Double Entry Journal # 11

Chapter 4:Simulations and Bodies

 

1.     What does the author mean when he says, "Learning doesn't work well when learners are forced to check their bodies at the school room door like guns in the old West."
The author says, “School learning is often about disembodied minds learning outside any context of decisions and actions.”  Students are not engaged when they are sitting still and reading word for word out of a textbook.  Students need to be up moving around either through stations or different centers.  Students are more involved and more likely to learn the content if they are up moving around and doing different activities. 

2.     According to the author, what is the best way to acquire a large vocabulary?
The best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to “experience the ‘worlds’ to which these words refer”.  People build their vocabulary by being placed in different situations that involve action or talk around different types of content or by the experiences they are involved in throughout their lives. 

 

3.     What gives a word a specific meaning?
A word is given a specific meaning depending on the context or sentence that it is placed in.  For example, Gee gives many different types of examples of the word “coffee” and “work”.  Gee says, “’ The coffee spilled, go get the mop’ (coffee as a liquid); ’The coffee spilled, go get a broom’ (coffee as grains); ’The coffee spilled, stack it again’ (coffee in cans).”  The word “coffee” is used in three different sentences and has three different meanings because of the context it is used in. 

 

4.     What does the term "off the hook" mean in each of these sentences?
a. My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present.
(not responsible anymore to buy their sister a wedding present)
b. Them shoes are off the hook dog.
(the shoes are awesome)
c. Man that cat was fighting 6 people and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook", you should have seen it!!
(the fight was intense or interesting)
 
5.    According to the author what is the “work” of childhood? Do you agree?
According to the author, the “work” of a child is play.  I agree with what the author said because children need to have the opportunity to play because it broadens their imagination and children learn through play. 
 
6.    Why is NOT reading the instruction for how to play a game before playing a game a wise decision?
Gee says, “These young people are making a very wise decision when they start by playing and not reading.  The texts that come with games are very hard to understand unless and until one has some experience of playing the game- experience which, then, will give specific situated meanings to the language in the text.” Children need to first experience the game and actually play it in order to understand the game.  Then they can read the instructions on how to play because they will be more familiar with the terms and content they are reading. 

7.    Does knowing the general or literal meaning of a word lead to strong reading skills?
Knowing the general or literal meaning of a word does not lead to strong reading skills.  The author says that knowing the general or literal meaning of a word is pointless.  The reader has to know how to apply the meaning of the word because words have different meanings depending on the context they are in. 
 
8.    What does the author mean by the terms “identity” and “game”?  Give an example of 3 “identities” or “games” you play.
According to the author, the word “identity” means who you are as a person or a certain role that you play and the word “game” means that you have to know what rules or actions that you have to go by in order to keep your “identity”. 
1)    I am a Wife.
2)    I am a Teacher.
3)    I am a Student.
 
9.    According to the author what is good learning?
According to the author good learning is being able to understand the meanings of words in their contextual situations, etc.
       
10.  How does understanding that being able to build a mental model and simulations of a real-world experience is closely tied to comprehending written and oral language support of change the way you think children should learn in school?
Being able to build a mental model and simulation of a real-world experience is a great way for children to learn in school.  Children can build upon real-world experiences through play and experiences that they have while growing up.  Being involved in a simulation of a real-world experience can help children to comprehend written and oral language by playing through the situation and then written and oral language is increased. 
 
11.  Why is peer to peer interaction so important for the language development of young children? How does knowing this support or change the way you think children should learn in school?
The author says, “In dialogue with equals, children appear to compare and contrast perspectives more deeply and reflectively, learning thereby not only how to take particular perspectives through language, but also how to reason about such perspectives and perspective-taking.  “As they engage in such talk, children simulate what other people have said and done in relation to their own words, desires, perspectives, and deeds, thereby seeing what the world and they themselves have said or done what was actually said or done by a peer with whom they collaborated.”  Knowing that peer to peer interaction increases the language development of young children helps the way children should learn in school because students should be involved in group work.  Talking through their decisions and content will help students to develop language skills and to better their interactions with peers.