Education is like a car

Think of education as a car.  You have the body of the car and that is the school building.  Some are really nice and some are not.  Then you have the gadgets inside the car.  This represents the tools the schools have like computers, books, and other educational tools that they have.  Some cars have tons of gadgets and some do not.  Then you have the engine.  The engine represents the teachers.  Without the engine the car is nothing.  If the engine does not work well it is nothing.  This is the same with teachers.  If you are just a teacher going through the motions in the classroom then you are like a car that doesn't work, but if you are a passionate teacher and strive to do everything you can to make a difference in your students lives then you are like the engine of a luxury car; strong and reliable.  This metaphor of education being a car shows that a school can look perfect and have everything but without teachers that are devoted to their career and making a difference, you have nothing.

I learned so much in this class that I did not know about education and teaching.  The first thing is that there are so many different teaching styles out there and they all have their own theory on teaching.  Before this class I never thought about education like that.  I just assumed teachers taught and students learned.  Another thing that I learned from this class was from doing my field observations.  It has been a long time since I was in elementary school and I truly forgot what the schools and atmospheres were like.  I saw some things that I liked and some that I did not but it gave me a great perspective on what I want in my future classroom.  A final thing that I learned in this class was about inclusion.  After doing all the readings and viewing others students responses, I was able to create a clear view on my inclusion beliefs.  As a student I never thought about it, but now as an adult and a future teacher I can see the benefits of including all children in the classrooms.  Truly all of the things that I learned in this class I will take with me to my future classroom, because I can already sense what I do want to do and what I don't want to do. 

What I learned from the other students blogs were the different view points that I did not see.  I was able to learn more about students with autism and what it involves in teaching. This was important to me because this was not something I had experienced but through reading other blogs I was able to in a way experience it.

Social Justice in Education

What is social justice? Social justice is the mutual obligation in society that we are responsible for each other.  So what is a teacher's responsibility in social justice?  Teachers play the largest role in social justice in education.  They have the most control over how they address the students and what they will do to make sure students understand what they are supposed to learn.  Of course school comittees have the overall say on what students learn and the subjects that they are to be taught.  It is their responsibility to make sure that there is social justice in our schools.  If administrators don't make sure that they are creating a curriculum that is fair to both students and teachers then they are to blame for the lack of social justice in schools.  Teachers will be held to blame when they do not teach the subjects assigned in way that is fair to all students.

So what can they do to make sure social justice is practiced in schools?  Ways that teachers can do this is to make the learning critical.  This means to give some critical thinking in the classroom, let the students give their opinions and have say on the subject they are learning.  Another thing is to be rigous.  What this means is that teachers need to not only teach students how to change the world, but how to live and get by in the one that we have today.  These are very important details in creating a socially just education system.  It is important that students get this experience so that they grow and learn how to adapt to society. 

Bell Hooks Education

I decided to reasearch Bell Hooks education. The reason that I chose this theorists is because I found her ideas really interesting.  I liked that she talked about teachers having a passion for educating and that they need to believe in what they are teaching.  On a website I found that this theory was brought to part by the way she was brought up being in segregated schools and then once they were in integrated schools.  She noticed that once she was in an integrated school the teachers lacked the passion for teaching and that this was the most important part of being an educator.  I completely agree with this theory because even before taking this class I have completely been for having a passion for teaching.  I think that this is the most important reason for someone wanting to teach.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/hooks.htm

Realism in Education



What is Realism and how does is affect education today?  Realism is the scientific method of what is around us.  This means that even if we don't see something, it still exists in the world.  In the realist educational theory it provides students with the knowledge to survive in the world.  The methods of teaching with the realism theory in mind are very authoritative.  This means that there is a lot of memorization of facts.  Students need to learn, memorize, and be able to recall and explain the knowledge they are taught.  With this theory there are a lot of tests because that is the best way to measure the knowledge learned. 

