Shor: Education is Politics
1. “No curriculum can be neutral.”
Shor here discusses how students need to question to understand the world around them. Leaving out certain “controversial” topics from the curriculum is not playing it safe but denying you students vital information, and the opportunity to examine their world. This can be compared to all the rest of the things we have been learning in this class because it sounds to me a lot like Johnston. Johnston said we need to talk about “controversial” topics to make them less controversial, to enable students to understand them and be comfortable with them. The foundation of school should be socialization, and to do that a teacher needs to bring all societal topics into the classroom so that they can be examined in a secure and educational environment. I like how she mentions that if these topics are not brought up in the classroom it just teaches students to follow the herd that the way things are should not and can not be changed. “The future of society is at stake.”
2. “To know an object is to act upon it and to transform it.”
This quote is actually by Piaget, but it is important. This quote is used to demonstrate the importance of student participation in the classroom, allow the students to teach themselves. The teacher is a resource and guide for the students to use as they learn about themselves and their environment. Preaching at kids and not allowing any vocalization on their part would be inhibiting them, they should be the ones steering the class. Abstract theories rarely work, and lets face it are only good at killing a students interest in the subject, these theories need to be applied, students need to see them at work. In an elementary school, if a teacher lectures at the students for a week about photosynthesis, at the end of the week they still are not going to care. If a teacher lectures and brings in plants one put in the sun, one in a closet, and doesn’t water one now it is kind of interesting students can assess for themselves why which one is growing and the other not. Let the kids teach themselves they are capable of absorbing the world around them just give them the opportunity to do so. This got me thinking about a developmental psychology class I was in, the teacher said that playing the work of toddlers. Why can’t playing be the work of all students? What taught you most about love? Hearing your friends describe their relationships, or getting your heart broken?
Okay I did not get a chance to finish this because, well, I couldn't find it at first so i procrastinated and now it is almost midnight the day before it is due... Go me! lol but i will finish it I really enjoyed this article i look forward to writing more about it.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Promising Practices
I know that it has been awhile but I am finally going to blog about Promising Practices, I have just been really busy, but I really did have a good time. Now to be quite honest I was kind of dreading this, I am not a morning person and I convinced myself it was going to be really boring just getting lectured at for like 7 straight hours, but it wasn’t it was informative, interesting, it was absolutely a good time.
The first session I went to was Neglected Histories, Neglected Stories
This was good because it was all about secondary ed history, which is why I am here.
Honestly due to this session I think I now, finally, know my concentration. There was 5 women there presenting on topics related to the Atlantic, and the relationships such as the slave trade. These women talked about going a little deeper into the subject with the students such as thinking about the goods and products that were produced at the time of the slave trade and due to the slave trade. Inviting students to look into the primary families that were involved, such as the Brown family, of Brown University, maybe have students write a biography, or obituary of theses families. Choosing specific stories for the students to look into and discuss, this way its not just theory, the specific stories are easier to remember anyway, and lets face it more interesting. One of the main focuses of this session was complicity, for instance how does Rhode Island’s history fit into the greater scheme of the U.S.? Just because Rhode Island didn’t necessarily have any slaves it did benefit from slave labor, for example where was Samuel Slater getting his raw material.
This was absolutely fascinating I really enjoyed myself, which is saying something, because it was 7 o’clock in the morning, and I didn’t even know we had one of those in the morning too.
The second session I went to was the A.L.L.I.E.D. This was really interesting too, this group talked about providing allies for people who feel underrepresented. This doesn’t just mean minorities, which has a historically negative connotation, using the term underrepresented it a bit more hopeful. So what does it mean to be an ally? It is the difference between sympathy and empathy, feeling bad for someone and uniting with someone, the difference is passive listening, or aggressive action. Individual vs. Community. Tara and Ms. Bogad did an awesome job !!!
The first session I went to was Neglected Histories, Neglected Stories
This was good because it was all about secondary ed history, which is why I am here.
Honestly due to this session I think I now, finally, know my concentration. There was 5 women there presenting on topics related to the Atlantic, and the relationships such as the slave trade. These women talked about going a little deeper into the subject with the students such as thinking about the goods and products that were produced at the time of the slave trade and due to the slave trade. Inviting students to look into the primary families that were involved, such as the Brown family, of Brown University, maybe have students write a biography, or obituary of theses families. Choosing specific stories for the students to look into and discuss, this way its not just theory, the specific stories are easier to remember anyway, and lets face it more interesting. One of the main focuses of this session was complicity, for instance how does Rhode Island’s history fit into the greater scheme of the U.S.? Just because Rhode Island didn’t necessarily have any slaves it did benefit from slave labor, for example where was Samuel Slater getting his raw material.
This was absolutely fascinating I really enjoyed myself, which is saying something, because it was 7 o’clock in the morning, and I didn’t even know we had one of those in the morning too.
The second session I went to was the A.L.L.I.E.D. This was really interesting too, this group talked about providing allies for people who feel underrepresented. This doesn’t just mean minorities, which has a historically negative connotation, using the term underrepresented it a bit more hopeful. So what does it mean to be an ally? It is the difference between sympathy and empathy, feeling bad for someone and uniting with someone, the difference is passive listening, or aggressive action. Individual vs. Community. Tara and Ms. Bogad did an awesome job !!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Movie Poster Racism
this is intersting...
U.S.A version U.K. Image
While Love and Hawk aren't generally as well known as the film's other six stars, it's still a questionable motive. As noted in a 2007 New York Times article, American films with black stars typically struggle in the overseas market. According to the article, Will Smith, the undisputed king of the American box office, ranks no better than twelfth when it comes to ticket sales internationally. Simply put, said industry watcher James Ulmer, "The international marketplace is still fairly racist."
However, there's good news for those who believe the removal of Love and Hawk from the UK poster was racist: Universal issued a statement regretting any offense it caused, and the studio has scrapped all plans to use the modified poster in other overseas markets.
