Turning Points 2000: Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

This chapter discussed how to plan effective instruction for middle grade students. There are three key aspects of teaching: curriculum, assessment and students; these three aspects are vitally important when planning effective instruction. Instruction needs to be available for every student in schools regardless of their abilities and encourage students to meet high expectations. The authors introduce three different models that teachers can use when planning effective instruction. The first model is authentic instruction; in this model students construct or produce knowledge, engage in deep thinking and questioning, and where their accomplishments have value beyond a grade. The second model is WHERE; in this model teachers keep in mind the purpose of an assignment, hooking students attention, allowing students to go deeper into material by use of extensions, reflecting on how an assignment went and changing it as needed, and lastly encouraging students to self-assess. The third model the authors discuss is differentiated instruction; teachers can differentiate in three different ways: they can change the content, process, and product based on student’s abilities. Another topic the authors stressed was the important of incorporating technology into the classroom; they want teachers to use technology not for fun and games, but using it in a way that encourages high order thinking.

At this point in the semester this information wasn’t very new to me; by now I have heard most of this information by someone in education. I felt the WHERE model was very similar to what Dr. Grace tries to get us to do with our lesson plans, but personally I liked the authentic instruction model the best. I feel like authentic instruction would really benefit high risk students because it allows them to see the value of an assignment outside of school which is always difficult to do. I liked how the authors mentioned teaching reading across content areas because it reminded me of the panel that was here. They mentioned how in their district they are trying to work on their literacy rates and because of that each content area has to incorporate literacy. This of course makes my English side cry with joy, because I find it said that in today’s world we have people that can’t read. I can understand not being solid in your multiplication facts, but in today’s world a lack of reading kills you. Everything incorporates reading and without a high literacy rate we cannot move forward as a nation.