Thanks

Hey Dr. Pope,

I HAVE ENJOYED OUR DISCUSSIONS AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE FUTURE AROUND CAMPUS. SORRY I MISSED YOUR "STUDY SESSION" BUT I KNOW EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME.
C-YA,
GEORGE

Sorry to skip out on you guys tonight. I am going to the doctor Thursday. They think I might have mono. I was ready to pass out by the time Dr. Pope went to get ice. Anyway, sorry I couldn't add my brilliance to the discussion. lol

Reading articles in the news they discussed the N.C. Association of Educators, which is an association of teachers that acts much like a union and pushes for changes in public policy. Lindsay had asked about Unions and such a couple weeks ago, so I wanted to pass along this link if anyone was interested in taking a look.

http://www.ncae.org/

What's to come of the 2010-2011 school term will be an Education catastophe!

Below is a link to an article out today off the MSN.com news website from The New York Times, warning that teacher cuts are just a "new economic reality" and districts have no choice to cut jobs without any money to pay teachers. It doesn't end with teacher lay-offs, schools are being closed, programs are cut, class sizes enlarged, and school days and weeks are going to be shortened to help save money. Charlotte-Meck's own superintendent, Peter Gorman is even interviewed and quoted for the article stating, "We are doing things and considering options I never thought I'd have to consider." What other options can he possibly be considering? Having teacher's volunteer their time, oh wait! They already work furlough days! Gorman and the Char-Meck school system is expected to cut 600 of the district's 9,4000 teachers, when they had already laid off 120 teachers last year. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is right this is an "education catastrophe!"

This is a state of emergency for our country, and like we discussed last week, Americans can raise millions of dollars for Haiti relief (not that I am knocking that), but what about raising money for our children's school systems? To keep their teachers in the classrooms? Where is the $100 billion in emergency education financing that was passed in the economic stimulus bill from February of 2009? Have we already gone through that money, or are they saving it for a rainy day? Look outside America, it's POURING! I'm with Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa, he proposed a $23 billion school bail out bill last week to help with holding off the lay-offs. I don't believe that districts need to "learn to live with less" like Mr. Petrilli states in this article, the government needs to bail us out and help until districts are well enough to stand on their own two feet. I do believe that raising the excise tax on beer, wine and cigarettes might be the way to go, but only time will tell what ideas lawmakers will come up with to save our schools.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36674830

Yes, Another Video

I know there have been a lot of videos posted recently, but i just wanted to inform yall of this. I know a group did their presentation on how much access you can recieve on students. And this little video talks about how a student in CMS was contacted by a stranger in his school. The person just showed up with a picture, and was given access to the student. Something is wrong with that!

Supposedly, the rest of the story was on the news tonight at 6pm. I was unable to watch it because we were in class, but did anyone hear about this? Do you know any details!? I just want to know exactly how did some stranger just walk into a school, and recieve all of this access. I know, personally, that would not be ok with me as a teacher or just in general. I would have major issues with some stranger coming in my classroom.

Here is the link. let me know your thoughts!

The best acting, is no acting at all! Drop the act and Teach!

Frank McCourt author of Angela's Ashes, was a teacher in the New York schools long before he was an author. This clip describes his take on teaching...His book, "Teacher Man" documents his 30 years in the classroom, to live out his "American Dream" to be a teacher. Is this our "American Dream"?

Frank McCourt states in "Teacher Man"... ""the further away from the classroom a person in education goes, the more he gets in pay, prestige, and perks." Is this true?

Is scapegoating teachers the answer?

Attached is an article I came across in Newsweek magazine a few weeks back and just found it again. It speaks of the decline of the American Education at the hands of the teachers...but what about parents, administrators, school boards and the community? The article discusses how the quality of teachers to some degree is not there. It is stated in the article that "most schoolteachers are recruited from the bottom third of college-bound high-school students." As future teachers, and people who have degrees in studies other than education, how do you feel about this statement?


http://www.newsweek.com/id/234590

What extreme would you go to, if you believed it was for the "greater good"?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Today is the 15 year Anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombings by Timothy McVeigh that marked the deadliest domestic terror attack of U.S. soil. Is homegrown radicalism on the rise again?

This video is a chilling interview that was aired on The Today Show this morning and it answers many questions for me, as to why McVeigh committed such crimes and what his rational was...he is quoted in stating "As I analyzed the history of not just the U.S. but all nations throughout the history of mankind, people have killed for what they believed was the greater good..." McVeigh went on to say that "killing is accepted," and how do we teach our children what is right and wrong when on the news there are reports every day of what is happening overseas with our U.S. military. As a graduate of a Military University I understand first hand how it feels to see my friends put their lives on the line for our country, some of whom have given their lives for the freedom of Americans. How do we teach our children what is right, when killing is wrong? Especially when some of these children might have parents in the military serving overseas to protect and defend the U.S.?

My last question to all of you reading is, how do we as future teachers provide the foundation for our students to be individual thinkers, to question authority (to an extent), and to provide the foundation of ethical decision they will make in the future? I would love to find articles and interviews from McVeigh's elementary teachers describing him as a child. At what point in his life did his teacher or family fail to provide him the right love, care, attention and support to have him believe this was for the greater good of mankind? 168 people including 19 children were killed by a fellow American in our own backyard.

I understand this doesn't go along with Dewey and what we are learning currently but I do believe this is something that is affecting our lives today, and fear and distrust of the government is something that can affect anyone. The anchor stated that McVeigh "did not see himself as a lone wolf. He saw himself as a movement...A guns-rights based, anti-government, so-called patriot movement." It is important to realize that not everyone believes that what our government does and stands for is always "good" and how do we as teachers remain neutral to such ideas?

