Do we ever wonder why our students are not doing well on their assessments? After teaching, teaching and teaching some more, do we feel puzzled and wonder what we need to do differently? Does it seem like you have pulled every trick you know out of your hat, and they still do not seem to understand what you are teaching? Maybe APPLICATION is the piece that we are missing!
Yes, you are right; we are teaching, teaching and teaching some more, and we are using all the tricks we have in our teaching hats, BUT are we giving out students time to apply what they are learning? Just like the cake decorator has to practice over and over and over making those roses, and just like to truck driver has to be a trainer and practice driving the 18 wheeler, we have to give our students time to practice! Hearing it, and seeing it is not enough - they have to practice to learn how to do it. We have all heard the old saying - Practice Makes Perfect, but yet we say we are out of time. We do not have time NOT to let them practice! The world's best sports figures and the world best musicians got there by hours upon hours of practice, and yet we think we can let them hear it, and see it and then take the test. Practice and Application IS the missing link in the puzzle, and as teachers we need to continue explicit teaching of strategies and skills, BUT it is just as necessary to step back and let our students practice, make mistakes, work together to correct their mistakes, learn from their mistakes, and apply what they are learning. Then, we will start to see test scores improve, and critical thinking skills soar!
Application = Better Thinkers & Improved Test Scores
If you have comments regarding application, please share your thoughts on ways to fix this missing link.
Thanks,Susan
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