Reflection

"Education is Politics: Ira Shor"

Reading Shor was interesting, it was a good read. Shor spoke about a classroom dynamic that should exist in every school, and classroom. She brought up, politics being a main source in everything that concerns education. The curriculum, the books, texts, tests,s eating arrangements, rules of talking, and the learning process in a classroom is all politics. 
Shor persists on teachers not basing all of their curriculum's on what the government chooses, to add some changes here and there. To remember that having a dialogue within the classroom is better than talking at your students. Letting your students be themselves and feel smart in your classroom it ensures their minds to be open and wanting to learn. 

This article made me appreciate our classroom even more than i already did, because Professor Bogad doesn't lecture us. She converses with us, based our curriculum with the thought of different students on her mind. Our classroom dynamic isn't being forced to listen to a 2 hour lecture, its conversation and connecting while having a discussion or debate within us. I think that all classrooms should be built this way, students feel a lot more appreciated and empowered to come and learn in their classroom. It's an awesome feeling! 

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Quotes

"Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome - Christopher Kliewer

"Humility, Freire agrees, is central to democracy. "How can I dialogue," Freire asks, "if I always project ignorance onto others and never perceive my own? How can I dialogue if I regard myself as a case apart from other-- mere 'its' in whom I cannot recognize other 'I's"?"

• I honestly love this part! What Freire is saying is so true, humility is a big aspect of being able to accept people. You have to a humble person to try to come across different people, and try to understand the path they walk through everyday. You can't be ignorant, not recognize your ignorant, and expect your words to mean something if you don't even see yourself as someone apart from everyone else but still recognize them as you do yourself.

""To value another is to recognize diversity as the norm. It establishes the equal worth of all school children, a sense that we all benefit from each other, and the fundamental right of every student to belong."" 

• To be a  teacher, student staff in any school you have to be able to go about your life with diversity never being an issue to you. Being accepting, makes your students feel included, and they want to learn, it gives your classroom/work environment  a good feel. Everyone feels as though they belong, and makes you a better person.

"Schools have traditionally taken narrow position when defining and judging student intellect. The presence of a thoughtful mind has been linked to patterns of behavioral and communicative conformity associated with competence in logical-mathematical thinking and linguistic skills."

• This part of the article made me realize how true this is. Student knowledge it based on a standardized test, that shouldn't be the only thing that proves your smart or competent. Schools do take narrow positions when it comes to stating how smart a student is, they base it on reported test scores, and our reported GPA. Instead of thoughtful minds being linked to anything else, there always linked to being smart with math and language skills. 

"Through citizenship, they came to be recognized as thinking, creative individuals who added unique and valuable dimensions to the group. To reiterate, such recognition does not constitute the condition on which judgement of membership are based. Rather, citizenship by right is the core from which human value emerges. At the same time, citizenship is based on an assumption of human value. It is a reciprocal relationship and can only be understood as such."

• This quote got to me, because its saying how without judgement these kids with down syndrome weren't being judged anymore and become a part of the group. They came to be great additions to a group because even though they were different they still have great attributes as does anyone. Citizenship is a big reason why they were "accepted" but citizenship on its own its just an assumption that we as humans all have an value more than anything.

Talking point: Did this article change your mind at all about diversity of all kinds in your classroom? Would you be a teacher that includes or excludes different students?

Promising Practices Continued..

Connections to readings:

1. Kozol: I think the events have to do somewhat with Kozol, because public schools in NYC are losing gym, and after school funding because they can't afford it. It's like in Mott Haven where the people had their lights cut off, or no hot water during the winter. Mott Haven was the place where everything was taking away from them, they had no funds for anything. I believe that because NYC has some of the worst schools there taking away gym, recess and after school programs, while leaving these kids with no where to put there excess energy. Instead of this helping them, it works against them and makes them work worse than they would if they had these activities. In Mott Haven, if these people had the resources needed to get better and succeed they would, and they wouldn't live in those bad conditions.