Just something to think about today, and take a moment to remember those who were killed in Oklahoma back on April 19th, 1995.

Here is a link to the Today Show website with the video if your flashplayer does not work (like mine!)
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/36640839#36640839

Maxine Greene Interview

The Death and Life of the Great American School System & Teacher Ed. Article

The Death and Life of the Great American School System was a book title that caught my attention the other night while watching a PBS interview. It was interesting to hear, especially in light of our many discussions regarding testing and accountability measures. For those of you interested, here’s more about the text and the video of the conversation:

http://www.dianeravitch.com/news.html
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/201004/20100413.html
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/201004/20100413_ravitch.html?vid=1467888185#video

As we also discussed the nature of teacher education, I still reflect back on my own teaching experiences. Yes, we need standards, but I was amazed to see the number of students in English 102, American Literature, and even Business Writing classes who could not formulate their ideas on paper. Seeing it firsthand, I recognize there is a need for reform, radical or otherwise, in our current system. As educators, I think we need to truly reflect on our assessment practices and encourage thorough and thoughtful feedback that requires our students to write, reflect, and synthesize, not just check a multiple choice answer – even little ones can do this, if we give them the tools to be thoughtful, reflective thinkers and writers.

Monday night’s PBS documentary The Hobart Shakespeareans touched me as a former English teacher who has taught those works. Part of my decision to change careers was the apathy I saw and heard each semester… “We have to read Huck Finn, As I Lay Dying, Thoreau…why!? – Well, at least it’s better than taking British Literature!” Over the course of the semester, I hope I changed some narrow mind sets and helped them realize that indeed literature and reading and discussing literary works does matter – words matter. I like to think it makes it you a better human being who can relate to others who are often different than you.

I truly believe in public education and I also believe that when students are young, they are the most impressionable. As a teacher, I want to be the one who helps that child see things differently, and understand and appreciate the joy of learning. Seeing a teacher such as Esquith reach a diverse group of 4th graders with such sophisticated and challenging works illustrates that when we are creative in our teaching, wonderful things occur! The scene when the child is so moved by Huck’s choice speaks volumes. We as teachers have to think outside the traditional box of standards and use innovative ways to reach our students. I firmly believe that reading and examining challenging and thoughtful materials is the key. As a society we want to simplify, but life is full of choices and nuances. These kids get that. I can only hope I can maintain a level of passion such as Esquith and reach my students in innovative ways while continually learning myself and reflecting on the best ways to reach a variety of learners.

Teacher Ed article from the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html

One-size-fits-all reform isn't working

Me again! In light of our conversations on radical school reform, here's an interesting column:

Education reforms get a failing grade
Neither conservatives nor liberals have a cure for bad schools
Steve Chapman
April 15, 2010

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-oped-0415-chapman-20100415,0,2567437,full.column

What we're bringing to Dr. Pope's house

I thought I'd get the food sign-up list started!

Public officials, private schooling

To follow up on our conversation of public officials who choose to send their kids to private school, Here is a link to SC Senator Mick Mulvaney's stance on public education: http://www.mickmulvaney.com/site/pdf/Education_Issues.pdf.

Yes, he sends his triplets to Catholic school, but I think what we should be looking at when we go to the polls should be his voting record on education and where he stands on the issues. He's up against long-time incumbent John Spratt to represent the 5th district in the US Congress.

I must state my bias here-- my first job out of college was working on Ralph Norman's campaign for Congress in '06 to unseat John Spratt (we lost!) But regardless of your political views, I think it's important that we as citizens and future educators pay attention to the way politicians vote on education issues. These people are making decisions that impact our jobs, our children, and ultimately our society.

Are creative teachers the same as teaching creatively?

This was an interesting video I found, that discusses the importance of learning styles, creative teachers and ethics in education. Dr. Gururaj Karajagi, is the Director at the International Academy for Creative Teaching in Bengaluru, the capital city of the Indian state of Karnataka. The Academy for Creative Teaching is a unique training institute that deals with all aspects of teacher training and management. Dr. Karajagi is a scientist that follows philosophical paths in his goals to train teachers. I thought it was interesting to see how someone from another culture viewed ethics of teaching, and the importance of creativity. Dr. Karajagi believes you are first and formost a learner, then a teacher. He works hard to incorporate Western thought with Eastern philosophy.

Howdy!

Hi class. I know it seems I have been MIA on here, and I was not in class last week, I was having a massive allergy attack, thanks to all the beautiful pollen out there. Besides that I thought I would comment on here this week. I was reading the Chapter 7 in strike, and I was thinking about the whole due process that he was referring to and making us think about during the whole ethics book. It is interesting that some do still want to consider religion in those ethics and some still agree that they cannot possibly be discussed without including religion, however Strike has proved that different that those thoughts and ideas can be discussed without the religion. He gives us different ideas to think about, and different cases to think about to help us see this clearer. As Billie and Kelsey mentioned he refers to the two ways of thinking such as consequentialist and nonconsequentialist views. I do believe as mentioned in one of their questions that most people take some from each view point to come up with their own reasoning or answer. Strike really opened my eyes to different ideas and looking behind the actual moral values and into just ethics not based on religion or what not. I ran upon this site and thought it was neat. It goes along with the whole strike book and there are different cases of people going through due process and their perspective on it. There was a child's perspective, mothers, and a ton other cases. Just thought I would share.




http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/dp.child.perspective.brody.htm



See yall Wed!

Spanking

Hey Guys,
I know this is a little off topic but I wanted to share.
Beware : that if you spare the rod you will spoil the child.
Check out the link from Yahoo.
George

Hey guys! here are our questions. Please look at Strike as we will start with that book first on Wednesday. Think about reflective equilibrium and how do we find it in our schools, in our social groups, in our communities.

Thanks!

