What Do We Mean By Challenge 2

What do we mean by challenge?

A dictionary definition is: Challenge - a

demanding or stimulating situation

Why is challenge important to the classroom environment?

Academics argue they...... engage the brain, by stimulating the

attention systems in the brain. They get the mind to pay attention to the immediate environment. This is because short-term memory precedes the process of putting ideas into the long-term memory for retrieval at a later date (Caine et al, 1991)

In other words they... Motivate Raise achievement Stretch and challenge all

students They engage with G &T learners Remind us all that learning is making sense of the world around us rather than just

So what makes a challenging lesson?

Challenging lessons need to.. 1. Move from reproductive tasks 2. To simple reasoning tasks that are mainly

closed 3. To challenging reasoning tasks that have an element of open-endedness (by this I mean the learner asks what are the alternatives) 4. This precipitates the learner to ask topic/subject specific questions 5. This allows the teacher to measure ‘Observed Learning Outcomes’

How can I

engineer a challenging lesson?

What are the

different ways in which I can challenge learners?