"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for one day; if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a life-time."
This statement is important for teachers to understand. The purpose of teaching is not to have students memorize and regurgitate material, but to teach them how to learn. Teachers should not simply supply students with answers but let them draw their own conclusions and think for themselves. Teachers cannot confuse explaining a text to students and students comprehending the text. "We must show students how to comprehend texts," (Beers, 40).
A way that teachers can achieve this is by thinking aloud. A teacher may get a discussion going in a classroom by stating some thoughts aloud. Once other competent readers in the class begin interjecting and the class is actively participating, the teacher can ask the struggling reader what they are thinking. If this idea is ineffective the teacher may want to schedule a time where they can work with the student one on one. Basically, a teacher should be direct and model the behavior that they want students to learn. The teacher should also explain their actions. Students do not want to be surprised about what they will be learning in class and they will appreciate teachers explaining what is expected of them. If something isn't working, try something new!
That's one of my favorite quote!
ReplyDeleteOne of my other professors says that it's important for us as teachers to teach in a way that can be comprehended by the students. According to her, sometimes the way to teach them is to think like them.
I think that quote is perfect for this section. So many teachers just explain things so we will only know how to do it one time. If only they would actually teach us so we could remember then we would be able to do things on our own.
ReplyDeleteIt is so much easier to complete tasks when you know the expectations than to come into a class clueless everyday. Also no one way of teaching is going to help all students so like Tiffany said, we need to be able to mix it up to best suit the students.
Great points! If we want students to think about the text they are reading, we must provide them opportunities to see how an expert reader thinks about text. It is important to "show" don't "tell."
ReplyDeleteI also used this text in a previous chapter. It is SO important for teachers to be learning along side the students. One of my favorite classes focused hard on the idea that even though we are the ones with the degree, we should be learning from out students as well. Thinking aloud creates a more personal connection between the teacher and student and becomes a relationship between a group of readers.
ReplyDeleteAgree with totally.You have great points in your review. So many teachers only explain things so we can just take the dumb memory test and forget all about the text the next day. It is important for teachers to make sure students comprehend and can make answers in there head and not just remember a bunch of facts.
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stuck out to me in this chapter. It is so important for teachers to make sure that their studnets really comprehend the material they are teaching them, rather than just lecturing them so they can memorize it for a test. I have had so many teachers in the past and even a few now that do not stop to make sure everyone understands or even observe to see how each student is coming along, they leave it up to the studnet to learn it, remember it, and apply it.
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