Billie and Kelsey

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14797234?source=most_viewed

http://www.freireproject.org/blogs/education-killing-democracy

Strike Questions:

1. On Page 132 Strike suggests that neither consequentialist or nonconsequentialist views are sufficient. The authors suggest that one view offers what the other lacks. Do you now believe that a person has both consequentialist and nonconsequentialist tendencies? Why or Why not?

2. In the postscript discussion, Strike and Soltice disagree about the justification of ethical concepts, but they agree that people should be treated fairly and that dialogue and reflection are how people find common ground. Do you feel that we have accomplished a common ground through our discussions. In chapter 6, they call this common ground "reflective equilibrium". What are some of the moral intuitions and moral theory on which we as future teachers base our professional reflective equilibrium?

3. Do you agree that creating persons is the first and foremost business of teachers? Why or why not? Do you feel that we as a democratic society have been successful in caring about others and that we as a people are willing and able to accept responsibility for ourselves and that we engage in open, undominated dialgoue with others about a common life and accept shared responsibility for the group's (society's) life?

Dewey

1. American democracy has been successful because it has been mutable and ever-changing. Our forefathers allowed for interpretation because they knew that we would have conflicts as a nation. They expected radical change in our society. Do you feel that radical change is possible in our institutions such as education?

2. In Creative Democracy, Dewey says that democracy as a way of life is controlled by personal faith in personal day-by-day working together with others. He also says that democracy is the sole way of living that believes in the process of experience as end and as means. He also said this about education. What correlations exist between democracy and education? Do they have the same ends and means?

3. Given the end of the Strike book and the final readings from Dewey, would you say that the two books agree or disagree in their beliefs in the role of the teacher? What should our professional goals as teachers truly be? Is this a universal or individual belief?

Do schools kill Creativity?

http://
I think that this is very fitting with a lot of the topics that we have been talking about this semester in this class. I know this video is very long but I think that it is very worthwhile to watch. I also would like to know what you thought about the video and if you agree or disagree with what the video talks about!

At what point do we need to step in as educators?

I understand this has to do with a high school student and is a little off topic from our readings for the week, but at what point in the older grades of Early Childhood Education do we need to step in to stop the bullying and taunting? Trying to relate it back to our reading, how do we make a safe environment for all the different children we will have in our classroom. I understand many have the view that "kids will be kids" but at what point is it crossing the line. This is a video clip from Fox News on the South Hadley, MA case in which a high school freshman, Phoebe Prince was "bullied to death." School should be an environment where students feel safe, where did it all go wrong?

A quote from USA Today states, "These bullies are so subtle and cunning it's hard for school staff to know if what looks like bullying really is, and what to do about it. "Some of it is so under the radar that without training, you can't see what's in front of you," says Marlene Snyder, a Clemson University expert on bullying."

What steps are we as future educators taking to ensure we receive the proper training to recognize bullying and the damage it can cause, especially for teh younger children?

It is stated that "school officials failed to stop it, even though the bullying was "common knowledge" for months. Phoebe's mother twice complained to school staffers, and some bullying was witnessed by teachers. The school's inaction, while not criminal, was "troubling," Scheibel said."

Below is the article from USA Today...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-04-bullying_N.htm

I understand some of you are parents, and how would you feel if your child came home and confronted you with issues of bullying at any age?

Happy Easter

I realized after looking over my post that I forgot to say Hello and I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. It bugged me just enough that I had to post again to say just that. So..........


HAPPY EASTER!!! see you guys in class.

Questions and additional reading for April 7th

Additional Reading

Questions for Dewey:

Nationalizing Education
1. Dewey makes the statement on pg 268. "Since the idea of the nation is equal opportunity for all, to nationalize education means to use the school as a means for making this idea effective." Does education today reflect this statement?

Education as Engineering
1. Dewey compares modern bridge building to education in this piece. He basically says "that to his knowledge there was no definite art to modern bridge building until after bridges of the new sort had been constructed." Dewey thinks that the ability and biological/psychological means to build a new educational system are already present in people, but we tend to think about the system we have rather than think outside the box about a new system entirely. He sees the problem with education as human and not scientific at all. Do you feel he is right?

2. Is Dewey's idea of taking an individual thought and running with it even conceivable in today's current system? Can we as teachers build a new bridge without careful planning and consideration?

3. Dewey relates teachers to followers and that the more docile young are the ones who grow up to be teachers and consequently listen docilely to the voice of authority. Is this the case for today's teachers? Why or Why not?

4. We have a saying in our culture that goes 'he's got that down to a science" The phrase means that a person has become so accustomed to doing something a certain way that it becomes rudimentary. Dewey sees this as the problem with education. He says that "we confuse faith with worship and term science what is only justification of habit." We as a system have committed our educational system to habits and are unwilling to experiment. Dewey sees education going no where for this reason. Is he right?

Strike 6

Strike says that we need to keep separate the question of what the right decision is from the question that constitutes legitimacy in decision making. Is the teacher in the 1st case in the right just because she knows whats best?

Participation in the Classroom

http://bit.ly/cShNtJ

In the reading for Dewey next week, "Nationalizing Education," he says that "the American nation is itself complex and compound......Our national motto, 'One of Many,' cuts deep and extends far." We have discussed this before that our classrooms will be filled with plenty of different cultures and backgrounds, and that we as teachers have to establish a learning environment inviting to all of the children. This lady discusses some different issues that have happened in her classrooms before. I just wanted to acknowledge some of what Dewey says, "He is not American plus Pole or German. But the American is himself Pole-German-English-French-Spanish-Italian-Greek-Irish-Scandinavian-Bohemian-Jew-and so on. The point is to see to it that the hyphen connects instead of seperates."

