EDG4376 Reflection #17

In problem-based learning, students usually work in collaborative groups, and some typical activities include question generating, story creation, case reasoning, reason analysis, and concept mapping. Since problem-based learning is based on the Constructivist ideologies of John Dewey and Lev Vygotsky, the teacher usually acts as a facilitator throughout the lesson after he or she presents the students with a problem. Therefore, in creating my own lesson and unit plans that focus on problem-based learning, I would most likely utilize a Constructivist lesson/unit plan format.
Inquiry-based learning strategies require students to learn based on their effective questioning skills and techniques. Again, students work in cooperative groups in order to solve problems, and the teacher’s main purpose is to guide them along. Inquiry-based learning pushes students to develop experimental and analytical skills, and they become scientists in the classroom by conducting extensive research. In creating my own lesson and unit plans for inquiry-based learning, again, I would probably use a Constructivist format. Most likely, I would attempt to present my students with a real life situation or problem that they will be motivated to solve because of its validity.
A WebQuest format is similar to problem-based learning and inquiry-based learning in that students are required to construct their own individual knowledge on whatever subject matter they are currently focusing on. The only difference is that just about all the information used by students comes from the World Wide Web. Personally, I think the WebQuest format is particularly useful in today’s classrooms. It is imperative that young people become proficient in using computers and the internet, and the integration of technology in lesson/unit planning can only make learning and research more effective and efficient. In my classroom, I hope to have a plethora of computers with internet access available to my students, and I will definitely make use of them on a regular basis. Most likely, I will incorporate the WebQuest format and internet–based lesson and unit plans at least two to three times a week.

EDG4376 Reflection #16

In the 1940’s, Jerome Bruner did significant research on the development of human cognition and how mental sets (needs, motivations, and expectations) influence people’s perceptions. In the late 1950’s, Bruner became interested in the education system, and in the 1960’s he developed a cognitive theory that intellect progresses in stages “through step-by-step changes in how the mind is used.” Bruner believed that children will be actively engaged in learning if they are interested in the material that is presented, and furthermore, they are active problem-solvers who are completely capable of exploring difficult learning material. He saw education as a process that attempts to mold children into creative thinkers. Social Studies is a topic, to me, that completely feeds off of the creative thinking process. People cannot make informed, educated decisions about history, current events, psychology, etc. if they aren’t utilizing their cognition. Furthermore, Bruner’s theory of cognitive growth that was developed in the 1960s focused on environmental and experimental factors, which both also directly correlate to Social Studies. He also wrote a variety of texts that concentrated on the fact that students construct their own paradigms of the world on the basis of their will to learn, how they are instructed, and how they are taught to make judgments and formulate opinions. He believed that culture, and appreciation of culture, is key in the education process. Therefore, if educators can inspire young people to acquire a curiosity for Social Studies, then ultimately, they will become cultured, worldly, productive citizens. It’s pretty apparent that Jerome Bruner’s ideologies make a lot of sense. Young people need to know about the history of their country, how a bill becomes a law, how to vote, what is going on over in Iraq, why the economy is doing so poorly, how geography influences businesses where they live, what hate crimes are and how to fight them, etc. All of these topics are, essentially, the Social Studies, and they all are imperative to our lives. Additionally, knowledge of them requires intrinsic motivation and a thirst for knowledge, which was the basis of Bruner’s life work. Therefore, if Jerome Bruner didn’t have an impact on the new Social Studies, I don’t know who else could have.

