Wednesday, January 27, 2010

January 27, 2010

Good Evening, DI Bloggers!
Welcome to class!

Please leave a comment to the following:
Why is it important to connect student learning to the real world?
How can this be done?

25 comments:

  1. I think it's important to connect student learning to the real world to give the lesson relevance. It's important for students to know why they are doing something and what they should get out of it. It can be accomplished using Differentiated Instruction!!
    Becky Barris

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  2. Students need to understand the importance of what they are learning in order to hold on to the information. Students can then see the value of the information and be more willing to learn. By giving students real world activites you can connect it to the real world.

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  3. Because if you connect student learning to the real world students find relevance in their learning and are therefore more eager/willing to learn it.

    I do not know how to connect. I just can't figure out how to connect polynomial long division to real life....... go figure

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  4. Students are always asking "Why do we have to know this?" When you give them a real world application to show them how they will use this knowlege it becomes more meaningful to them. During math I will ask my students How can you use this in your life. Several of them will usually have an example and then others will chime in with similar examples which I accept because it shows me they are tieing it in to their knowlege base.

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  5. I did a lesson, many moons ago, where we had bank accounts and this was an excellent way of teaching adding and subtracting with real world application.

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  6. So they see the importance of what you are teaching and how they can use it in the real world. This can be done by demonstrating how it is used in everyday life or giving them examples.
    Lisa L

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  7. If students can't relate their acquired knowledge to the real world then they consider it useless information.

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  8. It is important to connect student learning to the real world so that the student will be able to apply what they learn and so thst the student can understan how to apply the learning. - Christine Smith

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  9. Students learn best when they can relate to their world. Students are more likely to become engaged when they are interested in what they are being taught.
    Finding the key to what is relevant at that moment in time.

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  10. Students need to know why the things they are learning are important. Even with my second graders, they do much better when I show them how what they are learning is important for where they want to be or what they want to do.
    I do this by bringing in items and having the students participate in discussions on how their current learning situations may help them when they grow up...(Example--dinosaurs...working with dinos as an adult, they need math, writing, research and complete sentences so others can learn from what they are sharing.)

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  11. I believe that making conections to the real world helps students realize the meaning and importance of what their doing. I've come to believe that if you don't practice or use the new concepts that are learned, you eventually loose that new information. If a student cannot connect information to the real world, he can't use it. This can be accomplished by using Math Word Problem stories that students are familiar with. It goes along with reading as well. It's hard for my students to do well on a reading comprehension assessment if the title is about the beach and he's never seen or read about the beach before.
    Lora Christensen

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  12. Well, so they see the connection and the purpose of the lesson. They also need to know why it is important to them. This can be done by telling them and giving examples.

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  13. When students see how it is applicable to the real world they have a reason for learning and will take ownership for that learning.

    This can be done by knowing your students and relating what they are learning to what they already know. It can also be done by learning their interests so that information can be related to those interests.

    It is all about making connections!

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  14. It is important to connect student learning to the real world so that they understand why they need to learn a specific thing. Especially when the students are older. They always want to know why they need to learn something or when they will ever use something. It can be done at the kindergarten level through themes. We also teach the students to recognize patterns and shapes all around them. We let them use real world items to enhance their reading or letter recognition, such as cereal boxes and cartoons from the newspaper.

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  15. I think students are more excited when they can connect learning with things they know or to their interests. We want our students to be excited about learning! By connecting it to real life, students will retain it better.

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  16. I think it is important to connect student learning to the real world so the student will internalize the information and remember it. If you know your students, you can relate what you are studying to their interests. For example, math and sports. A great way to study averages is to relate it to batting averages.

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  17. Many students may not be able to learn until they understand why it is important for them in their own lives. Real life learning can give students that understanding. Allowing students a variety of ways to learn these things can help them make connections to the real world. It also makes students more eager to learn the things they need to learn.
    Claire Young

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  18. It is important to connect student learning to the real world to show the students that there is a reason to learn what they have been told they need to learn. I try to give examples of when I have used a concept that I am teaching in my life.

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  19. If they know why they are learning something they can see the importance of it. If they have prior knowledge they can connect it to what you are teaching. Money is a good example. It's improtant that they know how to count it out but also how to make change so they know they are not getting cheated by someone.
    Desiree Bengson

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  20. Students must be able to relate their learning to real life so they have buy in. If they don't have experiences to relate their learning it won't have value. We can provide these experiences for them and they can find their own experiences. It's important that children see and learn the world they live in.
    Lisa Soehner

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  21. As with anybody students certainly respond with more enthusiasm if the material or activity is actually something they own or at least can identify with. In the primary grades this is in reality fairly easy. You can address projects with things that they are familiar with or have a high interest. Teach measurement by having them measure themselves, their buddy, or something on the playground. Just tweak your curriculum a little to apply more personally to your students. As always it is necessary to be in the know with your students so that you are aware of their interests.

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  22. It is important for students of all ages to understand not only what they are learning but WHY they are learning it. If we as teachers can relate content to real life experiences, students will retain the information better. They will also value it more because they will feel they are learning for a purpose, not just "because".

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  23. Students' learning should always be connected to the real world because every day tasks lead students to learn practical things. It is necessary for them to experience things that are useful and the knowledge they learned can be applied to make their life fruitful. Linking learning to the real world prepare them to be effective citizens in their communities. This can be done by using real world applications such as estimating the amount of money for grocery shopping which lead to good budgetting, measuring ingredients which is useful for learning to cook correctly, and other things which are practical knowledge to live successfully.

    Beth Bordner

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  24. When you make it real to them, they can understand it better, it becomes important to them. In my class we are learning about money. We will earn play money and at the end of the unit we will open a store and they will be able to use their money to buy items at the store.

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  25. Making the connection to the real world allows the child to understand the concepts and implement these lessons in their own world and see it unfold before their eyes.

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