Wonderments- Mayer Chapter 7

1. (Page 260)  I wonder if my feedback is seen by my students as informational or as a reinforcement technique. I wonder if I always use feedback to promote meaningful learning.
2. (Page 267)  I wonder if the positive effect of a timeout dwindles as the student becomes older or is it as successful at the junior high level.
3. (Page 268)  I wonder if token economies make students want something in return for all activities and thus diminish the personal satisfaction of a job well done. I wonder if there will be disappointment in later life when the token system isn’t always in place.
4. (Page 268)  I wonder if our school system depends too much time on rewarding behaviors that should be just a natural part of life.
5. (Page 281)  I wonder if students realize that word processing is a needed skill that can be transferred into other areas to help in future learning.
6. (Page 288)  I wonder why some students spend more time practicing than others? I wonder how a teacher can inspire such practice in students.
7. (Page 289)  I wonder if I allow enough time for practice and more practice or does the constraint of time interfere.
8. (Page 291)  I wonder if I give enough feedback to foster an environment of a positive learning experience.
9. (Page 291)  I wonder if all learners are capable of making sense of the feedback given to them by teachers or are they sometimes confused.

 
Skep Wonderments

10. (Introduction)- I wonder if some schools desire “straight row desk” teachers or do they prefer the “grouping desks” teachers to work in their district?
11. (Introduction)- I wonder which classroom most students would prefer to a part of?
12. (Assertive Discipline Page 4)- I wonder why 3^rd grade was chosen for a study on Assertive Discipline by Bowling Green University. Usually 3^rd grade is an ideal grade to teach and behavioral problems are few. Any discipline program would work in this grade.
13. (Positive Discipline Frederic Jones Page 3)- I wonder if allowing swearing and insulting of the teacher establishes an atmosphere for learning or an atmosphere that encourages inappropriate behavior.
14. (Positive Discipline Frederic Jones Page 3)- I wonder when the backup system has to be put in effect. When the line is crossed- the last resort- and punishment has to be used.
15. (Theobold and Mills Page 5)- I wonder why schools force a certain discipline program within their district when there may not be one correct method of discipline that works for all cultures or teachers.
16. (Curvine/Mendler)- I wonder who will teach a cafeteria behavior class. Schools seem to have to teach skills that were once taught at home but are no longer due to time constraints, lack of parenting skills, or influence of the media.
17. (Alfie Kohn Page 7)- “He explains that a teacher can encourage intrinsic movement by removing rewards and grades and helping our students to become fully involved in their learning instead of worried about their performance”- I wonder if the authors of NCLB ever read this statement. Does constant test practice and worry about student performance take away from learning?
18. (Globalization Factor)- Given the multicultural fact of the United States, I wonder how a certain discipline program would work in a multicultural diverse classroom. Most students come to school with different life experience and are expected to assimilate.
19. (Globalization Factor)- I wonder if the web will encourage the sharing of more ideas on how schools around the world handle their discipline programs.
20. (General Wonderment)- I wonder if including technology in all classroom would lesson behavioral problems and increase learning.

1. I wonder why “Hooked on Phonics” is not advertised on television. In the 1990s, not a day went by without seeing the commercial for this product. Has phonics disappeared like the commercial? (Skep, 4).
2. I wonder if spell check and grammar check, lesson the emphasis on grammar rules in the classroom. (Skep, 4).
3. I wonder if I will be successful in stopping the slump in my 4^th grade mostly Hispanic class. Hopefully all their needs will be met. (Skep, 4)
4. I wonder if equal access to the wonders of technology in education will be given to all students regardless of their income. (Skep, 5)
5. I wonder if the popularity of blog use will increase students and adults desire to communicate by writing. (Skep, 6)
6. I wonder if the reason primary grade children dictate to themselves, and mouth each word in the writing process, is because writing with correct spelling and grammar is new to them. (Mayer, 130)
7. I wonder if language arts teachers stress prewriting activities that seem to produce better essays as suggested by Kellogg’s study. (Mayer, 132)
8. I wonder if teachers let their students pair up with an older child to dictate their stories. I have been successful with the computer program “Storybook Weaver” in which the younger student pairs up with a buddy to write the story. (Mayer, 137)
9. I wonder if word processing skill is the key for future great writers or does it have little effect in the translation process. (Mayer, 140)
10. I wondered why handwriting was so emphasized in lower grade. I know now that it can have a positive effect on the quality of student writing. (Mayer, 141).
11. I wonder if the reason that adults do not often review their written work is the sense of relief that the task is over and done with. (Mayer,143)
12. I wonder if classroom teachers include revision training in their writing course. The training would seem to be time well spent. (Mayer, 148)
13. I wonder if students see how an important the  skill of planning is in the process of writing?(Mayer,131)
14. I wonder if “oral learners”, even though they have knowledge of their audience, have too many stumbling blocks to overcome to become proficient writers. (Mayer, 124)
15. I wonder if any of our students will be famous writers and dedicate a book to their language arts teacher. (General)

1. I wonder if all students have the ability to use all 4 cognitive processes used in mathematical problem solving.(164)
2. I wonder if problem translation is a double source of difficulty for ESL students (164).
3. I wonder if all students are able to comprehend the procedural knowledge needed to complete the solution execution (189).
4. I wonder if teachers and students really know how to use concrete manipulations (307).
5. I wonder if all students can be encouraged. What would be the right way to encourage the unencouraged? (321)
6. I wonder if improving memory skills will make more experts in the world (437).
7. I wonder how the cognitive gains made in Head start can be continued throughout all the grades of learning (455).
8. I wonder if we should teach students to think like a detective, always looking for a clue to solve the puzzle (433).

