Chapter 5 "Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group"

My favorite part of this chapter is where the author, Kathleen Cushman, describes the different kinds of students: the eye-roller, the wallflower, the hand-waver, the dreamer, the con artist, the goof-off, and the workhorse. As I read Cushman's description of the different kinds of student behaviors images of certain kids faces pop into my mind. I completely understood what she was talking about when she explained each category.
I think it is important to recognize the different types of student behaviors, like the con artist, because that way teachers can better understand how to deal with each of these students individually. The more teachers know about why students behave in this manner the better equip they are to provide the kind of attention and learning styles necessary to engage each child, from all of the categories, into the lesson. Take for instances the child who is considered a dreamer; if teachers understand that these students usually enjoy staying in their own world then create a lesson where the student could write a fictional story describing a make believe place. Also, teachers need to provide opportunities for the students who are afraid to participate. That's why it's important to mix up the way lesson are taught to the class, so that the teacher can reach out to all the different types of student behaviors.