1. We need a program that stresses cultural understanding. There will be children of all different kinds of ethnic backgrounds in your classroom and you have to be able to understand where they are coming from and how they learn so that you can more effectively teach them.
2. Some sort class on effective motivation techniques. Kids need to be motivated and I think that there is a lack of motivation being provided by teachers. A program about motivational techniques I believe would be a great help for teachers as well as students.
3. Proper classroom management. This is a huge deal that I believe is often overlooked. Having structure is a key to a child's learning.
Monday
Two Million Minutes Reflection
The documentary Two Million Minutes compares six high school students from China, the U.S. and India calls for reform of the U.S. education system in favor of the more rigorous Asian education systems. It points out that students in China and India work much harder than those in the U.S., score consistently better than American students on international student comparisons, and now pose a threat to American students' job prospects in the U.S. I think that this could be a serious issue. The United States continues to fall behind other countries and something needs to be done to reverse this disturbing trend.
Waiting for Superman
While watching this documentary I felt saddened that every child cannot succeed in the current system because it is damaged. It explores the tragic ways in which the American public education system is failing our nation's children, and explores the roles that charter schools and education reformers could play in offering hope for the future. We see the statistics every day -- students dropping out, science and math scores falling, and schools closing due to lack of funding. What we don't see are the names and faces of the children whose entire futures are at stake due to our own inability to enact change. There was a time when the American public education system was a model admired by the entire world. Today other countries are surpassing us in every respect, and the slogan "No Child Left Behind" has become a cynical punch line.
Group 6 Presentation: Regulating and Funding Schools
I thought that this group did a great in presenting their information. They all appeared to know what they were all talking about and that made it easy to follow and listen to. They discussed the things that go on behind the scenes. School budgeting and money allocation were discussed and I thought that it was very interesting information to know.
Group 5 Presentation: The organization of American schools
I thought this group did a very good job. They outlined the chapter well and covered all of the main points. They talked about the organization of a school, all of the employees involved within a school, and what their jobs entail. They also talked about the qualities of an effective school and how those schools are put together and run. Virtual schools were also brought up. I do not really like this approach to learning. I think that you learn so many people and social skills from a classroom setting that cannot be replaced.
Tuesday
Group 4 Presentation
Group four did their presentation on chapter seven, the philosophy of education. There are 4 areas in which the philosophy of education covers: Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Social Reconstructionism. They gave us an inventory worksheet so that we could see what kind of philosophy we might have. Im glad they did that because I think it will be very helpful in writing our Philosophy of Education papers. I thought that they did a very good job in covering their topic.
Group 3 Presentation
Group 3's presentation was on chapter 6, which is on the history of education. They went through different periods of the history of our schools and how that has shaped our education system today. I liked how they were able to interview a teacher from California. It was good insight on what she thought of the education system there. Its always good to hear things from another person's perspective. They also gave some really good advice for future teachers. Be willing to go to teacher workshops and better yourself as a teacher. The kids of this nation deserve it and need it.
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 5
5 main points:
- Concern about the poor work ethic in our youth. Is it poor work ethic? or are people just differently motivated?
- Today's generation of youth are extremely technology orientated. Students feel the need to multi-task. Is this affecting their ability to concentrate on one task at a time?
- People in this day and age strive for immediate access to information. This makes us less patient and obviously more demanding.
- Technology is growing at an incredible rate and it is essential to understand the various ways that students are learning in today's world.
- Most students want learning to be active, not passive. They want to be challenged.
- Concern about the poor work ethic in our youth. Is it poor work ethic? or are people just differently motivated?
- Today's generation of youth are extremely technology orientated. Students feel the need to multi-task. Is this affecting their ability to concentrate on one task at a time?
- People in this day and age strive for immediate access to information. This makes us less patient and obviously more demanding.
- Technology is growing at an incredible rate and it is essential to understand the various ways that students are learning in today's world.
- Most students want learning to be active, not passive. They want to be challenged.
Mexico Bids Adios to Junk Food in Schools
http://news.change.org/stories/mexico-bids-adios-to-junk-food-in-schools
The United States isn’t the only country with a growing child obesity problem. According to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, obesity among Mexican children has more than tripled overr the last 30 years. This week, Calderon announced a sweeping ban on unhealthy food in Mexican schools. The bold move would affect 25 million students in a country where as much as 26 percent of children are overweight. I think that this is a very good move by their President. Something has to be done about the obesity epidemic. Its good to see that some steps are being made to help the youth of this world make the right choices when it comes to eating. Obesity is very dangerous, and the issue needs to be taken head on, starting in schools.
The United States isn’t the only country with a growing child obesity problem. According to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, obesity among Mexican children has more than tripled overr the last 30 years. This week, Calderon announced a sweeping ban on unhealthy food in Mexican schools. The bold move would affect 25 million students in a country where as much as 26 percent of children are overweight. I think that this is a very good move by their President. Something has to be done about the obesity epidemic. Its good to see that some steps are being made to help the youth of this world make the right choices when it comes to eating. Obesity is very dangerous, and the issue needs to be taken head on, starting in schools.
Cathleen Black Is Out as City Schools Chancellor
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/cathie-black-is-out-as-chancellor/?emc=na
Cathleen Black, a magazine executive with no educational experience who was named New York City schools chancellor last fall, stepped down Thursday. She was featured in the documentary that we watched last week in class titled Waiting for Superman. She oversaw a majority of the educational programming in New York City. At the news conference, Mr. Bloomberg said he and Ms. Black had agreed that news about her handling of the school system had become overly distracting.
City Councilman Lewis Fidler , who represents Brooklyn, said Ms. Black’s tenure “was bad from the beginning,” adding, “It wasn’t properly vetted; it wasn’t properly thought out.” Ms. Black, he said, “didn’t have either a unique qualification in education or a unique ability as a communicator in the public sphere.” Somebody has to take the blame for a failing education system. In this case, Ms. Black took the brunt of it.
Cathleen Black, a magazine executive with no educational experience who was named New York City schools chancellor last fall, stepped down Thursday. She was featured in the documentary that we watched last week in class titled Waiting for Superman. She oversaw a majority of the educational programming in New York City. At the news conference, Mr. Bloomberg said he and Ms. Black had agreed that news about her handling of the school system had become overly distracting.
City Councilman Lewis Fidler , who represents Brooklyn, said Ms. Black’s tenure “was bad from the beginning,” adding, “It wasn’t properly vetted; it wasn’t properly thought out.” Ms. Black, he said, “didn’t have either a unique qualification in education or a unique ability as a communicator in the public sphere.” Somebody has to take the blame for a failing education system. In this case, Ms. Black took the brunt of it.
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