Fulfilling The Promise Chapters 5 and 6

The cog of curriculum and instruction is so different from what I experienced in school. I almost have to say DUH! as I read each of the components of the cog. Motivation-of course! No wonder school has been such a drudgery when teachers only focus on teaching the curriculum rather than the student. I like the way the text said "Much of the fine art of teaching comes in figuring out how to deliver the curricular fundamentals in ways that are irrestible to young minds. It is the truth. We compete against tv, internet, gameboys, nintendos, xboxs', etc. We have got to motivate students to want to learn. With that, comes the idea that they need to see the curriculum as important. I was working with a group of 5th graders doing math reteaching and in the midst of our conversations one student said all we need to know from math is adding and subtracting. Everything else he was supposedly "learning" was a waste of time to him. If there is no value or importance placed upon the knowledge being taught, it will be all but rejected. When students begin to see the importance of the curriculum then teachers need to make sure instruction is focused. Students need to know that what they are doing will lead them to an understanding of the big ideas.
I heard a quote once that went something like "Knowledge is power." I thought of this as the author stated that we needed "to do whatever it takes to build not only the learner's sense of worth, but also his or her sense of power as a learner. There is "power" in learning new things, especially when that knowledge has come with a struggle. Thus curriculum must be demanding for student growth is nonnegotiable.