Education is like...

Education is like turning on the light in a dark room. There are so many things in the room that you wouldn't otherwise know of if you don't turn on the light. Education is the light. All the things in the room are all the things there are to learn. The room is basically the world. Education is the only way to learn these things. Everyone should have access to this light switch so they can access all the rest of the things in the room. When you're small, you can't exactly reach the light switch. This means that it's up to someone else to help you get your education, such as when your in preschool or kindergarten. As you get older, you can finally reach the light switch. This means that it's up to you to figure out if you want to know what the things are in the room badly enough to turn on the light.

I learned that education classes just aren't for me. This is the second online class that I've taken and I tend to forget assignments are due. Sometimes it's hard to learn material without being lectured to and just by reading books. Another thing I learned was different teaching methods that I observed in the elementary school that I did my observations hours at. It was interesting to see a class in action while not actually being a part of the class. The last thing I learned was that everyone has different opinions of different subjects. I learned this through everyone's personal blogs. I thought the blogs were a very good idea to get everyone's input on the subjects we talked about.

Friedrich Froebel

Not one person is exactly the same. All people have different needs and are capable of different things. This holds true with children as well.

Friedrich Frobel believed that all children are unique. They don't all learn the same way; they need different ways to learn and different strategies. This is the same for anyone of any age. Everyone is different and learn in different ways. I agree with this theory very much so. I think it is the basis for the universal design of teaching, which will provide all children with everything they need to succeed. I also think is plays some part in differentiation. Through differentiation, is is apparent that all children and people are capable of different things, and sometimes they aren't all at the same level.

Frobel also came up with the idea of kindergarten. Kindergarten was a way for children to develop their relationships with their peers early. It also helped them find which ways of learning works best for them, without being under pressure to do so. I also believe that this is a good theory, and I'm surprised that Germany outlawed it at first.

Teaching the Truth

How does one successfully teach without biases? It is said that racial biases and discrimination is taught by what is expressed and heard around children. Children are very impressionable and often take on the ideas of their parents, and also their teachers. When teaching about controversial subject, such as Columbus Day and Thanksgiving, it is important to make children realize the common biases about these holidays, and understand that facts must be known, rather than the watered down version that most schools teach.

Columbus Day: I remember being Columbus Day being discussed in elementary school. We learned that Columbus Day was the day the Christopher Columbus found America on his three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. That is about the extent of my learning of Columbus Day until I got to high school. Native Americans were discussed very briefly. We learned nothing more other than that there were Native Americans living there when Columbus got there.

Thanksgiving Day: Interestingly enough, I do not remember much about being taught about Thanksgiving. The only thing I can really remember is being told that the Europeans and the Native Americans traded food and skills to have a delicious feast. Mostly we had just talked about what we were thankful for, and what being thankful meant. `

There are so many more aspects of teaching about Columbus Day and Thanksgiving Day. The role of Native Americans is so downplayed in the learning of both of these holidays, and that needs to change. Maybe there should be a lesson about what the Native Americans were doing in America before the Europeans arrive. Then after that lesson, another lesson about how the lives of the Native Americans changed after the Europeans changed should be taught. A brief but factual discussion about the treatment of Native Americans should be included, with content appropriate for the audience of elementary students. I'm not saying they should discuss such intense subjects such as the Trail of Tears, but they should know the truth.

How to teach social justice in the classroom?

One part of making sure a classroom is socially just is to make sure the classroom is culturally diverse. Diversity is important for the classroom in order to learn more about each other's difference and also to accept each other's differences. In the article "Creating Classrooms for Equity and Social Justice", it is explained that it is difficult for a white teacher to teach a predominantly non-white classroom because they do not have much to relate to. This is when the teacher will call upon the families of the students to better inform them of their cultures.

I grew up in Malden, Massachusetts. A few years ago, Malden was voted one of the best places to raise your kid in the nation.  One of the reasons was that Malden is racially diverse, which is completely true. In addition to having a good collection of different cultures and races in all of my classrooms, I also had quite a few teachers who were non-white. I thought that this brought a different perspective in the classroom.

I think that it's important to have students explain their culture to the classroom, if they are comfortable with doing so. It would be a great learning opportunity for the students to learn about a new culture and heritage There are many to do this, such as projects or presentations. This would put us on the path of creating a socially just classroom.

Election 2012

Tomorrow is a big day for the United States. Democrat Barack Obama and republican Mitt Romney have battled it out in three different debates. At this point, it may seem that either candidate could ultimately take the job as president, which also may seem a little unnerving. Being a college student, it is best to know where each candidate stands on education. I found this article which provides some really interesting information.

OBAMA: It's been observed that Obama's annual budget proposals continually increase funding for education. His college tax credit helped millions of students and their families able to afford going to college. The last point I have is that he promised to recruit 100,000 math and science teachers to accommodate his new technology jobs that will be put into place.

ROMNEY: Romney's plan would cut educational funding by $115 billion dollars. This would also increase the size of classes, as well as reduce the number of teachers in America. Also, this plan would eliminate Pell Grants for many college students. It has been said that it seems as if Romney only wants students to get as much education as they can afford.

It seems as if Obama is more for the college student and education in general than Romney is. Obama seems to understand the need for education for all students, not just the students who can afford it.

Whoever wins the election tomorrow will be in office for the next four years. Most of us will be in school for the next four years. Which educational plan would you most want to see put in place during the rest of your college career?

What is Humanism?

Humanism is the philosophy that deals with, well, humans. It emphasizes human relations and social interactions. Humanism came about in the 1400 during the Italian Renaissance. Respect and kindness are the two main foundations in the philosophy of humanism. This respect and kindness translates over to the educational part of humanism.

Humanism, when put into terms of education, emphasizes the student learning about themselves and what they are capable of. Education should be individualized and students should have the ability to choose what they want to learn, rather than having a curriculum forced upon them. Teachers are encouraged to work with the students kindly, rather than scolding them for anything they do wrong. The learning environment should be non-threatening.

I agree with some aspects of humanism education. While I agree that learning should be done in a non-threatening environment, I don't think students should be able to choose everything that they want to learn. I think that there should be some choice in learning, but the curriculum ultimately should be enforced.

How does Gifted and Talented Education work?

I was in gifted and talented education classrooms from third grade to eighth grade. It wasn't so much as an inclusive classroom since my whole class was considered "gifted and talented". So we felt kind of secluded from the rest of the kids in our grade. I loved the curriculum and I loved the students, but we never really hung out with anyone who wasn't in our classroom. There are however, different strategies for inclusive classrooms to accommodate those students who are gifted and talented. 

Differentiation is when students in a classroom work at different paces than each other. For example, they may be learning one concept, but they are learning it in different ways. This way all students are learning the same information, but they are being challenged in how they are learning the information.

Grouping is similar to differentiation in the way that students are working at different paces. This is when students are placed into groups, based on their abilities and are given work that will challenge them and help them learn.

Curriculum compacting is when teachers take the curriculum and remove repetitiveness in order to avoid going over something that students have learned in the past. This gives time for students to learn other things, rather than relearn what they already know.

Advanced Placement is usually offered to high school students. AP classes are college level classes that will prepare students for college, as well as challenge them in the subjects that they know too well.

Gifted and talented students often feel that they are not being challenged in the general education classroom. These different strategies will help gifted students challenge themselves while still sticking with the curriculum.