Chapter 5
The first main idea of this chapter is readiness versus ability. Any child can develop ability through study, proper instruction, and practice. Students all learn at different paces and in different styles; their ability to master content will be related to their readiness to approach it based o prior learning. Because learning is scaffolded, it is easy to make the mistake of assessing a child as deficient if a teacher tries to have them master content they are not ready to approach. The second man idea is that classroom elements are key to successfully teaching various learners. The learning environment coupled with differentiated curriculum and assessment all key components in delivery of instruction. Thirdly, preassesments are an important tool to diagnose what knowledge the students need to gain in order to master current content. Students may have gaps that have to be addressed in order to take them to the next level, and preassessment identifies those gaps.
An interesting section of information in the book focused on the science behind how the brain processes information. Evidently, the brain will hone in on novel images and ideas. What this suggests to me is that if I am introducing new content, I should do so in a new, interesting way in order for the students to more quickly retain the information. Some teachers may be opposed to ‘entertaining’ students, but the science seems to suggest that this is the way to ensure they are actually learning.
This reading supports my professional growth in three ways. One, it helps me understand the importance of the introduction “attention grabber” portion on a lesson plan. Second, I understand that students must have differentiated curriculum. Third, knowledge has to be scaffolded to minimize gaps.
My aha moment came about when I realized that entertainment in the classroom is not just to appease restless students, but is actually a science based method of helping students retain new content. With this understanding, I will be able to construct lessons that are differentiated and interesting.
