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

 

How Do You Teach a Multiculteral Classroom?

When teaching a class it is important to remember that every action you make is setting an example for the students. How we act torwards each individual students is recognized by the students of the class. No matter what the ethnic background everyone is an individual. In an article by Penn State says, "Consider some of the aspects that combine to make up who we are as individuals: our age, gender, ethnicity, race, intellectual ability, socio-economic level, language, culture, education, religion, birthplace, where we grew up, learning styles, multiple intelligence preferences, personality types, hobbies and interests, career paths, values, etc. etc. etc. Take all this, mix it up in the classroom, and you can't help but have a very different experience each time you start with a new class". This article gives a great insights as to how a teacher should conducts his or her classroom. It breaks the multicculteral classroom into eight main ideas.

1.As a teacher you bring life to the class.
2.Watch for how assumptions are made about students and the right way to treat others.
3. Indtuduce your students to the possabilies of thinking about their actions. Have your own actions be a representation of how to act.
4.Introduce rigor.
5.Speak out againsnt inappropriate comments that are made towards students.
6.Do not have facorites in the classroom.
7.Support all languages in the classroom with caring.
8.Using groups to help introudece the students ideas to eachother.

The main focus in the classroom is not that it is diverse but that there are students who are willing to learn and need guidance to do so. As an educator there is no difference in the treatment of students based on their ethnic background.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/scs15/idweb/multicultural.htm

Janelle's Declassified Classroom Survival Guide

As teachnology advances, it becomes more prominant in the classroom. This proposes the question, Should children be exposed to teachnolgy in the classroom?

 

This has been a debated topic for quite some time now, and my assessement of it is that we do need technology in the classroom. As knowledge becomes more readily available to the general public through the use of mobile devices and internet children should have exposure to what type of knowledge they can access. In and article from the New York Times stated "The digital push here aims to go far beyond gadgets to transform the very nature of the classroom, turning the teacher into a guide instead of a lecturer, wandering among students who learn at their own pace on Internet-connected devices." As a teacher I think it is important to adapt to the ever changing teachering-world". I feel that although some of the tests do no show a major increase in the test scores, it is still a learning process for everyone. The studetns, the teachers, and technology companies are all striving to better delopments in the software and devices themselves. The type of knowledge that they will be gaining will better the students for the their future where without a doubt there will be much more uses of teachnology in terms of jobs and general life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?pagewanted=1&_r=4&sq=educationandtechnology&st=cse&scp=1



Those Who Cant Do, Teach

As students progress through the education program it is easy to doubt, "why am I doing this" or "why do I even want to teach". Then suddenly it hits them...it is because they want to be a positive influence and inspire children to want to be active participants in society. Thinking back to your own elementary or high school years, there was probably that one teacher. That one teacher who helped you look at learning in such a way as to even make it enjoyable.

When deciding if teaching is right for you there is some information that must be considered and is a great demontration of the devotion that U.S teachers have. Research has been conducted and shows that U.S teachers are more devoted to the time and effort that they put into their students. It has been reported from an article from the New York Times that the average U.S. teacher spends almost 1,000 teaching hours! This is the highest country reported from 2007. In comparison they are 11th in terms of pay. These statistics are not meant as a deterent for students to want to become teachers, but they are a way to demontrate a teaher's love of his or her job.

This information shows the type of requirements that a teacher needs in order to be as succesful as the teachers are today. Long hours and low pay are nothing compared to the most rewarding part of teaching, which is the ability to observe adolescene in the most crucial part of development and to be able to make a difference for the child.
Information found from: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/teacher-pay-around-the-world/