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EDG4376 Reflection #15

Knowledge of the social sciences is essential to everyday life, and personally, I feel that they should play a much larger role in school curriculums then they do. Currently, reading and mathematics are taking over, and not because they are important subject areas children must become proficient in, but because the FCAT has taken over. Of course, studying anthropology will educate students about the classification and physical traits of Homo sapiens. However, children need to know the basics of economics too. Businesses and money make the world go ‘round and students need to be taught the value of a dollar if they are expected to succeed in life. Geography is important as well; sadly, many elementary students in Florida are unable to point out the state they live in while looking at a blank map of America. The same goes for political science. This subject is something I was never taught in school, and believe me it was tough to teach myself the ways of politics. The arts and humanities can teach elementary school children the beauty and enrichment of diverse cultures, which is imperative if children are to practice tolerance and acceptance. And of course, American History should play a vital role in any school’s social studies curriculum. Children in America need to know about the significant facts and figures that have shaped our country, such as Christopher Columbus, the Declaration of Independence, slavery, and the Civil War.

However, when it comes to elementary schools, I believe sociology should be at the core of the social studies curriculum. Young children need to be taught the basics of society in order to learn about themselves and what type of roles they want to partake in life. Basic social skills need to be thoroughly explained and proper behavior should be demonstrated. If sociology and psychology can be integrated into the social studies curriculum, children can be given a beautiful opportunity to create a strong foundation of who they want to become for the rest of their lives. And to me, this concept should not stop at the elementary school level. Behavior modification, communication skills, and social interaction skills need to be reinforced throughout middle and high school as well. Sociology is a broad concept that covers it all, including topics such as culture, education, family, religion, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, criminology, social networks, and technology. Children today will have a much easier time growing up in today’s society if they are exposed to reality.

EDG4376 Reflection #14

Jay Bennish was a Social Studies and American History teacher at Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado. In 2006, one of his students, Sean Allen, recorded Bennish’s lecture, which ultimately became national news. Bennish had held a class discussion about Bush’s State of the Union Address, in which he compared Bush to Hitler and suggested that capitalism should be criticized. He talked about how many nations see the United States as the “single most violent nation on planet Earth.” It seems pretty obvious why many students, teachers, and administrators saw this lecture as a problem. Yes, the subject matter Jay Bennish lectured about was controversial, but the fact of the matter is, he neglected to present varying viewpoints to his students. Although Bennish saw his freedom of speech as being jeopardized, as an educator, he had a responsibility to his students to present a neutral standpoint, stating facts alone.
The Task Force for Standards and Board of Directors of the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) wrote a position statement in 1992, which emphasized how to build social understanding and civic efficacy in schools across America. The statement directly affirmed the fact that the entire purpose of Social Studies in schools is to assist young people in making informed decisions as citizens of the United States. I could see how people may have thought Bennish was, if anything, endangering social understanding and civic efficacy. Most young people regard their teachers as role models and mentors and believe whatever they say with ease. That is why it is imperative for educators to encourage critical thinking and questioning in children and teens. Although Bennish followed NCSS’s statement that teachers should discuss current events and relate them to curriculum content, he may have been a little too lax with his words. Granted, his students loved his class discussions and lectures, and Bennish was able to return to his work as a teacher. But in the future, he needs to make sure that he presents subject matter with an entirely neutral standpoint. You never know how strongly your words may impact others, especially when it comes to your students.

EDG4376 Reflection #13

A balanced approach to literacy instruction integrates phonics and whole language approaches. Basically, educators attempt to make literacy development as natural as possible while teaching the essential components of phonemic awareness. These two philosophies are very different from one another, but combining them may be the best way to teach young children how to read and write. For instance, it is imperative to inspire children to want to read and create curiosity and motivation, and the whole language approach is considered to be more authentic and capable of achieving this. To advocates of the whole language approach, reading should come as a natural process in which children will come to appreciate and even foster a love for literature. On the other hand, it is also important to teach children proper grammar, vocabulary, and spelling-sound relationships. Phonics instruction focuses on the “rules” of literacy development so children can become skilled in sounding out unfamiliar words while reading or writing. However, because the English language is extremely complex and full of exceptions to the rules, phonemic awareness in itself cannot be the only method used in teaching literacy. There has been a great deal of controversy as to which approach is more effective, and as a result of the reading wars, most educators today describe their literacy curriculums as balanced. However, what does a “balanced approach to literacy instruction” really mean? Realistically, there are still many problems in effectively teaching reading and writing to children in classrooms across America. Educators are still unsure as to how to balance phonics and whole language instruction, and they also disagree among themselves concerning how to approach accomplishing this task. Personally, I think the most effective elements from both of these philosophies should be the main factors used in teaching literacy. For example, since the decodable text method used in phonics instruction has proved to be successful, then it should definitely be used on a regular basis. But more importantly, I think educators should focus on coming to a general consensus as to figuring out the best way to teach children how to read and write. If we can all agree on what the most effective methods are and put them into practice, then maybe children will have a better chance in becoming proficient in literacy at an early age.