Documentary - "Paper Clips"

When we were discussing the Holocaust example, I remembered a documentary I saw a few years ago, but I was unsure of the title. It’s called “Paper Clips” – an excellent film.

Here’s a synopsis: “Whitwell, TN is a small, rural community of less than two thousand people nestled in the mountains of Tennessee. Its citizens are almost exclusively white and Christian. In 1998, the children of Whitwell Middle School took on an inspiring project, launched out of their principal's desire to help her students open their eyes to the diversity of the world beyond their insulated valley. What happened would change the students, their teachers, their families and the entire town forever… and eventually open hearts and minds around the world.”

One minute clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDJ70lp0SmA

Creation-Science Textbooks Right or Wrong?

June 19th, 1987 Supreme Court Decision declaring it unconstitional for creationism to be taught in science classes (in public schools) in regards to whether Louisiana's "Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science in Public School Instruction" Act was constitutional. That decision states that no school is required to teach evolution or creation science. If either is taught, however, the other must also be taught.

Current Textbook Debate in Texas:

Recent discussion on On Point - NPR show out of Boston:

Questions and article for 03/31

Hi all,

Here are the questions for Dewey and Strike as well as the article.

Article link:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/26/hamilton.pledge/index.html?iref=allsearch

Questions for Dewey:
Education in Relation to Form

1. On page 275, Dewey says one school of thought is that "the mind is so illogical in its processes that logical form must be impressed upon it from without." Do you think schools impose their views to the point of stifling the intellecutal growth of students by not allowing them to form their own opinions?

2. The second school of thought is total self-discovery and direction with little or no structured learning. Because we will be teaching the early childhood years, by using this method, what impact would it have on our students?

Science, Belief and the Public

1. Because the curriculum taught is chosen by a few, Is science (or any other subject) already predisposed to bias?

2. Does religion have a place in science?

Questions for Stike?

1. If evolution is taught in school, should creation be taught also in order to gain balance? Why or Why not?

2. Dr. Jones wants the Iroquois to see themselves as Americans and not focus on their past. Does that mean they have to forget their past in order to be American?

3. Because we are a multicultural nation, there will be differences in our values, beliefs, and cultural history than some students who will enter our classroom. How would you address tolerance should this become an issue in your classroom?

A nice video that explains the problems with merit pay

Not that I agree with all of this, but:

What is the best solution to better education for the children?

Above is a video clip from a local Raleigh news station, with coverage on the Wake County School Board meeting and their decision to end Diversity busing.

Busing to end in Wake County, NC...Goodbye, Diversity!

In the photo above, police officers try to quell chanters shouting, "No resegregation in our town. Shut it down!" during a meeting of the Wake County School Board Tuesday, March 23.

I was getting ready for work this morning, and while watching the Today show (my morning ritual) a familiar conversation came across the news. They were discussing busing, and the fact that the school board in Wake County, North Carolina voted 5-to-4, this week to abandon its income-diversity goal in favor of a return to neighborhood schools. They want to develop attendance zones closer to students' homes. Advocates say the new plan in development will spare children long bus rides, while opponents claim it will lead to racial "resegregation" and more concentrated poverty in certain schools.

This decision to reverse their income-based integration plan, which had been serving as a national model for a decade as school systems sough alternatives to traditional racial-balancing plans, and an active attempt to bring about diversity.

I did some research and found another article from 2002, about opinions on Wake County bussing that said many parents were choosing magnet or year-round schools to gain stability in Wake County's rapidly growing schools, but parents said they were frustrated by forced moves that claim to imporve diversity and test scores.

"The longer we go with the reassignment plan and the pain it creates without understanding what the gain is, you're going to find an erosion of support for the public school system," said Harvey Schmidtt, director of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. "A very healthy school system works very well in recruiting new companies and new people into the community."

In an article I found in the Christian Science Observer written this week, the head of the state NAACP, William Barber, was quoted writing in a blog that “when children are packed into the most underfunded, most segregated, most high-poverty schools, it is nothing but a form of institutionalized child abuse.”

Below is a link I found from CBS news on the issue. I will try and keep an eye out from the video clip I saw on the Today show this morning, because I think you all would enjoy it. Just something to think about, that is taking place in our own backyard.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/24/national/main6328396.shtml

*I keep trying to make it a hyperlink, however it will never show up for me, any suggestions?

Curriculum: Let it be your guide

Adults need organization and the ability to measure success. I agree with Dewey that Curriculum is for the teacher. Montessori schools and other creative based schools seem to increase the creativity of a child and give the child more control on his education. There should be a balance between the two. The Child needs to feel like he contributes to his own educational path, but the curriculum should be there as a guide, like a sherpa on a mountain. You know you need to get to the top, but some paths are more easily travelled. Other more zealous mountain climbers might want to go straight up without scaffolds, and the sherpa (teacher w/curriculum) should be flexible enough to guide all types of climbers (learners). We seem to talk about this in every course. Flexibility is the key to a teacher's success and also these days, to a teacher's survival. A child could care less what information you are delivering and what standard it covers in the world of No Child Left Behind. However, if it is fun and interesting, the child will learn something.

One of my favorites

One of my favorite Dewey lines from anywhere comes at the end of this essay. It's right at the end. After he makes the point that the curriculum is for the teacher, not the child, he then says:

It says to the teacher: Such and such are the capacities, the fulfillments, in truth and beauty and behavior, open to these children. Now see to it that day by day the conditions are such that their own activities move in this direction, toward such culmination of themselves.

Dewey is sort of throwing down the gauntlet, in his very Deweyan way.

Are fundamental principles threatening our future, equal opportunities, and living the American Dream?

Response to Strike.

