Meet Me in the Middle: Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

This chapter discussed how to take brain research and use it to create a better learning environment for middle school students. It’s also important for teachers to understand how their student’s brains work so they can work their student’s to the best capacity. For example, Wormeli suggested having multiple students answer the same question, this way students don’t relax their minds and instead are thinking about other ways to answer the question. Another important aspect mentioned in this chapter was the importance of making learning relevant to a student’s life. When knowledge is relevant a student will be able to make connections to the material and store the information in their memory. To make knowledge relevant and interesting for students Wormeli suggest the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy which has seven skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Using these skills will help students not only build a core of knowledge, but also learn how to think for themselves.

I found this chapter to be very interesting because of the way the information helps me plan better lessons. In my PSY 225 class we covered some of this information, but we never discussed why it’s important to know this as future teachers. I found it interesting that Bloom’s Taxonomy was mentioned in this chapter since we have it drilled into our brains whenever we create a lesson plan. Wormeli mentioned that most people overlook it because it’s so widely known, but I know that personally it’s the first thing I turn to when I’m creating a lesson. I liked the section that specifically discussed student’s misconceptions and how to make sure to address them. I agreed with that because I’ve witnessed a small misconception in a student that eventually turns into something huge. Overall, I enjoyed the chapter and will implement some of the items discussed into my own classroom.