HW 41- Teacher Education

Richard , Ingersoll. "Teacher Education." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, 2006. Web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teacher_education.

This article wasnt as informative as I thought it would be. It was created through contributions from various members of the wikipedia site, and quotations from various books and other printed material. The main idea that I took away from the article was that teachers are constantly improving and changing their methods. The main idea behind teachers ed. seems to be about shaping every generation of educators to match their methods with the times.

Additionally, the other prominant idea I found in this article was that teaching is a highly stressful profession. According to the article, teaching is so stressful that it is common for teachers to give up teaching even after finishing their basic training.

"Many teachers experience their first years in the profession as stressful. The proportion of teachers who either do not enter the profession after completing initial training, or who leave the profession after their first teaching post, is high."



"Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education." Stanford University School of Education. 02 Jan 2010. Stanford University, Web. 23 Feb 2010. http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/programs-degrees/cte.html.

This was not really an article, but more of a course description for a Curriculum Studies course at Stanford University. This actually proved to be quite informative, as it discusses the goals of teachers education courses. The idea behind teachers ed. seems to be that in order to teach effectively you need to be able to learn to work with students instead of instructing them from a far. I think that a teacher is more effective if they can create a more casual environment in which to learn.

In my experiences I have always learned better and been more enthusiastic about a class when the teacher is trying to get the students to understand the topic, and not just learn it and move on. The article also talks about the use of grading as a way to shape how students learn. A key quote that I pulled out from the was;

"schools are most likely to improve when those engaged in their improvement recognize the highly interactive nature of school processes"



"Teacher Education Handbook." Education @ Davidson. 10 Aug 2009. Davidson College, Web. 23 Feb 2010. http://www1.davidson.edu/academic/education/tehandbook.html.

This third and final source I looked at, is the handbook for teacher education at Davidson College. The entire document is quite long, so I decided to focus on a few key pages. The most interesting thing to me, was this diagram I found labeled as "The Characteristics of a 'Future-Ready Educator'". The diagram is pentagonal and on each one of its five sides, is a characteristic of a "Future-Ready Educator". The characteristics are Leadership, Diversity, Content Knowledge, Facilitation, and Reflection.



Each of these describes a way in which teachers are supposed to act as role models in the classroom, promoting certain things and denouncing others. These five characteristics are supposed to be the pillars of quality teaching. As far as I can see, the goals for the Stanford University course on teachers ed. are very closely related to the five concepts in this handbook.

HW 40- School Interviews and synthesis

Question #1: If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?

Melissa (mom):

"I think that my main issue with the way schools are run today is that schools have replaced a large part of the curriculum with preparation for high stakes testing. I think that letting these tests become the focus of American education is the absolute wrong direction to go in."

Marty (dad):

"As an artistic person by personality, and by trade, I think that the lack of art and music programs in schools today are making students less likely to become creative, because they don't have the chance to explore art in school."

Ronny (dad's friend):

"Having gone through the NY public school system as a student, and than returned as a teacher, I have to say, that the system has improved immensely. The students are more relaxed than in the past, and the teachers are much more approachable. I would say that creating a more accepting atmosphere while maintaining structure, would be a good way to improve the system we have today."

Hunter (my friend):

"Honestly, if I could, I would change the cafeteria food at my school. I think that the lack of nutrition that the food provides students with, often makes students sluggish and less energized in school after lunch."

Self-Interview:

"I think that if I were to change one thing about school it would be to provide more real world applications of everything that we learn. I think that stuff that we don't really need outside of school, should be cut, because it's not really helping us in any way and a waste of our time."

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Question #2: Do you think that we should add certain classes to the current curriculum?

Melissa (mom):

"I think that language classes like Chinese should be made available in more public schools"

Marty (dad):

"I would like to see courses such as economics and political science offered in high school. I think that the idea of certain courses being "college courses" is idiotic. The fact is, giving kids an early introduction to higher level concepts can only be beneficial to kids."

Ronny (dad's friend):

"The courses I teach are fairly traditional, but I would definitely be in favor of having high school students taking a course on personal finance, given the out of control credit card debt we see in America today."

