This is a picture of a laser instrument we used in my Physical Chemistry class. This is an example of how both prior knowledge and practice are important aspects of literacy. When my partner and I began our experiment, we really did not know anything about this particular instrument. However, we previously had used several other instruments in our chemistry classes which used lasers as well, so we were able to think about how there might be similarities to this particular instrument. Therefore, our background knowledge assisted us in learning something new. Furthermore, as our experience with the instrument increased with each trial, we became more comfortable and were able to complete our tasks much faster than the first time we used the instrument. As a result, we were able to analyze three different proteins instead of only one or two, which made our experiment more credible and thorough.
I have thought about literacy many times like this also. Isn't it amazing- the more practice you have doing something, the more 'literate' you become at it. My mother always said, "practice makes perfect" and she was definitely right. This is a great example to show that students need to be introduced to concepts multiple times and in multiple scenarios to begin to become 'perfect' at truly understanding it. The more practice your students have with a word or concept, the more chances they have to become literate with it.
ReplyDeleteI also liked that you used your background knowledge to problem solve. The new laser was probably very intimidating, but you took your past experiences and applied to the new information. It sounded very successful!