Why are the students having trouble reading their textbook?
The students do not understand the vocabulary in the book. This makes it frustrating and difficult to read.
What characteristics of the text seem to be interfering with their understanding?
The students are getting stuck on words they do not understand and losing the basic meaning of the context.
What strategies does Mr. Sand use to help the students understand passage about economic activities?
He makes the reading simple by having the students grasp the basic understanding. He is letting them take out the words obviously miss used for their level of reading. They grasp the basic meaning and build their understanding from that. Mr. Sand also relates the context to the world in which they live: Pennsylvania.
What went wrong?
Her students drew the line from the eye instead of bouncing of the tree to their eye. They did not understand her method of teaching how light bounces of objects, so that humans can see.
Can you explain the students’ inability to learn within the context of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
Ms. Kontos was not teaching the children in a way that relate to their own lives. She was not using past knowledge about sight and building from that. This is the reason the students drew from the eye, because they know that’s how you see. They don’t yet understand the concept of light. She should have taught from the eye out because that is there past knowledge about sight.
Can you explain in using some of Vygotsky’s ideas?
Ms. Kontos was not teaching from her own perspective. I doubt in her normal everyday life she relates the sun bouncing off objects so that she can see them. She should have taught them how she thinks of sight and encouraged them to think about that and come up with alternative ways of thinking.
Can you explain it from an information process perspective?
At the level of fifth-grade most of the students may not understand the subject of sight and the things that make up the eye. This may not hold their attention and they may not listen as well. This ability will improve over time maybe but Ms. Kontos should have taught to their level. Maybe started simpler and worked her way from that.
In what ways might students’ language capabilities have been insufficient to enable them to understand?
The students may not have understood the vocab such as retina and cornea. They may have also misunderstood what she was asking them to draw. So they drew how they saw: from their eyes to the tree. She could have rephrased the question so that the students understood what she wanted them to draw.
What things might Ms. Kontos have done differently?
Rephrased the question. Taught from the eye out. Built on past knowledge. Made the lesson simpler and moved on to the more difficult matters. Took them outside to learn: this may have kept their attention a little better and make it enjoyable.