Double Journal Entry #15

• "Skepticism about the value of play is compounded by the widespread assumption that the earlier children begin to master the basic elements of reading, such as phonics and letter recognition, the more likely they are to succeed in school."
• "Young children work hard at play."  "Because their motivation comes from within, they learn the powerful lesson of pursuing their own ideas to a successful conclusion."
• "Research shows that children who engage in complex forms of socio-dramatic play have greater language skills than nonplayers, better social skills, more empathy, more imagination, and more of the subtle capacity to know what others mean. They are less aggressive and show more self-control and higher levels of thinking."

These three quotes really stood out to me in the reading.This is a very interesting and thought provoking topic. I completely agree with these statements and was surprised to read of the research showing that students who enage in play have better skills, are less aggressive, and sow more self-control. THese thougths are all very interesting and need to be considered.

"Miller, Edward. Almon, Joan.Crisis in the Kindergarten Why Children Need to Play in School."

Do Schools Kill Creativity

I really enjoyed this video. Sir Ken Robinson's ideas were very true and I was able toreally connect to the thoughts he was talking about.

3 Things I Agreed with:

• Creativity is just as important as literacy.
• Students are afraid to be wrong.
• Students "grow out of their creativity" or educated out of it. Creativity is not valued in schools.

2 Ideas that Surprised me:

• People who are not preparded to be wrong will never come up with anything origional.
• I thought the story of the cheoreogropher becoming a dancer was very interesting!

1 Thing that I Disagree with:

• Nothing!

Double Journal Entry #14

1. What was the most interesting idea you encountered as you read the chapter?

The idea that was most interesting to me stated that all language is dialogic in the sense that is designed to communicate with an "assumed other." It gave the example that a person wirting on a fan fiction site is assuming a particular type of reader such as a fellow fan. This to meis very true. When writing, you are going to use different style and words depending on who is going to read it!

2. What connections can you make between Gee's critique and Sir Ken Robinsons' critique of traditional schooling?

Gee and Sir Ken Robinson seem to have the same thoughts and opinions about traditional schooling. Both agree that students aren't able to show and apply their creativity. Students are instead programmed to learn a certain way and be a certain something in the world.

3. How did this book change or support your understanding of good teaching?

THis book definatly supports my theories of good teaching. It talks about students being seen as individuales and not just anoher student. I believe that this is very important. Teachers need to get to know their students and understand how they learn.