Things and Stuff

30 April 2012

Introduction to Education Homework # 8

Read case study - Brenda Forester

Do you sometimes feel the same as Brenda? Are her concerns valid? What do you think of the overall issue?

Initially, I had some of the same concerns as Brenda from the case study but, as is somewhat the case in the story, observing classrooms has changed my perspective of what classroom knowledge on pedagogy a teacher needs to be effective. Brenda’s primary concern is that she is not learning how to teach or create lessons and that the methods she is learning will not helpful for her preferred teaching style. While this concern is understandable, no one is forcing her to use the “writing process” method taught in the story, so her concerns are somewhat unnecessary and dramatic. Having spent a lot of time in classrooms this semester and prior, I have realized that most teachers not only have a detailed day-plan telling them exactly what and sometimes how to teach, but also that most teachers do things the way that they believe is best or the way that has attained them the best results. If Brenda wants to teach a more traditional class, there is probably a detailed curriculum guide in her teacher’s book or her school, district, and/or state requirements. Additionally, if she is not sure which kind of teaching methods she wants to use, there is nothing stopping her from trying multiple methods of teaching or combining multiple methods. The important thing for her should be that her lessons and teaching style are effective and not whether students spend too much time picking a topic or not.

As I stated before, I do see Brenda’s concerns as valid; however, I think that she is taking them too seriously. I doubt that anyone is expecting her to be a phenomenal teacher in her first year, or to know exactly how she intends to teach for the rest of her career. While her professor seems adamant about a particular method of teaching, that professor is not going to follow her into the classroom. Ultimately, Brenda will decide how and what she teaches and it will be her choice to use, incorporate, or discard what she learns about the “writing process” as a method of teaching reading and writing.

If the overall issue is the writing process discussed, then I think that everyone in the scenario is unnecessarily bifurcating the issue of teaching methods. Both Brenda’s professor, Dr. Garrison, and her teacher mentor seem to be advocating that this teaching method is the best one, that it can or should be used solely, and that it will inherently correct students’ deficiencies in writing. Brenda is at least acting like, somewhat dramatically might I add, that she has to choose one method or the other and stick with it. At this time in education, neither of these ideologies has a place in a modern, progressive education plan. Personally, I think that the writing process discussed in the article sounds like a great idea, but should only be used as one part of an overall curriculum.

Wanting primarily to teach English, I whole-heartedly believe that the actual act of writing is essential in creating proficient writers. As with sports or playing a musical instrument, writing essays, prose, letters, or anything else becomes easier as you attempt and participate in that type of writing more often. I do believe that there is a practical learning application for many in writing as well; most of the challenging words I know how to spell or use, I know because I have at some time tried to write them and had to ask or look it up. I also think that the process of writing, especially about what you want, can have a great power to interest students in reading and writing. With that said, I think Brenda is correct in feeling like knowing how to properly use paragraphs or punctuation, is something that for almost everyone will only come with instruction. In a time when more people were avid readers, it might have been possible to familiarize yourself with paragraphing or punctuation simply from reading often but, in a modern world where the average American reads between zero and one books a year, this is simply not realistic. I believe that now it is only through a combination of instruction and practice that great readers and writers can be cultivated or refined from the average student.

Introduction to Education Homework # 7

Not in anyway giving anyone permission to plagiarize or copy this and also not verifying the authenticity of any of the information. Also note that there are probably no sources listed and I am not one myself, so don't quote me. This is just some of my homework; thought it might be interesting to someone:

Why does property tax create unequal funding for school systems? What is the distinction between education equity and educational adequacy?

Property tax creates unequal funding for school systems because wealthier areas will collect more property taxes and the idea of individualism prevents benefits from successes. The value of both homes and land around the United States varies greatly from state to state, and within states, causing different amounts of taxes to be drawn for each area. The effect on schools is that in wealthier areas with larger, more valuable homes, more funding will be raised for the local education system. Individual states also play a role by choosing whether or not to raise, lower, or restrict the amount of property taxes charged each year. Overall, this system not only creates a sort of class inequality among adjacent areas, but makes the national quality of education very inconsistent.

Another issue that Americans have with education is the idea of individual success and its relative value. For example, if each year’s successful students from the worst St. Petersburg and Tampa high schools stayed in their respective areas and bought or built nice homes in the areas and put money back into those neighborhoods, those schools would eventually receive increases in funding and be able to improve the surround areas. But, what will mostly likely happen is each year’s successful students will move to a wealthier neighborhood, in a wealthier area, and their tax money will go into a nicer school system, leaving their old one high and dry. Many Americans feel entitled to the lifestyle that they have and either do not realize or do not care that the same opportunities are not afforded to everyone.

Educational adequacy and equity are two beliefs regarding the funding of education. Proponents of educational adequacy are essentially promoting a No Child Left Behind Act strategy; demand higher standards and school accountability without providing any additional funding or resources to achieve progress. Educational equity is the idea that the rest of the world uses, which is that money affects the quality of education and equal funding is the only way to have equality in schools. In many other countries, additional money is provided per student if they are an immigrant or minority. This is almost the opposite of how school funding realistically supports students in America.