This is all copied from the Yahoo web page, but i thought it was interesting to add on here. The yahoo writers comments that internation markets are still racist, this puts an interesting spin on racism considering whenever i have heard of racism it has been here in the states. Actually i dont think i have ever heard of racsim outside.... and it begs the questiojn are these writeras telling the truth, is this racism only in the "international market" or did they just get caught being racist in the us and they are trying to cover their tracks... it wouldnt be wholly unbelievable....
Blog
Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome
To be honest I personally have no experience with any developmental disabilities.
1. Such a model may meet bureaucratic organization needs (Skrtic, 1995a), but it teaches little about the complexity of community membership and carries with it a tremendous intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and economic cost (Kozol, 1991).
This sentence packs so much, the model that was mentioned was how schools continue to segregate students. Meaning that if you are sitting in a classroom surrounded by other kids who look like you, come from the same neighborhood, learn the same way, and have been taught the same things, you are being denied a vital education. The education of your peers, the lecture of the teacher is only half the lesson, being segregated denies kids the right to learn about their entire community, and not just that little piece.
2. Instead of picking a quote here I want to comment broadly on, Broading the Definition of Valued Intellect.
This part reminds me of what we were talking about last class, about those dittos and how that’s not really the best way to test the intellect of students. In the article the quote by Howard Gardner talks about how some kids can pass the test but they miss the deeper understanding. It is one thing to be smart enough to read through a text book and be able to pick out the things that need to be memorized, or what your teacher will probably quiz you on, but it is completely another to really understand the concept. “What constitutes valued patterns of learning” I love that he mentions this, this also goes back to everything that we have been talking about in class. All students learn differently, some excel at mathematics, some a the civics courses, but there are others as well, here he mentions spatial-representation, musical, kinesthetic intelligence. All of these are valid ways of expressing ones self, and they all need to be recognized in the schooling system. If a student is bad at test taking, that doesn’t mean that they are any less capable they any other student in the school, they would probably ace the test if given the opportunity to orally present the material. And that is just one example. I remember in my high school, the special ed. Kids were not in our regular classes but they were in our physical education courses. P.E. at least where I attended wasn’t about being in shape it was about trying new things and playing around seeing what you were good at, what your body was capable of, seeing what you liked. But the special ed. Kids did not participate they just watched, which I always thought was ridiculous. They could walk around the track but that was it. Here again they were denied an opportunity to learn, about their classmates, and themselves. Because, going back to our last class discussion, people just assumed that they were not capable.
3. I have to stop here because I am sick L and I need to get to bed, I will try to add more before next class though.
To be honest I personally have no experience with any developmental disabilities.
1. Such a model may meet bureaucratic organization needs (Skrtic, 1995a), but it teaches little about the complexity of community membership and carries with it a tremendous intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and economic cost (Kozol, 1991).
This sentence packs so much, the model that was mentioned was how schools continue to segregate students. Meaning that if you are sitting in a classroom surrounded by other kids who look like you, come from the same neighborhood, learn the same way, and have been taught the same things, you are being denied a vital education. The education of your peers, the lecture of the teacher is only half the lesson, being segregated denies kids the right to learn about their entire community, and not just that little piece.
2. Instead of picking a quote here I want to comment broadly on, Broading the Definition of Valued Intellect.
This part reminds me of what we were talking about last class, about those dittos and how that’s not really the best way to test the intellect of students. In the article the quote by Howard Gardner talks about how some kids can pass the test but they miss the deeper understanding. It is one thing to be smart enough to read through a text book and be able to pick out the things that need to be memorized, or what your teacher will probably quiz you on, but it is completely another to really understand the concept. “What constitutes valued patterns of learning” I love that he mentions this, this also goes back to everything that we have been talking about in class. All students learn differently, some excel at mathematics, some a the civics courses, but there are others as well, here he mentions spatial-representation, musical, kinesthetic intelligence. All of these are valid ways of expressing ones self, and they all need to be recognized in the schooling system. If a student is bad at test taking, that doesn’t mean that they are any less capable they any other student in the school, they would probably ace the test if given the opportunity to orally present the material. And that is just one example. I remember in my high school, the special ed. Kids were not in our regular classes but they were in our physical education courses. P.E. at least where I attended wasn’t about being in shape it was about trying new things and playing around seeing what you were good at, what your body was capable of, seeing what you liked. But the special ed. Kids did not participate they just watched, which I always thought was ridiculous. They could walk around the track but that was it. Here again they were denied an opportunity to learn, about their classmates, and themselves. Because, going back to our last class discussion, people just assumed that they were not capable.
3. I have to stop here because I am sick L and I need to get to bed, I will try to add more before next class though.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Blog #8
Okay, I am so completely exhausted right now… so I am going to take this paper on a different track I am not going to divide up one article into three pieces, because I want to comment on Anyon, Oakes and Tara’s blog regarding homosexuality so there’s 3 subsections right there. But anyway I mentioned that I was tired before to warn anyone reading this that it might get rambling or just not make sense at times lol.
First the Anyon piece, this article resonates with everything we have already been doing in class. Here Anyon talks about the “hidden curriculum”, which I think goes hand and hand with the Culture of Power. Kids from higher classes learn the skills that they will need in graduate school to become a doctor, or other positions of power. While working class kids learn how to be obedient and subservient. Which I don’t think anyone can completely deny, this is the reason why there are still stereotypes regarding poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer, so much of this class conflict still survives today. This isn’t just how much money and resources do these schools have but the fact that the curriculums are different, as Anyon points out working class schools lean toward the vocational education, while the wealthier kids learn critical analysis. This might seem to be the practical approach, however it is never practical to tell children they are not capable and deny them of even putting in the effort to become something more than your corner mechanic. Maybe this is why people end up hating their jobs. I know kids personally who became mechanics and hate it, these are really smart, driven people and if provided the opportunity could have “been all that they could be”. But not once did someone of authority ever tell them, you have a shot, you could get out, you could do that, because that’s not “practical”.
