I agree with Peter, June! :-) Glad you jumped in. Peter...it is a pretty interesting idea to compare the dimensions of understanding with the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. Ellin hits all of them in some way, shape or form...when you look at the table on page 27 again...though many of the dimensions seem to fit in a couple places in that cycle. So...are we coming up with our own model of what it means to understand? It is perhaps not really circular...but rather like a spiral. We understand better and better with each turn of the spiral, but we could always understand MORE each time we struggle with an idea, create a model in our brain, discuss ideas with others, sit in silence and consider our thinking. I think I am seeing now that 'remembering' is NOT the product, but a byproduct of the process, if that makes sense. It happens because of what we do to understand but isn't an ending point. June, another aspect of your post I find intriguing is your description of how you see the special needs children. I, too, work with that population and know exactly what you are talking about. These kids need rigor---the kind of rigor Ellin describes where teachers continually probe for more thoughtful responses balanced with the risk-free environment where the kids know they are safe to try. I think in our well-intentioned efforts to support our special needs kiddos, we inadvertently tell them we don't believe they can think. What happens, do you think, if we really set them on this spiral...show them how to understand and EXPECT them to be able to understand? I think they will set the world on fire! :-) Jennifer Palmer Reading Specialist, National Board Certified Teacher FLES- Lead the discovery, Live the learning, Love the adventure. Reading furnishes the mind only with the materials of knowledge. It is thinking that makes what we read ours. -John Locke
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Peter S. Carpenter Sent: Sat 4/19/2008 8:01 PM To: Special Chat List for "To Understand: New Horizons inReadingComprehension" Subject: Re: [Understand] Understand Digest, Vol 2, Issue 29 >From what I understand, June, that's called the "Deming Cycle"aka Plan-Do-Study-Act. The ultimate definition of process. I think you need to come out more often! :) :) Peter ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 7:25 PM Subject: Re: [Understand] Understand Digest, Vol 2, Issue 29 > Okay Jennifer, > I am going to jump in on this one, maybe we are looking at a cycle here. > We > navigate through the process to develop the product which in turn allows > us to > reevaluate our process which establishes our need for developing a more > complex process and so the "understanding " expands to include more > dimensions > which once again restarts the process. > > This may not make sense to anyone but I see what has happened to so many > of > my special needs students through this description. They have arrived at > the > very fringe of understanding of many ideas/concepts but have never felt > the > need or been prompted or been modified to go beyond the original product > to > expand the processing and construct a new product. > > Now that I probably have thoroughly confused everyone - I will slide back > into lurkedom. > > June > > > > **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used > car > listings at AOL Autos. > (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) > _______________________________________________ > Understand mailing list > [email protected] > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
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