Introduction to Education Homework # 6

Read case study 17 Jane Vincent and react.

Do you think the grading system is fair? Should she change the grade? What issues are raised?

I think that for math, which is an entirely objective subject, the system is fair. I doubt that it is the most motivating system for students like Willie Lawrence, but if the students knew from the beginning of the term that there would be no exceptions to the grading system, they really should not be surprised if they get a B for an 89.3. If Ms. Vincent is having trouble sticking to the system and feels that there should be some room to bend grades for deserving students, she should discuss changing the policy with the other teachers; however, I do think it is important that she decide to agree with one standard or the other. She cannot fairly, as a grading policy, only round Willie’s grade up.

I do not think that Ms. Vincent should change the grade that she has already given out. It would undermine both her authority as a teacher and the authority of her department. If she were to change Willie’s grade and other students with different teachers found out, it would be easy for students to make a case that teachers were showing favoritism or that the policy was not being upheld. I honestly believe that she should go about changing the policy the fair and official way if she would like to be able to curve grades in the future, but for the present, she should consider this a lesson learned. Whether she changes the grade or not, Willie did technically earn the B, and is not being treated unfairly if other students are being held to the same standard.

The main issue raised is the impact of letter grades versus the methods used to determine them. While I do believe that a strict point system is fair, I think it is sensible to leave some room for subjective evaluation. If a student understands the concepts and will be successful in continuing past “above-average algebra II,” then I would consider it appropriate for them to earn an A for an 89.3. But, for a student like Willie, who consistently earns borderline grades, it might be misleading to consistently award him an A for consistently B work. The B that Ms. Vincent gives him may make him realize that he is a borderline student, and does need to put in an extra .2% effort. The issue of fairness is also raised, which ultimately led me to determine that Willie’s current grade cannot be changed. When a department creates rules such as a grading system, it would not be appropriate to change it on a limb for one student. The only way that Ms. Vincent can fairly change this grade is if the whole department changes the policy and reconsiders all borderline students’ grades before releasing them.

Introduction to Education Homework # 5

Not in anyway giving anyone permission to plagiarize or copy this and also not verifying the authenticity of any of the information. Also note that there are probably no sources listed and I am not one myself, so don't quote me. This is just some of my homework; thought it might be interesting to someone:

Should corporations such as Coke, Pepsi, Nike, Reebock, Home Depot or any other business give money to schools with the expectation that no competitors' products be sold or advertised the school? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such advertising and marketing? Are we brainwashing children?

I do not think that if certain corporations are advertised exclusively in schools that it matters because you are limited students to only that type of advertising. For companies like Nike or Home Depot, any instance where American-based companies, who benefit from the education system, can put money into schools should be supported. I do think that it matters if you are exclusively advertising things that are harmful to students, like Coke or McDonald’s. In cases where the promoted product is inherently unhealthy, like high-fructose corn-syrup sodas or 1,000 calories “value” meals, it seems unquestionably dangerous to allow them in schools.

The most obvious risk of teaching children to eat junk is creating unhealthy eating habits that can affect them for a lifetime. At Countryside High School, students are in class from 7:05 to 1:24, and have lunch from 1:30-2pm. During that six hour block, they only have one fifteen minute break to get food and the only things being sold are pizza, hamburgers, french fries – junk food. Aside from serving unhealthy food, I do not believe we should be teaching children to think favorably of multi-billion dollar corporations that do not even pay their employees enough money to live on. I guess the same argument could be made for Nike’s treatment of sweatshop workers, whom I am just assuming they employ, but these are considerations that I think a school should have to weigh in its decisions. Just like the Olympics will not support certain corporations or athletes promoting unhealthy behavior (which McDonald’s is an exception to), neither should schools.

I find brainwashing hard to buy into, except in instances of Nazi-ism, cults, or the Marine Corps. Kids, and adults alike, are exposed to advertising on television, in movies, on the highway, over the radio, it is literally everywhere. I doubt that advertising in schools will really have much more of an effect on children than advertising on cell phones or Facebook will; what is sad is that schools have to stoop to these methods of funding in the first place. It would make sense to me for sports teams and extracurricular activities to need or use these kinds of funding, but for operating, maintaining, or updating schools, I think it is a real shame.

Introduction to Education Homework # 4

Personal Appearance

Should it be an issue for teachers and staff? State your opinion and justify it.

What about the personal appearance of students? Should there be a dress code? Uniforms? Discuss the issues involved.

Personal appearance will probably always be a factor in the perception of students, teachers, and administrators to each other, as well as to others involved. While I do not really believe that teachers and staff should be judged by appearance, I know that realistically they will be. Especially with the way that politicians and the public opinion can sometimes portray teachers, it would be in teachers’ interests to maintain a professional appearance.

