Vocabulary
Teaching Spy and Q vocabulary words can be… interesting.
Take today’s example. One of Spy’s vocabulary words this week is: antenna. The instructions were simple: circle the word that does not belong. Here, you try it:
claw antenna machine eye
Easy you say?
Are you certain? We spent a good 5 minutes arguing discussing which of the four words to choose.
Spy chose to circle ‘ claw ‘.
Spy’s argument went like this: An antenna receives signals. An animal’s antenna transmits signals about touch. A radio antenna transmits signals – radio signals perhaps. An eye transmits signals: light which conveys visual information. And a machine can also transmit signals.
Therefore a claw, which is used to grab onto things, is the odd one out. (I was interested in moving on to another activity and didn’t dare touch on proprioception.)
In the end, I had to explain that the workbook was probably thinking ‘body parts’ and that since a machine was man made, it was likely the odd one out. Spy thought that since ‘antenna’ was a vocabulary word, we should take into account both definitions that the workbook provided.
In the end, we agreed to disagree.
October 17th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
And this is the reason that education is failing in America. Instead of celebrating the great creative thinking that Spy does, it tries to force him to think like everyone else. Teachers no longer have the time or support to deal with creativity or critical thinking–they are told to only accept the “right” answer. And no one takes into account that many of the textbooks are just plain WRONG.
October 17th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
I have to agree, Gabi. Time. This is one of the things I like about working with my boys one on one. We have time to debate the finer points and I have time to puzzle out where their minds were when they answered things.
And, yes, this is part of the problem Spy ran into last year in school. The teacher didn’t have or didn’t take the time to puzzle out his strange (different from the other kids) reactions/responses. Spy, being a stubborn thing, held his position. They did not get along.
All those assessments teachers are forced to do, yikes! I understand there must be testing/accountability, but the paperwork seems to be getting in the way of teaching/learning anything these days.
And so I supplement, supplement, supplement at home.
October 17th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
There are teachers out there that foster Spy’s way of reasoning. I am one of them!