Lenses On Reading Review

JoJo White, a Boston Celtic Legend once said, “You need to know where you came from in order to know where you are going. We need to get back to the basics, back to the fundamentals of the game” (nbrpa.com).

Mr. White was talking about basketball but his words can be easily viewed from an educational perspective. We as educators must know where teaching practices originated and the thought process behind them. In the beginning chapters of the TIP book, I found the passages informative and thought provoking. Certain theories are dated back to the time of Aristotle and Plato. Some may disregard their theories as outdated but to me they are still relevant. They lived in a time that people dedicated their life to education and the process of learning.

The Mental Discipline Theory supports the belief that the brain is a muscle that must be exercised regularly. Just a few weeks ago in the news, a report indicated that people over the age of fifty should exercise their brain daily. The study reported that individuals who play puzzles and brain exercising activities are less likely to suffer Alzheimer’s years later. If Plato and Aristotle were still alive, they would be saying, “I told you so.”

The TIP book has been a fun read and I think the format structure of each chapter makes the material easier to understand. I have not focused on the flaws of each theory. Instead, I focused on the concepts in which I found effective. At the start of the new school year I will have a better understanding behind literacy centers due to the Unfoldment Theory. The only chapter I found difficult to read was chapter 5 on Theories of Literacy Development. Most of the theories stressed the importance of a literacy rich-home environment. As a teacher I am limited in assisting children with their home life. In a positive perspective, when I have children I will take advantage of the time I spend with them at home. My home will be a literacy rich-home which will provide my children with a great start to literacy development.