Inclusive Practices: Double Entry Journal #11

1. What does the author mean when he says, "Learning doesn't work well when learners are forced to check their bodies at the school room door like guns in the old West."

The author is meaning that learning should involve moving your body and creating meaningful learning experiences as opposed to sitting behind a desk and listening.

2. According to the author, what is the best way to acquire a large vocabulary?

The best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to "explore the worlds to which these words refer". In other words, the best way to accrue a large vocabulary is to engage in experiences that showcase words in a variety of contexts and meanings

3. What gives a word a specific meaning?

Words are given meaning by a "game" or context in which they are used. Words are bestowed particular meanings based on how and when they are used within different situations. A word's "specific meaning" is dependent upon the circumstances in which the word is used.

4. What does the term "off the hook" mean in each of these sentences?

a. My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present.

In this instance, "off the hook" means you are "relieved of the obligation" of doing something.


b. Them shoes are off the hook dog.

While a bit ambiguous without any more context clues, one can assume that in this case, "off the hook" means "cool".


c. Man that cat was fighting 6 people and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook", you should have seen it!!

In this instance, "off the hook" is referring to something that was impressive.


4. According to the author what is the"work" of childhood? Do you agree?

The author states that the "work" of childhood is play. I agree; in simulated situations and games where children are "playing" they are unknowingly creating connections that strengthen their reasoning skills, reading skills, and vocabulary. When playing, children are motivated and engaged in meaningful experiences, which provides a perfect environment for learning to occur.

5.Why is NOT reading the instruction for how to play a game before playing a game a wise decision?

Reading the booklet before playing a game can overwhelm a player with a huge amount of information that doesn't have any context yet. The best way to learn the controls and game play mechanics is to play the game and explore your options.

6. Does knowing the general or literal meaning of a word lead to strong reading skills?

Knowing the literal meaning of a word can help identify its meaning within a certain context, but often times words are not used literally, and can take on different meanings from culture to culture or situation to situation. Strong reading skills come from having experience with words that extends beyond their literal meaning.

7. What does the author mean by the terms "identity" and "game". Give an example of 3 "identities" or "games" you play?

The author refers to any shift in identity as a game; he does this because each role or identity has some attributed rules and expectations that must be known before the identity can be realized. Some examples of "games" might be playing a particular sport, acting a particular way in church, or taking a leadership role in a group.

8. According to the author what is good learning?

"Good learning" occurs when one is "learning the right moves in embodied interactions in the real world or virtual worlds; enacting the right sort of identity for a given situation." Good learning takes place when students are engaged in authentic and meaningful experiences that have context.

9. How does understanding that being able to build a mental model and simulations of a real-word experience is closely tied to comprehending written and oral language support of change the way you think children should learn in school?

Children should learn in a more "exploratory" manner. Their curriculum should be challenging, but should allow for students to explore the content and make projects that express their creativity. The actual learning process itself should be valued and emphasized over a test or assessment. The learning should be the assessment.

10. Why is peer to peer interaction so important for the language development of young children? How does knowing this support or change the way you think children should learn in school?

Learning form one another allows students to learn their content in a familiar context; That is, children may explain a situation to a friend better than the teacher because the friend is able to construct a relevant and personal context for the content. I have always been a fan of group work and collaboration. In my math classes, group work was not a part of the actual class, but outside of class it was necessary for survival. I learned so well working with others who shared my culture, interests, and experiences. That learning was authentic, because I wasn't listening to it - I was living it and shaping it.