Now onto the Oakes piece. I have actually mentioned this idea in my journals as well how kids should be allowed to learn by ability and not simply age level. In my VIPs classroom I have noticed that the kids who “act out” do so because they finished their work and they understand the material and now they are bored waiting for the other kids to catch up. Now they are “problem kids”. I really glad that this article was assigned to us because this allows me to flip the coin over and have a good look. To be honest I never even considered the flip side of the argument, where students would be labeled less able. I mean that sounds incredible, I cant image what I child would feel like in that position. However in my high school, and I know that in most high schools, there is a certain amount of “tracking” going on. There were different levels of education being taught, outside of age group. Nobody cared though, I was in lower level math courses, but higher level history courses, and no body really even cared, I would joke and say I was in the “dumb math class” but it never really bothered me. But again I cant speak for the masses, I would image this would bother some people. I mean I didn’t even know my school offered college prep course until well after I had graduated and my friend told he was offered them, (he turned them down, dropped out and became a carpenter). Here Oakes mentions that kids in the lowering performing classes have no chance to move up because they are taught a different way, see now I did not realize this, these kids would be deemed: not headed to college, and so they would be taught the basics and pushed out the door. That sounds bad, but it sounds like an easy fix to me. But now that just melts right into the quality of the teachers. Oakes mentions, that teachers in low-ability classrooms spend more time on discipline, while high-ability classrooms spend more time on class work. This still seems like a teacher quality problem.
Now about Tara’s blog… Ellen Degenerous was on the Oprah Show and I watched because Ellen was going to appear with her wife and discuss what it is like to be an openly gay woman on television… so I had to watch. Now at first Ellen says that people were against her being on tv and having her own show because what do housewives at home at this time have in common with a lesbian? They didn’t think anyone would watch. Her show is now extremely popular, but to begin with the night show she had had been cancelled a year after she came out. Ellen knew that her career might be over she came out. But she came out because she wanted to be out and happy with it even though she knew there would be some opposition. The greatest success for her came when she came out, because once she was out she was totally happy and satisfied, because she was out she was free to be happy and work hard at what she wants. “I wanted everyone to like me.” Portia De Rossi the sister on Arrested Development (funniest show ever) is Ellen’s wife. Was it important to you to be married? Legal stamp of validity, that you have the right to do so. Anyone who is married knows that there is a comfort and a safety that feeling of “home”. (They showed some pictures from their wedding and these women are so beautiful and so special, and I know it sounds weird and none of my business really but I am so proud of them, they really obtained happiness through oppression). They are not going to like me, no matter how good of a person I am, if they find out my secret they wont accept me. A sense of peace. The love overcame the fear.
First the Anyon piece, this article resonates with everything we have already been doing in class. Here Anyon talks about the “hidden curriculum”, which I think goes hand and hand with the Culture of Power. Kids from higher classes learn the skills that they will need in graduate school to become a doctor, or other positions of power. While working class kids learn how to be obedient and subservient. Which I don’t think anyone can completely deny, this is the reason why there are still stereotypes regarding poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer, so much of this class conflict still survives today. This isn’t just how much money and resources do these schools have but the fact that the curriculums are different, as Anyon points out working class schools lean toward the vocational education, while the wealthier kids learn critical analysis. This might seem to be the practical approach, however it is never practical to tell children they are not capable and deny them of even putting in the effort to become something more than your corner mechanic. Maybe this is why people end up hating their jobs. I know kids personally who became mechanics and hate it, these are really smart, driven people and if provided the opportunity could have “been all that they could be”. But not once did someone of authority ever tell them, you have a shot, you could get out, you could do that, because that’s not “practical”.
Now onto the Oakes piece. I have actually mentioned this idea in my journals as well how kids should be allowed to learn by ability and not simply age level. In my VIPs classroom I have noticed that the kids who “act out” do so because they finished their work and they understand the material and now they are bored waiting for the other kids to catch up. Now they are “problem kids”. I really glad that this article was assigned to us because this allows me to flip the coin over and have a good look. To be honest I never even considered the flip side of the argument, where students would be labeled less able. I mean that sounds incredible, I cant image what I child would feel like in that position. However in my high school, and I know that in most high schools, there is a certain amount of “tracking” going on. There were different levels of education being taught, outside of age group. Nobody cared though, I was in lower level math courses, but higher level history courses, and no body really even cared, I would joke and say I was in the “dumb math class” but it never really bothered me. But again I cant speak for the masses, I would image this would bother some people. I mean I didn’t even know my school offered college prep course until well after I had graduated and my friend told he was offered them, (he turned them down, dropped out and became a carpenter). Here Oakes mentions that kids in the lowering performing classes have no chance to move up because they are taught a different way, see now I did not realize this, these kids would be deemed: not headed to college, and so they would be taught the basics and pushed out the door. That sounds bad, but it sounds like an easy fix to me. But now that just melts right into the quality of the teachers. Oakes mentions, that teachers in low-ability classrooms spend more time on discipline, while high-ability classrooms spend more time on class work. This still seems like a teacher quality problem.
