Education is a Road/ What I Learned in EDU 100

One thing I will take away from this class that I didn’t have before is the knowledge of all the different types of education that are available in the world today. Not only are there different teaching styles and theories as to what is the best way to provide an education, but there are also schools that teach in completely different ways the public schools I knew growing up. I wasn’t aware of the diversity in the educating process before this class, and I think that is something very important to know about when making the decision to become a teacher. Another great thing I learned from this class was about all the issues with public education today. I wasn’t aware of all the ways people have thought of to better education, and I think these are very important to know as well, because they may be the new ways of teaching in the future. I think one of the most important things I will take away from this class is what I learned during my time observing a classroom. Watching an elementary school teacher gave me a real idea of what teaching is like as a career, and working with children gave me a chance to see what my strengths and weaknesses are in this field. This experience really opened my eyes to what being a teacher is like, and made me more confident in my decision to teach.

Education is like a road. It can take you anywhere you want to go, if you’re willing to take the time to travel down it. There are roads that lead to many different places, and education can similarly take you to so many different careers, experiences, lifestyles, etc… Education can be a very smooth and easy road for some students, while other may have a bumpy road and struggle through parts of their education. However, while everyone’s road is different, they all learn from their travels, and everyone has the ability to get to their destination. Some people know where their road is going to take them, and they succeed by sticking to their planned path. However others can be equally successful by changing their course and discovering what they want along the way. Teachers in this sense are like maps or signs, guiding students in the right direction along their journey. It is ultimately the student’s choice whether they want to heed the advice and direction given by teachers, or whether they want to pave their own path, but teachers are there to make the road a little smoother.

What do Teachers Need to Know about Religion in Public Schools?

There’s a lot of private religious activity allowed in and about public schools by the Constitution. One right of a student is that they are allowed to pray in groups or on their own. They are also allowed to discuss their religion or their view on religion as long as they’re not disturbing others. They can say grace before a meal or even read the Bible or other religious writings. Public schools cannot teach religion to their students, but they can teach the history of religion, how some events were caused because of religion and by people with religious intentions like the Pilgrims coming to America. When it comes to theories about how life started on Earth, religious views are allowed to be taught in social studies or comparative religion class, but it is not allowed to be taught in science classes. Only scientific theories are allowed to be taught about life starting on Earth. Another right of students’ religion in public school is the right to express their religion in the form of art, projects, and even homework. This right is protected under the Constitution and teachers cannot refuse or correct these kinds of expressions merely because they include a religious symbol or address religious themes. Students are also allowed to pass out religious literature to their classmates, but outsiders are not allowed to pass out religious or antireligious material to students. Before or after school activities are allowed, but any school official participating in such an event is not allowed to encourage or discourage participation in the event. Teachers are allowed to stop religious speech if it has become harassment that is aimed at a small group or a single student. Religious persuasion, however, is entirely permissible. I personally believe that these rights of students and their religion are how they should be.

 

https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/religion-and-schools
http://www.freedomforum.org/publications/first/findingcommonground/B06.TeachersGuide.pdf
http://www.aclu-tn.org/pdfs/briefer_religion_in_public_schools.pdf

Garlough Environmental Magnet School: An Environmental Education Elementary School

              After learning about place based education and learning through experience, I was interested in finding out what a school based in this type of learning is like. After researching environmental elementary schools, one in particular stuck out to me. This school is called the Garlough Environmental Magnet School, and it is located in West St. Paul, MN. This school stuck out to me, particularly because it located across the street from a 320 acre Nature Center, called the Dodge Nature Center. The school uses this area regularly as an outdoor classroom, as a way to teach children about the environment.
           Another reason I found this school very interesting is that they focus a lot on hands on learning, and learning through experience, which is a big part of place based education. The school website lists that they study things such as "counting and sorting leaves, measuring rainfall, and restoring prairie grasslands." I think that this type of learning is great for producing environmentally aware children, which is very important for the future. These are the kind of people we will need in the future to think critically about issues in the world and having this awareness from such a young age will certainly help them to solve many problems in the future.
                     I also think this kind of education is important because it helps children feel connected to the world around them, which changes their concept of education. When they feel that what they are learning actually matters, and they know that it will make a difference in their future, then education becomes important to them. I believe that we need more schools that teach in this way, to help children get more involved in their own education.

