Is Your Puzzle Completed?

Education is like a puzzle; all the pieces are needed to complete the picture. The final picture is a student's educational career. Over their years in school they add more pieces after they have learned something new and mastered a subject. This puzzle isn't just about gained knowledge though. Each dedicated teacher they have gets a piece for their students. The involved parent or someone that cares about them gets a piece to add. When the student goes out into their community and gives back, they get another piece. They get a new piece when they make a friend, or when they join an after school group, club, or sports team, they get piece too. After they reach a goal or accomplish something, their puzzle is now more complete.

I see education as a big picture across twelve plus years. School is more than just gaining knowledge and learning facts. It is about the teachers, parents, and administrators who have helped them get there. It is about the friends they made and the activities they got involved in. Students learn life long skills during school, but those aren't always from a text book. I see students learning patience, team work, organization, sharing, creativity, compassion, what is right and wrong, that things aren't always fair, and so much more during school.

When it comes to a puzzle though, when even just one piece is missing, the picture isn't complete. Every piece matters because every component to a student's education is important. Everyone deserves to have a full puzzle completed when they leave school and enter the real world. Most puzzles may be square, but this is how I believe well rounded students are created.

I have learned so much about education through this course. Going in as a non-education major, I learned the basics behind what goes into teaching. There are so many different ways to teach the varying types of students a teach may receive in her classroom. A teacher truly has to be dedicated to her students to understand their needs and base her lessons around them. Support from the school administration and parents at home are crucial to a student's success. These blogs are a creative way to post our ideas and then have a class discussion about that day's entry. I enjoyed reading about everyone's ideas and opinions on education because it helped me think deeper about my own.

Can You Ever Be To Young To Give Back?

When I think of social justice, I think of equality for all. Unfortunately that isn't the case yet in America. In the Rethinking Our Classroom article on social justice, I particularly enjoyed the Critical section. It was stating that a classroom's curriculum should consist of teaching students how to ask critical questions to "talk back" to the world. This meant that they shouldn't just take something for what it is, but to ask why, how comes, can this change, is this fair or right for example. They should also be taught to critique and analyze anything they see or hear to form their own opinions on it. The section ended by stating students should "have the opportunity to question social reality" through leaving the classroom so their learning can be "linked to real world problems."

I couldn't agree with that practice more! I think it is so important for students to be taught to find their own voice and be taught to think for themselves. They should question anything that doesn't seem to match their own opinion of what seems right. I think the only way that can happen though is like the article said; for them to see it for themselves out in the real world. To understand that some are less fortunate for example, students can visit and volunteer at a soup kitchen. To discuss the hurt and pain of abuse victims, students could organize a fundraiser for an abused animal shelter and advocate for peace. Student could also visit a citizen center to talk with the older generation who are often forgotten about or distanced from. 

Learning doesn't just happen in the four walls of a classroom. To be the change you want to see in the world,  one has to often go out and see first what they want to change. There is no better time to start this positive path than as a student in school. Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California focuses on service learning and has stated, "We believe community service activities provide students with an invaluable opportunity to see themselves in the larger context of the greater community in which they leave." How true is that? They gear their projects and programs around the age level of students to make sure they are appropriate and the students understand what they are doing and the impact they are having. I think this is a great system that all schools should implement!  

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/static/publication/roc1/Intro.pdf

http://www.xrds.org/podium/default.aspx?t=107769

A Different Prospective on a Child's Education

John Dewey believed that America's education system needed reforming. With the urbanizing of cities, factories being built, and family's lives changing at the turn of the century, Dewey though that the children's education should too. One of his most important beliefs was that there should be free public education for all students, without prejudice, from kindergarten to college. As the teacher as the student's guide, he thought schools should focus on cooperation to produce future caring members on society that worked together. 

Dewey also believed schools should be the focus on the community and democratic. He saw the importance of science, nature and art being taught to students, and not just the basic reading, writing and arithmetic. His thoughts on specialized and vocation education were that they should be the focus for old students and young students should have the chance to see and learn what interests them. He thought children should have the opportunity to become well rounded students before being forced to choose a future path. Children need to have the chance to enjoy their childhood and shouldn't be treated as miniature adults Dewey believed. 

He also thought children had rights; another belief that was new to many people. He thought they shouldn't be pressured to conform to society's but instead be taught to be their own person through their educational interests in and outside the classroom. Through play, games, projects, activities, outside learning, teamwork, and personal experiences, he thought were children's best way to thrive in school and then be successful in life. Most of all, he seemed to believe children were smart and had potential. 