Now about Tara’s blog… Ellen Degenerous was on the Oprah Show and I watched because Ellen was going to appear with her wife and discuss what it is like to be an openly gay woman on television… so I had to watch. Now at first Ellen says that people were against her being on tv and having her own show because what do housewives at home at this time have in common with a lesbian? They didn’t think anyone would watch. Her show is now extremely popular, but to begin with the night show she had had been cancelled a year after she came out. Ellen knew that her career might be over she came out. But she came out because she wanted to be out and happy with it even though she knew there would be some opposition. The greatest success for her came when she came out, because once she was out she was totally happy and satisfied, because she was out she was free to be happy and work hard at what she wants. “I wanted everyone to like me.” Portia De Rossi the sister on Arrested Development (funniest show ever) is Ellen’s wife. Was it important to you to be married? Legal stamp of validity, that you have the right to do so. Anyone who is married knows that there is a comfort and a safety that feeling of “home”. (They showed some pictures from their wedding and these women are so beautiful and so special, and I know it sounds weird and none of my business really but I am so proud of them, they really obtained happiness through oppression). They are not going to like me, no matter how good of a person I am, if they find out my secret they wont accept me. A sense of peace. The love overcame the fear.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Blog #6
Gender Diversity in the Classroom
I started by reading Beyond Title IX: Gender Equity Issues In Schools, this was a study done by the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, and it was funded by the Department of Education. To summarize, boys are provided with more opportunities in the classroom than girls are. However, this is mostly de facto, “Title IX of The Education Amendments of 1972 mandates that schools not deny any student participation in any educational program or activity on the basis of sex.” This article brings up that girls, generally speaking, are still not enrolling in certain programs that have been deemed a “man’s field” by society; such as auto mechanics. So there is still the spilt, and what could this be blamed on, maybe on subliminal messages in the classroom on men’s and women’s roles. This reminds me of, Carlson, by way of normalizing girls into “male roles”, just take way the whole idea of roles. This could be anything from pictures in a book of a woman in the kitchen and a man in the garage; children will eventually grow accustomed to seeing that and assume that that’s the way it is supposed to be. Also I see a bit of Johnston in this, telling girls explicitly that they are able to handle an auto mechanics class, it could be that girls want to take these classes but they are just too nervous about being the only girl. This isn’t in America, but I want to bring it up because it is an interesting topic.
This next article I read is an issue in Turkey, where women have to choose between their female identity and their education. In Gender Equality and Islamic headscarves; written by Joan Wallach Scott, discusses the issue in Turkey about secularism versus an Islamic state. “When, in 2004, France outlawed the wearing of headscarves in public schools, for example, it was in the name of secularism and gender equality.” So, now, the issue is allow the headscarves and risk incorporating religion into the school system, or ban it and have women feel as though their right to choose is being stripped. So there is a choice here, I am thinking Collier fits here, change the topic from first language to first model and it’s the same story. Turkey needs to find the middle ground, the compromise where women can still honor their first ideas of who they are as women, and what they want to become within society.
“‘Across the world, assumptions about what is appropriate for boys and girls to learn can undermine equality in learning.’ Power is related to certain types of knowledge, Oxfam stresses, and assumptions that girls are not good at mathematics, for instance, can result in girls being channeled into "lower-status" subjects.” This quote is from Gender Equality in Schools written by Oxfam in December of 2005. I, honestly, can not I have see any gender discrimination in my own experience, however I am fully capable of believing that it is a prevalent problem. Assumptions have been made that girls are not as smart, or as able as boys for a variety of reasons, most probably stem from outdated stereotypes of women. Maybe from that girls do not need as much attention in schools because they are only going to grow to be housewives, which can only be described now as being ludicrous.
I don’t know if we were supposed to choose three different sources of information but I did. Lol. I feel as though I have already incorporated all I need to say above, so I am going to skip my conclusion this time.
I started by reading Beyond Title IX: Gender Equity Issues In Schools, this was a study done by the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, and it was funded by the Department of Education. To summarize, boys are provided with more opportunities in the classroom than girls are. However, this is mostly de facto, “Title IX of The Education Amendments of 1972 mandates that schools not deny any student participation in any educational program or activity on the basis of sex.” This article brings up that girls, generally speaking, are still not enrolling in certain programs that have been deemed a “man’s field” by society; such as auto mechanics. So there is still the spilt, and what could this be blamed on, maybe on subliminal messages in the classroom on men’s and women’s roles. This reminds me of, Carlson, by way of normalizing girls into “male roles”, just take way the whole idea of roles. This could be anything from pictures in a book of a woman in the kitchen and a man in the garage; children will eventually grow accustomed to seeing that and assume that that’s the way it is supposed to be. Also I see a bit of Johnston in this, telling girls explicitly that they are able to handle an auto mechanics class, it could be that girls want to take these classes but they are just too nervous about being the only girl. This isn’t in America, but I want to bring it up because it is an interesting topic.
This next article I read is an issue in Turkey, where women have to choose between their female identity and their education. In Gender Equality and Islamic headscarves; written by Joan Wallach Scott, discusses the issue in Turkey about secularism versus an Islamic state. “When, in 2004, France outlawed the wearing of headscarves in public schools, for example, it was in the name of secularism and gender equality.” So, now, the issue is allow the headscarves and risk incorporating religion into the school system, or ban it and have women feel as though their right to choose is being stripped. So there is a choice here, I am thinking Collier fits here, change the topic from first language to first model and it’s the same story. Turkey needs to find the middle ground, the compromise where women can still honor their first ideas of who they are as women, and what they want to become within society.
“‘Across the world, assumptions about what is appropriate for boys and girls to learn can undermine equality in learning.’ Power is related to certain types of knowledge, Oxfam stresses, and assumptions that girls are not good at mathematics, for instance, can result in girls being channeled into "lower-status" subjects.” This quote is from Gender Equality in Schools written by Oxfam in December of 2005. I, honestly, can not I have see any gender discrimination in my own experience, however I am fully capable of believing that it is a prevalent problem. Assumptions have been made that girls are not as smart, or as able as boys for a variety of reasons, most probably stem from outdated stereotypes of women. Maybe from that girls do not need as much attention in schools because they are only going to grow to be housewives, which can only be described now as being ludicrous.
