Contrastsbetweenworkandschoolenvironments:

2.)Schoolworktendstoinvolvemorementalwork,whereaseverydaysettingsinvestmorein
toolsandtechnologiestosolveproblem.Remindsmeoftheclassicwhycantweuse
calculators?fromstudents.AndthoughthereisagoodanswerIrememberbeingcompletely
embarrassedwhilesubbingforaSpecialDayClass,whereItoldastudenthisanswerwas
wrongbecausehearrivedatitbyusingacalculator10timesfasterthanittookmetoworkthe
problemoutfortheclassontheboard.Iwantedtoshoweveryonethesteps,andjustassumed
thathedidntentertheorderofoperationsproperlyinthecalculator.Itwasareallylong
problem,involvingfractionsandvariables,andwhenIgottotheend,andsimplifiedtheanswer
itwasexactlywhatthisstudentshoutedoutatthebeginningoftheproblem,byusinga
calculator.Talkabouteggonyourface!IdefinitelyrealizeIwaswrongforassumingthisstudent
didntknowhowtousethetoolsaroundussoefficiently.Thatswhattheyretherefor!Itis
importantforthisstudenttoknowhowtoworkthroughtheordersofoperationonpaperright?
Why?Wevebeentalkingalotabouthow/waystoassesswhatachildknows.Forthis
particularstudent,IfeelthatifhewasabletoputtheproblemIwasworkingthroughonthe
boardintoacalculatorproperly,inhisheadheunderstandstheconceptoforderofoperation
theconceptIwastryingtoteach.HedemonstratedtomethatheisabletouseOoOtoarriveat
acorrectanswerIneverknowhowhearrivedathisanswers,hedidntdomuchworkonpaper.
Thiswasveryinterestingtome,hewasaseniorwhenIhadhim,andnowitmakesmewonder
whathemightgetinto.Alotofteachers/adminhadhimlabeled,hewasdifficultwhenIhadhim
buthisabilitieswereamazing.ThisbringsmetosometeacherquestionsinthetextIfeelitis
importanttoaskmyself,toavoidnegative,embarrassingsituationsliketheoneIencountered
withthisstudent.

TeacherQuestions:WhatisitaboutwhatIamteachingnowthatwillbeofvalue,ofuse,anda
sourceofunderstandingformystudentsatsomepointinthefuture,whentheyareinasituation
thatisnotidenticaltotheonetheyreinnow?(191)
Whatarethosesimplerskillsthat,againandagain,turnouttobeusefulinmorecomplex
performanceswewantstudentstolearn?(192)

Anotherfactorthatinfluencesinitiallearningisthetimestudentsaregiventoexploreideas,
offerpredictions,processinformation,andmakesenseofnewtasksandsituations.(191)TIM
Eiseverything.Iamsomeonewhofeelsliketheyalwaysneedmoretimetothinkreadwrite
anddomoreindepthwhenlearningsomethingnew.Sometimesevendoingoldthingstakes
metime,Ifindcomfortintakingmytime.Ifeellikethathasalwaysbeenahinderance,and
havebeentoldmanythings.PeoplewhoviewtimethatwayareinconsiderateofothersYou
needtolearntomanageyourtime,andhavebeentaughtthatthequickaspectofefficiencyis
equallyasimportanttothecorrectnesspiece.ThisbringsmetomyexperienceontheLSAT.I
feellikethislifeyouhavetobeabletobefasterandmorerightthanthenextpersontobe
successful,atleastthatiswhatschoolpressureshavetaughtus.
Google'sCompany
Philosophy
.

Metacognitionisimportanttotransferbecauseitinvolvesbeingwiseenoughtoknowthatwe
alreadyknowsomethingandwilluseitwhenitisnecessary.(192)Ireallylikethis.

AfricanAmericanstudents[can]applythelinguisticknowledgetheyalreadyhadaboutwords,
rhymes,andsymbolismfromtheirlivesoutsidetheclassroomtoacademictasks.(193)Thisisa
commonassumptionthatIcomeacrossinreadingswithregardstoAfricanAmericanstudents
theylearnmorepoeticlanguagethanacademiclanguage?Idontknowifthatsthecorrectway
toputitbutIdidsomeresearchintothisphenomenon.AfricanAmerican(Heath,1983)homes
andcommunitieshaveshownthatthespeechpatternsthatchildrenbringtoschoolfromtheir
homescanbequitedifferentfromtheonesthatarevaluedatschool.Thesespeechpatterns
arenonethelessessentialtofunctioningeffectivelyintheirhomecommunitiesForexample,in
AfricanAmericanVernacularEnglish,thepluralformofmancanbemens.Insteadofbeing
slightlyoffended,Itrytounderstandwherethesegeneralizationsarecomingfrom.Ihavent
reallyhadcontactwiththesetypesofAfricanAmericanyouthsthatalotofthesetextsreferto,
butthatsnottosaytheyrenotoutthere.ImeanstudiesdoshowitslikeaphraseIcanjust
usebecauseitiswidelyknownthatblackandbrownkidsareunderperformingandunder
acheivingstatisticallyasarace.Thatswhatconcernsme,Ireadaboutit,Ikindofseeitin
translation,butIhaventyetbeendirectlyexposedtotheAfricanAmericans/childrenthatare
sofarextremelylearninglaggedbecauseofthemandtheircommunitynotbecauseofthe
systeminwhichtheyhavebeenplaced.

2metaquestionsstudentscanaskthemselvestotesttransfer:Howisthisproblemlike
othersIvesolvedbefore,DoesanythinghereremindmeofanythingIhavelearned
earlier?(195)