Chapter 5

 “If questions are not asked, then expected application to meaningful context will be limited.” I like this quote because it is so true to me.  How else will you know the student learned the concept if you don’t have them to apply it in context?  Not only just context, but actually meaningful context will let you know if they truly understand it, this could easily be a way to assess students.  Questioning is used more than any other method for developing comprehension.  Questions help the teacher assess whether students understand the text.  Classroom instruction is dominated by a particular cycle of questioning known as IRE: initiate, respond, and evaluate. The downfall to IREs is that the teacher will be the only person talking, as in a mediator. 

When questions are proposed they should lead to a class discussion because then the teacher can hear all the student’s responses and evaluate them as well.  In discussions it is slightly better to evaluate then because other students won’t learn the wrong answers. When one student is asked to answer a question and gets it wrong then that student may suffer embarrassment, but if it’s in a discussion then the “blow” will not be so hard. 

Questions should also be based on the student’s rhetorical style. There are 3 forms of rhetorical style appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.    Ethos relates to questions about the author.  Logos relates to questions about logic; pathos relates to questions about emotions.  All of these are ways to help students develop their rhetorical thinking.  Another form of questioning is using “Higher- Order” thinking questions, which capture each level of Bloom’s taxonomy, a system similar to the DOK (Depth of Knowledge).Other types of questioning would be ReQuest, QtA (Question the Author), and Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) charts.

 

Chapter 7 Getting it Down: Making and Taking Notes

     In this chapter it discusses note taking versus note making.  As a student for many years, I never thought that "copying everything from the board" was considered note making.  To myself I was taking notes the only way I knew.  I have always enjoyed note taking because it allows me to stay awake and alert so that I can keep up with the class.  I have always enjoyed writing so note taking didn't bother me.  As a child and even  now I find myself repeating what the instructor is saying right after they say it so that I won't miss out.  When I was younger I even read it back aloud, which in return didn't work out for me because I was distracting other students.  In my opinion I believe that taking notes is very important for auditory learners.  I believe that note making would be better for visual learners because that way they can see the material first and only write down what they can't remember from reading the board.  I do believe that teachers should show students how to properly take notes because you have to take them all the way through college. Teachers should not tell students how to take notes verbally but model it for students.  I believe my earliest knowledge of note taking was at church.  I always was wondering what my mom would be writing plus I loved to write so I begin to take notes at church.  At just about any service that I go to I take notes from the sermon, it keeps me alert and when I get in a bind and need some spiritual advice I can go back to my notes.  I think note taking should be taken serious, although some students may do fine just listening in class. Do you feel that note taking is as important to have a mini class session taught in middle school on note taking? Are there other strategies other than charts or writing a report? Not many people like to write papers; I can witness to that.