CH8 disscussion questions - Essay Example

1. Do you think praising ability should be totally eliminated from a room? According to Willingham (2009), should be praised for the effort made, not for their ability. However, it is impossible to eliminate praises for ability form the classroom environment. For instance, there are tasks that need no preparation and that are completed on the spot. These tasks reveal students’ abilities not their effort and it is inevitable that students will have to complete such tasks from time to time. Bright students may complete these tasks very quickly and praising effort would be rather insincere, which should also be avoided, according to Willingham (2009).

More so, the student may be discouraged and lack for motivation when completing other tasks during other classes. It can be more beneficial to combine the two types of praises making major focus on praising effort rather than ability. It is also important to stress that children can develop the ability if they work hard and next time other students may come up with quick and correct answers. 2. What are some effective strategies aimed at teaching students to learn? Clearly, time is precious and some educators simply fail to invest classroom time into development of certain skills that can help students to learn more effectively.

Nonetheless, it is essential for a teacher to make sure that students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. An effective strategy can involve giving group tasks. Working in a group will enable a student to observe the way other students work and he/she will be able to use similar strategies in the future. Clearly, it is important to make sure that each group includes slow students as well as bright students. Apart from that, educators have to devote some time to teaching students to use certain learning strategies.

Thus, when giving an assignment, it is possible to give students several minutes to discuss strategies they are going to use to do their tasks. The teacher should give some advice and highlight strengths and weaknesses of approaches mentioned. Sometimes a teacher may simply give some tips on completing a task.3. What effective strategies aimed at helping a slow student catch up are mentioned? Which are effective? Can you think of another effective strategy?Willingham (2009) names several strategies that can be applied when helping students to catch up.

One of them is quite controversial as asking a student to devote “a fixed time” to do assignments may be counterproductive since the student may sit with books but think of something else (Willingham, 2009, p. 186). First, it is crucial to make the student understand that he/she will need extra effort to catch up. It is important to add that the student should also understand the importance of catching up. Asking a student to read more or do more tasks should not seem a punishment but should be a sign of appraisal, encouragement and showing confidence.

Apart from giving tips concerning additional materials, it is possible to encourage students to work in pairs or groups. Thus, students will have support and they will be able to cover more topics. It is also necessary to check the students’ progress (it can be done with the help of tests, quizzes and so on). Revision of certain material with the class should not be underestimated and it can also be used as a tool to help students catch up. Reference ListWillingham, D.T. (2009). Why don’t students like school: A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom.

San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.