#18 Chapter 8 The Knowledge Building Dimension

What stands out for me is the discussion on surfacing schema.  As an Family Literacy teacher, I work hard to help students take on the role of active learning.  I agree with the statement that " knowing when, whether and how to intervene in students' misunderstandings is a skill that teachers develop as a crucial part of encouraging and guiding students toward deeper comprehension of challenging texts."  I find for myself that this needs to be a deliberate, conscience effort.  Watching students struggle toward finding answers in the text is of much greater use than any anxiety I as the teacher may feel.  One of the practices I have been diligent in doing follows the same line as Rita Jensen on page 240.  Asking students to offer support for their answers encourages them to dig deeper and for their classmates to offer alternative support.  Often times we discover new pathways toward understanding a specific text.

Comments

Hi Monica and all, I appreciate how you describe the process of determining when to step in and when to allow a student to struggle. As you note, allowing students to struggle a bit has led to you and the learners discovering "new pathways toward understanding a specific text." That's what it's all about, isn't it?!

Cheers, Susan

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