 2. Delpit: I chose Delpit as a connection because the people behind "the culture of power" realize that these kids are losing there privileges to have things they should have while in school. They have the ability to do something but don't. Delpit says 

"Those with power are frequently least aware of- or at least willing to acknowledge - its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence." 

The people who notice that taking away gym, after school programs and recess from a child have no power to change it. Of course, they can boycott it and fight for it, but the ones behind the "culture of power" are the ones who will choose if it changes or not at the end of the day. Those that have the power to contribute and change these things to help kids should step up and notice that they have not only the power but the ability to make a difference.

Promising Practices had much to do with the stuff we talk about in class, issues were brought up that we've been talking about for months. The subject of our readings was the main talks of the conference, and thats our students. I know my workshops were about movement, but I read and heard about many of the other workshops that the class attended and they also were about important things that we should be aware of. Promising Practices was a privilege to attend.

Promising Practices

Key Note Speaker:          

                Dana Fusco had me intrigued by her presentation. I learned a lot from her about a child’s development, and I noticed that I could agree with her because I liked my after school program better than school as a child. She stated many things that help a teacher understand the process behind a child and what they want from you. She stated things that caught my attention, like

•                 Asian and Native American children found after school not efficient

•                 While Latinos and blacks did

•                 Girls like school hours better rather than after school

•                 Age has much to do with why adolescents would prefer school or after school better

•                 The older the child/higher the grade the more interested in after school program then in school

•                 Older kids find something more efficient in after school                                

As a kid growing up, I could tell you that this is true. Because I preferred after school programs a hundred times before school. For the simple fact that a teachers attention is more on getting you to learn something in after school, from how it is in the daily classroom where that teacher has to teach 20 students, sometimes more at the same time. A teacher can’t stop her lesson to single handedly help one kid. I learn more hands on, I like things being showed to me, or giving me examples to help understand. When you’re in a classroom attention drifts, and you’re no longer sitting in that classroom your mind is thousands of miles away. In an after school program I was always intrigued by the hands on experience, the one on one conversation about the lesson. 

Dana Fusco gave me insight on a child’s mind on why they preferred after school to school, kids said:

•                 That there are better relationships with faculty

•                 Hands on activities

•                 Culminating events that celebrate achievements

I appreciate this information because it’s good for people to know this, especially a teacher because maybe this would help them build their classroom around a child’s preferred way of feeling or learning. She said in the presentation, that a child likes after school programs because they feel that “what they’re doing matters, and what they’re feeling matters”, and I believe that’s the truth.

While listening to her, I learned a lot about youth development and its importance. Especially its importance in places like New York. Where, a lot of kids are being deprived from important parts of education. I honestly give big kudos to Dana Fusco for doing what she does.

My first workshop: Teaching Social Studies through Zumba Dance

I chose my workshops around movement, because I know how important movement is in a classroom full of 7 year old's. I work around 7 year old's every day and they are HYPER! All day they have a big surge of energy that never goes away. It just so happens, that my facilitator for the workshop is the teacher I work with. First I want you to know how successful she is, which I didn’t know until Promising Practices. I didn’t doubt her, but I didn’t think her achievements went that deep. 

“Kristen Vito-Silva is a first grade teacher at Henry Barnard School. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education with an English concentration from RIC. She has a Masters of Art Degree in special education from PC. She is a graduate of the National Geographic Teaching Alliance and a Fullbright scholar who had conducted education research in Japan and Australia. She is also a certified Childlight yoga instructor.” 

 

This workshop was interesting, Mrs. Vito-Silva and her student teacher Tiffany Giusti, last year integrated zumba into learning social studies with their class. Tiffany is a zumba instructor so she brought up the cool idea to do this with the kids. Mrs. V loved the idea, and they worked on choosing a continent with the kids, and worked with making dances for different places with music to go with it. They showed the kids in a series of steps so they wouldn’t get lost. 