I don’t know if we were supposed to choose three different sources of information but I did. Lol. I feel as though I have already incorporated all I need to say above, so I am going to skip my conclusion this time.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
blog #6
I like Tim Wise, he mentions racism 1.0 which is the blatant bigotry, but there is another kind and we can not just accept that okay black people are not being lynched anymore so racism is over. Its not, there still exists some bias, even favoritism, if you want to call it that. I like the way he discusses Obama how jusst because a white person voted for Obama doesn’t mean that person does not hold a bias, they just see Obama as an exception to the rule. Also that if Obama was not all that he is if he was even slightly less, like if a black person crashed 5 airplanes like Tim Wise, he would not have been elected people would not have seen it the same way. Black people can be as mediocre as white people and still be accepted, I absolutely love that he mentioned this because I have never really seen it this way before. I knew that racism still existed, but I mean this is just such a truism, but it is a big elephant in the room squashed behind the tv while commercials featuring white people repeat over and over. I mean that is the truth, in my experience, especially when the issue of opportunity comes up. White people say I will except them but they should just try if they were upstanding citizens like me. But they can not become upstanding middle class citizens because you keep them down with comments like that. How is a person of color, who is poor supposed to make it far in life when everyone looks at them like wow you fucked up somewhere, its your own fault your probably on drugs, or a prositute. When in reality, how are they supposed to become anywhere else when we pigeon hole them like that. Or even when it come to language like Richard Rodiguez was talking about his double life, the private and the public identity, Richard Rodiguez is considered the exception to the rule, but we pigeon hole bi- or multi-lingual people the same way. The exception to the rule should not be oh you are a person of color and you made a “respectable” life for yourself, but it should be you made a “respectable” life for yourself even though we were holding you down with our bias.
Okay so for some reason my computer will not play the second part of the Tim Wise interview, so I will work with what I have now and watch that later on another computer. Anyhow now I have to relate this to the Brown v. the Board of Education.
The Brown v. the Board of Education decision was a monumental step towards equality… on paper. In reality, the Supreme Court can change rulings but not minds. White had been living thinking that blacks were inferior, that is not an easy mind-set to change. Just as it does today, racism is illegal in many terms, however it is still there, white people still see black people as inferior. The context has changed but it is still there. Segregation is still prevalent in many places, the suburbs are spilling over with white people, but people of color are in the majority in the inner-cities. How is this fair, how does represent the repel of the Jim Crowe Laws? Oh wow, we let black people sit in the same waiting rooms now, how very amendable of us. This is passive, too passive white people need to roll up their sleeves and reach into the “ghettos” and the “slums” and help pull out our fellow humans who we pushed into the cracks of society through out the years.
Okay so for some reason my computer will not play the second part of the Tim Wise interview, so I will work with what I have now and watch that later on another computer. Anyhow now I have to relate this to the Brown v. the Board of Education.
The Brown v. the Board of Education decision was a monumental step towards equality… on paper. In reality, the Supreme Court can change rulings but not minds. White had been living thinking that blacks were inferior, that is not an easy mind-set to change. Just as it does today, racism is illegal in many terms, however it is still there, white people still see black people as inferior. The context has changed but it is still there. Segregation is still prevalent in many places, the suburbs are spilling over with white people, but people of color are in the majority in the inner-cities. How is this fair, how does represent the repel of the Jim Crowe Laws? Oh wow, we let black people sit in the same waiting rooms now, how very amendable of us. This is passive, too passive white people need to roll up their sleeves and reach into the “ghettos” and the “slums” and help pull out our fellow humans who we pushed into the cracks of society through out the years.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Blog # 5
In the Service of What? By Kahne and Westheimer
1. Our goal is not to replace consensus with conflict, but rather to point out the various ideological, political, and social goals that can be promoted by service learning activities in schools.
This statement to me says, that service learning projects should encapsulate not just a grade. Ideological, as in how do you see the world now that you have worked with others less fortunate than yourself? Political, as in what can you do to change the world in which you live now that you have seen a differing perspective? And social, as in where do you stand as a human among other humans? As for replacing consensus with conflict, I think conflict in this situation is necessary for change, all schools should have some atmosphere of community assistance, but the approach needs to be one of learning and not just of passing.
2. Unfortunately, in many service activities, students view those they serve as clients rather than a resource.
I really like that Kahne and Westheimer included this, this is something, that I believe needed to be addressed. Some students will inevitably turn a service learning experience into a job, just something that needs to get done. Also maybe over time this could happen, like a desensitized kind of situation, where it is a “I have to...” as opposed to “I would like to…”. I don’t know if I am expressing myself clearly, lol. What I mean to say is that service learning should be an expression of self betterment, and community betterment, students should be taught what a valuable service they are providing, and why.
3. They never discuss their experiences as a part of a course. In fact, many legislative proposals have a minimal reflective component - sometimes for fear that such an orientation would diminish the focus on altruism.
I like this statement because it illustrates the picture that forced service learning projects for students, if not done correctly, turn into a grade. If students are participating in community activities simply to obtain a grade they will not be taking all that they possibly can from the experience. Some students will take the experience to heart and others will just do the bare minimum to pass, this is a sad truth. When I was in high school I had a class in which we had to do ten hours to pass, I took nothing from this. I had previous helped out at my softball league so I used that, and I passed the class. We never discussed it, we didn’t even have to write a paper just a signed log of hours. However taking this class, and discussing it and reflecting on me experiences through class discussions and a personal journal, I am now truly taking the experience to heart, and it is effecting my person in a positive way.
1. Our goal is not to replace consensus with conflict, but rather to point out the various ideological, political, and social goals that can be promoted by service learning activities in schools.
This statement to me says, that service learning projects should encapsulate not just a grade. Ideological, as in how do you see the world now that you have worked with others less fortunate than yourself? Political, as in what can you do to change the world in which you live now that you have seen a differing perspective? And social, as in where do you stand as a human among other humans? As for replacing consensus with conflict, I think conflict in this situation is necessary for change, all schools should have some atmosphere of community assistance, but the approach needs to be one of learning and not just of passing.
2. Unfortunately, in many service activities, students view those they serve as clients rather than a resource.
I really like that Kahne and Westheimer included this, this is something, that I believe needed to be addressed. Some students will inevitably turn a service learning experience into a job, just something that needs to get done. Also maybe over time this could happen, like a desensitized kind of situation, where it is a “I have to...” as opposed to “I would like to…”. I don’t know if I am expressing myself clearly, lol. What I mean to say is that service learning should be an expression of self betterment, and community betterment, students should be taught what a valuable service they are providing, and why.
