Content

Content can be described as the knowledge, skills and attitudes that we want children to learn. Some concrete examples include: using reading materials at different levels, using technology that reads aloud text to the student, use of scribe for those who struggle with writing themselves.

According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, thinking and wondering about the unknown gives us far more power than memorization of isolated facts and definitions or practicing disconnected skills. The content in a healthy classroom realizes and takes into account these facts. In a healthy classroom, what is taught and learned

• Is relevant to students, and connected to the world they know
• Helps students understand themselves and their world more fully
• Is authentic, offering real connections, rather than focusing simply on facts
• Can be used immediately for something that matters to students
• Opens students’ minds to their own power and potential both in and outside of the classroom

Tomlinson suggests that when the subject is dynamic, intellectually intriguing, and personal, the details and facts automatically become more important and memorable to the learner. When these principles are honoured, and students put in a position of power over their own learning, they are able to master critical facts and skills in the context of ideas and issues that are meaningful to them.