EDG4376 Reflection #12

John Dewey and other Progressive Educators believed in whole language instruction, in which the student should be encouraged to follow his or her ways of thinking, which should always be regarded as valid by the teacher. Furthermore, this philosophy supports children in drawing conclusions about the world without necessarily needing to know the facts. In whole-language instruction, language is a natural phenomenon, where language development is an authentic, natural process. Researchers have found that children who develop literacy from a whole language program ultimately enjoy popular literature, hands-on learning, and peer interactions. On the other side of the spectrum, advocates of phonics instruction believe that acquisition of knowledge is an objective process, through which people perceive reality and learn from it. Therefore, students are taught the “basic facts” of reading; to sound each and every syllable out in order to make sense of a word. They focus on phonemic awareness, morphemes, phonemes, proper grammar, and unfamiliar vocabulary. There is a humongous controversy between advocates of whole language instruction and advocates of phonics instruction. Many people deem phonics and phonemic awareness as necessary, but boring. And others believe that whole language instruction doesn’t truly teach children the facts they need to know. This disagreement has been called “a broad, philosophic disagreement, with crucial educational implications.” Today, many educational administrators believe that a balanced approach to literacy development will serve as the cure all for this conflict. The balanced approach integrates whole language and phonics instruction, and is now commonplace in most schools.
This topic parallels the subject of emergent literacy vs. reading readiness. Up until the 1970s, most parents and educators believed in the reading readiness model. This philosophy holds differing viewpoints in itself; one in which children developed literacy skills due to biological maturation, and the other held that certain experiences could accelerate literacy. The nature vs. nuture debate was prevalent. But in the 1970s, educational researchers started focusing on the fact that children began showing signs of pretending to know how to read and write before they actually knew how, and the term emergent literacy came into play. School administrators challenged the traditional reading readiness model, and once again, questions concerning the best way to teach children literacy arose.

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EDG4376 Reflection #10

In the 1960’s and 1970’s the schools in Great Britain began focusing on heavily integrating Language Arts into their curriculums. Students in Social Studies, Science, and even Mathematics classes were encouraged to write about the subject matter they were currently learning. This approach eventually made its way over to the United States when educational researchers found that cognition and language were closely interrelated. In fact, it is now common knowledge that language, thinking, and learning are just about inseparable. However, it has been difficult in US schools to fully integrate Language Arts into curriculum design and practice for a variety of reasons. First off, there is only so much time in any given school day, with an incredible amount of learning material to cover. It must be quite a challenge for a Chemistry teacher to conduct a lesson on the Periodic Table and then incorporate an essay or reflection about the various elements in one class period. Additionally, teachers in the US must adhere to rigid and specific state and national standards on what they must cover throughout the school year. In Florida, for instance, the FCAT has become a priority, to the extent that other important subject matter areas are being pushed to the side. “Back to the basics” instruction is being promoted, and teachers, in general, are uncomfortable with techniques that incorporate Language Arts into their curriculum. They feel that such a dramatic curriculum change would be revolutionary and even though they agree with the idea, integration has been a difficult concept to practice. However, reading, speaking, writing, and listening are vital skills all children must become proficient in, and the earlier the better. This concept seems to work best in schools where communication is stressed and books are abundant. Students are given choices on what they would like to research and how to go about doing so. It makes sense that children will show motivation in getting an assignment complete if they possess intrinsic motivation. And the more educators emphasize books, reading, and communication in their curriculums, the more interest children will show in learning about any given subject matter. Literacy and communication are essential components of education, and we must figure out a successful way to incorporate Language Arts into the everyday curriculum.

