I appreciated Dweck’s quote, “I’m going to teach you,” not “I’m going to judge your talent” (p. 191). That statement speaks volumes to the effect of mindset on teaching practices. In the article by Dweck, I was surprised by the fact that a teacher at a college would be reprimanded for expecting students to aspire to her high standards. I remember when I first began teaching in Kentucky. The statewide accountability system was somewhat new. I recall a conversation I had with a veteran teacher who informed me that all children needed to be proficient, so on a scale of one to four, they needed to be at a three. A three not a four, I wondered. I taught to the “four” standard anyway, setting high standards for my students and informing them that with hard work and a good instructional plan, they could do it.
In consideration to Outliers, Gladwell made several interesting points. Interestingly, the idea that stuck with me dealt with language. How does language impair our memory? The information he wrote regarding our number system and language as compared to the Asians was quite profound. I immediately made a connection to Mayer and cognitive load theory. Imagine if we could simply restructure our language better to represent numbers how that might both reduce cognitive load and make mathematical practices less complex for children.
I feel like this semester has challenged my thinking in both how people learn and what I can do as an instructor in assisting my students’ development of deeper understanding of concepts. I believe people learn best with they have the time to make sense of the world around them as well as an instructor to help guide instruction and explain when misconceptions arise. People have cognitive limitations that teachers need to be aware of and plan for to make the time we have in a classroom beneficial and not overwhelming.
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