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Summary

In this first video of a new series directly addressed to students, Augusta models test-taking practices for reading and responding to narrative text selections. She uses her “Performances” mode to hold students’ attention as she models the thinking of excellent students as they read and respond to a typical test item.

The skills and knowledge that she reviews are: paying attention to and obeying punctuation marks as one reads, and using the four elements of the strategy: “Reciprocal Teaching” i.e. predicting, summarizing, questioning, and clarifying. Palincsar and Brown (1984, 1986)

Some of Augusta’s videos addressed directly to students will be in this type of performance mode. The curtain will go up and Augusta’s performance will take place. As the performance ends, the curtain comes down.

These performances must include the principle of repetition as applied in Augusta’s Touching the Spirit modality.

Each performance is repeated three times--once on three consecutive days. This repetition is doable for teachers because the performances are each only one -to-two minutes in length.

Videos #148, #149, and #150 demonstrate these performances.

Videos # 152, #153 and #154 continue this strategy format of performances addressed to students.

THESE BRIEF PERFORMANCES ARE ONE OF AUGUSTA’S MOST IMPORTANT TEACHING PRACTICES.

Because teachers need well-thought-out plans, preparation, calendars and reminders to do these performances, many who believe in the strategy don’t get to put it into practice on a consistent basis.

This practice reflects the principles in Augusta’s Touching the Spirit modality and the research on African American culture. Some of these principles of African American culture are: emotional vitality, the prominence of rhythm; personal style and uniqueness; insistence on working toward mastery; the use of repetition to enhance meaningfulness; ritual performances; recitation; intensive direct instruction and practice; and continual search for patterns.

Then if we study the research on the human brain and learning, we find that the performances link to research on how the brain responds favorably to novelty and how anything that is unusual helps attention and learning.

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