Shor, Empowering Education

Quotes

While reading this article, it made me think a lot about many pieces we have read and discussed in class, such as Oakes and Christense.  Shor, talks about the three R’s concept of education and how we must teach children that there is more to be learn.

“If the student’s task is to memorize rules and existing knowledge, without questioning the subject matter or the learning process, their potential for critical thought and action will be restricted.”

 I agree with Shor, we must question “the subject matter” in order for students to learn.  We must encourage them to think about school because that will motive them to learn and develop their academic knowledge, which is what an empowering education consists.

“A curriculum that does not challenge the standard syllabus and conditions in society informs students that knowledge and the word are fixed and fine the way they are, with no role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for change.”

If students feel that change, it’s not necessary they willnot learn as much as they are supposed to. However, some of them don’t even learn at all.  Some students don’t agree or feel comfortable
with their classroom environment and the way the curriculum is set up.  On the other hand, a curriculum that does not challenge them, discourage students from learning which sometimes leads them to not participate or misbehave in class.

“Participation is the most important place to begin because student’s involvement is low in traditional classroom and because action is essential to gain knowledge and develop intelligence.”

Many people believe that participation is class is essential but in my opinion, I believe a person can learn in a lot of different ways, such as listening, taking notes etc. Not everyone has the same learning ability, a quantity of people have different ways of learning than others do, but not
participating doesn’t mean that the student it’s not acquiring any knowledge, like I mentioned before it means that most of us have a different way of learning.
 

I found an interesting video that shows some ways we could use to maintain students engage in the classroom.  In class, I would like to talk more about empowering education and see if we can come out with different ideas to keep the students involve in the classroom.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhKKsvG1n6Q&feature=related

Promising Practices

Reflection,

It was my first time in a conference therefore, I didn’t know what to expect.  After checking
in, I receive my folder and found out that I receive my first to choices. I didn’t know where to sit or where to go, but I saw some of my classmates and I quickly sat right next to them. I was so excited for everything to start and when it finally started, I found everything interesting and helpful.

My first workshop was A.L.L.I.E.D: Across Our Differences.  A.L.L.I.E.D is a group that focuses on trying to prevent those differences around the classrooms, such as discrimination between people of different races and also on how to make them feel protected around the classroom.  After they introduced themselves to us, they gave us index card, which we had to stand up and read aloud with stories of students who had been through many challenges during their education journey because they have been single out and judged by their appearance.  Then, they asked us for ideas of what us, as
future teachers can do to prevent those injustices. Everyone had different ideas of how to prevent this issue, some of them where;

•Don’t single anyone out.

•Don’t assume that students know everything.

•Use the media to open minds.

•Break the silence.

I enjoyed this workshop a lot.  I think it was very interesting to see how, even college student’s face adversities through their education journey.  All the stories each one of us real made me think about Delpit and “the culture of power.”

My second workshop was Lawrence: Universal Design for Learning.  I was so confused during
the presentation and I did not get much out of it.  Universal design for learning is “a new conceptual
framework in education that makes instructions really accessible for the widest range of learners.” This workshop wasn’t as interesting us the first one, because we didn’t get much chance to participate and hear different ideas of what people thought about this concept. Pretty much she just talked and talked the entire presentation therefore we didn’t get to participate much.  While she was talking, I took some notes from the slide show she was presenting, which, were;

• Lets fix the curriculum instead of the child.

• The recognition networks

-         The recognition network

-         The affective network

-         Strategic network

I still really confuse about this workshop.  I decided to checkout their website to see if I could get a better understanding of “Universal Design for Learning” and it was helpful.

http://udlguidelines.wordpress.com/introduction/

I think that the keynote speaker made really good points that will help us to become better teachers. However, I didn’t like that he seemed to be more focused on most of the professors that were basically in front of him, than us, who were in the back. But, while he was giving his speech I took some notes, but what I think was one of the most important points he made was the five dimensions of multicultural education, which are;

•Content integration

•Knowledge construction process

•Prejudice reduction

•An equity pedagogy

• An empowering school culture

I think these five dimensions of multicultural education were very useful, because it informed us about the obstacles we will face as future teachers and how to solve them.  After all, I found that the conference was very interesting and I know all the information I got, will be useful in the future.

