By assigning us one of three books to read, I believe Dr. Dana is "practicing what she preaches." Throughout the duration of the course, Dr. Dana has emphasized the importance of using other reading materials (not just the textbook), and what better way to make her point clear than to have us view these sources as our students one day will.
Like we will try to do with our own students, Dr. Dana is trying to get us interested in what she teaches. By giving us a choice in what we read, Dr. Dana is making the material more meaningful. She is, in a sense, personalizing the curriculum for each of us. If you're like me, you probably read a summary of each of the three books before you decided on the one you wanted to read. You picked the book that you felt you could connect with and that you would most likely enjoy reading. If you've started reading your book already, you've also probably realized that it doesn't read like a textbook. The pages turn a lot more easily, and the content is a lot more approachable. These feelings, undoubtedly, will also be the same feelings our own students will experience one day. Thus, by viewing this assignment through the eyes of a student, I think Dr. Dana is hoping that we will see the significance of implementing such an assignment in our own future classrooms.
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4 comments:
having the choice to read whatever we want is a great way to keep us interested. since we got to choose our books, we'll probably actually read it. this is a great strategy to keep a class on task and to get the assignment done. this is a great idea to be used in a high school class as well. the students will probably be more receptive to the activities when more choice is involved.
I totally agree that by allowing us to choose which book we wanted to read it makes us more interested in our subject matter. Personally, I find it really interesting and helpful to read other people's adventures in teaching! This is why I think we needed to read one of the books. It allows us to reflect on personal experiences that we may have had in the classroom from both sides of the spectrum.
It is true that choosing which book we would like to read keeps us interested. I think it is important to have students choose what some of the things that they learn about and this is one of many ways to do this. And once we have given students the choice we can do lessons that preach to the things our students are interested in
I kinda hoped you would like the book you chose, too. : )
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