One Last Time...

Can you believe another semester has come to an end? Or that this is your final semester at Salem State? I know I can't because this semester just flew by. I took this class to fill requirements for my elective courses and was almost scared away by the amount of work that was going to be involved with it, but I am happy I decided to stay because I was able to learn so much from the course material that was provided and from the discussions that we took part in on a weekly basis.

I was tempted to not purchase the books, just because I wanted to save money and a lot of the time teachers don't even use them. The books required with this course were user friendly; they didn't confuse you or over analyze certain topics and even gave examples for the majority of the topics. I think that reading real-life situations about the topics helps understand the topic more clearly. For example when we learned about banking concepts before you read into what the concepts were the book gave two scenarios; one of a teacher using banking concepts and one using involvement, and asked which you preferred. Being able to see other students thoughts and ideas about topics allowed me to see it from different perspectives and helped understand it better.

My favorite lesson in the class was when were discussing inclusion. Throughout my time in school I don't remember having any students in my classes that had a disability or needed assistance from an aid. All of the students with disabilities were set in a small classroom size together. I was so intrigued by inclusion because the classroom I was observing had a student with Aspergers. After my observations and the readings we discussed, I believe very strongly that students with disabilities should be included in regular classroom settings. Although, I'm still not sure where to draw the line of how severe a disability should be before it's decided to include or not include the student in a regular classroom, I think that each child should be looked at on a individual basis because no two people are the same.

This class is completely different from my major of accounting but the way the class is setup, especially being able to go into a classroom and see the students and how they look up to their teacher, made me consider teaching. Teachers have one of the most rewarding jobs because they get to pass on their knowledge to young minds who look up to them. When I enrolled in this class I wanted a basic understanding of teaching and some effective methods that are used, and I think that I can walk away saying that's exactly what I learned. I wanted to find a quote that would sum up teaching and how I felt about it, and I found this on a website filled with a bunch of others.

"By learning you will teach;

by teaching you will understand."

Education Model and Metaphor

"What is education like?" was the question I asked myself when starting to do this blog. I started to think that each year when you move up to the next grade is like you taking another step closer to your goal. That is why I think education is like climbing a ladder. At first you start out on the ground, looking up at the task that lies in front of you. But a students parents push them along to take that first step on the journey. As you go through and complete each grade level, you are taking another step up on the ladder. Each step is important because it prepares you for the next step that you are going to have to take. Some people get stuck on one step and it takes them a little bit longer to make it to the top, and some people end up falling back down to the ground by dropping out. But once you reach the top of the ladder, and graduate, you are able to see all new things and oppurtunities that you couldn't see from the bottom or the middle of the ladder.

Social Justice: Heterosexism

On our second blog about social justice I chose to explore further into the treatment of people due to their sexual preference. It has been a hot discussion whether or not sexual preference is something you chose as you get older or if you are born one way or another. Regardless of which way it happens, sexual preference is a personal lifestyle that people should not be discriminated based on. One way schools are trying to make people with different lifestyles work together is by establishing groups that involve both gay and straight students. In my high school we had a group named the 'Gay Straight Alliance.' The students would have scheduled meetings, and sponsor some activities that would invite the whole student body to come out and get involved. It was a way of showing that your sexual preference didn't matter because everyone could work together towards a common goal.

I also found a website that put together lesson plans for how to incorporate and teach students about social justice issues. One of the topics they put a lesson plan for was heterosexism. After reading over some of the plan I thought that this would be an effective way to get all students engaged and to hear their thoughts. Sometimes when students hear what others think it will help them see something a different way then they did before.

Private Schools

I chose to look further into the private school system because I have always been in public schools and there has been a constant debate as to which were better. I personally believe that either school you go to you're going to end up with the same education because the same material is being taught in both schools and both have well-educated teachers in their classrooms. Another reason I would chose a public school over a private school is because public schools are more diversified. Which means that even out of the classroom students will be learning new things because they will be around students who are culturally different from them. Private schools set admission requirements and fees which means that only a certain group of students may qualify for the school whereas public schools must accept everyone, without discrimination. I also like the fact that public schools teach to everyone of every culture and religion and not just focus on one because it allows students to make their own decisions and not be forced into one belief because that is what's being taught.

