-How important is accessing prior knowledge for students? How do you immerse students in background knowledge or text sets to facilitate activation?
Accessing prior knowledge is extremely important. I often will have students do a turn and talk about a problem before they begin. I then ask the whole group to share what they heard from their partners and embellish on their findings. My high school geometry teacher taught us how to do proofs by talking about the steps needed to change a flat tire: what do we already have (a jack, a tire iron, a spare), what do we need to do first, etc. Basic access to prior knowledge can aid in student buy in and interest in a topic/problem.
Multiple exposures are important for retention and independence. How will you offer these opportunities?
In my math classroom, I like to use anchor charts as a visual for students to reference throughout the topic we are working on. I also enjoy doing problems as groups on giant post its and having students do a gallery walk to explore each other's work. The gallery walk provides students to hear explanations (retelling) from various thinkers and varied levels of learners. Hearing someone talk about how they arrived at their answer provides an additional layer for understanding and retention.
-What strategies stuck out to you in this chapter and what ones and how will you bring them into your instruction?
I enjoyed the strategy of three big questions on post it notes on page 152. Anytime to give students a chance to get out of their seat instantly gets them invested in the activity, gives them choice, and allows them to express themselves without having to answer aloud in front of the group.