•  Visual 

• Auditory

• Kinesthetic

• Tactile

These are good way to do all of this:

1.       Examine grade level core curriculum and teaching content.  Look for overlaps/connections

-teach new movement and then address the language arts objective of teaching “steps in a process”

-as you teach movement in conjunction teach science lessons based upon “the human body.” Topics such as muscles, the circulatory system and the respiratory work well.

2.       Think about ways to integrate movement into your curriculum

-math, occupational therapy, geography, music history, language arts.

-examples: obstacle course, ball toss, tray work

3.       Use your resources

-gym teacher

-parents

The reasons behind all of this is the great part.

1.       Addresses obesity

2.       Improves memory

3.       Natural act for children

4.       Improves brain function

5.       Helps manage emotions

6.       Builds self esteem

7.       Establishes new leaders

8.       Community building

I wish I could share everything the packet we were given said, because I learned a lot from it. But overall, the main thing I learned was that movement takes a big part in a child’s life. It helps them relax; it helps keep them with their head in the work. It’s a great way to address many problems in our society with just one thing.. dance. 

(Good Video!)

These are pictures of the kids showing their moves step by step, and the work they did on muscles while learning movement.

This is a child's writing without prior movement

This is the same child's work after movement

Another child's without prior movement

And this is the same child after movement

And this is an actual video of the kids doing zumba in Mrs.V’s class last year.

The following pictures are of the kids showing their zumba moves step by step.

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

 These other pictures are of what the kids learned about muscles, and the body. The one on the right, is the survey answers of one of the kids after there whole lesson on zumba.

My second workshop: Kinesthetic Connection for Middle School Aged Students

                This workshop was with Professor Johnson, Professor Cummings and Professor Pepin who are all part of the Physical Education Undergrad Program. They are awesome professors! This workshop was wonderful, there was so much moving around and talking. They had music on, and high five games. I’ve never been in a class where the teachers/professors randomly say get up let’s get moving. It was pretty exiting to learn how important things like that are in a classroom. If my teachers throughout elementary to high school did those kinds of things I would have been a less pain in the butt. I was and still am one of those kids that could never be still for too long, when I’m sitting for too long just listening to someone talk I don’t hear half of it. My mind has been to Jupiter and back before I hear anything the teacher has said. I’ve never like being still as a kid, I always had something in my hands, colored, drew on my paper, or was always shaking my leg under the desk when I was stuck in a classroom without moving an inch.

In the workshop I learned that physical activity increases kids test scores. Today there taking away recess to get kids to have higher test scores, and there not getting those results because that doesn’t work.

                I learned how joining in with students as a teacher, and making good relationships with your kids helps the classroom become one. Doing this makes the kids comfortable, they participate more, in class the students are more open, and they enjoy coming.

Physical activity builds:

•                 Problem solving skills

•                 Fosters emotional well-being

•                 Creates natural opportunities for social interaction

I learned about these cool cards called FitDeck which is pretty good for exercise, I think everyone should try them!

Some activities the professors suggested:

1

2

3

4

Overall, Promising Practices was a great experience; I feel good having been to this and learning all this new/great information.

Reflection

"Literacy with an Attitude" - Finn

I read the chapters of this article, and I loved it! I went online and researched Finn's book. This website gives an overview of everything that was  happening during the time that this book was written and why the author wrote everything he wrote. I read this great quote that puts everything into even more perspective.

"Finn framed his argument for teaching powerful literacy to poor, working-class children as a matter of justice. Powerful literacy is the education our children deserve because it fosters critical thinking about complex ideas and prepares you people to consider multiple perspectives and their own interests as they make life decisions. Finn exposed disparities in the aims and means of educating students according to their social class. Poor, working-class students received functional literacy that taught compliance, while students from privileged backgrounds were taught powerful literacy that promoted independence and leadership. The aims and means of education were distinct, separate and unequal, dispensed according to one's social class."

