CH 2&3 in BK

BOOK
" Learning occurs when the individual is motivated and actively engaged in the experience;" (p.24)

"... describes a "Matthew effect" in reading achievment. Simply put, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer: Capable readers get to read more books and engage in reinforcing activities such as talking and writing about what they have read, while stuggling readers get a steady diet of skill instruction and few opportunities to actually read real books. The evidence suggests that it is the amount of reading that differentiates low-achieving students from high-achieving students." (p. 45)

RESPONSE
I think this is very important for teachers to remember. It is so obvious and simple however I think sometimes teachers forget about trying to get their students to be excited about learning. When a teacher sparks my interest or gets my attention in a unique way of whatever he/she is teaching about, I feel I learn a lot more. I also think teachers should teach in a way that is natural and goes with the flow. A good teacher is not defined as someone who follows the book or curriculum strictly and never gets off topic. A good teacher recognizes his/her students as unique individuals and teaches in way that fits all the individuals' needs. It is important to remember students learn from students.

This was a very interesting analogy and so true. I think the amount of reading a child is exposed to definately impacts thier reading achievement. Students who are exposed to a lot of reading have an advantage over those who have not been exposed to reading. They show to be high-achieving. This is unfortunate for the child who has not been as exposed but it goes to show what a great impact reading has on children and how important it is.