There are many different strategies that can be found online. Many of them are general strategies; they can be applied to or adapted for any subject that you wish to use them for. There are also some strategies that are a little more specific in what they can be used for. The websites suggested were extremely helpful and in many cases presented ideas that I had not thought about. I bookmarked several of them for future use. The strategies ranged from the intricate, time consuming activities to easy, simple, and basic plans. What surprised me about the sites were the previously mentioned strategies that I would not have thought about. I used one of them for one of my posts- teaching the students how to read the textbook. Something so simple can make or break the students’ ability to use one of the most resourceful tools that they have. Even the most complicated process in Math can be made “easier to grasp” by a textbook that is worded well, chronological, on grade level, and highlights important terms. This strategy may only be used one time a year- at the beginning of class- but the benefits of using it will be felt for the rest of the year.
Many of these strategies could also be used to bridge different content areas. There are math strategies aimed at helping math students read and write. Others help them connect to science, such as studying statistics on how certain factors effect plant growth. In doing so, these strategies make it easier for students to connect the new knowledge that they are learning to the knowledge the currently possess. However, these strategies all have one thing in common- they are design with helping students learn in mind. They may not be specifically framed around the standard course of study like many lessons are, but they will help the students to incorporate and use the information that is being presented to them.
Although I have some differences with textbooks, I believe that it is an important tool for students because that one piece of material is always ready to be accessed by students unlike the internet or the library way across town. It is important to give the students the skills needed to understand and following along with the textbooks.
Kirsten Schmidt
Mandy,
Excellent points in your summary.
Woody Trathen
Connecting content areas adds another dimension for students. It’s like getting the whole package at one time and it makes learning and comprehension much easier!
Hey,
I think that the more each subject in school embrace each other the better and more intelligent the students will be. I believe that writing and math should be done in both LA and Math. If all teachers were to embrace each others subjects, learning and comprehension would sky rocket!!!
Amanda Felts
You make a lot of good points. It can be hard for even the average reader to comprehend textbook information.
Your points are dead on textbooks today are difficult for alot of people
Rodney Pyatte
Textbooks do make a difference. Some people will learn more from a simple textbook versus one they don’t understand. The question we need to ask is how to we challenge our kids without overdoing it.