Heather Hinks

ECS 300
Response Prompts for Chapters 1-6
Chapter 1:
I agree with the statement that task predicts performance. If a task is very difficult and not
explained properly performance levels will go down because students do not understand what is
to be done. Also, if a task is too easy students may not take it very seriously and again
performance will go down. With the proper amount of difficulty and instruction performance
levels will be good. Even a task that may be more difficult can have a strong performance result
if there is proper instruction and help from the teacher. It takes a certain level of help to get a task
to the level that the students are at. If the students are doing a task that is at their level their
performance will be better.
Chapter 2 Page 22:
In order from unimportant to very influential:
Jerrods Journal, Conflict and Consensus, Research, Look 2 Learning Data, School Stores,
Closure, To Think about, Tools
Chapter 3 Page 31:
Middle level thinking is mostly used in kindergarten and special education classrooms because
teachers want the students to start thinking about concepts differently. The teachers want the
students to have think about what is going on around them. Teachers are teaching students to
think about the world differently and to think more complexly about the things around them.
Lower level thinking may happen in high school because the teacher expects the students to do

high level thinking on their own. The teacher should not have to prompt students to think more
complexly, it should be done automatically.
Chapter 3 Page 40:
My claim: It is easy to learn when patterns are involved
Evidence from the text:
1. The brain is a pattern seeking device (page 28)
2. Finding patterns is one of the most natural ways for our brains to learn (page 31)
3. Activates that allow students to identify the patterns they see help the brain accept
key details introduced later (page 37)
Counterclaim to my position:
Not everyone thinks the same way. While our brain does look for patterns, they may help one
student but patterns may also confuse others.
Chapter 4 Page 51:
Its hard to hit a target you cant see is something I agree with very much. If you do not know
what is expected of you, you cannot reach it. That is why I find it very important to give some
form of a rubric to students. This way students have a clear understanding of how to reach
different targets. If the only person that knows the highest target of an assignment is the teacher,
no students will be able to reach the highest mark. They will not know what to strive for. That is
why I think it is very important to set clear goals and outcomes for students.
Chapter 4 Page 59:
I had a difficult time understanding what was expected of me while doing this closure activity. I
hope I interpreted it correctly.
A 5-year-old, a sticky note, people who disagree with me

I know we may not agree but it

is good when kids know why
they are learning something.
This makes it more about the
kid and not the teacher!

Chapter 5 Page 73:

Restate: The vocabulary for some questions made a test very difficult for a group of students, so
the teachers used this new vocabulary term more often the next year in the hopes that the
students would better understand the questions.
React: It is nice to see teachers changing how they teach in all subjects to help the students. The
students did not just learn about the definition of the word in their English class, rather all
teachers in every subject incorporated the word some how. I found this to be very uplifting
seeing all the teachers work together to benefit the students.
Remember: Unfortunately, I cannot remember a time that something like this happened to me as
a student. It may have happened; I just cannot remember it.
Respond with Questions: 1) Did the teachers all teach about the word unique at the same time or
was it spread out throughout the school year?
2) Was this something a single teacher thought should be done or did many teachers come up
with the idea?
3) Was it difficult for some teachers to agree to teach the vocabulary word in their classes? If so,
what was done to get them to agree to it?
Chapter 6 Page 80:

As a future teacher student engagement is something I worry about. Before reading the textbook
I associated engagement with having fun. But, from my understanding of the textbook,
engagement is the more than just having fun; it is the level of learning the students are
experiencing. Now that I have an understanding of Blooms Taxonomy, I hope this will make my
attempt at student engagement easier.
Chapter 6 Page 94:
Personal Response: Strong
Clear/Modeled Expectations: Maybe
Emotional/Intellectual Safety: Maybe
Learning with Others: Strong
Sense of Audience: Absent
Choice: Strong
Novelty and Variety: Strong
Authenticity: Absent
I think Jerrod was engaged in this assignment.
Chapter 7 Page 113
1) Inclusion
2) The Learner
3) Memory
1) How do I properly do note taking?
2) If what I think is important is different than the students, am I not setting them up for failure?

1) These strategies are like ten new pairs of socks. You cannot expect to use them all in the same
day, but each day you can wear a new pair and find out which one works best for you (and your
students)
Chapter 8 Page 125
1) I think a CEO or boss of a company would have a use for this information.
2) I think they would want this information because the people that work for them all learn,
work, and present their knowledge differently (just like students in a classroom). What works for
one person would not work for another. By using differentiation, a CEO could see how well their
employees are working. This could also make the task employees have to do easier for them.
3) This could be a lot less stressful for employees. They would be able to do their job or show
their knowledge the way they feel most comfortable. I understand that this is much easier said
than done. This would depend highly on the type of job and workplace someone is in.
Chapter 9 Page 138
My question would involve a profile of a student with a learning disability. It would have
information on things the student is good at and things the student struggles at. These could be
both subjects and learning strategies (note taking, creating hypothesis, etc.). It would also
involve any behaviour problems the student has.
My question would be: What interventions would you use if this student was in your classroom?
Use Figure 9.1 on page 133 for examples. Explain why you chose the interventions.
Chapter 10 Page 147
C: I wold pick blue. To me, blue is a very calm colour. A closure should be a calm moment for
the teacher. They should not be rushing over the closure quickly while the students are getting

ready to leave. It should be a few minute at the end of class when everyone is calm and the
lesson is being reinforced to the students.
S: I apologize for my horrible scenario
In the first half of the picture I am getting the students to explain the important aspects of the
lesson I taught.
In the second image I am getting an exit slip from the students

I: my icon is a summary in a textbook. A summary usually has the important parts of the text so
that is why I picked it

Chapter 11 Page 160

1) Nurture people and ideas
2) Energy is required for any system to grow

3) Courage needs strength and time

Since I do not have a school or district I will go off of the classroom I visited weekly
4) Focus on learning
5) I do not feel comfortable answering this question because I do not know enough about
the school to say something it needs to work on
Chapter 12 Page 176
I chose a lesson I did regarding theme and making connections
2) Cognitive demand: Level 3 the students had to infer with text support while determining the
theme of a story
Academic Strategies: Level 3/4 the students had to identify the pattern and relate it back to their
own life
Engaging Qualities: Level 3 the students had to explain and support their ideas and recognize
real examples
Questions: Level 3/4 the students had a range of themes they could pick (as long as it made sense
with the story), they also had to support and make connections.