Tax policies, economic development and funding for our schools all serve as roadblocks to adequately educate our children. Many Americans do not understand good tax and economic development policies and threaten the success of education. Public schools are dangerously underfunded, and have been developing over several decades. Teacher salaries have remained un-changed since the early 1970's despite inflation, we need to attract and retain education professionals. Poor working conditions and low salaries are what many teachers face around the United States. We need broad public support, a healthy economy and economic and tax structure to lead to good school funding, which allows for quality teachers and in turn a quality public education.

Cutting middle school sports is nothing, when you look at the fact CMS is cutting hundreds of teacher position and is just a preview of what's to come.
http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12188611


"There is no greater return to an economy or to a society than an educational system second to none."- John F. Kennedy

School Technology Importance in Today's Age and Dewey's Educational Theories Strike Again!

Middle School in the Bronx, NY describes the struggles faced due to lack of technology in their classrooms. Principle described how their staff was described as a band where no one was playing the same song. This video is long, but very informative, and extremely eye-opening. Students are hard-wired for technology, why can't all schools be? Principle describes the importance of Google Docs, greatest un-tapped resources of staff and students, emailing assignments,and participating in an online learning community.

Relating to Dewey

http://

Relating to Strike

http://

Spring Break filled with Dewey and Strike!

Hey everyone, this is Hayley and Ashley and we are going to be presenting The Child and the Curriculum by Dewey and Chapter 4 of the Strike text. We know that it is Spring Break and most of you are taking a break from school work and reading, but we wanted to go ahead and give you the questions and material that you will need to read and prepared to discuss next Wednesday!
Questions for Dewey:
1. On page 237, Dewey talks about how the child goes to school, and various studies divide and fractionize the world for that student. How much do you agree with this. Why or why not? Do you think that sometimes schools fractionize material too much so that the child has little room for self-exploration?

2. Dewey thinks that the logical and psychological aspects of experience are dependent upon on another, why is this and do you agree with his reasoning?

3. On page 242, Dewey describes the difference between a scientist and a teacher. According to his decription of a teacher is he accurate or are there parts of the job description that he is missing? If so, which ones and why?

4. Can an individual really gain interest in material if given the appropriate stimuli?

5. Would you agree with Dewey on his main ideas of how the curriculum is developed? Does it really focus on the child or not?

Questions for Strike:
1. Should Teshan be given a chance, why or why not?

2. How would you deal with Susan's disability in your classroom when resources are limited? How could you make the time spent with her fair to the others who are there to learn?

3. It is clearer how we can not discriminate upon race, gender, etc, but when we look at differences in people it can he harder to create equality among all students especially when each child is different, how would you address this in your classroom?

Here is an article that relates to the readings for this week:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/comparability.html

I hope you enjoy this weeks readings although they are long! Have a wonderful Spring Break and Hayley and I look forward to hearing your reactions to this weeks Dewey and Strike discussion!

Sincerely,
Hayley and Ashley

Great Clip: Literacy Outreach

All-
Not sure if anyone saw this on CNN the other week, but I thought it was so inspiring, and I wanted to share it.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/25/cnnheroes.soriano/index.html

Hope everyone has a great Spring Break.
-Lauren

Law Presentation and Live Text

For reporting issues, I've made put the law presentation on LiveText (which I assume you are all familiar with by now). Here's what you need to do:

1. Each member of your group should upload the handout you've prepared for the class as your submission for the assignment. There's an attached rubric which I'll use to assess it. The rubric isn't just for the handout, but for the whole presentation. Don't worry -- it's just the assignment description put in rubric form with levels and such.
2. If you don't get this done before your presentation tomorrow, that's fine, but please upload it before Spring Break.
3. Let me know if you have any questions.
   

Logic and Universalism

I went and found some more clips by Professor Hickman from the previous Dewey clip and in this particular clip he describes much of what we were talking about last week on the idea of "universals" and uses a great example of opening/closing a door and the importance of context. Hickman describes the importance of context and Dewey's emphasis of context and its importance in logical form.

Dewey believes logical forms grow out of experience, and they are subject to experience. All knowledge is contextual and has to do with particular cases, and this goes back to what we discussed in class and the idea that logic is the formalization of the problem-solving humans begin to do everyday in a way it will be helpful for them in the future.

This is a video I found that was created at Southern Illinois Unviersity by Larry Hickman, about the life of John Dewey and his views on philosophy, psychology, and education. The clip goes on to define Democracy through Dewey's words, as "a belief in the ability of human experience to generate the aims and methods by which further experience shall grow in ordered richness."

I believe this clip provided a good background sense in Dewey's psychological theories and can be related to his political views on democracy. Hickman has devoted much of his professional life to the study of Dewey and it would be interesting to do more research on articles he may have published that provide more insight into Dewey's beliefs and theories.

Democracy Dewey's Way

http://mises.org/etexts/classical.pdf

I found this article about democracy. I know that my week is not until April, but I thought this might help some of us understand where Dewey is coming from and where his thoughts on democracy find their home. Even if you just read the first page, you will know Dewey a little better. Yes, he is an optimist and that is why I like him. The original plan for American Democracy has failed to live up to the originators expectations and we are left to pick up the pieces and wonder why our legal, social, and education systems are failing. Think about your active part in the community. Think about your active part in our democracy. Are you taking your job of being "the people" seriously or are you complacent like most of middle class America? I will be honest. I cry every time I hear our National Anthem play. Heck, I am tearing up right now thinking about it. Laugh, its okay. I laugh at myself too. But we do live in a country that is famous for its radical thoughts and actions in the past centuries. However, we have not been radical as a people, for a very long time. Dewey would be outraged and writing every day about the state of affairs of our nation. I will hop off of my soap box for today. Thanks for laughing with me.... Billie

The Hobart Shakespeareans

Rafe Esquith became famous due to his Shakespeare program, which has attracted some acting luminaries:



There are plenty of other Esquith videos on YouTube!

