Tovani: Chapter Six
Tovani starts her sixth chapter by listing her students. It’s a little funny and beyond relatable that she had a hard time remembering her quiet students. Or in her words: “invisible.” Again, it is all about finding what is behind this mask that makes students feel comfortable in the learning environment. I loved the title of her first section to address this “problem”: Talking Isn’t the Only Way to Show Thinking.
Despite how much I love to talk now, I almost never spoke in classes in my early to late year in public education. I have certainly never been an introvert, but I never used talking aloud in class as a way of working through problems. If I was verbal at all, it was because I was called on or when I was working through a problem to myself. I often felt more comfortable whispering with a teacher about my thoughts than sharing them with the entire class. I worked better on paper, my strong suit being writing as opposed to speaking. I can’t remember all the sheets that were given to me to work on in my elementary to high school days, but whether they were thinksheets or worksheets, they showed that I was constantly thinking and taking in information, whether I was willing to verbally share or not.
I enjoyed Tovani’s chart of distinctions between thinksheets and worksheets on page 136. I am always reminded of Dr. Ohanian’s daughters common use of the words “shut-up sheets,” and find myself calling them that when I see them in observations. Thinksheets, as opposed to worksheets, are to provide further support and encourage constant and consistent thought. It also provides students with artifacts of their thinking, leaving a sense of accomplishment. “I did that!”
Hi Emma,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Reading your second paragraph made me feel as I was reading about myself. As much as I love to "ramble" now, as a student, I was usually pretty quiet and would usually hesitate to share my thoughts aloud. As teachers, we have to be aware of students like us who may not always be completely transparent. It can be very easy to forget about these students, which can be very troubling. Furthemore, I too was very intrigued by Tovani's chart of distinctions between thinksheets and worksheets. It really opened my eyes to how versatile thinksheets can be and also how much more enriching thinksheets compared to traditional worksheets. Your comment about thinksheets supporting consistent thought it spot on, and I specifically like how thinksheets can be utilized across multiple disciplines.
Again, great job with this Emma! i enjoyed reading your thoughts! Best of luck to you the rest of the way!
- Blake
Hey Emma, I like how you incorporated Dr. Ohanian’s term of “shut-up sheets'' as this is precisely what they are. I can't remember how many times my chemistry teacher handed me a pack and I looked for the sentence in the packet, found it, wrote it down, and didn't really analyze what I was writing down or understanding it. I was simply getting the answer and moving on to the next. Simply because the packet was so big and when I asked my teacher for help her explanation was so short. I am a student that always needs help. You could call me needy to an extent so this worksheet was a disadvantage because I learn from asking questions.
ReplyDeleteHi Emma, I loved your response! I too was a very quiet highschooler and preferred written work. Peers can be very judgmental at that age and I think I was just too scared to say something dumb in fear of how that would shape how I was viewed by people. Anyways, there is nothing wrong with rehearsing what one wants to say and having a more private dialogue using think sheets. I really liked the idea of letting students have a space to voice what they know and what they have questions about in a place that is not so public. I also really liked that you added that the think sheets give the students an artifact of their work.
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