3. They never discuss their experiences as a part of a course. In fact, many legislative proposals have a minimal reflective component - sometimes for fear that such an orientation would diminish the focus on altruism.
I like this statement because it illustrates the picture that forced service learning projects for students, if not done correctly, turn into a grade. If students are participating in community activities simply to obtain a grade they will not be taking all that they possibly can from the experience. Some students will take the experience to heart and others will just do the bare minimum to pass, this is a sad truth. When I was in high school I had a class in which we had to do ten hours to pass, I took nothing from this. I had previous helped out at my softball league so I used that, and I passed the class. We never discussed it, we didn’t even have to write a paper just a signed log of hours. However taking this class, and discussing it and reflecting on me experiences through class discussions and a personal journal, I am now truly taking the experience to heart, and it is effecting my person in a positive way.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Blog #4
Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us
Christensen and Karp
1. "As Tatum's research suggests, the stereotypes and worldview embedded in the stories become accepted knowledge."
These little cute cartoons we watched as kid incorporate serious stereotypes. This has been brought to my attention before this, but this article opens my eyes to how intense the issue is. Children are so suseptible to information, if a child watches tv featuring a white hero and black vilian over and over again, they will start to associate white with good and balck with bad. This makes sense to me, I mean it is pretty much pyschology 101.
2. "The students start to notice patterns -- Like the absense of female characters in many old cartoons."
These patterns reinforce ideas that were already in effect in society. During the time when women were absent was probably the time when women were kept in the kitchen, they were deemed useless within the whole of society. These cartoons probably helped to reinforce dangerous ideas that were already in place at the time of original airing. Adding to the vicious cycle of women being silence, whether by absence or by showcasing them as simply sex symbols, as if was all women were used for, all they were good for. " Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption..." This was already the mood of the day, and helped facilitate little girls into feeling useless.
3. "Turning off cartoons doesn't stop the sexism and racism."
These ideas, sadly, are a huge factor in our society, he is right its not just cartoons its everywhere. These images are all over our tvs, radios, and magazines, the whole of the media. Probably because we have been so brainwashed as a society that we now find these things funny, when they are not they are harmful to us as people and as a community. These ideas teach our children to see the world of people as unequal. As a young girl you better be pretty, boys better like sports, or your in for trouble. making jokes in the media in regards to stereotypes these problems are never going to end.
I enjoyed reading this article. He kept my interest, I really liked that he included his students thoughts and reactions into this piece, he actually cared you know, what his students took from his lesson matted to him. It was legitimate enough for him to include in his analyses, i know that its not what this article was about but it made me think about other ways to be a good teacher. Never forget to pat your students on the back remind them that they are intelligent creatures, not to just tell them when they are incorrect. This man saw his students as allies, as associates.
Christensen and Karp
1. "As Tatum's research suggests, the stereotypes and worldview embedded in the stories become accepted knowledge."
These little cute cartoons we watched as kid incorporate serious stereotypes. This has been brought to my attention before this, but this article opens my eyes to how intense the issue is. Children are so suseptible to information, if a child watches tv featuring a white hero and black vilian over and over again, they will start to associate white with good and balck with bad. This makes sense to me, I mean it is pretty much pyschology 101.
2. "The students start to notice patterns -- Like the absense of female characters in many old cartoons."
These patterns reinforce ideas that were already in effect in society. During the time when women were absent was probably the time when women were kept in the kitchen, they were deemed useless within the whole of society. These cartoons probably helped to reinforce dangerous ideas that were already in place at the time of original airing. Adding to the vicious cycle of women being silence, whether by absence or by showcasing them as simply sex symbols, as if was all women were used for, all they were good for. " Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption..." This was already the mood of the day, and helped facilitate little girls into feeling useless.
3. "Turning off cartoons doesn't stop the sexism and racism."
These ideas, sadly, are a huge factor in our society, he is right its not just cartoons its everywhere. These images are all over our tvs, radios, and magazines, the whole of the media. Probably because we have been so brainwashed as a society that we now find these things funny, when they are not they are harmful to us as people and as a community. These ideas teach our children to see the world of people as unequal. As a young girl you better be pretty, boys better like sports, or your in for trouble. making jokes in the media in regards to stereotypes these problems are never going to end.
I enjoyed reading this article. He kept my interest, I really liked that he included his students thoughts and reactions into this piece, he actually cared you know, what his students took from his lesson matted to him. It was legitimate enough for him to include in his analyses, i know that its not what this article was about but it made me think about other ways to be a good teacher. Never forget to pat your students on the back remind them that they are intelligent creatures, not to just tell them when they are incorrect. This man saw his students as allies, as associates.
Monday, October 5, 2009
blog #3
Dennis Carlson
1. "We get much farther if we pay attention to ... the 'silent spaces' or the 'not said' of the text, ... others have called the 'structuring silences' within texts."
I was really hoping that this would be mentioned in this article. It's not always what we were taught in high school about the gay community but its also everything we weren't taught. I took a sociology class in high school and thank god my teacher was gay, because really up until that class in my senior year, the only thing I knew about homosexuals was the perverted information I heard on tv. I remember mentioning, very briefly the gay community during my U.S. history course, but that lesson consisted of ' oh yeah and there was gay people too, okay see you next class.' lol Honestly, I don't ever remember hearing anything constructive in my classes about this subject. It was like we were being sheltered from something "bad", its out there but it would never touch us. And I think that that's how high schoolers end up seeing it, I don't remember anyone "coming out" when I was in high school but I have heard of a few since. High school kids are being silenced... with more silence.
2. "Straight teachers often participant in silencing practices because they are fearful of raising a controversial issue that might provoke conflict in the classroom."
He also mentions that gay teachers do not want to bring up the subject, just in case they might be outed. As sad as it is, they are completely right to feel scared and protective of their jobs and their way of life. It is always easier to just play it safe and remain quiet than involve any risk, especailly when you are dealing with kids that might not be mature enough to handle it. When something unfamiliar crosses our path our first instinct is to take step back, and if there is no one in these schools explaining exactly what gayness is, that step back can be fatal. For both parties, the teacher and the student. The teacher will now have to fear for their job and their popularity among students, and the students are losing out on a wonderful learning experience.