Rafe Esquith Links:

All-
I know Dr. Pope will post more about Esquith's book, Teaching Like Your Hair's On Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56,but I had heard of this book before on NPR. Below are links to an article/book excerpt and a 7 minute interview. As we said at the end of class, it's tough trying to find your place as a teacher/artist/mediator with all of the state/federal mandates that can, at times, stymie creative approaches.

As a former 5th grade humanities teacher, I concur with Esquith's teaching methodologies - inspire your students by exposing them to a varied and advanced curriculum that challenges them and you as a teacher. And going back to Dewey, I don't think reflective practices are considered enough by teachers with regard to their teaching and ways to refine their practices. On my 5th grade team, my mentor would always tell me, "Why re-invent the wheel, Lauren?" Well, sometimes we need to break out of old methods that simply aren't working. Teaching is hard work and while the courses we are taking and the materials we are learning are so beneficial, there's nothing like your first week/month/year in the classroom. I have many, many stories! Sadly, from some of my experiences, teachers are often burned out after 5-10 years in the profession. It's refreshing to see folks like Esquith who have such a sustained passion and love of teaching. I'd encourage you to listen.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6939776

Interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=6939776&m=6939842


Lauren

A Little Thought on The Reading

Since I will not be in class to discuss I thought I would just put some input on here, even though my input in class is sometimes not that much and this article in Dewey was tougher than they have been lately, but I am going to refer to this question and expand upon it somewhat.

Dewey-On page 357 2/3rds of the way down the 1st column, Dewey said that “Justice Holmes has generalized the situation by saying that the whole outline of the law is the resultant of a conflict at every point between logic and good sense”. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree with this statement of Dewey, because when we talk about law and logic it is hard to draw that line between the two, what may seem logical in a situation may not be the correct law to follow. It is somewhat related to morals and ethics when you start speaking of logic, but if we keep going to page 359 where Dewey starts to talk about "Courts not only...until all the way until he says it will indicate a rule for dealing with similar cases in the future" (which is about in the middle of the 2nd column on that page). I agree that we do reach decisions in law based upon justifying reasons, even if we say somone commited murder, but cannot give enough reasons or evidence the person is most likely not convicted. I do like where he says we reach these decisions so that in other cases we have something to base it on. This relates back to the zero tolerance in a way because we don't give the children a basis or a reasoning, which Dewey suggest that we do need reasoning behind law, but even if we give a reasoning it may not always be logical. We know it would be logical to find a murder that says they killed someone guilty, but without enough reasoning we cannot find them truly guilty. I hope that makes sense. I did find this section a little difficult because it is hard to take logic, and law seperately, becuse they are so closely related. I do like how I now see where all our other class discussions are falling together with the teaching in the democracy because this article puts us more back to laws, and the fact that laws cannot be broken, but justifying even the law may not always be logical. Sorry I missed the discussion, but this was some of my input in it!

Hayley

Logic vs. "Common Sense" as seen through "The Big Bang Theory"

This is a clip I found that I thought relates to the Dewey reading and the idea that many who are full of logic, lack the idea of "common sense." In this clip one of the scientists from the show who is socially awkward believes he found an algorithm to making friends. Enjoy!

Progressive Education Film from the 1940's

Outline for "Logical Method and the Law"

This week's essay is, I think, one of the more difficult (sorry George!). So here's a brief outline of what I intend to talk about during class tomorrow. I'll work it in and around our discussion and come back to it at the end; hold me to this if something doesn't get covered to your satisfaction.

Dewey's Dichotomy: Logic vs. "Common Sense"

1. Logic (Standard View)

• Universals/Principals/Major Premises
• Particulars/Facts/Minor Premises
• Conclusion
  

2. Experimental Logic (Dewey's View)

• Universals
• Particulars
  
• Conclusion
• Inquiry
• Judgment & Justification
  

3. Relevance for Teachers

• Are teachers technicians? Judges? Experts?
  

Questions and articles for Wed Feb. 24th.

Hey Guys,
Read these two articles and the Dew miester on page 357.
The questions are below and don't forget to eat some chocolate before class to promote some active conversations.
George : )


1. In the first article, what similarities do you see in the credit card laws and the ban on advertising smoking to children? Is this a good thing?

2. What do you think Dewey would say about this change in credit card laws and do we have flexible laws that protect children? Does this relate to the Ch.3 Strike article that mentions if it is appropriate to protect the immature for their own good?

3. Dewey-On page 357 2/3rds of the way down the 1st column, Dewey said that “Justice Holmes has generalized the situation by saying that the whole outline of the law is the resultant of a conflict at every point between logic and good sense”. Do you agree? Why or why not?

4.In the second article, What effect does the ruling have on free speech for children and how will this effect teachers, principles and children going forward.

5. In the second article, do you agree that it was an overreaction by an administrator? Would Dewey be pleased with this outcome?

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/college-student-credit-cards-new-law-1279.php

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/ptech/02/16/facebook.speech.ruling/index.html?iref=allsearch

Twitter in the Classroom

These are the links I had posted on our Technology blog that I thought Dr. Pope would like to see. Ashley watched the video from the University of Texas and commented on her change of heart about Twitter in the classroom, maybe you will too!

History Professor Uses Twitter in the Classroom at the University of Texas at Dallas
http://tinyurl.com/ml3pcp

Below is a link to a youtube news video about how high schools are incorporating twitter into their classrooms

http://tinyurl.com/daf8u2

The Wilderness of Childhood

I'm a big fan of Michael Chabon. He's written a bunch of novels (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was his breakthrough), but I found this piece he published last year in the New York Review of Books to be very relevant to our discussions about children, parents, and what's changed. Enjoy.

