Teaching is like....

Painting a masterpiece. When an artist sits down to paint ther are unsure of the exact colors to use and how the shading and lighting of each brush stroke is going to affect the final outcome. This is how teaching is to me. I am unsure of how my lesson plans, teachings, and beliefs are going to affect the final outcome of my students, but one thing I am sure about is that I will always be able to add another layer of paint or knowledge and hope for a better outcome.

From my education course one thing I have learned is that each student is an individual. I do not just have a class I have a class of students. Treating and teaching my students as individuals helping them understand that they are all unique and learn at different paces and use different learning styles. It is my job to adapt to the learning styles of my students to ensure their progression in knowledge. I have also learned about the many different philosophies that educators have provided over the years. I think that it is important to research these men and women to develop my own better understanding of what it takes to be an educator. Lastly I have learned that I am not my student’s best friend. I am their educator, the one who is helping them to prepare their minds for the intake of more knowledge. It is my job to keep them engaged in learning and the want to learn more beyond my grade and subject. I cannot do that if I pretend to be their "pal". These three points have stuck with me because I feel that by knowing these three ideas I can become a well-rounded teacher whose only interest is the well-being of my students.

Montessori Method of Education

The ability to just watch children learn is one of the most rewarding things about life. How they interpret knowledge and use their own intellect to understand the world around them is ingenious. As an educator one of the most rewarding aspects about teaching children is when they can use their own interests to teach themselves. This capability comes through the educative teaching plan set by Maria Montessori. Maria was an Italian educator who through her studies discovered that, "children have an innate drive to learn, and that all on their own they are capable of amassing an incredible amount of information and wisdom about the world around them". http://www.nndb.com/people/189/000108862/
"Working with institutionalized and inner-city youngsters, Dr. Maria Montessori was struck by how avidly the children absorbed knowledge from their surroundings. Given developmentally appropriate materials and the freedom to follow their interests, they joyfully taught themselves.
The goal of Montessori education is to foster a child’s natural inclination to learn. Montessori teachers guide rather than instruct, linking each student with activities that meet his interests, needs, and developmental level. The classroom is designed to allow movement and collaboration, as it also promotes concentration and a sense of order.
Unique learning materials beckon from accessible shelves, inviting small hands to take on new challenges, 1 concept or skill at a time." https://www.amshq.org/Montessori%20Education.aspx
I find that this method is extremely appealing especially since I want to teach elementary education. Giving my students the freedom to explore their own interests and learn in their own unique way is so important to help students find an interest in learning. I found that this method of education helps students be engaged in learning for not just their elementary ed. years but for the rest of their education. I feel that if I can use the methods that Maria taught, my students will be better prepared to learn in the future.

 

Thanks to Christopher

I can always remember celebrating Thanksgiving during elementary school because we would all bring in snacks and do arts and crafts. Teachers taught us the story about how the pilgrims needed help when they first came over from England so the Native Americans taught them how to harvest corn and because of this they all celebrated together with a big feast. Now many years later, I know that this is not the truth. I feel that telling children the truth about how cruel the pilgrims were to the Native American population is not the best route to go, but introducing them in a positive light is the best approach for a teacher. The article "I is for Indian" introduces many ways for a teacher to approach the subject of teaching about the Native Americans. The article "What Not to Teach" does a very good job at addressing the idea that Native Americans have a culture that is still around today and that many of the stereotypes of Native Americans are not true. Teaching students about the culture of them and not necessarily the relationship between the pilgrims and the Native Americans is a better idea. I also feel that there should be a redefinition of Thanksgiving Day. It should still be a time of celebration for people to come together and learn from each other but it should not be about the Pilgrims and Native Americans.

 Similarly I also feel that the same should be done for Columbus Day. The truth should be taught to students that Christopher Columbus did not discover American and that the Native Americans inhabited America long before he came. The massacres that occurred by Columbus and his men should be taught to students. This topic is touchy because I don’t feel that violence is an okay subject to teach to elementary level students, but they should still know about the culture of the Native Americans. I don’t feel that celebrating Columbus Day is okay because it represents so many horrors.

Social Justice in the Classroom

When approaching a topic such as social justice in education one main question that comes to mind is: Can students handle discussing controversial topics?
The research that I found states that students are capable of discussing these topics when provided with real life examples that they can see and with these examples see how they are affected. The website "Using Their Words" includes the work of Dr. Bree Picower. She has conducted research on the actibities that teachers can provide for their students to adress soical justice issues. One research includes the Six Elements of Social Justice Education.

1.Self-love and knowledge:
2.Respect for Others
3.Issues of Social Injustice
4.Social Movements and Social Change
5.Awareness Raising
6.Social Action
Through these six elements students and teachers can adress social justice in a safe enviornment. The teacher is allowed to show the students that diversity is a great thing for everyone to learn from. The students are not only learning from the teacher but they are also learning from their peers. The teacher is able to explore the studnets thoughts on social issues, how they can help prevent issues from arising and how to help the issues in their communities.
http://www.usingtheirwords.org

Voting and Education

When looking at the ballot for the first time many thoughts come to mind when making that very important decision. What are my reasons for choosing either Obama or Romney in terms of freedom, money, and more importatnly to me as a teacher, education?