One thing I learned from my readings was that not all private schools are religious. Private schools that are not religious vary in focus, structure, social organization, and size. I also didn't realize that private schools receieve no tax support. I always thought that they just had a lower amount than public schools. The support of private funds gives private schools a step up financially over public schools but that doesn't mean they are any better suited to deliver an education.

Educational Philosopher

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born on May 6, 1952, in Chiaravalle, Italy. At a young age Montessori proved that she was not going to be the average Italian woman. She chose to go to an all-boy engineering school to pursue her dreams and went on to be the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome; also becoming the first femal doctor in Italy. She was very well respected becuase of her accomplishments, which meant that people would listen to the ideas she had about how to effectively teach in classrooms.

She believed that all children were able to learn even if they were mentally retarded or misbehaved and unfocused. She was able to help educated students of this nature to receive above-average test scores on standarized testing. Because of this she was able to open her own school were she taught with her methods. She would give the students guidance on how to complete a problem or task before making them complete the task. From there the students would develop their skills at their own pace and when they were ready for the next step she would use the same process to teach the next topic or step.

I agree with this method of teaching because I think that sometimes teachers are just talking and students aren't retaining what they are being taught. When information is just dumped onto them day after day they become overloaded and begin to not understand all the different topics. Especially, with the all the preperation that is being done to help students be ready for standardized testing, I think that teachers and schools are losing the real purpose of school, and that is to learn. I think t he concept we learned about about the technique of "banking" where students are just considered "empty" and they need to just need to be filled with all of the information is not the right way to go about teaching. A student should actually learn and understand a concept before moving onto the next thing. With the "banking" method a student may know the 2+2=4 but do they understand why? I think understanding why is the most important part because understanding these concepts will allow a student to apply them to situations in different areas or outside of school.

Reference

http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/montessori.html

Social Justice in the Classroom

What is social justice? I asked the same question after reading an article that I had to base this post off of. Dictionary.com states that social justice is "the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society." Wikipedia defines it as "the concept of a society in which justice is achieved in every aspect of society, rather than merely the administration of law. It is generally thought of as a world which affords individuals and groups fair treatment and an impartial share of the benefits of society. It can also refer to the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society."

In the article Teaching for Social Justice, a 30-year veteran of teaching describes ways to incooperate social justice and make it successful in the classroom. Mr. Kohl points out a fact that many people, children and adults, all share and that is that they do not believe justice is worth fighting for. He goes on to say society values personal gain over compassion and the communal good. I tend to agree with this statement because especially in these horrid economic times, people are watching out for themselves and no one else these days.

Everyone is watching what they say or do in fear they are going to be the next victim of a layoff, but Kohl suggests to not just teach something because a textbook, or person says to teach it, and if you have to teach a certain topic to develop a alternative way of teaching to fit your satisfaction. Teaching does not just mean standing in the front of the classroom and reviewing information but to actually engage your students and learn how to teach well so that your teaching reaches out to each student, not just a select few.

This is the first I've heard about social justice in the classroom, so I was wondering if anything had been done to ensure that social justice is being incorporated in new and existing teachers classrooms. One article I found ensured that it was, but it was facing some resistance. A study showed that some college students would put little effort into a social justice class and that they would interupt the classroom. This is partly due to the preconceived notions that students have about social justice becuase of the way their teachers have delievered certain material where they would send messages to students about "who was to blame" for society's inequality. Since this is what students have been taught they are reluctant to be the ones to offer up a way to change the inequalities.

I think social justice is going to be an important part of education because the finger pointing can only go so far. So what if you have found the supposed cause of the problem? What are you going to do to fix it and make it better for generations to come? This is what social justice is being implemented for and for it to be effective, educators should take it on with little resistance.

Inclusion of Special Ed in Classrooms

The classroom of fourth graders that I am observing has one student who is assisted by an aid due to his special needs. The young boy has a form of Autism that is called Asperger's. Asperger's Syndrome is neurologically based and affects the ability to have appropriate social relationships.Students with Asperger's are usually quite smart and show great potential and ability to learn but do not know how to connect to others socially. Asperger's is one of the harder disorders to diagnose, which in most cases, makes it difficult to get additional help and support for the child.

