The work and readings for this week were pretty useful. I have found that my style tends to be a bit vague and general, leaving it open for students to explore areas of particular interest. However, I appreciated the emphasis in chapter 6 on having clear and specific goals for desired understanding. There is nothing that is limiting about being specific, just prioritize my unit and lessons on accomplishing at least the desired goals. I also appreciated the discussion on topical and overarching understanding. I do believe that there needs to be development of the topical understandings before one can truly have overarching understanding. It is sometimes difficult to find the right balance of both. In today's world, topical knowledge is minimized because it can be looked up quickly with a handheld device. But there is a difference between topical knowledge and topical understanding and a good lesson will focus on the latter. But we must not lose sight of the big picture and overarching understanding. That is where connections are made, students are more likely to have those 'aha' moments, and I think better able to integrate what they have learned into their permanent memories.
|
AuthorPatrick Thurman Archives
November 2015
Categories |