Memory and Learning
What it means for teachers
Teach the most important information at the beginning of your class to take advantage of better learning at the beginning. Use the rest of the class for students to practice, apply, and reinforce. End the class with a summary to take advantage of better learning at the end.
Students may be able to “take in a lot [Read on...]
Thinking about Thinking, even more
Here is the example from a literature lesson using summarizing:
Explain Why to use the strategy.
“Today we are going to learn about making a summary of a story. This will help you learn and remember better because you will put the story in your own words. To make a good summary, you have to really understand the story.”
Demonstrate how and when [Read on...]
Thinking about Thinking, continued
Summary
Good readers are very aware of their own thinking. They ask themselves whether they know anything about the topic before they read, whether they understood what they just read, and whether they areready for a test. Poor readers do not have this kind of self-awareness of their own thinking.
These strategies do not develop on their own for most readers, they [Read on...]
Thinking about Thinking
How can Thinking About Thinking Help
Thinking about thinking can:
Help teachers understand what thinking strategies students are using and
Help students learn new thinking strategies and when to use them.
Which Thinking Strategies Can Be Taught?
Many studies have shown differences in thinking strategies between good readers and poor readers. More than 150 strategies have been identified. Not all strategies used by good readers [Read on...]
Comprehension Skills
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Staying Safe in a Toxic World, Issue #32 of The Change Agent
This issue of The Change Agent explores the local environment and tells stories of environmental clean-ups and community efforts to identify and deal with pollution sources. With an emphasis on math and science, activities help students think about large and small numbers, percents, ratios, and scale. A one-pager on “Smart Moves: Take Control of Math” offers strategies for confronting difficult [Read on...]
Eleven Ways to Improve Students’ Writing
“When students write more frequently,” says Douglas Reeves in the Center for Performance Assessment’s newsletter, “their ability to think, reason, analyze, communicate, and perform on tests will improve. Writing is critical to student achievement.” The newsletter goes on to quote a recent Carnegie Corporation meta-analysis of strategies for improving students’ writing:
Teach strategies. Explicitly and systematically teach steps [Read on...]
The SQ4R Reading Method
There are many instructional methods designed to improve comprehension. One of those methods is the SQ4R method. The SQ4R method stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Relate, and Review.
Survey: Before reading anything with your student, survey what you will be reading together. Help your student skim over titles, headings, captions, graphs, and introductory and concluding paragraphs. Make sure as they [Read on...]
Writing Portfolios
We have encouraged you to keep a portfolio of student work. Some of the many benefits include helping your student develop self-reflection, critical thinking, and responsibility for learning. Portfolios are also a great way to track student progress and help students see “how far they’ve come.” They can also be given to the next tutor as a way to maintain [Read on...]
Learn About Health Issues With Our New Mini-Lessons
Do you know if you have high blood pressure?Are you knowledgeable about your family’s health history?How do you know if it’s safe to take aspirin with your current medications?
Project Read focuses on helping its students achieve the goals that are important to them in their [Read on...]