The young boy with Asperger's was part of a regular fourth grade class with other students that didn't not have learning disabilities. Throughout the day he had an aid who stayed with him and assisted him with the work. While the teacher was explaining the next lesson to the students, the boy started to act up a little by fussing in his car and talking loudly. The aid helped by boy calm down and try to refocus on the task at hand and occasionally this would happen throughout the day. Since I was just observing I didn't have to hear everything the teacher was instructing, although I wanted to, it became difficult for me to put the distraction behind me and focus on the teacher. This made me wonder how the other students handled it. From what I observed they all kept their eyes locked on their teacher and focused on what she was instructing.

I was somewhat disappointed when researching this topic that little research has been done to see the effects of special education inclusion. How do you know if inclusion is hindering the focus and learning of the students without special needs? And how are you sure that being in a regular sized classroom is beneficial to the students with special needs? I believe that before the decision was made, or shortly after the decision was made, to include special ed students with regular classrooms, that some sort of research should have been done of the effects of each type of student. For all we know, it could hinder both students education.

http://specialed.about.com/od/disabilities/a/asperg.htm

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Inclusion+of+Special+Ed+Students&page=1&qsrc=6&zoom=Inclusion+Classroom+Benefits%7CFull+Inclusion%7CAdvantages+of+Inclusion&ab=4&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.educationworld.com%2Fa_curr%2Fcurr320.shtml

Can Sports Aid Student Success?

There are all sorts of movies based on high school sports teams. Many of them potray most of the athlete's as being well-liked, popular, and successful on the field. What they don't show is the other side of being a student athlete, which is balancing your school work.

Sports definately benefit athletes in a physical aspect but they also benefit the students in the classroom and socially. Being on a team allows students to identify with a group of people and build a bond with them. I was a student athlete in high school and I know that the girls who were part of my team became like family, during the season and offseason. You end up spending so much time with them, practicing everyday after school, traveling to games, and having team get togethers that you build such a bond that it lasts even after the seasons over.

Sports allow students to become more disciplined. The rigourous schedules of practices, workouts, and games forces students to have better time management so they are able to stay on top of their school work. Other students who do not have a strict schedule to go by often put off assignments knowing they will have time to do it. Statistics show that kids who are involved in sports while in high school are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school. Also students motor skills, strategic thinking, and even math skills are improved by playing sports. Students develop strategic thinking as they figure out plays and the best way to get around a player or score a goal. Math skills are used as they calculate scores and stats.

They also develop discpline in having respect for their bodies. It has been researched that students athletes are less likey to do drugs, or drink alcohol becuase they know the consequences are much more for them. They face all the same penalties as non-athletes and on top of that they have to deal with letting down their teammates, and most likely being suspended or kicked off the team.

I believe that playing sports is very beneficial to students. Not only is it great for their bodies, it also builds their self-confidence and it can be a great release of stress. So many doors open up for students athletes, espceially those who excel in a sport. College recruits can offer full scholarships to honorable schools if they want you to come play for them.

http://http//fitness.families.com/blog/kid-fitness-a-guide-for-physical-activity

http://http//www.ask.com/bar?q=Benefits+of+Playing+High+School+Sports&page=1&qsrc=6&zoom=Health+%3CKW%3EBenefits+of+Playing+Sports%3C%2FKW%3E%7C%3CKW%3EBenefits%3C%2FKW%3E+of+Teens+%3CKW%3EPlaying+Sports%3C%2FKW%3E%7C%3CKW%3EBenefits+of+Playing%3C%2FKW%3E+Team+%3CKW%3ESports%3C%2FKW%3E&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fparenting.families.com%2Fblog%2F10-benefits-of-playing-sports

D.A.R.E Funding

Studies show that there has been steady increase in drug and alcohol use and the acceptance of drugs is also becoming more and more common. There has also been a major increase in violence, especially among juveniles. Lately, Boston has been on the news numerous times with more violent crimes and has been coming down under public scrutiny for the rapid increasing rate.

Due to this, the program D.A.R.E was founded in 1983 in order to provide kids with the information and skills on how to live a drug free and violence free lives. D.A.R.E, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a collaboration between local law enforcement and schools which teaches students about the personal and social consequence about substance abuse and violence. Since 1983, the program has had multiple revisions as research has discovered increased knowledge of effective substance abuse prevention. Millions of children in the U.S. in more than 300,000 classrooms have experienced the D.A.R.E program. There are also 43 other countries who are involved with the D.A.R.E program. More than 50,000 law enforcement officers are trained and certified to teach in the program.



