Reflection

I learned from Willingham that it’s the content that drives the method of instruction. Information can be taught visually, auditorally, and kinesthetically. A good teacher should use a variety of teaching methods. This benefits all students. I consider all three strategies when lesson planning during a unit of study. Eventually you will reach all your students strengths.
My goal is to relate the content to more personal experiences whenever possible and applicable. I think if done correctly it will create a warm classroom climate so students will feel more comfortable in sharing their experiences. One other thought I have internalized is the need to praise students more when I observe hard work being done. Model that failure doesn't mean you're stupid, but that you just need to work harder. According to Willingham, we should praise hard work and not ability. Hopefully, this will improve student confidence and make them want to improve. If it's true the more you know the more you understand then teachers have to be patient with students who have learning gaps. I don’t want them to think they’re stuck and can’t change anything when it comes to their ability to learn. Over time they can increase their intelligence through hard work.
I also agree that my teaching should improve and that I need to constantly evaluate and make changes when necessary. I don’t want to feel stuck and lose my confidence in growing as a teacher. I learned a lot about how students brains work in this book. It was helpful for me to understand the students I teach from a cognitive and psychological perspective. There's a lot to consider when you teach your students. It's complicated.