http://www.garlough.isd197.org/about/OurSchool



John Dewey and Experimentalism vs. the Banking Concept

       John Dewey was an educator and philosopher, who was a leader of educational reform. He was born in Burlington, Vermont in 1859. He exceled in public schools as a child, and went to the University of Vermont when he was only 15 to study philosophy. He taught for many years and later went on to study psychology at Johns Hopkins University. After this he became a professor at several different universities, all while continuing to develop his educational philosophy and promote educational reform.
       John Dewey's philosophy is known as experimentalism, which centers around the experiences of humans, and improving the human experience through experimentation. For his educational philosophy, this meant that he believed people should learn through experience, and that students should play a part in their education. This stands in stark contrast to the banking concept of education, which states that, "the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filling, and storing the deposits," the deposits being whatever is told to them by the teacher. In fact, Dewey's philosophy was the exact opposite of the baking concept. He believed that students should take part in their learning by interacting with the curriculum, and that school was a place to learn how to live rather than just a place to gain knowledge about facts and skills. He was also a strong believer in the power of schools to produce social change.
       Dewey interested me because I think his concept of education is one that we can really learn from, and I think schools would do well to incorporate his ideas. I don't think that education should be the process of merely memorizing facts for a test, but rather an experience where you learn how to use your strengths and potential to help you for the rest of your life. School should make students aware of their world, and help them to think critically and solve problems, because these are skills that if they are developed, will be useful to students for their entire lives.

 

http://www.biography.com/people/john-dewey-9273497#awesm=~oAO57KSIaLuaaS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey#On_education

http://www.iep.utm.edu/dewey/

 

 



 

What I Learned about my Educational Philosophy...

            After taking the Educational Philosophies Self-Assessment Test, I feel like I have learned a lot about what kind of teacher I will most likely be, and a lot about my teaching style. My educational philosophy came out to be dominantly humanism. This type of philosophy focuses on potential for human growth, and is a very optimist view of human nature, which I think does reflect my own view as well. It states that, "people are inherently good and will strive for a better world, and that, "people possess unlimited potential for growth and development." I can definitely relate to this point of view, because even though it may seem too good to be true, I believe it is true of most people if they are provided an environment and people to nurture the good inside them from a young age. This is especially true of children, and I definitely think that meanness or other "bad qualities" are learned behaviors, and aren't something that people are born with. I also am I strong believer that everyone has good in them, no matter who they are, and many times they just need someone to believe in them in order for that good to shine through. It is a teachers job to encourage the good in children and allow for their talents to flourish. These views are all incorporated into the humanist philosophy, so I think the assessment was pretty accurate in choosing what my own educational philosophy is.
         So what does this philosophy imply for how I will teach? I think it says that I will be very focused on providing a nurturing and loving environment for children to learn in, and that I will be encouraging to their individual talents and strengths. I also believe it may say that I will adjust my teaching to incorporate things the class I interested in, since people have a natural tendency to learn if they are interested in the subject. All of these qualities are ones I hope to have as a teacher one day, so I will definitely strive to stay true to the beliefs of the humanistic philosophy of education.


 

 

 

What are some strategeies teachers can use to effectively include students with disabilities into thier classrooms?