Skep- The Psychology of Learning and Teaching Mathematics

9. I wonder if all math teachers make use of the assistance of technology in their teaching (1)
10. I wonder when some students no longer find math a creative and fun subject. I wonder what causes this math shutdown to occur (1).
11. I wonder if students are tired of explaining how they derived their answer (2).
12. I wonder if “there is a best way to do math problems” is taught in math classes for time saving. I like Accelerated Math because of its individual and personalized method. I wonder given class size and time constraints if it is always possible to individualize (2).
13. I wonder if ISAT (or other standardized tests) would agree that obtaining the approximate answer is often more important than getting the exact answer (3).
14. The NCTM feels as though all people encounter math within their everyday life. I wonder if students realize that decimals will be used in their money transactions, fractions in their cooking, geometry in designing, etc (10).
15. I wonder why math is a universal language- Many bilingual children (Polish, Lithuanian, Spanish) seem to excel at math before the other reading (General).

1. I wonder why students often fail to transfer what they learned outside school to solving problems in the real world. As I was reading about the vendors in Brazil, I thought about a 2^nd grader in our school in the early 1990s. His family owned a store where he spent many hours. Observing the money process in the store, he had an uncanny ability to make change and count money. When the 2^nd graders were studying money, he shared his skills with his fellow students. I believe they learned more from him than the teacher using the traditional book method at the time. (461).
2. I wonder if teachers can be a success in creating social contexts to foster learning. I truly hope so.(461)
3. I always wonder where zpd in Accelerated Reading originated. It makes sense that zpd- zone of proximal development refers to the difference between student’s current performance and level of performance the child could attain with expert guidance. STAR Reader and Accelerated Reading test make more sense now (462).
4. I wonder why more teachers don’t rely on modeling in their teaching. The uses of the internet, like You Tube videos, seem to give teachers many how to ideas on how to model. (465).
5. I wonder if the ideas of  cooperative learning principles were better learned in the classroom, would they then transfer over to make a better cooperative world in which to live (466).
6. I wonder if some teachers are willing to give up control and let students lead the discussion (472).
7. I wonder if there is more research on computer-supported collaborative learning and if there is, where can it be found?(477)
8. I wonder how to personalize instruction in a way that my students always want to learn.(483)
9. I wonder if there is a personalized version of a game, based on the learning journey children take, that would make the subjects studied more understandable to the children (486)
10. I wonder how a computer or person is negatively polite. The words negative and polite don’t seem to go together.(487)
11. I wonder if math teachers dream of a virtual reality math world for their students. (489).
12. I wonder what method is best to motivate all students in my class (494)
13. I wonder what motivated learning when I was in grammar school. I was raised in the sticker free, candy free, no extra credit world of the 1960s (522).
14. I wonder how schools can instill confidence into students when sometimes this confidence is undermined at home.(521)
15. I wonder if teachers should be more like educational psychologists- always looking for ideas to make their students really want to learn.(522)

Skep- Classrooms Where Active Listening and Student Empowerment are Essential

1. I wonder how teachers can help the student unblock the roadblocks that interfere in their road to developing into a complete person. (Skep, p.4)
2. I wonder how many teachers really practice a non-judgmental attitude that encourages students to talk out their problems. (Skep,p.4)
3. I wonder if students were trained in using “I message” at an early age that they would have the ability to acquire better relationship skills in life. (Skep, #23  I Message from WikEd CTER).
4. I wonder if the idea of students learning to learn and meaningful learning was ever thought of by the authors of NCLB. (Skep, p.6).
5. I wonder if parents believe the Neil idea “the function of the child is to live his own life- not the life that his anxious parents think he should live.” Many parents practice too much control or the other end of the spectrum- neglect. I wonder how parents and teachers can create a balance for the child. (Skep,p.7)
6. I wonder if reading disabilities cause trouble with authority as suggested by Freiberg. I hope not. Maybe the troubles come from misunderstanding or poor communication skills. (Skep, p.8)
7. I wonder why all teachers don’t incorporate the “New Media” into their classroom, opening up a world of learning for their students (and themselves). (Skep, p.9)
8. I wonder how good communication can be ensured in schools between teachers, students, and counselors. I wonder why some students for whatever reason slip through the cracks. (Ske, p.11)
9. I wonder if the adaptation of technology would help create a classroom envisioned by Roger in which the focus is on self directed learning. I can see the possibilities. (Skep, p.12)
10. I wonder if some teachers only focus on the standards and consequences forgetting the caring for the student component of learning. (Skep #1- Approaches in a culturally diverse EDBD middle school classroom).
11. I wonder if counselors use Glasser’s eight step procedure for helping the students in their case. (Skep #3- Combination approach in Singapore)
12. I wonder if CPS- Creating a Peaceable School could help CPS- Chicago Public Schools create a safe environment in which to learn or are there too many outside variables to make this happen? (Skep #7- Creating Peaceable Schools)
13. I wonder if teachers know how to approach students in the right way to enable personal growth for the student and problem solving skills for the future. (Skep #12- The Person Centered Approach)
14. I wonder why the emphasis on play in learning in preschool is not continued throughout the school experience. (Skep #18- Timeline~ Play Mountain Place School in Southern California)
15. I wonder how schools can fulfill the safety need given the unsafe world that the student and teacher lives in.(Skep # 11- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs)