Doreen L. Canzanella
Everyday, students present themselves in a classroom with various levels of readiness, and interest to learn new information. Everyday, teachers present themselves to students as the keepers of that information. It is in turn offered to help them grow in social, personal and educational abilities. Exploring and understanding how the brain shares and uses information offered daily to form the overall intelligence of the being is the ultimate quest for an educator. The classroom environment is much more than a rote learning experience for a student. Still, the challenge of stimulating the students to absorb and apply the information, in any discipline, is daunting. In a K-4 environment every basic that is taught and reviewed is a necessary component for further educational growth.
Given this overwhelming challenge, the question is, With all of our different methods used why are there students that are not on grade level? As I have gone through the process of studying the various methods of measuring what the students have learned, (ESI, DRA, DRP, CMT etc.) is it no wonder why the debate goes on and on? To simplify how I would funnel this plethora of information into a functional descriptive unit, I found myself asking three simple questions:
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1) What knowledge did I bring to the subject? I found that this knowledge came in two forms; knowledge I have retained from various classes or picked-up from professional books or journals, and knowledge I have garnered through hands on teaching experiences.
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2) What knowledge did I want to know? This question brought more information than I thought. Every time I found what seemed to be a succinct answer, there was an opinion or study that negated what I thought was a bright light in the never ending quest for the "answer". So to side step this ocean of information, I specifically questioned, How can musical instruction be applied to reading instruction? Are there parts of the brain that could be stimulated by musical infusion. Thereby working in tandem to assist further progress for those students falling behind in grade level reading ability?
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3) What have I learned? Well this question became; what have I learned that could be applied to the subject matter a hand? As an educator, I know "intelligence" represents itself in many forms. Some students can repeat and verbalize everything that is presented. Others need manipulatives to cement the educational process. While others can't apply the information until there is some form of game or activity that shows application. And, so as to not limit the profile of students, there are some that need all and more.
Most educators will see this form of gathering information as the "KWL" strategy student's use to process a non-fiction book. This is broken down as follows; "K"= What do I know about the subject previous the reading? "W"= What information do I want to know about the subject at hand? "L"= What have I learned after the reading is complete? Well although simplistic in nature, hopefully it has helped me present this unit in an interesting and thought provoking manner.