 This quote says it all, Finn's argument was that underprivileged kids are treated differently than upper class kids. This isn't fair, because while upper class kids are getting taught to become great upper class people, the underprivileged kids are learning things that "our for their learning standards". Which to me is bogus, who's to say that just because these working-class kids aren't smart enough to learn everything upper class kids are learning? It's sad and ridiculous, every kids should be given the same exact opportunity when it comes to education. "SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL" shouldn't exist, especially not today in this time and era, Brown v. Board of Education was the act that ended all of the separate and unequal stuff. From that point on skin color, race, and class shouldn't have a say whether anyone receives the same education as someone else. WE SHOULD ALL, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, RECEIVE THE SAME EXACT EDUCATION AND TREATMENT. 

This takes me back to my service learning classroom. Because where I work which is a private school compared to the treatment, the privileges, the advantages, all these kids from the private school have are much different from the kids at my service learning placement. All these kids should have the same opportunity and care that the kids in the private school receive. It shouldn't matter if the kids are more upper class than the others, they should be equal.

Talking Point: Does this reading change your mind about your idea, or style of teaching?

Connections

"Between Barack and a hard place" - Tim Wise

 Brown vs. Board of Education

 This was the beginning of a new life for ex-slaves, they just wanted a life that guaranteed happiness and a better future. Brown vs. Board of education happened because the states thought that it was constitutional to have blacks and whites separated. They were not only separated in buildings, but they blacks schools were farther away than white schools, they weren't well equipped as were white schools. The teaching was way better in white schools, and was more a constant strive for while black schools were left in the dust. States saw this to be constitutional without a reason of a doubt.
The supreme court declared schools being divided unconstitutional on May 5, 1954 and this was accomplished by very devoted lawyers, community activists, students and parents. 

Seeing the videos of the interview, Tim Wise says that he believes "Racism 1.0" is over but we all have to watch out for "Racism 2.0". Tim Wise also talks a lot about how yeah we have a black president, but every black person shouldn't have to come as hard as Obama did to get recognized. That blacks should be recognized either way, just as if a white man was dumb he would still get recognized for what hes done even if hes not as smart.

Connections to readings:

• Johnson: "the luxury of obliviousness" .. Wise and Johnson agree on this because as much as they both would like white people to realize that they do have the upper hand in every situation, and that they should acknowledge this elephant that is in the room. Wise is stating that as black man Obama had to go hard to be elected as president to prove himself worthy of being part of the "culture of power".
• Delpit: "unknowingly having power" the example above blends in with Delpit also, because Delpit believes that the people who have power are usually so oblivious to its existence, and the people who don't have power see that these oblivious people have all the power to fix what they can't.
• Kozol: "using a band-aid to fix a broken leg" .. I believe they're similar because Kozol believes that more should be done rather than the tenants from Mott Haven complaining about the incinerator  he wants white people who have the power to acknowledge the problem and change it. Wise is saying that just because we have a black president doesn't change the fact that racism is automatically over, but that people should speak on the issues and not expect every black person to have to prove themselves as much as President Obama had to. Because that shouldn't determine if you respect a person, you should respect them before knowing if they're as intelligent as Obama.

What is the relationship between the historical issues you see in the website on Brown v. Board of Education and the contemporary issues of race that Bob Herbert and Tim Wise raise here?

The relationship I see is racism. Both issues consist of racism, and Tim Wise feels that the issues of Brown v. Board of Education still exist. Maybe not the whole segregated school thing, but it might as well be that way. Because in a white school there's way more resources than an urban school. Wise feels as though, that racism is still an issue within society, even after so many people have fought to stop it. We have a black president, and of course that's a step forward but that doesn't mean that racism is gone. People should address the elephant in the room, and stop under mining blacks, because they're just as smart as white people. It's not as if there aren't some white dumb people, so blacks shouldn't get fingers pointed at them for having some people who make them look back. A person's view on a racial group shouldn't be based on your view on one person of that racial group. Or you shouldn't expect every black person to have to be as successful as president Obama to receive your respect.

Talking Point: What other way do you think racism still exist today?