Reading Reflection 9

The most important point that I took from Chapter 9 was to connect students with the professionals of whatever they're learning. For example, "A ninth-grade biology teacher saw potential benefits for his students when he heard about a deep-sea expedition to be conducted by marine scientists at the University of Delaware" (187). The teacher arranged for his students to be able to participate in a conference call with the marine scientists. Being able to talk to experts in the subject area that the students were learning about motivated them to do their own research about the topics so that they would be well-versed in the matter when the conference call came. Connecting students to experts not only motivates them to do more in-depth research into the subject matter so that they will better understand what the experts are talking about, but it also shows them why it is important that they learn what they do. Instead of telling your students that you're learning about deep sea vents because that's what the state told them they need to learn, you can make connections with real career opportunities that the students will have if they end up enjoying/being interested in further exploring the subject matter.