Ch. 10 Content Area Learning

As I was reading this chapter and came across the mathematics section, I have to agree with Mayer that the most basic type of knowledge involves resources or knowledge of basic facts and procedures. The second type of knowledge is general strategies for solving problems. I have taught math in the past and currently tutor fourth graders for their taks test and found that they missed the problem solving problems because they either add instead of subtracting, they didn't add, subtract, divide or multiply correctly, or didn't follow the strategies their teachers have taught them. How many of you have encountered this problem?

Neuroscience of Learning

As I was reading under Educational Issues, It talks about how brain research justifies the emphasis on early education. This brings to mind the things that are going on in this great state of ours with all the budget cuts in education. At my school we are losing two of the four pre kinder classrooms and going to half day for pre kinder. How many of you think that this will help our students in the future? Do you feel that edcuation needs to be cut? In my opinion the state is doing a major injustice to our students by cutting the education budget, only the future will show just how bad it impacted the students.

Chapter 11 Motivation

As I was reading this chapter alot of ideas came into mind. Especially when I came across the conceptions of ability. The chapter discuses two theories of intelligence: entity and incremental. When I taught a 5th grade math a couple of years ago I could see the different beliefs in the children I taught. I taught a lower level class where the students new they were at a lower level and had that attitude that they could not do the work I was teaching them. And then I had the higher leveled students who believe that they could do the work. As a teacher I tried my hardest to show the lower leveled students that they could do the work. My point is that the students I received were grouped based on their abilities and they knew that, so they would not strive to learn more or achieve better than their ability. I am asking the class have they ever encountered this problem and how did they motivate the students to do better in class?