Ch. 7

I completely agree with the steps the author laid out for teaching vocabulary. In high school I had a vocabulary book that we worked out of every week, and not a single word was relevant to what we were reading in class. I memorized the words for the test every Friday, and promptly forgot them right after. What would have been much more helpful was discussing the vocabulary in books such as The Scarlet Letter or Hamlet, which I often had to read with a dictionary. 

Even though I feel that I have a somewhat extensive vocabulary, I know that I struggle with giving definitions for words, which will pose a problem for me in my classroom. I can use words correctly in a sentence but when asked to define it or provide synonyms I am at a loss. It will be important for me to completely understand all of the class vocab words before presenting them to the students. But first I need to decide what I think "knowing a word" actually means. I had never thought about all of the connotations of that phrase before reading this chapter. I always felt that being able to use the word in a sentence proved knowledge of it, but I can see how knowing synonyms and multiple meanings would show an even greater understanding. I like the idea of the concept circles; this would show that the students understand what the word means and also how it relates to other words. 

Ch. 4

"Create time for students to pursue particular areas of interest within your topic or content area-- move beyond the idea that all students must study the same thing at the same time."
I feel that as a teacher this concept will be very difficult for me. I fear that if every student was working on a different topic and a different type of project it would be impossible to grade their work accurately. What kind of rubric would cover an oral report, an essay, and a group project? The purpose of having students study different things concerns me also. In my AP English class we often divided into groups and each group would read a different book from the AP list. Then each group would summarize the book and discuss the main themes in the hopes that the rest of the class would learn enough about the book to use it on the AP test. However, merely listening to a summary and oral review of the book is not enough to actually learn the book. If students each work on their own projects, what is the end goal? Will the rest of the class learn about each others' projects? Will all students be expected to learn something from all projects or is it more on an individual basis? If this concept will work, I think it must be very strategically planned and specific guidelines set up so as to ensure each student is learning a particular standard or concept. 
"Help kids understand that arriving at insights as a result of struggle is worthwhile."
Another dimension to understanding I was unsure about was the idea that you must struggle to acquire true understanding. I agree with this idea, but how can we convince our students of this? Some students are simply not motivated to learn, and asking them to struggle over a particular concept will most likely deter them from even trying. I suppose if the content is something the student is interested in they will be more willing to struggle over it, but otherwise it can be difficult to teach someone self-motivation.

Ch. 6 and Reading Reminders

I was very interested in the section of reading about graphic novels. I have been thinking lately about how to interest students in books when they feel that books are boring or are too difficult for them. I found a website where students could create their own comic strips from pre-made characters and settings and add their own text-- this could be used as a different and interesting approach to summarizing and getting the students involved in the text. After reading Lesesne's description of graphic novels, I'm sure they would have much the same effect. I feel that students get bored with reading because it becomes monotonous when they are staring at a page full of text. Multiliteracy has programmed young readers to expect popup ads, scrolling banners, and sound to accompany much of what they read, and a book simply does not offer that. By choosing a graphic novel or manga students will more easily visualize what is happening and will not become as bored. I have no experience with graphic novels and so my fear may be misplaced, but I do worry that graphic novels will not extend the students' reading levels. While it will be easier for students to read and imagine the word "boom" instead of "the cannon blast ricocheted through the hills," I fear that this may be "dumbing down" the reading material and will not be as challenging to the students. 

I found all of Burke's reading tips to be helpful, but I felt that some of them would be more appropriate for younger audiences. For example, "Help students write their reading autobiography." While this may indeed alert students to the fact that at one time they did enjoy reading, it could also bring up unpleasant memories of a lack of reading in their younger years. I plan to teach high school, and I feel that by that time many students have experienced enough to write their own true  autobiography. I feel that an autobiography would work better as an exercise in writing and style for more advanced students than a way to remember "the good ole days of reading." I can't really imagine a high school student becoming excited about an assignment like that. I also question the age appropriateness of reading out loud to high school students. While it might be a nice break every now and then, I feel that students may begin to feel like the teacher is not respecting them or taking them seriously. My experience as a high school student showed that more than anything they want to be seen as adults, and read alouds are not an adult activity. Reading a short anecdote or short story on a Friday afternoon may be acceptable, but extended reading of novels in segments may insult their pride more than interest them in reading.

Ch. 3 & 16

I found the alternate reality musing mentioned in chapter 3 fascinating. It so clearly identifies the problem with modernizing our teaching techniques and effectively reaching our students. Because the belief that "what was good enough for me is good enough for them" is so ingrained in our minds we are unwilling to accept any alternative to our "tried and true" methods. I have already encountered this dilemma in my own thinking. Because I learned from and succeeded with the old methods of teaching I feel that there is no need for me to alter those methods in any way. But as I read this book and participate in several other classes discussing adolescence I realize the vast number of learning styles and behaviors and the multiple ways in which teachers must adapt their own style to fit the needs of the students. I'm still not advocating that we throw out the old methods altogether; chapter 16 even mentions the dangers of throwing out the textbook as outdated and uninteresting. The challenge will be to find a way to make the textbook interesting and easy to understand. 

One thing I did not agree with in chapter 16 was the use of Thinking Maps. I remember in junior high and even into high school being handed a map similar to those displayed in the book and being asked to write "what I know, what I want to know, what I learned." I found these worksheets to be a waste of my time and found more benefit in actually doing the assignment rather than the pre-assignment. I realize that this is probably just unique to my learning style, but I still hold a prejudice against graphic organizers. While they may be helpful for some students to visually and neatly organize information, I feel that they may inhibit other students and cause the learning to be a cut and paste procedure. 

Ch. 10

I found the idea of weekly talks from local workers and professionals an excellent idea. Students often choose a career based solely on their primary abilities or interests, not realizing the specific work requirements behind that dream job. For example, when my boyfriend began college to receive a degree in police science, he was dismayed at the amount of paperwork, re-certifications, and extra training classes that have to be done as a police officer. Introducing students to those already in their future fields will show students the importance of schooling and writing abilities and will help them determine if they are making the correct career choice. 
One thing that concerned me and was discussed later in the chapter is the future role of literature in the classroom. How can classical writings be adapted to fulfill the eight skills Friedman claims are needed for the new middle class? Will literature even be relevant for those skills? I view literature as a way to connect the past and the present and a means to show the universality of humanity. Personal issues, emotions, and intrigues have changed very little over the centuries, and I believe that students can relate to literature as much today as when it was written. However, synthesizing, going green, and using global resources for local solutions do not seem relevant to literature. While I agree that students must be taught to communicate and compete in our growing global job market, I fear that a desire for skilled work machines will remove the content of personal creative learning and reading from our schools. 

Ch. 1

While reading this chapter my only thought was how difficult it would be to implement this teaching style into our schools. Eventually I believe that our schools will recognize the value in different teaching techniques and will become better, but until then it will be very difficult to run against tradition. Because I always did well in school and testing came easy to me, the idea of teaching and learning in any other way baffles me and I am reluctant to even try it. I hope that as I become exposed to more students and teachers I will realize the needs of a majority of students who need a new system.

This reading also forced me to consider what we know and think we know about adolescents. I am taking an adolescent psychology class and the assigned textbook describes the common theme of deploring the wildness of youth and the way they “throw out traditional morals.” I believe that both texts show us that we tend to underestimate adolescents and assume that because we are older we always know what is best, which is oftentimes mistaken.