John Dewey seemed to have a lot of thoughts on children and their education that just seemed ahead of his time. I believe his theory on teaching children seems spot on though. He wanted to give children the opportunity to enjoy their childhood by learning and growing through school before they entered to real world filled with a job and responsibility. Dewey's beliefs and practices are now integrated in schools across the country.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/novack/works/1960/x03.htm

Pragmatism: Education for Life

Isn't it so common to hear in the classroom, "Why do we even have to learn this? What is the point? When will I ever use this in life?" Many students feel that some of the subjects they are required to study in school are just plain useless. A good teach though can show the real world applications for that particular topic and that the knowledge they are gaining will serve a purpose and be needed some day. That seems to be the basic principle of pragmatism education.

In our text, Education The Practice and Profession of Teaching, John Dewey is quoted stating, "When people are educated pragmatically, they are prepared for life." (127) This type of education focuses on problem solving, critical thinking, and the consequences to one's actions. At a very young age, students are taught through activities and real life situation they will face some day. It is a creative, hands on way of learning. These practical experiences provide insight to the student that they can then use later in life to be successful. Pragmatists also feel that all subjects should be intertwined and connected so students can understand their full purpose. They feel that students who are educated this way posses the characteristics of: "self-confidence, self-reliance, co-operation, sacrifice, sympathy, empathy, mutual respect for others, tolerance, self-control, and originality." These students they say become responsible, contributing remembers of society and successful in life.

In early education, field trips could be used for pragmatic education. This is a hands on way for students to leave the classroom and learn about something in the natural world. Instead of reading a book and being lectured about food production, the teachers can take the students to a farm in the country to see and touch the crops in its natural state. They can go out into the field and have a discussion about what they experienced that day. This type of education is also what technical and vocation high schools are all about. It gets the students directly involved in their learning that they will use as a career later in life. Pragmatic learning seems to cut the fat from education and simply focus on the main structure bones that will be useful for the students throughout their lives. I think it is a good way to educate children because it shows them that what they are learning has a purpose. The students are focused on their learning because it truly involves them and then gives them the tools to be successful in life.

http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/essay/essay-on-pragmatism-views-on-teaching-and-discipline.html

Inclusion: Are You For or Against It?

Looking back on my educational experience, I don't think any of my classes participated in inclusion. I can't remember any fellow students with a mental or physical disability. I would have to assume that there were students with learning disabilities, but that is something kept between the student and teacher. While reading this section in our texts, I thought a lot on the topic, as well as my observation experience.

In the sixth grade classroom I observed, the teacher taught reading and language arts to a class that had a student who had high functioning autism. She seemed to be a very sweet girl with well intentions. She was always offering to answer questions or volunteer to help the teacher with a task. Sometimes it was hard for other students to participate in class though because it was common for her to just shout out answers to a question. She could be frequently found roaming around the classroom too and talking out during lessons or quiet work time. The teacher had to constantly remind her to sit in her seat or that it wasn't an appropriate time to talk. It was the end of the school year, so the other students and teacher seemed to be accustomed to what was happening. The teacher always remained patient, but this student seemed to be a constant distraction for the class.

Because I never experienced inclusion for myself as a student, I am still not exactly how I feel on the matter. Only observing one student in a class for a few hours doesn't give me a full sense on the subject. I do believe in equality for all though. This student's disruption of the classroom may have been due to her disability, but it isn't so that only students with a physical, mental or learning disability can distract a classroom or teacher. Any type of student can have issues with sitting for long periods of time in their chair at their desk or remembering to always raise their hand to talk or answer a question. Just assuming these students will cause an issue and limiting them to the chance to be in a general classroom isn't right. Some feel that these students have the right to be in any classroom and shouldn't be required to get pulled out.

Maybe that isn't the place for every student though. Some students need that specialized, small group attention to focus and strive. Also, not all teachers may be able to, or want to, teach a classroom that participates in inclusion. It's been argued about whether or not teachers need special instruction to teach students with different types of disabilities. There are a lot of positives and negatives on the subject. While I haven't fully formed an opinion for or against inclusion, I think what is good and works for some, isn't true for all. Inclusion may work for some students and classrooms, but not every.

http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues43/underlying_assumptions.html

Are These Children Being Left Behind?