Hunter (my friend):

"I take a speaker building class this year, that I really enjoy. I would like to see more classes which could not only provide the enjoyment of this class, but incorporate things from other classes as well. I think that integrating courses is the best way to improve a course and create new ones."

Self- Interview:

"I think that the addition of personal finance courses to the current curriculum would be really helpful for myself and my peers. The value of a dollar is so distorted in the eyes of today's youth that a course on finance could help people understand how to manage money and create a budget to live comfortably on, not just "get by on"."

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Question #3: Why is private education considered to be better than public education?

Melissa (mom):

"I really believe that the quality of a persons education is only as good as what you put into it. If I thought that private school education was really better than public education, you and Max wouldn't have attended public school all your lives. The idea of private school being superior has a lot more to do with the appearance of a more advanced and better equipped facility than a higher level of education."

Marty (dad):

"Well since I never attended private school and neither have my children, I can't really say all that much about private school education. I think that public school education may not be as good as private school education, but I would hope that $50,000 dollars a year for education would make a difference."

Ronny (dad's friend):

"I think that public education is just as good as private, the difference I think, is that most people just want their children to grow up and be educated in an environment where only wealthier people are around them. The idea of going to school surrounded by minorities and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds appears to be frightening to people with tens of thousands of dollars to spend annually on education."

Hunter (my friend):

"I think that private schools are better than public schools, but I don't see any major advantage to attending a private school over a quality public school such as Stuyvesant [where I currently attend]."

Self- Interview:

"I think that public vs. private education is essentially the debate between the effects of nature vs. nurture in human development. We have the lower and middle class students who attend public school, and the upper class students who attend private schools. The odds of a private school student getting into say... Harvard are well above the odds for a public school student. The argument I have gathered, is that being surrounded by people who are all aiming to go to Harvard will improve your own determination to work just as hard as those around you. Ultimately, I think this is true, and the money people pay for private education is more about this advantage than anything else."

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Question #4: How has your k-12 education prepared you for what you do in your life today?

Melissa (mom):

"As far as pretty much every subject is concerned, I only use the basic concepts from the core english, math, science and history courses. In my work today as a psychologist, almost everything that I use, I learned in college, and graduate school. What I learned in k-12 basically was only useful in helping me reach that point."

Marty (dad):

"For me, school was never really an interest of mine. I was good in history and math, but really I was always passionate about drawing. From the time I was still in elementary school I already knew I was going to be a cartoonist. My time in middle-school and high-school pretty much was just required, and I was just waiting to get out and start my career."

Ronny (dad's friend):

"I was always a good student, and I enjoyed doing well in school. In my first career as a census worker, I used a lot of math in my job, so my k-12 education helped me greatly. Once I became a teacher, I obviously had a much greater use for my education. My time in school has, at least in my life, helped me immensely."

Hunter (my friend):

"Well, I am currently in 12th grade, so as of now, education is still a major part of my life. When I graduate, I plan on going to school for engineering. If I follow through with this, I believe that I will be using a lot of the mathematics, and sciences that I have been taught throughout high school."

Self- Interview:

"I think that as a high-school senior, I am entering a phase in life where I will try and figure out what I want to do with my life. I think that the advantage to having an education in science, math, english, and history, from kindergarten until 12th grade gives me a great deal of information which can be applied to a wide variety of professions in life. While I may not want to pursue a career as a writer, I have ben taught how to write well, and speak eloquently, meaning that I'm still able to pursue writing if I am so inclined."

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Part B:

I think that people have the general opinion that education is a good thing. In my interviews the criticism which people expressed towards the school system was minimal when compared to the positive remarks people had when discussing school. I liked asking other people about what they felt about school, but I just don't think that people find much controversy with this topic. After I finished interviewing everyone, I decided to look at my own life so far, and try to assess how school has been able to help me in the real world.

