Two-Column Notes

Date:
Name: Morgan Niese
10/26/20
16

Page #
1

Class/Subject: EDTL 2760

Topic or Chapter
Fred M. Newmann & Gary G. Wehlage: Five Standards of Authentic Instruction
Newmann, F.M., & Wehlage, G.G. (1993). Five standards of authentic instruction. Educational
Leadership, 50 (7), 8-12.
The Text Says
I Say
Notes (key concepts, direct quotes, etc.)
My notes, commentary
To define authentic achievement more
precisely, we rely on three criteria that are
consistent with major proposals in the
restructuring movement: (1) students
construct meaning a produce knowledge,
(2) students use disciplined inquiry to
construct meaning, and (3) students aim
their work toward production of discourse,
products, and performances that have
value or meaning beyond success in
school.

This quote is presented at the beginning of the

article and explains what authentic instruction
really is. This was nice because it gave an
understanding of what they wanted from their
research and what they wanted to present
throughout this article. I have always known
that as a prospective teacher I wanted to teach
with authentic instruction but I never put a
name to it. This type of instruction is really
what every teacher should aim for in their
classroom and sadly many do not. Some
teachers only put up notes and have the
students copy them down. They dont
elaborate therefore, the students never get the
opportunity to really understand and look
deeper into concepts. While this type of
instruction should not happen it still does. So,
presenting authentic instruction to these types
of teachers might make them understand what
teaching is really about. Teachers should strive
to get their students to see the deeper

Higher-order thinking (HOT) requires

students to manipulate information and
ideas in ways that transform their meaning
and implications, such as when students
combine facts and ideas in order to
synthesize, generalize, explain,
hypothesize, or arrive at some conclusion
or interpretation. Manipulating information
and ideas through these processes allows
students to solve problems and discover
new (for them) meanings and
understandings.

A lesson gains in authenticity the more

there is a connection to the larger social
context within which students live.
Instruction can exhibit some degree of
connectedness when (1) students address
real-world public problems (for example,
clarifying a contemporary issue by
applying statistical analysis in a report to
the city council on the homeless); or (2)
students use personal experiences as a

meaning in concepts which will intern allow the

students to expand their thinking making them
more knowledgeable and successful not only in
school but out of school in real life situations
too.
High-order of thinking is just one out of many
ways to get students to see the bigger picture.
It forces them to think differently about facts,
data, ideas, and information given to them to
come up with a variety of explanations and
conclusions about certain subjects. As a
prospective social studies teacher, I want to
learn different ways to present information to
my students to make the class more interesting
to them. If the students minds are constantly
thinking and moving in class, they will learn so
much more and they might even enjoy the
class more. Higher-order of thinking also
makes students better problem solvers which
will not only improve their skills in school but
outside of school too. They will start to know
more of what is happening around them in the
world allowing them to make better decisions in
life.
I love, love, love, this idea of connectedness to
the world. As a soon to be social studies
teacher, this part of authentic instruction really
applies to me. To help the students understand
different facts and information of historical
events, our government, economy, and
geography, they need to be able to understand
what is happening in the world around them
first. Connecting my lessons in my classroom
to real-world public problems and my students

context for applying knowledge (such as

using conflict resolution techniques in their
own school).

lives will be a major part of my teaching.

Connecting what the students are learning in
school to problems outside of the school walls
will not only help them gain a better
understanding of the world around them but it
might also make the class more interesting to
them. If the class is more interesting, they may
pay attention more allowing expand their
knowledge over certain subjects and concepts.
That is why I love this part of the authentic
instruction.

Connections:
Overall, I really enjoyed this article because it really gave me great insight onto how to become a better
teacher. This article and last weeks article over essential questions really helped me find ways to
better teach my future students social studies. We all know that many students do not enjoy social
studies which causes many problems for teachers teaching social studies. A lot of the time, teacher
have a difficult time trying to keep the students involved and paying attention in class. I know that
when I went to high school, I would always here my classmate complaining that they didnt want to go
to social studies class because it was boring. Obviously, I strongly disagreed because I was one of very
few that actually enjoyed the class. This honestly made me really nervous about becoming a social
studies teacher because I wanted to be able to get my students to like the class but I didnt really know
how. By taking this class and by reading last weeks article and this weeks article, has helped me
become more creative with ideas and has made me more confident in becoming a social studies
teacher. Essential questions will help me teach my students because they will actually get my students
to think differently and will engage them in conversation in class activities. Authentic instruction will
help me find different ways to connect to my students by making them think differently, by increasing
their problem solving abilities, and by making them grow in a better understanding of the concept. So,
both of these articles have given me great insight own how to grow as an educator.