In Chapter 3, The Richness of Classroom Cultures in McNergney’s Education the Practice and Profession of Teaching, one section particularly stood out to me. On page 50, exceptionality is discussed. This is the name for the 13% of students who aren't the average student, but have a special ability or disability. I chose to look more into the topic of students with special abilities because the section said there basically isn't a federal definition of a gifted student or legislation regarding or mandating their education. Some states have their own description for their gifted students, but there is nothing country wide.

An article I found validated that statement. David Nagel wrote Is American education Neglecting Gifted Children? Many states and school don’t have funding for students with these special academic abilities or polices for teachers who teach them. This means that if a program is in place, those teachers don’t have any preparation or professional development courses to facilitate those classrooms. It’s unfortunate to hear many gifted students spend most of their time in classrooms with the general population of students without any specialized instruction. Many schools feel the need to focus their attention and funds on students who are lower preforming then the average student.

Following this path could greatly affect our countries future. Who knows the number of talented and gifted students out there that have not been identified and then given the proper attention they deserve. Just as students with disabilities, these students have special needs that just aren't being met. This needs to be a priority for our country and education system. Gifted students with special academic abilities can’t be lost in the shuffle because some feel other students better deserve the attention and funds. We are failing them if this type of thinking continues. A federal definition needs to be created and then curriculum based on their needs has to be implemented in schools a crossed the country. They deserve that. Based on the text and article, I think yes, American education is neglecting gifted children. 

http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/11/16/is-american-education-neglecting-gifted-children.aspx

Is Longer Better?

It is no secret that American schools are in trouble. Some argue that to fix this problem, longer time spent at school is needed. That can be achieved by lengthening the average six hour a day schedule to eight hours, lengthening the school year from 180 days to 200 days or more, or even implementing both scenarios in schools across the country. 

An obvious positive outcome to these solutions is more classroom time. Students will spend more time learning the core subjects like reading and math, but that also allows more time to enjoy art and music classes that sometimes have to be cut due to the importance felt for other subject. Technology, foreign languages or other classes could now be offered to students because their day would now allow time for it. Lessons could now be longer and go more in depth to give students a better grasp on a concept. This could lead to higher tests scores. It also means that students are supervised for longer periods of the day so they don't have to go home to empty houses and potentially get into trouble. This could be a solution for costly day care that working parents wouldn't have to pay because their children would end their day when they do.

When discussing cost though, some feel extending the school day or year would cost too much to pay teachers and other school personnel as well as building utilities. They say that in a time when budgets are already so tight from being cut, there just isn't the money to implement this. Others are also concerned this system would interfere with sports, extracurricular activities and family time. This could also disrupt sleep patterns if students have to go to school earlier or get out later and still have to go to sports practice, eat dinner and do homework before bed. Being in school longer could eliminate the need for homework all together because students are getting more done throughout the day. One big issue with this solution would be teacher's unions and them agreeing to staying at school longer because contracts would have to be changed.

Clearly there are a lot of positives and negatives to this solution to fix America's education system. President Obama is for this and it has been stated,"President Obama wants to increase the school year from 180 days to 200 days. The President feels that the school days should be extended as well; stating that America is no longer a nation of farmers that need to be home at the end of the day to plow the fields." For some parts of our country, that statement is very true. Some schools have already implemented a change to their school day length, so their progress has to be monitored to see if this change is worth it and is needed now in every school.

http://voices.yahoo.com/will-extending-school-day-year-improve-us-5842606.html?cat=4

http://www.ehow.com/info_8209249_pros-cons-lengthening-school-day.html#page=0

Where Will You Teach?

Throughout college, students need to think about where they want to teach after graduation. Some may consider working in a city at an urban school, while others never even contemplate the option. There are a lot of mixed opinions when it comes to teaching inner city students. Positives that come from an urban environment are all the diverse cultures and languages. Teacher are able to work with and teach people from all different backgrounds. Working and living in the city also gives the opportunity to be so close to global food, art exhibits, music performances, plays and museums without the need to travel!

There can also be challenges to teaching urban students. It has been said that these teachers have to be even more passionate and motivated for their students. Teachers may have to deal with language barriers and less supportive parents at home. Some characteristics needed for inner-city teacher are, "empathy, flexibility, patience, a sense of humor and strong leadership." While it can be a stressful position, there are a lot positive aspects to teaching students in a city.

"Urban schools need better teachers, not excuses, to close the education gap."

http://www.teacherssupportnetwork.com/corporate/KnowledgeCenterArticle.do?id=5