The main point I took from Willingham is that developing background knowledge is the key to unlocking critical thinking skills. Willingham says on page 42, “When it comes to knowledge, those who have more gain more.” I find this to be a daunting task. If we as educators don’t address this problem early on the gap only continues to widen. I think that in math this may be easier to address as we can drill kids in the basic facts. Reading, however, is a different animal. As we know kids from more affluent environments are generally provided more opportunities to develop the background needed to be academically successful. That is not to say that word poor kids can not be caught up. They just require more intense interventions. As Willingham suggests, teachers need to instill in students the importance of effort. If you want to get better you have to practice and work hard to improve your intelligence.
Willingham also gives teachers some great ways to improve their effectiveness. Reflecting on lessons and videotaping are just a couple I have already tried. The videotaping can be a tough pill to swallow but is an effective way to cause change. I look forward to trying some of the other strategies suggested by the author.
No comments:
Post a Comment