       Inclusion, while it has many benefits, can also be a struggle for both teachers and students. It is a difficult task to mix students of all levels and abilities into one classroom, and meet all of their needs equally. This task can become even more complicated when there is only one teacher left to meet the needs of each and every individual student. So, when a special education student is placed in a regular classroom, what can a teacher to best meet the needs of that students without compromising the needs of other students?
       Teachers can start by making their classroom environment conducive to learning for all students. Organization is important to keeping all students, and especially students with special needs on task. Students with disabilities who are being sent to regular classroom from a separate environment may already find themselves distracted with the new environment without the addition of disorganization or additional distractions. To keep students on task, make sure the students desk is free of items they aren't currently using, reduce visual distractions in the classroom, and even make a checklist to keep the student organized. Also, having available pencils, books, paper, etc... and informing the student on their location can allow the student to feel prepared and organized.
       Teachers can also help special education students feel more confident by managing and monitoring time well. In general students with disabilities work better in short periods broken up by break times, and it may help to break large assignments into smaller tasks to make them seem more accomplishable. Also, it may help the students feel more prepared if they are given warnings as to when a new activity will be started. For example, tell your students, "Independent reading will be over in 5 minutes," or "We're going to start math in 10 minutes." Remember that special education students may also need additional time to complete tasks, and give them a specific place to hand in their assignments.
         When being tested, many special education students have special circumstances which the teacher should accommodate. For example, some students with disabilities have problems with motor or visual skills, so writing can be a problem. They may need to give oral responses to tests, or speak an answer verbally and have it written down for them. Just as with assignments, breaking tests into sections can help, and avoiding timed tests is recommended.
          When dealing with behavior, positive peer role models are important and so is having a code of conduct to let a student know when behavior is not appropriate. Immediate feedback is important as well, and reinforcement should be given right after the good or bad behavior. Other tips for helping special education feel confident and motivated in a regular classroom, are to provide visual explanations whenever possible, and to explain expectations. Explaining too many concepts at the same time to a student with disabilities can be difficult to them, so keep your points concise and to the point.
         These are tips for helping students with disabilities when they are included into a regular classroom, but in my opinion, they are tips that are beneficial to all students. While special education students may get the maximum benefit out of these strategies, I believe all students will appreciate these teaching tactics.

 

 

http://dsp.berkeley.edu/TeachStudentsWithDisab.html

http://www.ncld.org/ld-insights/blogs/strategies-for-inclusion-classrooms

 

 

 



Should Special Needs Students be Mainstreamed?

            A multicultural classroom is a class of diverse students, which includes not only students of difference races and cultures, but also students of different ability levels, as well as students with disabilities. Mainstreaming, also known as "inclusion" has been the cause for much debate between teachers, administrators, and parents. It refers to the process of incorporating special needs students into regular classrooms, rather than having them isolated from children without disabilities, even if they cannot meet the standards of the curriculum. There are benefits and disadvantages to inclusion, and it is not always clear whether it is best for special needs students.
           One clear benefit to including special needs students into regular classrooms is the friendships they will have a chance to form. Socialization and the chance to make friends is a great opportunity for special needs children. They are also challenged to deal with social issues that may arise in the future, and learn how to deal with them. Being isolated from other children removes many normal interactions that help will help special needs children learn how to communicate successfully with others. As a part of the class, special needs students get the change to feel like they are not so different from everyone else and are challenged to have higher goals for themselves. They also get the chance to have positive role models and see positive relationships and behavior from other children in the class. Inclusion is not only beneficial to special needs students, but also to other students in the regular classroom as well. They get experience working and dealing with people who are different from them, which is something they will surely have to face in the real world. They must learn to accept and respect people who are different from them, which is what a multicultural classroom is all about. One last benefit to inclusion, is the cost. A Special Education Expenditures Program study showed that it costs $10,558-$20,000 to educate a student with special needs services involved, and $6,556 without.
            While there are many advantages to inclusion, there are also some drawbacks. For many special needs students, a regular classroom can be distracting, and they may focus more on the socialization aspect of school more than the academic. Another disadvantage is that many special needs students need the one on one attention they will get from separate classrooms in order to get the maximum benefit out of their education. Also, having to accommodate the needs of a special needs students with the needs of regular students can be a struggle for teachers.
            I believe that, while every student is different, most special needs students will benefit from having their time divided between a regular classroom and another separate environment where they can focus solely on their school work. The amount of time a student spends at each place will depend on the individual student and wherever they seem to do best. This way, special needs students get their particular needs met while getting the benefits of being part of a regular classroom.

 





http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/special-ed/mainstreaming-special-education-in-the-classroom/

http://www.kidstogether.org/inclusion/benefitsofinclusion.htm

http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2005/2005bergs.pdf