In my past internships and paid jobs, I have found that I often rely on my supervisors to tell me what I should do. I attribute this in part to my education, specifically the way in which I have been educated. I think that by being "instructed" and not "taught", I have learned to follow instructions, not solve problems on my own. School has also taught me a lot about "getting along" socially. Being able to work well with other people is a professional skill and a life skill that is a product of the school environment, not so much the curriculum. In all, I think that school promotes complacency, and in the end we become robots that have strict programs, and not people than can make decisions on our own. Basically, school doesn't allow us to mature.

HW 39- First School Assignment

Part A:

Questions:

1. When was the United States public school system founded?

2. Where/ When did school originate?

3. Was their a demand for education in this country or in others which led to the creation of a school system?

4. Why does school occupy most of our lives from the time we are 2- to 22 years old?

Ideas:

1. The intent of school is to keep us occupied until we can join the workforce

2. School was created to condition us into becoming "civilized and productive member's of society". We get graded based off of what we do, when there are many people who school doesn't appeal to that are actually far more intelligent than those who do well in school.

3. Private school is segregative, creating a barrier between Caucasian and Jewish youth from the Hispanic, Asian, and African- American youth in America. While some Jewish people (such as myself) are in public school, and some African-American's are in private school's, this is not common.

Experiences:

1. I like being in public school, because I feel more connected to a wider variety of people than my friends in private school, who are often misinformed about how people from different backgrounds act and have a xenophobic attitude that is often unintended

2. Being in school gives me a sense of accomplishment, but only do I feel like I had a worthwhile day when I learn something that I want to study more on at home on my own free time.

3. I notice that what I said in #2 ^^ rarely happens, and if school were structured better than I would be more excited about spending my time in school (35 hours per week)

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Part B:

I think that school is an inherently positive institution. Although school began as a privilege offered only to the very wealthy, it has since become available to almost everyone in America. The problem with school is not so much about the institution, but more so about the less obvious intent of the school system. I think that in a sense, schools are very well masked conditioning centers, where rebellious young children are turned into complacent, "civilized" people. The illusion of school is that we have been given a gift from the government to become educated and smart, but realistically we learn little about historically significant events that may be considered "controversial".

The Riverside speech made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., discussed the evils of capitalism and the horrible effects of the Vietnam war. Had Andy not told me about this speech I don't think I would have taken the time to listen to it, and understand how eloquently Dr. King had spoke about the detriment which capitalism hath brought upon America, and the African American community.

The problem is, we are rarely taught anything that doesn't reflect well on the United States Government. As far as I can tell, we are taught to be loyal to this country, for what reason I am not entirely sure, but starting from kindergarten and straight through high school, we are conditioned to believe that America is virtuous and can do no wrong. Instead of being taught about the Hay-Market riots on May 1st, we are alloted a "Labor-Day" sometime in September, a holiday that lacks relevance to the labor struggle in this country.

I don't think that it is school that is bad, but it is the ignorance that it creates which is dangerous, and plays right into the hands of those who rely on the ignorance of the people to generate profit, and breed patriotism.

End Note:

I think it is interesting that American's feel united and seem to constantly perpetuate the importance of a country "united not divided". At the same time, people living in Utah have very little to do with people from Florida, and People from Alabama have very little in common with New Yorker's. We really aren't that united, but we all like to have this stupid fairy-tale illusion that we are.

Cool "Art Project"- Self Reflective Essay/ Art project

Over the past few days I have been trying to figure out what I might want to do for my art project for this cool unit. Since we were formally assigned this project less than a week ago, I haven't made any progress, and I feel that the reason for this can be explained and analyzed using the lessons and ideas discussed in this unit. I decided instead that I would write an essay, as I have a knack for writing (at least more than I do for acting). Frankly I am not a good actor, and immediately, the option to make a video was of little interest to me. To act well, is to allow the viewer to watch what is happening without considering that what they are watching was filmed and is entirely scripted. In my experience, the movies I have watched that have influenced me the most have all generally appeared highly realistic, with rich plots and quality acting.

