After reflection on the chapters and articles read this week, I think I found a re occurring theme that students will not excel in literacy if they feel that it will not benefit them in their real life. I think the Cambourne article said it best when he suggests that students need to engage in activities in order to learn but the only way they will engage in those activities is if it has "some potential value, purpose and use for them," (pg. 155).
In the Leland article, Kim was concerned that her students wouldn't be able to sympathize with books about culture and diversity issues because they would not be able to relate (due to the class being white). This goes along with the concept that students may not feel engaged in activities that don't relate to them. However, she found that the concepts that were found in these books helped them become kinder and more giving to others. She found that the entire dynamics of her classroom had changed due the book types of books that she read. The students found ways to apply the concepts from the books into their every day lives.
The Gibbons reading stresses a lot about the different contexts that we converse in. In the quote at the beginning of the article from the ESL student suggests that she feels confident about English when she's talking with her friends and family but not so much in school or with strangers. This relates to the fact that students will tend to excel in things that relate to their real lives. The formal language that they would use in an essay isn't as important to them as how they would talk to their friends and family. The chances are, the ESL student observed people speaking informally to each other outside of school and found that this way of speaking would be most beneficial to her.
Mostly what I found was that there are many different approaches to teaching and that these approaches are changing as time goes on. However, what remains is that students are really only going to remember the stuff that applies to them and their daily lives. What I've found in my placement is that students wanted to learn about the moon because they see it every night and are curious about it. But when it comes to scarcity and opportunity costs, they start to shut down because it's hard to relate to at this time in their lives. Obviously, we still have to teach these concepts but it's important for teachers to find ways to relate all concepts being learned in the classroom SOMEHOW to their real lives.
I agree with the fact that children learn best when they can relate to what they are learning. As teachers we need to relate the material we teach to the lives of our students in order for it to be meaningful and for students to remember the information. It is important to make the material you teach useful for students so that it is not meaningless knowledge. Although this is not easy for some concepts that must be taught, this type of learning will be the most beneficial for students.
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