Monday, January 26, 2009
Week 2
This weeks readings for me really relate back to the idea of the science talk last semester. It shows that students don't need to simply be taught by a teacher, but can still learn a great deal from their peers. A recitation approach that was talked about does not allow students to develop ideas fully in their minds. If I relate back and think about it, I wonder if this might not be a reason why I begin to dislike reading. Especially since in the classroom, I was simply reading for an answer to a written or verbal question from my teacher and not reading for the pleasure of the book. Therefore, I was creating a concrete image for myself or reading for enjoyment. I enjoyed the analogy by Rosenblatt quoted by McGee where it talks about readers only using text as a blueprint. We need to remember this as teachers and give students the opportunity to fill in the gaps and build their own "building" using the blueprints instead of creating or forcing them to build it our way.
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Brad has a good point about students just reading for the answers. It lacks the critical thinking skills needed for today’s world. When I was in elementary school my teachers also carried on the same approach to recitation type lecturing. This did not develop my learning of the material but when I entered middle school the teachers were focused on critical thinking sills and getting meaning out of what we read rather than just facts.
ReplyDeleteAs teachers we have to find ways to have students get meaning out of what they read rather than us just telling them. In my placement I haven’t been able to see recitation or critical thinking. The six grade students have been doing many independent assignments in the fifteen or more hours I have been there.