Chapter 4: Academic/content area development

This chapter contains some great information. It begins by discussing the student-centered approach which includes teachers considering the various ways and factors that students learn best with. Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences is also mentioned. It says that his Gardner explains that although these intelligences are demonstrated in a wide variety of cultures, they may manifest themselves differently in different cultures. I also agree with a statement made by Nelson that said, "Focusing on and giving students time to nurture and develop their own intelligences result in students who are more apt to discover their own strengths, put more effort into improving their weak areas, and feel better about themselves." This will help students to learn in ways that are the most meaningful to them and help them best to succeed and excel. This chapter gives some areas in which we should focus upon and they include words, rhythm, pitch, melody, relationships, patterns, images, pictures, and color. We need to provide students with manipulating objects and long term meaningful projects. I believe these are experiences that students keep with them. All students learn differently and need to experience a variety of things. I really like SDAIE, or sheltered English. It is an approach that provides students with extra support in language rather then throwing them into an all english class and watching them "sink" or "swim". This is extremely important. It is unfair to throw an ELL student into an all English classroom. English is one of the hardest languages to learn and placing them into a situation like them will only frustrate them and make it more difficult.