Double Entry Journal #11

Chapter 4:Simulations and Bodies

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’s next sentence after the one quoted above says “School learning is often about disembodied minds learning outside any context of decisions and actions.”  This is very true.  I take this to mean that learning should be physical!  I know for a fact that many students learn better when they are able to be up and moving around during the learning process.  For that reason, school learning should not revolve around the “disembodied” minds that the author mentions, but should use every part of every student!

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

According to the author, the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is by experiencing the “worlds” to which particular words refer.

3. What gives a word a specific meaning?

The context in which a word is used is how the word gets its own specific meaning.  This is why teaching vocabulary isn’t effective unless students are taught the vocabulary words in the appropriate context.

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.

No longer obligated or responsible for purchasing the gift. 

b. Them shoes are off the hook dog.

??? I don’t know… there isn’t enough context for me to be able to tell what “off the hook” means in this sentence.

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

It appears that this “off the hook” means really cool, or astonishing. 

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

The author says that the work of childhood is play.  Yes, I agree with him.  I see my 4-year-old sister at play every day and it is certainly not a waste of time.  The little wheels in her mind constantly are turning when she is playing!

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

Because game instruction guides are written with a large amount of concise and technical information, it can be overwhelmingly confusing until the player has actually played the game himself.  Then, after playing, if he comes to a problem, it might be useful to consult the instructions. 

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

The author says that knowing the literal meaning of a word is useless.  Unless the reader knows how to apply the meaning of the word, just understanding the literal meaning has no point. 

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

The author says that someone’s “identity” is created by the moves that he/she makes in the “game” of his/her career, life, choices, etc.

a. I am a Christian.  (It is not an act, but a true part of my identity which determines all of the moves that I make as a person!)

b. I am a student.

c. I am a teacher.  

9. According to the author what is good learning?

Good learning, according to the author, is understanding word meanings, etc. in their contextual situation. 

10. 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 or change the way you think children should learn in school?

This statement supports the way that I think that children should learn in school because it reinforces the fact that seeing or feeling a physical “something” is a good way to get a solid mental understanding of that “something.”  In addition, when talking about that “something,” written and oral language is enhanced. 

11. 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?

Unless students talk to peers, they might not get adequate practice using their language, and thus, developing it.  This also supports the way that I think that children should learn in school, because I don’t think that a silent classroom is the best classroom.