Although D.A.R.E has helped millions of young children, the program is not funded by the government. The material and the instructors training is provided by D.A.R.E America, which is a non-profit organization. Less than one percent of D.A.R.E America's budget comes from federal sources. There are also many grants that are used to fund the program, Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Money is the most popular one. Another source of funds is Safe and Drug Free Schools. The D.A.R.E website suggests that you "can't find grant funds for D.A.R.E, find them for something else and then maybe money in your regular budget will free up." Schools are struggling so much that this statement seems almost impossible. Sports programs, music, and art programs are all being cut and schools are still struggling to cover their expenses.



I understand that the government is struggling right now and is handing out billions of dollars to businesses but I believe that the D.A.R.E program should be funded by the government. States across the country are having to cut the program. New York, Illinois, Washington, and numerous other states have had to cut the programs. I remember going through the program in 5th grade and the officer, Officer Daugherty, was in charge of our cities program had a major effect on so many kids lives. She knew each one of our names and if she ran into us out in the neighborhood years down the road doing something wrong, you got such a motherly speech from her, that showed she genuinely cared. Who knows how many lives she changed and had an effect on and I'm sure kids in all different states each had their own Officer Daugherty that changed their lives and to see the program end after 26 years because of a bad economy is not a good enough excuse for me, especially since it is effective.



http://www.dare.com/home/InsideDAREAmerica/Story43fd.asp?N=InsideDAREAmerica&S=13&S=28

Should Sex Education be Taught In Schools?

In early 2004, a poll was taken to end the debate about whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. The poll revealed that only 7 percent of Americans believed that sex ed. should not be taught in schools. So, the next question would be, "What exactly should we be teaching in these sex education classes?" The poll also discovered that there was little debate about what kind of sex education should be taught. Parents are content with whatever their child's school decides to offer and principals are reporting that there has been little or no debate in PTA, school board, or other public meetings about what should be taught.

Sex education was originally about teaching children about avoiding pregnancies and keeping themselves protected against sexually transmitted diseases, but now the poll has revealed that many parents are more concerned about the effects of sexual activity on their child's psyche. But 55 percent of Americans believe that information about how to obtain and use condoms should be taught. They do not think that this will encourage intercourse, just simply encourage them to do it safely when the time comes around.

Sex is everywhere you can't turn on the television or the radio without hearing or seeing some type of sexual references. Throughout the years the censorship on both the TV and the radio has been rapidly decreasing which allows young children exposure to such topics. Kids love to talk and share what they heard and what they have been told by others and learning about sex education in this way can be harmful for a child. That is why I also agree that sex ed should be taught in schools. With the proper education and the right information being shared with students, it may encourage and help them with making better and more knowledgeable decisions when it comes to sex.

The reason I choose this topic was because in my senior year of high school sex ed was still a touchy subject. All we were taught was one class on STD's and our teacher explained that he could get into trouble if he was caught speaking too in depth about topics concerning sex education. This survey was taken in 2004 and with such a large support of teaching sex ed in schools, why is it still such a tabu subject?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610

About Me

Hi Everyone!

Well here is the first offical post for my online education class. I've never had a blog before so the first few may be a little rough around the edges but hopefully I'll get the hang of it quickly. To introduce myself, my names Danielle. I grew up in Medford, but have lived in Salem for the past three years now with two of my best friends. I'm currently a senior at Salem State studying accounting and taking this education class as an elective. I'm hoping to walk in graduation this year and finish two classes over the summer. I work full-time at a bank, part-time for a restaurant paying their bills, and I'm a full-time student, so things can get a little overwhelming at times. A few months ago I bought a puppy who also adds to the demanding schedule but I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is a little beagle/bulldog mix named Charlie. I love sports; baseball, hockey, football, softball, I'll even watch golf and tennis if it's on TV. I'm a true Yankees fan, there's no going back and forth between them and another team when they aren't doing so well. But that is the only sport where I turn my back on Boston, other than that I love the Pats, Bruins, BC. I play on two summer league softball teams, and I also use to coach a JV high school softball team. That was probably the only experience I've had with structured teaching and I loved it. I was teaching girls who had the same passion I did for softball, skills and techniques that could help make them a better player and person both on and off the field. Watching the team succeed was worth more than any amount of money. I'm hoping to be able to coach in the future when my schedule allows me to do so, so I'm hoping this class will teach me with some techniques that I could use in a coaching setting as well as a classroom setting.