"The National Education Association generally advocates the Democratic Party. "Listen to the candidates talk about education and two distinct visions quickly emerge: President Obama positions public education as the cornerstone of a thriving middle class and healthy economy, while Candidate Romney often refers to education as the exclusive domain of those with the means to attain it"

The Ryan/Romney budget plan would slash education funding by $115 billion over ten years–hurting the neediest students, causing class sizes to increase, forcing elimination of programs aimed at providing a well-rounded education, and actually reducing the number of educators in classrooms. The Romney/Ryan plan also would push 2 million kids out of Head Start and slash Pell Grants for more than 9 million students seeking a college education.
“Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have made it abundantly clear that they support the interests of corporate America and the wealthy over America’s students,” said Van Roekel.

 President Obama’s annual budget proposals have consistently increased funding for education, and his college tax credit has helped more than 9 million students and families pay for college. The president also recently pledged to recruit 100,000 math and science teachers over the next decade in order to prepare students for the 2.7 million new technology jobs expected to open up by 2018."  In short the NEA   thinks that Romney is going to screw the education system."
http://educationvotes.nea.org/2012/10/15/obama-vs-romney-two-visions-for-education/

As a develeping teacher it is improtant to analyze all sides of the candidates. These men are the ones who are going to affect not only our lives but also the lives of our future students. As future teachers it is our job to ensure that our vote is not just for our benefit but for all students and educators. That being said Happy Voting!

A Thanks to Plato

Philosophers for hundreds of years have introduced education philosophies in education. Thanks to Plato, the father of idealism, teachers can utilize idealism in their classroom. Idealism is the practice of representing things or ideas in their true form.

"In idealism, the aim of education is to discover and develop each individual's abilities and full moral excellence in order to better serve society. The curricular emphasis is subject matter of mind: literature, history, philosophy, and religion. Teaching methods focus on handling ideas through lecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue (a method of teaching that uses questioning to help students discover and clarify knowledge). Introspection, intuition, insight, and whole-part logic are used to bring to consciousness the forms or concepts which are latent in the mind. Character is developed through imitating examples and heroes." http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html

I find this philosophy to be one of the most interesting because it helps to train the mind to look at the world in a new light. This is chance for students to understand the views of others and not just their own. This openness invites my students to collect their own thoughts so that they are clear and concise. Free from distractions and created only of pure thought.

The question I find that accompanies idealism is: Can there be confusion when making thoughts too simple? I feel that the answer to this question is no. This is the point for students to address. By the simplification of their thoughts this proposes more questions that are meant to be simplified for deeper understanding of the topic at hand.

Inclusion:Is It Wrong?

When teaching a class with a child who requires special needs the teacher needs to take the situation delicately. All students need to be treated the same way (obviously), but how do we accommodate all types of learners? The answers to these questions are simple: treat each child as an individual. That is to say that when foundations do research on students with disabilities and conclude that for the majority of the students do well when "mainstreamed" there is still ten percent that is not doing well. Each child's case should be taken into account.

Research that has been conducted shows that the main idea about inclusions is that it is a working idea. The thoughts around inclusion are that it works for all students no matter what the disability or special need that the child has.

"The largest study of educational outcomes of 11,000 students with disabilities, the National Longitudinal Transition Study, showed that when students with disabilities spent more time in a general education classroom they were more likely to score higher on standardized tests of reading and math; have fewer absences from school; experience fewer referrals for disruptive behavior; and achieve more positive postschool outcomes such as a paying job, not living in segregated housing, and with having a broad and supportive social network. These results were true regardless of students’ disability, severity of disability, gender or socioeconomic status".

This statement although seems to show the positive effects of inclusion, the reality of it is is that not ALL students will benefit. It should be a common practice for the students and parents and teachers to decide what classes the student will benefit from the most.

A parent blogged about this question and they stated, "For years my son needed to be in a self-contained class. He suffered from debilitating anxiety. The smaller quieter class setting gave him a safe place to learn at his own pace. When he was forced into inclusion in middle school, he suffered terribly. I cringe every time an expert says everyone benefits from inclusion. Oh really? You haven't met my son. And the idea that special needs students aren't ostracized in an inclusion classroom is bunk. The minute the other kids realize yours is different, the feeding frenzy begins."

Here is where the truth really comes out. Not all students are going to be okay with the inclusion classroom. Sometimes the separate special needs classes and the general education classes are good.

http://www.rogers2.smmusd.org/teachers/witt/WRLC_STEM_Lab/Articles_Website_for_teachers_files/Why%20Inclusion%20Works%20For%20All.pdf
http://www.schoolbook.org/posts/760-is-inclusion-the-best-approach-for-special-education-students