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Reflection

“People without disabilities are judging us.”  I cannot believe that there’s people out there that single out students because of their disabilities.  It made me so upset, because those people don’t even realize how much people with disabilities struggle.  After all, they just want to be seemed as a normal person, fit in, they just seek for love not discrimination, which in most cases that’s what the majority of people does, discriminate them. 

As teacher’s separate students with disabilities from the others it prevent them from learning, because since they don’t interact with others students, they don’t acquire as much knowledge as the other students.  I believe that if instead of separating them from one another it will be more helpful if they stay together in the same classroom because it let those people with disabilities feel that they’re being appreciated for who they are and let them build trust between those around them.

“Each students contribute a unique and potentially valuable dimension to the wed of relationships that formed a school community.” It’s true, all of us have a unique talent to contribute to the community. However people with disabilities don’t get as much chances are the others, people believe that because they have a learning disability they are not going to do the job as good as a person
without disabilities. They might not be intelligent as others but as a I said before, they have their own talent they just need the opportunity to put that talent in practices, but in some of the cases ignorant people don’t seem to take them seriously or capable to do the job.

  While reading the article, I found the word “retard” which made me so upset.  It is so ridiculous the way some people think.  No one should be characterized as retard; people don’t seem to realize that they have feelings just the way we do.  Being discriminated discourages them from going to school, which also prevent them from learning. Our society needs to realize that individuals with disabilities can be as, successful as those without disabilities.

In class, I would like to talk more about this issue, and discuss how we as future teachers can help those kids around the classroom.  I found a very interesting website that talk about lots of different disabilities and how to learn to work with those students. 

http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/teachers/index.asp

Oakes and Finn

Quotes

“Why schools need to take another route” was easy to fallow and I enjoyed a lot.  The second reading, which was literacy with an attitude, I thought it was a little confusing and I didn’t understand most of it.  Oakes discuss the how students get placed in the “low-ability” group and separated from the others, which prevent them from learning as the way they should.  While the students placed in the “high-ability” group get have more benefits, when it comes to opportunities, and success.  Finn, talks about how we as future teachers, have to learn to teach students this “powerful literacy” to each student equally.    

 

“Growing numbers of school professionals and parents oppose tracking because they believe it locks most students into classes where they are stereotype as “less able,” and where they have fewer opportunities to learn.” 

I totally agree that if students are, placed in different categories, according to abilities, achievements, or needs prevent them from opportunities to learn. It is so unfair that most students a treated differently because they are not as forward as the others are, because as you separate them from the others, “high ability group” learn less.  They seem the class, less encouraging, which prevent them from getting a good education.

“Most teachers realize that for students, feeling comfortable in class is more than just a nice addition to learning.  They also know that when teachers trust one another, class time and energy are freed up for teaching and learning.”

It’s fundamental to feel comfortable around your teacher and the classroom.  As you feel comfortable, it helps you and motivates you to do better in class.  From my own experience, I have to say, that it is easier to learn and pay attention to a subject, when you feel comfortable around the teacher and the classroom.  It is always, very important for students to
be able to trust teacher because it helps then to learn easier and talk to them about any issue that they might be going through.   

“We have come so far in our democracy that we have nothing to fear from the have-nots. We worry instead that the low levels of literacy among them make them a liability for the rest of us.  The idea is that if we could raise their level of literacy they would join the haves.”

I did not understand this quote much.  I chose it, because I would like to discuss in class, the meaning of it or see if anyone can help me to figure out.  

The effect of tracking students. http://mste.illinois.edu/hill/papers/tracking.html