What I really like about this chapter is all the personal experience stories and her letters to George. She is very honest when she writes the letters to George and they really show how much a first year teacher has to learn. I liked how much detail the author put into the story about her friends five year old daughter. The story really showcased what the auther was trying to teach the reader which was how to listen for the embeded questions in the seemingly simple questions children ask.
This chapter helped me to understand that just because a child can't read doesn't mean they don't know what the letters are or even what sounds the letters make. The child could have a problem comprehending the word or the entire sentence. Even if a child can read every single word on a page doesn't mean they comprehended what they just read.
I also enjoyed the Step Inside a Classroom section of this chapter. It was very motivating to see a child go through the process of figuring something out that had previously been difficult for her. I liked how the teacher let the child figure it out for herself instead of just telling her the answer. I could almost see the light bulb go on above her head.
It was also helpful to see a small conversation with a boy who didn't understand the same concept as fast as the girl did. He finally got to the same point, but it just goes to show how each child learns differently.
I do not remember if I blogged about the classroom portion of this chapter or not. But I do have to agree with you that I liked how Beers took the readers on a detailed journey of helping the student achieve the problem. It was a very helpful process to remember to take material slowly, so the student understands the whole process. Unlike the situation where Beers friend's daughter did not understand a word she was saying about the brass ring. Granted, I know we have all been there with explaining something to a child before.
ReplyDeleteShows the importance of getting to know our students as people and readers.
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