to consciously try and apply some of these suggestions to see if it helps me to become a better close reader. Best to test drive before we teach it, right?
Michele, I agree with you wholeheartedly on what a great and beneficial text this is. I am sure you have been like me and became more conscious about how you read after reading these two chapters. We have to remember, those kids like the ones in fake Mr. Cosgroves class are going to be what the majority of children are like in our classrooms when we first meet them. Little interest in reading (especially school material) and not much of a strategy when it comes to THINKING about reading. All the more reason why developing our strategies will be of utmost importance, so we can change student perception of reading and create an effective learning enviornment.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get a chance to do this last semester, but I wanted to recommend The Number Devil as a family read. I think you would all enjoy it, and it might be a different way to think about numbers: not something to be memorized and forgotten, but something worth a good story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Professor Kraus. I'll check it out!
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