WOW!! This is what it is all about...teaching our students to think on their own and deeply. This chapter really connects to chapter five for me. Thinking deeply won't come without the students seeing the relevance in what is being taught.
Have you noticed how "modeling" is a recurring theme?
Do you, and how often, share personal stories related to the topic of study? Was your purpose as Mrs. Wolpert-Gawron describes? What effect did it appear to have? Did you "drift"?
On page 67 this statement is written, "the next step is to ask them to begin to make their own connections between their prior knowledge, even their present experiences, and their classroom learning. If they begin to do this, they will think less and less of school life as functioning seperately from real life." Wouldn't that be great? Think how much more valuable they will see what we see as valuable. Please comment.
Think alouds are suggested as a method to lead the students to think about their thinking. How would this apply to the subject matter you teach and to your classroom? I like her statement that "thinking is a messy business".
React to her statement that "you can't merely do these kinds of activities once and expect the results of deeper awareness of thought". One trip to the gym will not suffice.
Modeling is very important - especially if you want the students to correctly complete an assignment. I often show students how to complete projects and activities and it is extremely helpful if I can show them an example completed by a previous student as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't share personal stories very often. I think this is a great idea - I just don't have many to share that are relevant to U.S. history back to the late 1800s. Perhaps I can work with the students as they begin to make their own connections. I can start making more connections for myself!
Think alouds are an important teaching tool. It shows the students the thought process to use when completing a new task. I like to use think alouds when I'm showing the students how to complete an activity like analyzing a primary source.
I agree that any new skill requires practice. We have to continually show the students how to "think" if that is what we want them to do.
My students are encouraged to use all of their senses in art. They see demonstrations and directions, hear instructions, touch tools and media, and add their creative ideas from prior knowledge while using experiences they have had with things they have smelled and tasted.
ReplyDeleteI love to relate stories to learning. When we study the art element, space, I show them how to use space (placement of objects) successfully in all artworks. I recall playing the game of basketball when I was in middle school and high school, ask them to put their minds into the players, and tell them how important it is for the players,at all times, to be aware of where they are on the court. Placement, overlapping and focus are important in artwork and in the game of basketball.
I show the students ways artists used space in famous works, have them define space, and date myself when I tell them that when I played basketball in school, we (girls) played half court.
I loved when my teachers would share personal stories with the class; it made them seem “human.” When I first started teaching, however, I rarely ever shared my own personal stories because at the time it seemed like a waste of the class’s time, but over the years I’ve become a little more comfortable opening up to my students and sharing personal stories with them, especially ones that can connect to something we are learning about in class. I try to encourage my kids to share personal experiences with the class, too. By asking open-ended questions that connect to a story we are reading, for example, can allow students to talk about experiences they have had that might be similar to a character we are reading about. This helps them connect to the story.
ReplyDeleteGetting students to see value in what we, as teachers, see valuable is often a challenge, especially with middle school kids. If we can teach them to make connections on their own, hopefully they will begin to see school as “real life.”
One way that I use Think Alouds is with reading passages and questions. I’ll read the passage out loud to my class as they follow along with me. I stop and discuss my thoughts with them as I’m reading and point out connections I’m seeing and make predictions. When we finish, we go through the questions together and discuss how I came up with the correct answer. I often do this when practicing open-ended questions for ARMT. Students have to be taught how to “tap into their own brain.”
One trip to the gym isn’t going to make me a fit, healthy person. Similarly, doing one Think Aloud or other similar activity once with my students is not going to help them develop into a deeper thinker. It takes time and effort on my part as a teacher.
I agree with Mrs. Sticker on the importance of modeling. I have also found that it is much easier for them to grasp projects if you have a finished example that you can break down the steps, and model how to complete the task.
ReplyDeleteWith Literature, it is easy to share personal stories, and I do this often. Like Mrs. Baum pointed out, it makes the students see us as humans, rather than weird alien beings that only exist to torture them ;) HA! I try to show them how I connect to things on a personal level. However, with the new standards that are coming into play, I will have to alter my approach because many of my connections are on an emotional level; the new standards want us to make them connect with evidence as opposed to how the story makes them feel. This is something that I will have to constantly remind myself as well.
I believe I use think alouds daily. Talking about what we are thinking helps them to remember a concept, and it pushes those concepts into the long term memory bank. Every story, poem, etc. involves me asking questions out loud and digging for their responses and how they got to that conclusion. Of course, this does open some interesting doors with tweens...sometimes you get more than you bargained for! "Thinking is a messy business," as the author so nicely pointed out!
These types of activities must be incorporated regularly to get lasting results. I love her gym analogy because just like with any other life changing activity, you have to be committed. Teaching and teaching well are two totally different things. I have to be committed, motivated, and determined to make a lasting change on their lives and educational achievements if they are going to be successful students.
I really liked this chapter and the terminology she used: modeling, messy thing, thinking aloud. I model alot in my class, particularly how to perform a certain style or articulation. I think this really helps the students with understanding. Having the same students from 6th -8th grade helps me see the progression of needing modeling to the self-assurance we are wanting in these tweens.
ReplyDeleteI do like to share stories, although I am careful to clip it short if I see glazed eyes anywhere. I like to tell about things I experienced in middle school--band, goofy friends, etc--and I think that helps the students connect to me and what I am trying to teach them.
Think-alouds can tend to turn to free-for-alls, comment-wise, in my larger classes, so I am looking for better ways to encourage this without the class disruption. I liked her "think aloud" list of 8 guiding questions and plan to utilize it in some way musically that will benefit my students and get them thinking about the type of music I am trying to teach them and have them connect it with the styles they like to enjoy.
Some good stuff in this chapter! For a veteran teacher, I really like reading this and getting fresh ideas!
I really could relate to this chapter. I loved the section called a Cautionary Word...I was reading the chapter aloud...road trip...to my daughter. She started laughing about making your anecdote connect to the material. She recalled several teachers who told personal stories that had nothing to do with the content being taught. She said she couldn't believe the student actually made a sign that said "DRIFT." Of course I told her that she couldn't do that to any of her teachers...but it was a good reminder that our time in class is short and that we need to use it wisely...no chasing rabits, as one of my professors used to say. I also liked the point of boundaries. I remember one of my teachers telling a story and I was so shocked at the content of the story...my friends and I had plenty to talk about for days...and our opinion of that teacher did change. I think we may have missed the message of the story.
ReplyDeleteOn a postive note...I found the list of steps on pages 68 and 69 very beneficial. I was thinking of making it in to a chart that I could put on the walk.