Two-Column Notes

Date:
11/9

Page
#
23

Name: Troy LeFevre

Class/Subject: EDTL 2760

MR Title(s): Preview Assignment

MR Source(s): Bower, B., Lobdell, J., and Owens, S. (2010). Preview
assignment. Bring learning alive! Methods to transform middle and
high school social studies. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum
Institute, pp. 22-26.
The Text Says
I Say
There is no single formula for a
good Preview assignment. The TCI
Approach encourages a wide
variety of paths into a lesson.

24

Comparing Personal Experience

with Key Concepts Students
answer questions relevant to their
life or relate a personal experience
that foreshadows key themes of the
upcoming lesson

25

Provocative Propositions Have

students respond to a provocative
position. The proposition should
introduce a key theme or concept
that will be explored in the
upcoming lesson.

26

Responding to Music Students

record their initial responses to
music related to the activity or
lesson. They might describe the
tone, connect the lyrics to content
themes, or record their sensory

This statement is the basic groundwork of this

article, stressing how its important to bring
different teaching styles to your classroom. Not
all students learn in the same way, and if you
only appeal to one type of student your class will
ultimately suffer.
One example the passage gives is:
Before students learn about the
travels of Marco Polo, have them
respond to this prompt: Describe a
situation in which someone you know
was accused of lying, even though the
person was telling the truth. I can
attest that learning and memorization
is much easier when an emotional
connection is made to the content. If
you feel something in common with
the material youre presented with,
odds are youll have a much better
time memorizing the content and a
more enjoyable experience in class.
I really enjoy this strategy! Its fun to see what
your students think about a certain topic this
also helps the instructor find out any
misconceptions amongst their students and guide
later lessons. I also believe this is an effective
way to encourage creativity in the classroom,
being given the ability to interpret was always
one of my favorite liberties in school.
Being a part of the BGSU Mens Chorus, music
is a large part of my life. That being said, I
appreciate a large genre of music. Its also fun to
make kids listen to doo wop music or even opera,
just to show them how vastly music has changed
in recent history. I would use this in a classroom

responses.

to add another aspect of a nations culture.

Connections to previous MR:

I am currently enrolled in EDFI 3030, or Educational Psychology with Mr. Burkett (I highly recommend
the course with him at the head). Throughout the course he stresses the importance of connections. This
article is all about making connections, and offering different ways to make that happen. Famous in
American society is the phrase you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make it drink. This is how I
feel about being an educator. You can have all the content knowledge in the world, but if you cannot entice
your students to learn you will not succeed as an educator. The classroom needs to be a place where kids
want to go, and becoming an educator who inspires children to think at a higher level and dig deeper is on
my bucket list. I strive to show students that there is an entire world beyond the borders of the United
States. Up until I was in high school my perspective of the world was somewhat skewed, and solely based
on American practices and politics. This makes me look back on blog post three, where we talked about
different Democracies around the world. America is not the only country who holds public elections, and
certainly not the only country with freedom. I cant wait to take the reins of a classroom and help kids
take on their role in a Democratic society.