April Articles

  Reading the articles about the differences between left and right brain learners makes me realize how important it is to try to understand each student's learning style.  I have taken a class on differentiated instruction and can reflect back to its importance.  Young children do not learn isolated facts with much success, neither are they passive learners.  If you spent only an hour in a Kindergarten classroom, you would quickly learn that you can not simply lecture them.  Young children need an environment that provides stimulating, challenging materials and activities.

  The article Teaching for Historical Literacy brings out the point that we need to try to make history a real thing for students, not simply textbook reading.  I'll admit that history was not the most exciting class for me in elementary school.  I viewed it as memorizing facts and dates.  It wasn't until I was an adult, watching television shows like The Tudors, that I had real history questions floating through my brain.  Okay...maybe not the best example of history one could find...but the show got me on the internet trying to sort out what was real and not so real.

  The foundation for social studies begins with a child's personal experiences and understanding of their families, homes and schools.  Gradually their understanding expands to include communities and the larger world.  Teachers need to engage the children in active investigations that build knowledge and understanding for various learning styles.