Introducing a spelling test to a student by saying, 'Let's see how many words you know,' is different from saying, 'Let's see how many words you know already.' It is only one word, but the already suggests that any words the child knows are ahead of expectation and, most important, that there is nothing permanent about what is known and not known.
Interpretation
The word 'already' conveys a sense of encouragement and flexibility in learning, suggesting that knowledge is not fixed.
In this quote, Peter Johnston highlights the importance of language in education, particularly how framing can influence a student's mindset. By using the term 'already' when discussing a spelling test, teachers can foster a growth mindset, implying that the child's current knowledge is just a starting point and that they have the potential to learn more. This approach encourages students to view their capabilities as expandable rather than static.
In practice
A teacher might use this quote during a staff meeting to emphasize the importance of encouraging language in the classroom.
We need to do teacher training to educate them about what temperament means. Shyness is painful and you want to help a child with shyness - but the underlying temperament of being a careful, sensitive person is to be honoured, valued and respected.
I like that there are young people being given opportunities to explore and learn and grow and become themselves with a path that is associated with my mother. She would have liked that very much.
I didn't go to school a full year until I was 11 or 12, so I lived in books. I really was an observer of life.
He promoted the education of the parish clergy and wrote: He seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear.
When schools flourish, all flourishes.
There is little doubt that our society is changing rapidly, but one thing will never change as long as we remain a democracy: the need for voters to know the essentials of our history and government.
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