Although I have only read chapters 1 & 2 thus far in Subjects
Matter, I have already acquired an abundance of helpful
information for teaching. Chapter 1 started with giving the example of Michael
and Antonio, the two students who were helping others to understand the risks
of eating fast food. The enthusiasm these students had for trying to make a
difference in the world was remarkable. The book Fast
Food Nation helped to spark the need for these students to
take action and understand the truth about fast food. Reading this brought me
back to my first semester at Rhode Island College. In my Writing 100 class, we
were required to read Fast Food Nation and view the film Food
Inc. I remember feeling the same passion that Michael and Antonio
possessed for abandoning my previous consumption of meat. I became
a vegetarian for six months, and spread the word to friends and family about
the truth behind major food corporations. I learned a valuable lesson in that
class. I have read plenty of books in other classes, and there are many that I
have forgotten completely, even ones that I have read fairly recently. It was
the multiple sources and days spent on Fast
Food Nation and other related articles that has kept me able to recall the
information as if it happened yesterday. Just as Subject Matters touches upon, I believe it is extremely important to
assign “real” readings in school. That is, readings that involves current world
issues or affairs. According to the text, as teachers “we need to start making
reading a more meaningful, effective and long lasting learning experience.” I
would love to be able to teach my students lessons, or assign books that they can
become passionate about. As far as I am concerned, these sorts of meaningful
experiences will be the ones that stay with students for years down the line.
Chapter 1 also stresses that at the
secondary level, students are assigned too many textbook readings, and often do
not comprehend what they are reading. This also brought me back to the past. I
remember in high school being required to read multiple history and science textbooks.
During these assignments, teachers did not guide me to understand what I was
reading. I can say for sure that I have forgotten at least ninety percent of
the information I read in those textbooks all those years ago. This is a big part
of the problem that Daniels and Zemelman are addressing in chapter 1 and 2. If
we only assign reading and do not teach it, most students will not fully
comprehend what they have read, and more than likely will forget the
information in the future. Chapter two studies this issue even further and
reveals that prior knowledge is the main factor of comprehension. Students need
to connect what they are learning to existing schemas to be able to understand
what they are reading. This information was very helpful to learn, and I have
already been brainstorming ideas on how I can incorporate activating student’s
schemas into my lesson plans. Discussing information on a topic with students
before diving right into the reading seems fairly simple, and necessary to
assist students in the best way possible.
One of my favorite lines from
chapter 2 was the bit about the importance of not just assigning reading, but
instead teaching reading. This concept seems simplistic, yet I know from
personal experience in classes that teachers do not always live by this motto.
The same applies for writing. Too often students are assigned papers to write,
but are not given any form of writing instruction. I speculate that this may be
because teachers at the secondary level assume that students have already
learned how to do this. As a future educator, I will not assume that my
students already have all the writing and reading skills required to be successful.
I will also strive to teach reading and
writing rather than merely assigning it. So far, I have enjoyed this book and I
hope to learn more helpful tips on teaching in upcoming chapters.
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