Dewey/ Strike Readings for 2/17

Hi everyone,

I am attaching an additional article to go along with the readings and will also send it by email:

http://aands.virginia.edu/x6397.xml

Some questions to consider:

1. Dewey discusses nature, social efficiency, and culture as aims of education. Each of these aims holds relevance for education, however do you feel that a particular one of these aims is most applicable to today's classroom?

2. In the Social Efficiency section Dewey asserts that one of the "most educative experiences of life" is for an individual to be able to earn a living for themselves and their family, and also points out one's ability to do this (or lack thereof) affects everyone around them. Taking this into consideration, do you think schools should put more emphasis on giving students real and usable skills that will enable them to earn a successful living once their formal education is over? Do schools also have a tendency to push certain individuals towards a particular path regardless of their innate abilities because of their perceived demographic?

3. In the attached article psychologist Angeline Lillard studied Montessori schools and found that children from lower socio-economic backgrounds did much better in these schools as compared to traditional schools. What factors might Dewey suggest play a part in this?

4. Can you recall an incident similar to the case study of the high school student intent on publishing a potentially harmful story in his school's literary magazine? Where do your rights of free speech end as a student?

5. Do you agree with John Stuart Mill (Strike Ch 3) that those "not legally competent" should not have the same rights and freedoms as adults and at times "must be protected against their own actions"? Where can you draw the line on this as it is evident that those at every age have vastly varying degrees of maturity?

Looking forward to discussing this on Wednesday!

Feedback Wanted

We're about a third of the way through the semester and I wanted to hear from you all how the course is going. Is the discussion format working for you? Do I need to explain things more/better with a more traditional lecture? Is it too much Dewey? Do we need more of something else? Are the expectations clear?

Feedback on anything or everything is welcome at this point. Now's the time to right the ship if things aren't working out.

You can post your feedback in the comments. You can also email it to me directly if that's more comfortable. If you want to give me anonymous feedback, that's fine as well. Just leave a note in my box in 204.

Thanks in advance!

Dewey -- "The Moral Training Given by the School Community"

Here are some further thoughts and questions to add to Amy & Meredith's good stuff below:

This short piece touches upon a significant Deweyan theme we have seen before -- continuity. This time, Dewey's complaint is against the artificial separation between the moral life of the community and the moral life of schools. One should determine the other :"Apart from participation in social life, the school has no moral end or aim." (247) What happens in the school should mirror and prepare students for what happens outside the school, helping them form their social identities and the obligations such identities entail. These identities (parent, voter, worker, community member) constitute our social identity as adults; schools should inculcate the associated sense of identity with students. Note, however, that such inculcation ought to be liberating, not restricting. Such moral training should allow the student to eventually take charge of himself and give him the ability to change his environment (see end of 1st paragraph, 2nd column, page 247).

Housekeeping and A Research Link

I'm sorry we didn't get to fully discuss the Strike chapter last night. I've talked with Lauren; she will start our next class with her remaining Strike questions, then we will move on to the new stuff. Bring your Strike book!

Also, I ran across The International Portal of Teacher Education today. It's a clearing house for ed research related to teacher education. You can find summaries and abstracts of research articles, but then have to track down the full text articles yourself (but there's often a link). I thought it may be useful as you look for additional articles for class or for other research.

Assignments due on February 10, 2010

Hello Everyone,

For February 10th, please read Dewey and these two additional articles attached (also sent through email).

An Education in Ethics

For More Schools, Teaching Morals is Right

Questions:

1. According to author Steve Johnson, research in self-esteem proved, "... that chronic criminal offenders tend to have high self-esteem, whereas many of the most altruistic and productive members of society show low self-esteem." PG2 Does this fact shock you? What can we as educators do to help build self-esteem for all students- even those who are very anti-social and have no great role models at home?

2. Over the past 40 years, character development in schools has almost disappeared. Dewey believed that schools have a moral responsibility to society. What can educators do to improve character education over a short time period?

3. Has Dewey's vision of school having the social responsibility of children's morals been realized?

4. Lets assume that everyone agrees that children must be taught proper moral behavior. Lets also assume that everyone agrees that good morals and values are formally taught to children, not learned instinctively or informally. If these assumptions are correct, why then has formal moral or character education been almost eliminated from the public schools and relegated solely to the home, church, and parochial schools?

5. In regards to our youth and their evidence of anti-social behavior, why do you think this is such a problem in today's society?

6. Do you believe that moral education is best left to the individual child's family and religious institution? Or is it something that needs to be addressed in the classroom?

7. What role do you believe the media plays in moral education or lack there of? Does this new "anti-social" behavior that many children are displaying today have a lot to do with the effects of the media on our children?

Thanks,

Meredith and Amy

Ways of Thinking About Educational Quality

I just want to say that this is an excellent article. Does being educated mean you are a better person? Does education always make us better? For some people it can be worse. We need to respect our students' intelligence and question ourselves as well as authority...Really why are they learning this? What is the history and policy behind this information being learned? Can we relate it to other subjects so the students can understand why it is important? Do we as teachers even think it is important? If we are not convinced about the validity of our subject matter, students will pick up on it. Because I said so doesn't work in the parent-child relationship. It absolutely will not work in the teacher-student relationship. Has it worked for anyone anywhere besides Hitler and Stalin?

The Intellectual Lives of Teachers

Is there one?

I am not suggesting that teachers are not smart people, but I know that teaching can be extraordinarily dull, intellectually speaking. There's an irony here, as many people go into teaching because they love a certain subject and want to share it with others.

This blog post from Social Issues ostensibly talks about why teachers would want to contribute to an open access curriculum wiki when they have so much else to do. I think the argument Waks gives, however, says a lot about the intellectual life of teachers.

