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