3. "Interestingly, other language in the curriculum was also modified to appeal to traditionalist and religious fundamentalist groups."
This quote is talking about the "Rainbow Curriculum" this was an effort to bring homosexuality into the clasroom in a constructive manner. It would show pictures of families being same sex parents and children. This would help tremendously, this would eliminate some of those deep set stereotypes we all have, that a family is a mommy, a daddy, and a baby. Why? Because when we were all little and our teachers, and our parents were teaching us what a family is, that was the model they used. Now that we are older and (hopefully lol) wiser, we understand that there are alot more definitions of what a family really consists of.
I, for one, have always been taught, by various sources, that love is a beautiful thing that should be revered and cherished. That it is something that all people deserve, for the simple fact that they are people. But who exactly set the parameters for what that love can constitute, is love something that I can only feel for the opposite sex. And what if I were to love someone of the same sex, would that alter the definition, would love now be dirty and vile. I think that Carlson was a little dry in this piece, or maybe its just that I am absolutely exhausted, I do not know anymore. However, despite this set back, I enjoyed reading something on homosexuality, I found it informative and interesting. As a "straight" person I found this to be enlightening. I agree with him in many instances that we need to alter our preconcieved notions of what sexuality is, and we need to start young. Let's open up kids minds to new possibilities while they are still young and maybe we can stave off some of that hatred that breeds with such ease.
1. "We get much farther if we pay attention to ... the 'silent spaces' or the 'not said' of the text, ... others have called the 'structuring silences' within texts."
I was really hoping that this would be mentioned in this article. It's not always what we were taught in high school about the gay community but its also everything we weren't taught. I took a sociology class in high school and thank god my teacher was gay, because really up until that class in my senior year, the only thing I knew about homosexuals was the perverted information I heard on tv. I remember mentioning, very briefly the gay community during my U.S. history course, but that lesson consisted of ' oh yeah and there was gay people too, okay see you next class.' lol Honestly, I don't ever remember hearing anything constructive in my classes about this subject. It was like we were being sheltered from something "bad", its out there but it would never touch us. And I think that that's how high schoolers end up seeing it, I don't remember anyone "coming out" when I was in high school but I have heard of a few since. High school kids are being silenced... with more silence.
2. "Straight teachers often participant in silencing practices because they are fearful of raising a controversial issue that might provoke conflict in the classroom."
He also mentions that gay teachers do not want to bring up the subject, just in case they might be outed. As sad as it is, they are completely right to feel scared and protective of their jobs and their way of life. It is always easier to just play it safe and remain quiet than involve any risk, especailly when you are dealing with kids that might not be mature enough to handle it. When something unfamiliar crosses our path our first instinct is to take step back, and if there is no one in these schools explaining exactly what gayness is, that step back can be fatal. For both parties, the teacher and the student. The teacher will now have to fear for their job and their popularity among students, and the students are losing out on a wonderful learning experience.
3. "Interestingly, other language in the curriculum was also modified to appeal to traditionalist and religious fundamentalist groups."
This quote is talking about the "Rainbow Curriculum" this was an effort to bring homosexuality into the clasroom in a constructive manner. It would show pictures of families being same sex parents and children. This would help tremendously, this would eliminate some of those deep set stereotypes we all have, that a family is a mommy, a daddy, and a baby. Why? Because when we were all little and our teachers, and our parents were teaching us what a family is, that was the model they used. Now that we are older and (hopefully lol) wiser, we understand that there are alot more definitions of what a family really consists of.
I, for one, have always been taught, by various sources, that love is a beautiful thing that should be revered and cherished. That it is something that all people deserve, for the simple fact that they are people. But who exactly set the parameters for what that love can constitute, is love something that I can only feel for the opposite sex. And what if I were to love someone of the same sex, would that alter the definition, would love now be dirty and vile. I think that Carlson was a little dry in this piece, or maybe its just that I am absolutely exhausted, I do not know anymore. However, despite this set back, I enjoyed reading something on homosexuality, I found it informative and interesting. As a "straight" person I found this to be enlightening. I agree with him in many instances that we need to alter our preconcieved notions of what sexuality is, and we need to start young. Let's open up kids minds to new possibilities while they are still young and maybe we can stave off some of that hatred that breeds with such ease.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Conclusion
Woops completely forgot to add a conclusion.
Collier piece was actually a little hard to read, it's not story, its a text. It was very slow and technical, I have never had the experience of learning a second langauage so i had a hard time putting her words into context. However, she did bring up some really points, some of the things she brought up were things that i feel like I should I known, they seemed so obvious. This whole class makes me feel a little sheltered lol.
Collier piece was actually a little hard to read, it's not story, its a text. It was very slow and technical, I have never had the experience of learning a second langauage so i had a hard time putting her words into context. However, she did bring up some really points, some of the things she brought up were things that i feel like I should I known, they seemed so obvious. This whole class makes me feel a little sheltered lol.
Collier
Quotes from Collier
1. "Be aware that children use first langauge acquisition stategies for learning or acquiring a second langauge."
Now that Collier actually wrote this down on paper it seems so obvious, however I never even would have thought of learning a second langauge in this way. When a young child enters an American school without knowing much english, a teacher can not just jump right to teaching them all the intricacies of the english langauge. They will probably be confused if this is the case, especially if english is not spoken at home. Therefore the child must learn to be literate in both langauges. This way if the child is at home they can properly communicate with their parents, and family, and when they are at school they will not run into learning gaps.
2. "Don't teach a second langauge in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first langauge."
Just because english is a popular langauge in America, does not mean that knowing a second langauge would be useless. If a child is not allowed to express themselvves in their original language and we preach the importance of english, they may lose confidence, and self esteem. These children as I mentioned before are not only speaking in classroom but at home and in their neighborhoods they need to be able to properly communicate on all levels. There should a balance in place, so that children learn both langauges, and understand the proper place for each one.
