Chapter+5+-+Independent+Learning+Tasks

This page is for discussion regarding Chapter 5 - Independent Learning Tasks: Not Just "Do It Yourself School". Once you have finished reading the chapter, please post your comments on the discussion board. The icon to get to the discussion board is in the upper-right corner of this page. Please make sure your comments are posted by Sunday, July 29. Feel free to post on other people's comments and share your ideas with the group!

Below are some questions to help stimulate thoughts and ideas on chapter 5:
 * 1) Why can't students simply be assigned independent tasks to learn?
 * 2) Why might some teachers call worksheets "shut-up sheets"?
 * 3) What criteria should a worksheet meet to be considered worthwhile?
 * 4) Which types of independent learning tasks are better done at school and which are better done outside of school?
 * 5) Why should students spend time "just reading" at school?
 * 6) Summarize your thinking thus far about independent learning. What happens as you write? Did you discover ideas that you didn't know you had? Did you clarify your thinking? Did you identify new questions? Consider how writing can be used as an independent task.
 * 7) Why should teachers have individual conferences with students? Who benefits from these conferences and how do they benefit?
 * 8) How can individual conferences be structured? What components of a conference are necessary to have a successful conversation?
 * 9) What are appropriate formative assessments for independent tasks?
 * 10) What are appropriate summative assessments for independent tasks?