EDG4376 Reflection #11

I completely agree with J. Doug McGlothlin in that it is almost impossible for adults to learn new languages. In my past, I have taken numerous Spanish and Italian classes and still have trouble holding a simple conversation in any language besides English. Even with an Italian background, I cannot seem to grasp comprehension. And ironically, I understand more Russian than anything, simply because I was surrounded by the Russian culture when I lived in Brooklyn, NY. I am a true believer that learning a new language as an adult takes time, energy, and effort. Furthermore, to me, one must immerse himself or herself in the culture for quite awhile in order to achieve true understanding.
For young children, language development is a completely different story. And again, I agree with the author of “A Child’s First Steps in Language Learning” in that language environment and the strategies utilized to obtain verbal communication are key concepts in how a child obtains this essential skill. To break it down, children have all the time in the world to learn how to communicate, but because communication is vital, they have an innate motivation to learn to mimic what they hear. They do not have to deal with the pressure of tests, as an adult might, but they are given the unique opportunity to learn vocabulary and grammar as they discover more and more about the world. A child’s language environment directly coincides with the world he or she is learning about, and curiosity is the powerful underlying factor in his or her ability to learn how to communicate. Furthermore, the adults raising the child simplify the language, provide reinforcement, and make corrections when necessary, which further aids in language development. In terms of the strategies children use to obtain communication skills, I found the author’s thoughts interesting. McGlothlin feels that language development is of secondary importance to the child, since his or her immediate environment takes precedence. Toys, family, and friends are much more interesting, and communication only aids in learning more about these things. It is natural for the child to want to call objects and people by name, but apparently, children are undisturbed if they don’t understand certain words immediately. Repetition and curiosity aid in their eventual comprehension of foreign, challenging vocabulary words. As a young child actively participates in the world around him or her, the small communication development steps that are taken build confidence, which drives the child to continue to learn.

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EDG4376 Reflection #8

Any curriculum designed for any school needs to focus on combining student needs, state frameworks, and national standards. However, to me, covering state and national standards can be quite a tedious task within any given school year. It can be done, but it is imperative that school administrators make the curriculum engaging and interesting for the students. Students might be able to store facts in their short-term memories for test purposes, but I assure you, if the information is not relevant or appealing to their lives, that information will be gone by the very next day. Therefore, learner relevancy is imperative to the curriculum designer. For instance, as schools become more and more diverse throughout America, administrators need to combat prejudice and discrimination by integrating tolerance, compassion, and acceptance into students’ everyday lives. Students’ thinking processes, emotions, cultural backgrounds, and developmental stages need to be addressed in curriculum design as well. At the end of the day, it is a collaborative effort on the teachers and administrators to ensure that students are being taught what they need to know in an effective manner. If learner relevancy is made to be a significant concept in curriculum design, everyone will benefit. Students will be engaged in the discovery process and excited to learn, which will make the teaching process easier and more rewarding for educators and administration. Furthermore, if students are learning, as opposed to just memorizing facts, state and national standards will be met with ease. There are many different views on exactly how a school’s curriculum should be organized and integrated, but the majority of educational researchers agree that course content should be connected in such a way that the student benefits and feels that they are learning to deal with real world situations. Therefore, to the curriculum designer, learner relevancy is everything. I think the demographics of the student body in any given school should play a large part of how the curriculum should be designed. It is up to administration to determine whether the curriculum is fragmented, connected, nested, sequenced, shared, webbed, threaded, integrated, immersed, or networked. However, administration definitely needs to put learner relevancy first.