I am not much of a supporter of the realist theory.  Much of this is due to the fact that I, myself am not very good at tests.  I think that there are much more effective ways to measure if a student has learned the knowledge that they need.  The way I believe is the most effective way to test knowledge is by writing.  I feel that if a student can research what they need to refresh there knowledge that is just as good.  It is impossible for someone to remember everything that they learned in school, but I think it is most important to know how to find the answers that you need rather than just knowing.  This would stop a lot of students test anxiety and increase the desire to learn.

http://www.tolueislam.org/Bazm/Manzoor/LT_035.htm

When to include special needs students in regular classes?

When is it the right time to include special needs students in regular classrooms?  There are people that support both sides of the issue.  The first side is including them in the regular classroom.  Many people believe that this is the right way to teach and that "good" teachers can get through to them and make it okay.  The other view is to separate them into their own classrooms.  The belief is that by including them the schools are forcing one group to conform to another. 

I have mixed feelings when it comes to inclusion.  I believe that if the student can function somewhat normally with other students than they should be in included in the regular classrooms.  If the student struggles and needs a lot more one on one time they should be separated to their own classroom where they can get the attention that they need. 

I beleive it is important to include students in the classroom with the other because it will teach them the social skills that they will need later in life.  Eventually they are going to be out in the real world but if not included with other students will have an even harder time.  I also think that the students that are separated from the others should be included in the specialist classes like phys ed and art.  This way they can still get the interaction with the other students that they need. 

http://www.weac.org/Issues_Advocacy/Resource_Pages_On_Issues_one/Special_Education/special_education_inclusion.aspx

Teaching Culturally Diverse Students



Teaching culturally diverse students can not be easy for anyone.  There are many steps that teachers can take to help with this process.  They need to learn to appreciate and make room for the students cultures, build realtionships with students and teach students social skills in different environments.  I am a total supporter of having diverse cultures in one classroom.  Not only would this be opening up the minds of the students to other cultures but mine as a teacher as well.  No matter how old we get we will always meet new people who are from different backgrounds that will teach us something.  As a teacher someday I think I will incorporate a project in every class that I teach that helps students understand each other.  This project would include each student sharing something to the class that makes them different and unique.  I think that something like this would really help students understand themselves and understand each other.  Being in a classroom with kids from other backgrounds can really help children understand what other people go through in their lives.

Do away with MCAS?

MCAS testing has ruled our lives for the last 12 years, but is it actually helping the students in Massachusetts?  In 2010, 2,900 high school seniors failed the science portion of the test, 2,500 failed math and 2,000 failed English.  Why is this happening if the MCAS testing is so important?  There is so much wrong with MCAS testing today.  First what students in one classroom in Danvers, MA may be learning is different from what the students in Springfield, MA may be learning, and who says that is what they will all be tested on.  The focus on the test itself is very overwhelming for students and teachers.  All everyone talks about all through the school year is when you take the MCAS in the spring... 

 Of course there are positive aspects of the MCAS tests.  It is a way to test all students to see that they are on track with the information needed to graduate high school.  As I have already said though, too many students are failing so it's not working. 

What can the state do to fix the problem with so many students failing the MCAS tests?  First, a set curriculum across the state needs to be set for each grade level and there should be follow up to make sure that teachers are following that curriculum to a tee.  Second, the pressure that is placed on MCAS testing should go away.  I'm not saying that they shouldn't know it's important but not make them feel as it is life or death.  When I was in school we spent more time doing MCAS practice questions and learning how to fill in the bubbles than learning our actual curriculum.  If we had maybe learned more material in that time I'm sure students would have done better on the tests. 

I am not fully against MCAS testing.  I think that there should be some sort of test to make sure students are actually learning but everyone needs to be on the same page.  If Massachusetts can get a more direct curriculum and follow up on it's teachers I think that students will start to do better on the MCAS testing.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/mcas/articles/2010/05/20/education_officials_may_scrap_mcas_test/?page=2

https://www.msu.edu/~youngka7/cons.html?iframe=true&width=100%&height=100%