Questions????

I think that questions are a very important part of the learning experience, but aren't always a positive thing. I was always the student who dreaded questions b/c most of the time I wasn't paying attention and would start to sweat at the thought of the teacher calling on me to answer. I believe I felt this way because students make it such a big deal if the answer is wrong. As the teacher, this is a great way to be sure that most of the students are paying attention and will also help to strenghten the students' comprehension if the questions asked are "good". Classrooms are filled with a million different types of questions and they are a big part of who we are as learners.

It is our nature to constantly ask questions and want questions to be answered. This is how we gain certain information and learn a lot about who we are as students and who we will be as teachers. As a teacher, we should be sure that we ask questions that cause students to actually think. My experiences with questions, as a student, did not fit in this category. My teachers wanted a yes or no answer or the correct answer and if you missed it in front of the class it was AWFUL. I dreaded being called on and even if I did know the answer I didn't share it b/c of the possibility of getting it wrong. I think that using higher order thinking questions is much more engaging for students and will give them the courage to speak up because there isn't always necessarily a right or wrong answer. This allows the children to show how they think and possibly help others to see different aspects of problems that they wouldn't normally see. This will give them confidence and understand that how they think does matter.

I really enjoyed watching the TED video that we watched on Tuesday. I personally hate math, but if he was my teacher I might have actually enjoyed it. I love the way he incorporated real life into his problems and allowed the students to be hands on. He forces his students to think outside of the box and really use their minds. I totally agree with relating the learning with real life, but how does he show the kids how to get an accurate answer on some of those problems? I know that I would have really enjoyed his class, but definitely failed. There are so many factors and variables that affect problems like those. (like the balloon popping) I just don't think in that way and do not understand how he is able to show them ways to get the answer without giving them certain pieces of information. The rhetorical questions that we discussed in class were also very interesting. These type of questions will really get the students using their minds and think about their own thought processes and way of thinking. I don't want my students to sit in class and dread being called on like I did. I want them to be engaged in conversation and learning and want to share their thoughts with me and the class. I think that asking good higher order thinking questions and allowing them to feel "safe" when sharing their thoughts will allow this to happen.

Notes, Notes, and more Notes.....

Well, I think that I am pretty good at taking notes. Taking notes was something that I actually kind of enjoyed doing in school. I could always write really fast and keep up with what was being said. I usually wrote myself little side notes to be sure that I would remember exactly what was being said at that point. I use a lot of arrows and pictures and things to help me remember whatever it is I should be remembering. I could always listen to what was being said and make my own notes up as it went. High school was strictly copying whatever it was from the board. I never realized my note taking skills until college came and I was forced to take notes however I saw fit. The teachers would lecture and I would take the notes that I needed and draw my representations to help me remember. I think that not taking is a great skill to have. I don't think that I know how to "properly" take notes, but what I do works for me. I would like to better learn how to teach my students to take useful notes so they will be able to aquire this helpful skill.
Note making is a totally different ball game. I am horrible at making my own notes without someone telling me the information I need to know.(or atleast guiding me) In high school and in college I have been forced to read chapters or articles and make my own notes on the important facts. I fail, miserably. I always feel like I'm not catching the most important points or I am just totally over thinking the whole process. I can write things that I thought about while reading and that sometimes helps me remember stuff, but overall I just think I suck at choosing the things to make note of. I would much rather listen to someone tell me about the topic and allow me to take notes while they speak or just copy some notes that they have already made. I think that note making is a skill that students need to master. It makes things much easier on them and cuts a lot of time out of their work if they are having to read a large amount of text. I hate doing this so I really need to know how I can teach my students to find the important things and choose things worth making note of. I was never taught how to take notes, but somehow just mangaged to figure out a way that works for me. I'm a very organized person, but my notes are totally opposite. Having everything all over the paper is how it usually ends up, but I always have the information I need when I go back to study.  Since I was never taught how to take notes or really make notes either, how do  I encourage them or show them how to figure out their own style?  and the best to help them learn?