3. "Once a child becomes literatein the home langauge, literacy skills swiftly transfer to second langauge seetings."
This is another one that seems so obvious now that Collier pointed it out. Children need to be taught to their own individual needs, if a child enters a classroom speaking spanish they need to also learn spanish. If they become proficient in Spanish literacy, and they develop the tools used in literacy, it would follow that becoming literate in a second langauge can be achieved with greater ease.
1. "Be aware that children use first langauge acquisition stategies for learning or acquiring a second langauge."
Now that Collier actually wrote this down on paper it seems so obvious, however I never even would have thought of learning a second langauge in this way. When a young child enters an American school without knowing much english, a teacher can not just jump right to teaching them all the intricacies of the english langauge. They will probably be confused if this is the case, especially if english is not spoken at home. Therefore the child must learn to be literate in both langauges. This way if the child is at home they can properly communicate with their parents, and family, and when they are at school they will not run into learning gaps.
2. "Don't teach a second langauge in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first langauge."
Just because english is a popular langauge in America, does not mean that knowing a second langauge would be useless. If a child is not allowed to express themselvves in their original language and we preach the importance of english, they may lose confidence, and self esteem. These children as I mentioned before are not only speaking in classroom but at home and in their neighborhoods they need to be able to properly communicate on all levels. There should a balance in place, so that children learn both langauges, and understand the proper place for each one.
3. "Once a child becomes literatein the home langauge, literacy skills swiftly transfer to second langauge seetings."
This is another one that seems so obvious now that Collier pointed it out. Children need to be taught to their own individual needs, if a child enters a classroom speaking spanish they need to also learn spanish. If they become proficient in Spanish literacy, and they develop the tools used in literacy, it would follow that becoming literate in a second langauge can be achieved with greater ease.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
McIntosh
Quotes:
"If these things are true, this is not such a free country; ones life is not what one makes it; many doors are open for certain people through no virutes of their own."
I completely agree with McIntosh on this point. This country is not free, not even close, it never has been. We are inching now closer to completely free, but most of the policies only work in theory. Being white and working class myslef I know I have had priviledges. I have never been in the minority, I have no idea what it must feel like to be unrepresented by your government, or any other system of authority, these huge systems which ultimately controls your life. I can't image what life must be like for someone outside the cultural of power. I can read books on how my culture was treated poorly, as less than human, but I have never experienced that. I think that my lack of experience with this is why I have been so blind to it, I thought we were overcoming this Culture of Power, I thought society had move passed that. I was wrong.
"I did not see myself as a racist, because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth."
Wow, thats what I was taught, I never looked at it that way before. I was taught racism was white southerns doing whatever harm they could to scare blacks into not registaring to vote in the 1960's. I have never thought of it any other way. But like McIntosh says its not even just with race its with everything, with sex, with sexuality, with age, with religion. Maybe its not blatant hate anymore, now its hiding, its a huge pink elephant nowcowering under the table. But its still there.
"I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege,"
I don't know about carefully taught, I mean I am not agrueing against, I don't have enought information to do so. But I think that she is right, maybe its carefully taught or maybe we don't realise we are teaching this to white children, but we are. I think that this is if no the most then one of the most destructive occurences in our society. Very rarely today do you hear about lynchings and abuse, its still out there but less then there was. In today's America the problem is those who claim ignoance while flaunting white privilege. Its why gay marriage is even an issue.
I really liked this article by McIntosh, I liked how she pointed out the obvious, yet hidden facts. I liked her as a writer but also as a sociologist(?). She gave me a new way to look at an old fact and I can do nothing but respect her for that.
"If these things are true, this is not such a free country; ones life is not what one makes it; many doors are open for certain people through no virutes of their own."
I completely agree with McIntosh on this point. This country is not free, not even close, it never has been. We are inching now closer to completely free, but most of the policies only work in theory. Being white and working class myslef I know I have had priviledges. I have never been in the minority, I have no idea what it must feel like to be unrepresented by your government, or any other system of authority, these huge systems which ultimately controls your life. I can't image what life must be like for someone outside the cultural of power. I can read books on how my culture was treated poorly, as less than human, but I have never experienced that. I think that my lack of experience with this is why I have been so blind to it, I thought we were overcoming this Culture of Power, I thought society had move passed that. I was wrong.
"I did not see myself as a racist, because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth."
Wow, thats what I was taught, I never looked at it that way before. I was taught racism was white southerns doing whatever harm they could to scare blacks into not registaring to vote in the 1960's. I have never thought of it any other way. But like McIntosh says its not even just with race its with everything, with sex, with sexuality, with age, with religion. Maybe its not blatant hate anymore, now its hiding, its a huge pink elephant nowcowering under the table. But its still there.
"I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege,"
I don't know about carefully taught, I mean I am not agrueing against, I don't have enought information to do so. But I think that she is right, maybe its carefully taught or maybe we don't realise we are teaching this to white children, but we are. I think that this is if no the most then one of the most destructive occurences in our society. Very rarely today do you hear about lynchings and abuse, its still out there but less then there was. In today's America the problem is those who claim ignoance while flaunting white privilege. Its why gay marriage is even an issue.
I really liked this article by McIntosh, I liked how she pointed out the obvious, yet hidden facts. I liked her as a writer but also as a sociologist(?). She gave me a new way to look at an old fact and I can do nothing but respect her for that.
Friday, September 11, 2009
SUCCESS (if you yell it, its more dramatic)
Hello everyone. I figured out how to use this thing, aka ms Bogad told me how to.... goodbye self-esteem it was nice knowing you for that one day back '94. JK JK no stress. wow so these first 2 weeks of school have been pretty intense, I think I have worked more hours these 2 weeks then i have all summer, thank you vinidicitve walgreens manager lol But now i have cut my hours back down so I am ready to LEARN WOOT (exclamation point) GAME ON
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
