Summary: Never Say Anything A Kid Can Say
Rebecca Walters
Problem Solving Essay
EDUC 301-B02
February 16, 2015
In the article Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say, by Steven Reinhart, he tells his journey of realizing that his students did not comprehend his teaching methods. He lets us in on how he went about changing each of his teaching methods. Have you ever thought that possibly you classroom needed some kind of change to help your students with learning the material? The article begins with Reinhart stating that he thought the students understood one day, but when they came back the next day, it was clear that they were confused. The students were not doing as well as they were expected to on tests. He decided that he would change a certain amount of his teaching every …show more content…
year. For inspiration, he attended workshops and researched new teaching ideas. It was noticed that the way that he was teaching was not as in-depth as needed for the problems and tasks he was using in the classroom. On his journey to finding new teaching methods, he struggled to learn the new concepts that he had never experienced. He found that the struggle of learning these new methods was worth being able to help his students learn. Instead of explaining the problem to the students, he had them explain the problems and their thoughts to him. Something else considered here is the effect that peer pressure had on the students, which also had to be addressed. We are the introduced to each of his guidelines to asking the right questions. We read of why to tell your students why you asked the questions, responding in a non-judgmental manner, do not try to change the response a student gives, and the fact that participation is not optional. The article is ended with a list of ways to involve the students in group learning. With writing this article, Reinhart is preparing us to create the classroom the way that it should be. He is sharing his own personal journey so that we can help our own students. This author holds the position that not only does he need to help his students, but that he is willing to change his teaching in any way possible to do so. Another view shown here is that teachers need to explore options to help their classroom succeed as a whole, not just as individuals. He thinks that sharing the different methods he used and telling of the changing of the classroom can help other teachers transform their classrooms. It is clear that he sees that the classroom environment is ever changing and that teaching methods are too. Along with this goes the fact that the way that students learn is also changing. He thinks that the students should work together or in groups to help not only themselves, but each other. This whole article is about a teacher that wanted his students to learn, and was willing to challenge himself to achieve this goal.
Reinhart clearly shows his passion for his students’ learning, and his purpose for writing this article was to help other teachers help their own students. He sees his students struggling and is stricken to help them. Each different part of teaching and learning that he takes into account, he finds a solution for. The article mentions involving the students more, group teaching, and, the biggest issue in schools today, peer pressure. If we do not address the issue of peer pressure, how will we know that our students are actually learning and not being shy or afraid of asking questions? Reinhart cared for his students and his methods of teaching enough to change everything, and he shares his lists of things we can do in our own struggling classrooms to improve them. When we follow these guidelines, we are creating a classroom community that can work together, not one student’s answer verse another. This causes the students to put their ideas together to come up with the right answer. While he gives us some ideas and guidelines, but the most simple of them are ones that we should already be using, such as asking the whole group the question and not allowing students to blurt out answers. One of the main points of the article is to let the students say what they are thinking. As a teacher, you should not rephrase what the student says, but try to lead them to the correct
answer.
Overall, Reinhart mixes current classroom rules with new ideas to give the classroom a better chance at succeeding. Maybe if we all use some of these concepts in our classroom, our students will improve as well.
References
Reinhart, S. (2000). Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 5(8), 478-483. Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/stable/pdf/41180868.pdf?acceptTC=true
Problem Solving Essay
EDUC 301-B02
February 16, 2015
In the article Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say, by Steven Reinhart, he tells his journey of realizing that his students did not comprehend his teaching methods. He lets us in on how he went about changing each of his teaching methods. Have you ever thought that possibly you classroom needed some kind of change to help your students with learning the material? The article begins with Reinhart stating that he thought the students understood one day, but when they came back the next day, it was clear that they were confused. The students were not doing as well as they were expected to on tests. He decided that he would change a certain amount of his teaching every …show more content…
year. For inspiration, he attended workshops and researched new teaching ideas. It was noticed that the way that he was teaching was not as in-depth as needed for the problems and tasks he was using in the classroom. On his journey to finding new teaching methods, he struggled to learn the new concepts that he had never experienced. He found that the struggle of learning these new methods was worth being able to help his students learn. Instead of explaining the problem to the students, he had them explain the problems and their thoughts to him. Something else considered here is the effect that peer pressure had on the students, which also had to be addressed. We are the introduced to each of his guidelines to asking the right questions. We read of why to tell your students why you asked the questions, responding in a non-judgmental manner, do not try to change the response a student gives, and the fact that participation is not optional. The article is ended with a list of ways to involve the students in group learning. With writing this article, Reinhart is preparing us to create the classroom the way that it should be. He is sharing his own personal journey so that we can help our own students. This author holds the position that not only does he need to help his students, but that he is willing to change his teaching in any way possible to do so. Another view shown here is that teachers need to explore options to help their classroom succeed as a whole, not just as individuals. He thinks that sharing the different methods he used and telling of the changing of the classroom can help other teachers transform their classrooms. It is clear that he sees that the classroom environment is ever changing and that teaching methods are too. Along with this goes the fact that the way that students learn is also changing. He thinks that the students should work together or in groups to help not only themselves, but each other. This whole article is about a teacher that wanted his students to learn, and was willing to challenge himself to achieve this goal.
Reinhart clearly shows his passion for his students’ learning, and his purpose for writing this article was to help other teachers help their own students. He sees his students struggling and is stricken to help them. Each different part of teaching and learning that he takes into account, he finds a solution for. The article mentions involving the students more, group teaching, and, the biggest issue in schools today, peer pressure. If we do not address the issue of peer pressure, how will we know that our students are actually learning and not being shy or afraid of asking questions? Reinhart cared for his students and his methods of teaching enough to change everything, and he shares his lists of things we can do in our own struggling classrooms to improve them. When we follow these guidelines, we are creating a classroom community that can work together, not one student’s answer verse another. This causes the students to put their ideas together to come up with the right answer. While he gives us some ideas and guidelines, but the most simple of them are ones that we should already be using, such as asking the whole group the question and not allowing students to blurt out answers. One of the main points of the article is to let the students say what they are thinking. As a teacher, you should not rephrase what the student says, but try to lead them to the correct
answer.
Overall, Reinhart mixes current classroom rules with new ideas to give the classroom a better chance at succeeding. Maybe if we all use some of these concepts in our classroom, our students will improve as well.
References
Reinhart, S. (2000). Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 5(8), 478-483. Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/stable/pdf/41180868.pdf?acceptTC=true