While the majority of people in the sections will make videos which are probably really good, I don't think it makes sense to have a video assignment for this "cool" unit. The time frame is small, allowing us minimal time to properly edit, script and produce these short films. As far as my personal reason's are concerned, I have a certain insecurity about acting. When it comes down to it, I think that once you assigned this project, I put to the test everything I thought I had figured out after this unit, anddddd..... I failed!

In a similar way to the production directed by Augusto Boal In Sao Paulo, I had a lot of opinions and idea's about what should happen, and what I would like to see happen, but when it came time to actually carry my words out, I couldn't. My very refusal to act, is evidence of the fact that I have not been able to escape my "box", or change my character. My goal for this unit had been to leave my "box", and I think I partly achieved that. To a certain extent, I believe that I grew as a person after our exploration of cool, as I can now recognize certain social cues that people are trying to send in order to mask something from others. Being able to process and understand more about how and why people say and do what they do is a very important part of being able to create realistic solutions to large problems. This is the very essence of what Boal's Theater of the Oppressed was intended to accomplish through the platform of Forum Theater.

I wanted to test this method in a real scenario, to see if it could actually be effective in problem solving outside of a theater setting. I decided it would work best in my home, the next time I found my brother arguing with one of my parents. I ended up getting an opportunity a few hours later when I heard my dad arguing with my brother about taking the trash out, while my brother wanted to go out, insisting that he would "do it later". With a little effort, I got them both to be quiet and listen to me as I explained the idea behind and the concept of Boal's Forum Theater. I asked if they would do me a favor and try to work this problem out using this method, so I could discuss it for my history project. They agreed. In the spur of the moment, I asked my brother Max to try and say something different to my dad rather than "I'll do it later". When this didn't work, I decided to use the real approach of replacing Max with myself, trying to solve the problem by instead saying I would take out the trash now (acting as Max).

While I was able to successfully present Max with a solution, I failed to actually solve the problem, my brother ended up taking out the trash, but only after getting my father increasingly angry at him before doing so. I would urge anyone to try and think about alternatives in their life, weighing all options and not limiting yourself to something you feel doesn't fit you. Being concealed to a box may be easy, but it's predictable, and leads people to become autonomous drones who don't think, but act and don't question their lives at all. This is how people become submissive, allowing the upper class and corporations to condition the minds of the masses, without very much resistance.

I have found, that the largest and most common arguments are based off of people's different perspectives on reality, with arguments over memory, who-did-what, and so on. If we can become aware of how other people think, we can be more understanding, and put ourselves into someone else's shoes. become open to think about our world at a deeper level than what we have been conditioned to think, is where we can find the real solutions to our problems.

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Comparison of my paper to "Of Glory" by Michel de Montaigne

In the essay "Of Glory" by Montaigne, he writes of the futility in man's pursuit of g-d- like qualities. The pursuit of Glory, is used to describe what we seek in dreams of fame, fortune, and importance. We deify certain qualities, and are surprised when we never can attain them. In a way, this could be compared to a person who intentionally dropped a gold necklace in the sahara dessert and became frustrated when they couldn't find it. By placing these qualities on an echelon above ourselves, we lower ourselves, and try to convince ourselves we are as important as g-d.

In my essay, I focused on the topic of cool, attempting to write openly and without restraint as to get to the very core of what I feel and think about this idea of "cool" after completing this unit. I found that what I wanted to get at, was that the idea of cool is just that, an idea. We have the reality we live in, and the reality that we want to create. We pay celebrities and athletes crazy amounts of money to do things we wish we could do, and try to emulate our peers to capture a certain look and complete the persona of a character we want to pretend we are. My essay was written in a way that differed from Montaigne's as it was written to reveal my own thoughts to myself, not so much to present my thoughts to the world. At the same time, I concluded my essay with a sentence encouraging people to question the world around them, giving my essay a very "advice column" like feel to it. I would say that in comparison to Montaigne's essay, I would consider mine to be a rearranged version of "Of Glory" (about cool, not glory).

"Thus is it that t0 God alone glory and honor appertain; and there is nothing so remote from reason as that we should go in quest of it for ourselves."

- Michel de Montaigne; Essays; XI. Of Glory