Boyse Mosely, a high school principal in Baltimore, passed a dress code for teachers, saying, “'Teachers want respect as professionals; then they should dress as professionals do” (NYT). I basically agree with his opinion; however, the dress code that he tried to enforce was fairly strict and drew criticism from teachers and unions. I believe that it is a good idea for teachers to dress professionally though; browsing online I found a lot of opinion forums from teachers making recommendations, though most agreed that individual schools had their own policies. Most posts also seemed to agree that it is best to dress conservatively until you are established, especially if you are young.

I believe students should definitely have a dress code and uniforms can be a good idea in some circumstances. I would be wary of a school that required uniforms that had to be bought by parents, without at least some help or exceptions for less-fortunate families. I think that requiring uniforms that parents have to buy will dissuade poor or ignorant parents from wanting or encouraging their child to go to a particular school. For schools with problems with violence, crime, drugs, or etc, I would understand a school or district finding it necessary. If dress code policies are imposed as a district policy or in impoverished areas, it might also be a way to ensure parents buy some presentable clothing for their children, though I am not entirely sure it is the school’s place to aim for that.

Students will always feel like they should be able to express themselves and their perceived originality with their clothing, but that is kind of irrelevant to education. Matt Amaral, a high school teacher, wrote an interesting article on dress codes discussing how distracting clothing can be from education, as well as some overall, very opinionated observations about students’ clothing. Keep in mind it is strictly his opinion, but he listed that he noticed girls who wore provocative clothing: “have lower GPAs, are suspended more, are less likely to go to college, get in more fights, are more likely to have boyfriends, and know more about sex.” Thinking about my high school experiences and observation hours, I would agree wholeheartedly that this is probably true quite often for both males and females. The best dress code for schools will let students and parents have some choices, but attempt to prevent genuinely distractive or obnoxious clothing.

Introduction to Education Homework # 3

Read Case 19 – Ellen Norton

React and react to others’ posts.

After reading case 19, my strongest reaction was that Ms. Norton should not take Becky, her student, home with her under any circumstances. She would only be putting herself in a potentially violent, job-threatening, legally-questionable position. I know that teachers often know about students’ personal lives and feel sympathetic for them, but she is at the point where multiple students think she is their best friend. While it is good that students trust her and look up to her, it seems that she has opened herself up a bit too much in pursuit of tenure. This scenario is actually kind of ironic because she is trying to be involved with students to get tenure, but either taking Becky home or getting murdered by the stalker Abby will prevent that.

I think ultimately Ms. Norton has put herself in this position, even though her intentions were good. In discussing her personal life with the first girl and asking inappropriate questions to the second one, she made these students think she could/would provide services that she can/should not. Imagine the position Ms. Norton would be in if Becky had really fallen off her bike, all the rumors were nothing but rumors, and Becky’s parents found out that her teacher was insinuating they were abusing her. The scenario with Becky could possibly have originated without Ms. Norton being buddy-buddy with students; regardless, she should contact a school social worker or guidance counselor immediately. It also would have been a good idea for her to do that before confronting Becky about the bruises in the first place, in my opinion. She might be a young woman and a good role model for students, but that does nothing to change the fact that she is not a licensed therapist, a guidance counselor, a summer-camp counselor, or their best friend.

Introduction to Education Homework # 2

View the video 16 “Teacher’s Discuss Their Methods of Effective Teaching”

What makes these teachers so engaging?

The main things I identified that made these teachers engaging were that they were excited about their material, they were teaching younger students (the older teacher was probably teaching 8^th or 9^th grade), and they were teaching in the early 1990s. The video was definitely filmed before the No Child Left Behind mandate and it was a lot easier to entertain kids when an overhead projector was about as cool as anything they had at home. Those obvious points aside though, the teachers did discuss some of their methods, mainly the two points of varying instruction and creating clear rules.

About the first half of the video was used to discuss varied instruction. The teachers talked about maintaining student attention, starting with not losing it initially, and keeping students involved in the activities. The first teacher’s strategy was shifting activities, on the spot if necessary, at a pace that could keep students’ attention. The second teacher discussed using group work, like group answers and group activities, which would keep all students involved and allow students to move around the classroom. I think that both teachers seemed like good teachers with tried-and-true strategies, but teachers of today, especially in higher grades, have to do a lot more than what they were doing.

The teachers also talked about clear rules and how much students supposedly like them. I have never understood when adults said that kids want rules; when I was in the Army they would always tell me as a Sergeant that Privates want rules. This may be childish of me, but I can never recall “liking” rules when I was a student or a Private, as they said I did in the video and in the Army. I think that there is some merit to a clear, concise rule system, especially for young kids, but it diminishes as you get to higher grades. High school students do not need to see “do not hit, curse, etc.” on the wall to know that they are not supposed to do those things and I doubt they will be enthused to “create their own rules” if they are taking you seriously. I think that when you get to the point that kids want to be treated like adults, which is around 8^th grade, you are not going to relate to them by pointing to a list of rules on the wall. I completely agree with the importance of high standards.