During the second meeting the following was planned for discussion:

CHAPTER 2: What Do They Know about How We Learn?

p.24 Students make A’s by learning to plug and chug, memorizing formulas, sticking numbers into the right equation, or the right vocabulary into a paragraph, but understanding little. When class is over they quickly forget much of what they learned.

1. Knowledge is constructed, not received. Students bring their own mental images to the classroom, and see new information through their personal lens. Best teachers want students to build new mental models.
2. Mental Models Change slowly, to learn deeply, students must realize their existing mental models are not working, care that it’s not working, and be able to accept the discomfort of this process. Students are given opportunities to try, think, fail, and try again….They ask questions to help students see their mistakes.  Help students build their understanding and use information to solve problems.
3. Questions are crucial: Questions help us construct and “file” our knowledge for future retrieval, Good teachers define the teachers and lay the foundation for students to develop their own set of questions. (What do you know, what do you want to know about this topic……)
4. Caring is Crucial: Without caring there is no need to change our thinking….

WHAT MOTOVATES, WHAT DISCOURAGES?

TAKING A DEVELOPMENTAL VIEW OF LEARNING?

Stage1: Leaning is simply a matter of getting the “right” answers, they expect teachers to “deposit” the correct answers into their heads.

Help them by asking them to list the key facts, definitions etc.

Stage2: Students believe that all knowledge is a matter of opinion, use feeling to make judgements.  How do we know something, why do we accept of believe this… Emphasize the trajectory of knowledge, we didn’t know this or do this x years ago.  What questions do we still need to answer?

Stage3: procedural knowers-learn to play the fame, learn the “tricks” to demonstrate knowing…..but don’t develop deep understanding.

Stage4: Committed learners: Students become independent, critical, and creative thinkers valuing new ideas, and trying to use their new found knowledge independently.

SUMMARY: Students need to care about the subject to deeply learn.  Extrinsic rewards and/ or punishments can actually reduce motivation if they seem manipulative.  Students learn more if they enjoy (care) about the subject.

Best teachers embed skills and information in their assignments (questions and tasks) that arouse curiosity, challenge students to rethink assumption/ they create a safe environment in which students can try, come up short, receive feedback, and try again.  Students learn to question themselves….

Meeting 1:

During this meeting we discussed the following topics from the Introduction and Chapter 1

Introduction & Chapter 1 Defining the Best

What the best college teachers do?
Introduction & Chapter 1: Defining the Best
Pg2  What did Lynn do to have great influence on his students. Jeannette Norton to win every reward for teaching granted by the school.
Ann Woolworth in theater has also won numerous awards.
Defining excellence students indicated that the teacher has reached them, they wanted more.
P11 think on our own that’s always a goal for me it’s more important than learning the course material.
P15
1.Know their subjects well
2.Begin with learning objectives
3. Expect more from their students than just the learning objectives of the course.
4. Create a challenging but supportive learning environment, feedback to students.
5. Treat students well, and trust them
6 They check themselves
Good teaching can be learned is inspirational. If you’re here in this reading group then you probably have some characteristics of the best teachers.

Chapter 1
1 Knowledge is constructed not received. Students use existing mental models (paradigm )to build knowledge. Need to develop new mental models.
2. Mental models change slowly. Want Deep learning help students see their mistakes.
3, Questions are crucial get students to ask their own questions
4. For Students -Caring is crucial gave students control, offered nonjudgmental feedback, stressed opportunity to improve, encouraging.

Cooperation, collaboration, comprehensive exams give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate comprehension. Talk about promises of the course not requirements. Invite rather than command. Describe the big questions why should they care. Keep larger questions in forefront.
Ie. Why study accounting? Why is it important to a student?

CHAPTER 3 : HOW DO THEY PREPARE TO TEACH

P50 1.big question for course and smaller questions leading to it
for example.  Look at financial stm. and not feel intimidated.
A. Complete a fin. form
Make investments decisions
Use info to make business decisions, shall ask for. Raise, is this a good place to work. Should I sell this product or service, how much should I charge to make a profit?
2. Reasoning abilities develop to think like an accountant
3. What mental models do students bring with them? How do students define expense, profit, bills debt?
4. What do students need to know to answer important questions
P52 key info or concepts should be clarified to provide foundations so they can continue to build understanding.
5. How to provide explanations for students who will have difficulty clarify concepts
6. How will I help students grapple with conflicts in the discipline, conflicting truths or new findings?
7. How do I find out what students already know and what they expect? Survey student interest and adapt course to pique those interests.
8. How will I help students learn to learn, and assess their learning.
9. How will I informally determine their learning and provide feedback before “test” safe environment, individual feedback, group feedback
10. How will I communicate with students in a way to keep them interested and thinking? Visual. Written, etc.
11.how will I spell out the standards used to assess student work?
12. How will I help students understand the nature of their progress and quality of their learning?
13. How to create a safe environment in which students try, fail, receive feedback and try again?

Chapter 4 Expectations for students

1. Every one of you can learn the curriculum if you do the work required.
   There are no shortcuts there are daily assignments due every day that we meet if you want to succeed you must complete them.
2. High standards and faith that students could meet those standards.
   Students need to see value in assignments. “What you bring to class is yourself & desire to participate.

Promising syllabus: questions course will answer-ask students what do they want from course