Book Snap #6 Lessons from the book

This chapter dives into the two sides of sight words. On one side, some teach whole words as whole units for visual mastery, the argument being that sight words are the most frequently occurring words in a text (such as the, a, and, is, etc.) so that students can read fluently through them since they have been memorized. The other side says that only 4% of words in the English language are irregular and the other 96% can be spelled or read accurately using sound-symbol connection. This book leans toward the latter citing that the amount of words a student can memorize is limited and they point out brain research that shows an increase in brain activity for beginning readers who focus on letter-sound relationships over rote memorization. They encourage orthographic mapping - a process that connects letter/word sounds to a word's meaning to store the word in long term memory. They call these orthographically mapped words "heart words" which is right in line with the Fundations program that NH uses for K-3 students. Just like decodable books should follow a scope and sequence that aligns with phonics instruction, so too should the heart words being taught.

"With the advice of educational experts, media experts, and brain experts, we developed the "Brainology" program."
(Dweck 222)

"The teachers also changed. Not only did they say great things about how their students benefited, they also say great things about how their students benefited, they also said great things about the insights they themselves had gained. In particular, they said Brainology was essential for understanding: 
'That all students can learn, even the ones who struggle with math and with self-control'" (Dweck 223)

The Brainology program is quickly described in the book, and it was interesting to read about the teachers' and students' opinions about the program. The students were using terms like "working memory" (223) and "more permanent storage (long-term memory)" (223) to describe their own learning and gauge their own understanding. That is insightful. In other words, knowing how their brain works helped them learn. It gave them strategies and confidence that they could learn. It allowed the students to believe in themselves. I assume it reminded the teachers to believe in them too. I remember learning about short term and long term memory in college, but it never occurred to teach it directly to students. I have, in passing, mentioned the concepts to students, but no to the degree that Dweck and associates did. 

The idea of "growing neurons" (223) reminds me of when I tell my students they are making new brain cells. I will use Dweck's  terminology from here on out and pieces of what came in this book about Brainology.