Chapter 6
The first big idea is that students learn better when they are interested in the content. To be interesting, content needs to be relevant and students should be able to study at their own paces and in their own learning style. The second big idea is how to engage student interest. Teachers need to vary their instructional delivery, be personable (share snippets from their own life and interests), display a depth of content knowledge (so they can make it more interesting to the students) and apply the content to the everyday world. A third big idea is one that has been encountered in previous chapters. Differentiation is important in regards to student interest.
Interesting information presented in the chapter was on how the brain reacts to motivation. When motivated by money, an area of the brain called the putamen lights up. According to research, the motivation experienced by a student is more rewarding physiologically than an actual monetary incentive.
Information in this chapter will support my skills by helping me apply concrete strategies. One way to reflect student interest for the same content is to choose different books for each student. If the topic is fractions, some students may be interested in shopping with fractions, some gardening with fractions, others might want to use fractions in video gaming. I also appreciate the discussion on expert groups. If, as a teacher, I am able to group students according to interests, that will save time and foster collaboration. The idea of sidebar studies, extended study outside of the classroom for enrichment purposes, is also interesting. I am interested in ways to challenge students to apply their learning in everyday life at home.
The AHA moment this week is really an extended AHA moment. It is constantly being reinforced that teaching is not standing in front of a room lecturing while students scribble notes. Teaching is about facilitating personalized, relevant discovery based learning. Students who are engaged in project-based learning will develop greater higher order critical thinking skills.
