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" You Ask the Wrong Questions ! "
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Copyright Year | 2005 |
| Abstract | The teacher effectiveness research provides a foundation for teaching thinking because, properly understood, it stresses the search for meaning. arhara-the mother of Lisa, a 5th grader-recently asked her daughter about twoi concepts Lisa was studying for a rest the next day "Lisa, can o(u tell me the difference between kinetic and potential energ., No, Lisa replied. "Oka-, can you give me some examples of potential energ' then'" 'Mother' You're asking me the wrong questions" Lisa said in desper ation "What do vou mean?' "What the teacher is going to ask on the test is 'Potential energy is and 'Kinetic energy is ' That's all.' This situation illustrates the importance of teaching for meaning The current teacher effectiveness research is foundational both for learning what kinetic energy is and for the deeper. more complex understanding of how it relates to potential and other forms of energy and motion This research, v-hich stems largely from elementary schools where -e are teaching children how to read and do mathematical computations, presents us w ith structures and processes that are important at both ends of a continuum: at one end focusing on highly structured, sequential content. while at the other end examining complex human or physical problems from a Aide variers of perspectives generating multiple meanings and in terpretations Teachers in both instances are engaged in a similar task: helping students find or create mean ing out of experience Susan and Carolyn Recentlh I observed 2nd graders reviewing fundamental math operations. In the same school I observed 5th graders engaging in complex reasoning in their anal!-sis of a Wallace Stegner stior. "The Colt" It is interesting to see just hox the effective teaching research applies to both teachers as they challenge students to think about content at rather different levels, or at different points on the continuum, from seemingly simple and con crete to more complex and abstract Susan. the 2nd grade math teacher. ,nas reviewing the compo(sition (of the number 1' ["lowsmany tells. Mark' 'How mans ones. Jan' 'Where do wve put the 10, Gloria?' "Where do we put the "' Steven' " 'If wve swish to prove this, what do we have to d(o Bill'? She proceeded in this fashion ssith direct questions t ) ensure that students recalled just hov to analsze the number 1-, hbosv to prove their work if they v.ere subtracting 1t from 38 or 9 from 18 She maintained that "brisk pace'' ve read about in the teacher effectiveness literature (Barnes, 1981 ) with man! questions at a lower cognitive level She made certain that she gave most students an o(ppnrtunity to respond in order to( ensure comprehension, and she provided man!s and diverse examples bohth at the board |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198505_barell.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