What do you guys think?

Strike/article Discussion Questions for Feb. 3rd.:

Hi, everyone.

For our next class meeting, I'll discuss chapter two of The Ethics of Teaching. In addition to this reading, I'm e-mailing an article, "Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices" by Pedro A. Noguera for your review related to our topic of punishment and due process.

Questions and ideas to consider:
First case study: To what extent, if any, was the degree of punishment justifiable? Does the initial punishment in this case do more damage to the whole group than a narrower form of punishment? How far should one (teacher/administrator) go to illustrate a learning example to students?

To what extent does this case study illustrate the dangers of peer pressure--of students preferring solidarity to learning? Is this case study a good example?

Second case study: If the headmaster decides to overrule his teachers, do you think this is a justifiable decision on his part, and take into consideration in your answer the teachers, students, parents, and families and possible consequences of his decision, if it occurs?

Noguera article: Reviewing the initial contextual scene that Noguera describes, what's your reaction? What, if anything, could the principal do to rectify this situation instead of stereotyping/labeling the child?

In reference to the consequentialist and nonconsequentialist models, should we give all students equal treatment, or should we, and to what extent, have a difference based on our subjective assumptions since many cases and scenarios are based on levels of degree?

If a student is suspended due to school/legal protocol, but his or her home environment perpetuates certain behaviors, is it fair to place the child in that setting for the length of the suspension? In reference to Noguera's assertions, do we as educators and members of society propagate the problem by our practices and policies? Is it more detrimental for such a child to be outside the school community or remain within it? And to what degree is our current society effectively dealing with such issues when children are expelled and are no longer a part of a school environment?

Other questions:
What can teachers and administrators do to minimize and decrease the frequency of cases such as with the last case study before it goes into the legal process?

Based on the readings that we have read, is part of the responsibility of a teacher to become a social worker in addition to one's teaching responsibilities? Can you provide specific examples from the readings and your own experiences?

Strike discussion for the 27th

Hi, this is Julie. For our next class, I'll lead the discussion of chapter 1 of Strike's The Ethics of Teaching. In addition to this chapter, please read the article I’m emailing you titled “Teachers' perceptions of the frequency and seriousness of violations of ethical standards.” Here are a few questions to consider for our discussion Wednesday:

On page 4, Strike makes the point that moral relativism gets in the way of objective discussions of professional ethics. Do you agree with the author that questions of ethics can be objectively discussed and morally justified, or do you believe what is right for one person isn't necessarily right for another? Explain your reasoning.

Consider the cases at the end of chapter 1. How would you respond in these situations? Are your conclusions based on a consequentialist theory, a nonconsequentialist theory, or some other form of reasoning?

In the journal reading, the authors call for the development of a national code of teacher conduct. Do you think this is necessary? Why or why not? Do you agree with the authors that the NEA Code of Ethics falls short?

Our class has people coming from a variety of occupational backgrounds. Think about the fields you've worked in before and the ethical dilemmas you may have faced there. How are these similar or different from the ethical issues you will face as an educator? Should educators be held to different standards than those in other fields?

Schedule Updated

I've updated the reading schedule. The spring break week is now correct and I've listed all the discussion leaders for the respective weeks.

Julie and/or I will have an additional reading for you guys by tomorrow sometime.

I've also tested out the comments that some folks were having problems with. Everything seems to be working now, but if you still can't post, email me and I'll see what's up.

Nice reflections on My Pedagogic Creed

Saturday was the anniversary of the initial publication of My Pedagogic Creed.

Here's a nice look at it from the Education Policy Blog. (I'm a big fan of the blog in general).

The Live Creature

At first glance, this piece from Art as Experience may not have much bearing on education, especially for early childhood teachers. Why did I ask you to read it?

I'll confess. This is my favorite piece by Dewey -- EVAR (as the kids say). I'm personally and professionally interested in aesthetics, particularly aesthetics and popular culture, but that's not why it's my favorite nor is it why I asked you to read this piece. In fact, all the stuff about art up until about halfway through page 395 is sort of extraneous to my major point in assigning The Live Creature. I find that stuff intensely interesting and am more than willing to talk about it, but it's not our focus.

Our focus, instead, is what Dewey says must be the origin of an aesthetic theory -- an understanding of ordinary experience. That's what the rest of the essay is about. He approaches it from a naturalistic point of view, in trying to understand what the experience of a human being has in common with that, say, of a dog. If we can nail that down, I think we'll get at not just the heart of the piece, but at a vital point for understanding Dewey's overall project.

To help, here are two key concepts -- equilibrium, consummation.

Once we get that down, here's a question: What is the role of aesthetic experience in schooling?

Thoughts on The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy

When you read this, you may wonder "Why is Dr. Pope making us read this essay? Are we going to talk about teaching Intelligent Design or something?"

Well, we can talk about that. But that's not the reason I assigned this piece. I think this piece is essential to understanding Dewey's ideas about knowledge, change, and the Absolute.

To put it very briefly, prior to Darwin the basis of philosophy was that knowledge was fixed and absolute. Anything worth knowing was Final. Darwin calls the existence of any essential quality of anything into question, by pointing out that organisms change over time and they do so as a result of environmental factors interacting (trans-acting?) with random changes in organisms. Thus what a thing IS is ultimately hard to pin down.

Dewey takes this insight and wants to apply it to philosophy, calling into question philosophy's traditional search for an Absolute Reality beyond our own. He wants us instead to focus on more immediate concerns:

"To improve our education, to ameliorate our manners, to advance our politics, we must have recourse to specific conditions of generation." (44) Specifics, not abstract generalities. Not essences. It's the move from Absolutism to Pragmatism.

Think this doesn't apply to education? Think of the difference between these two ways of describing a child who is acting up:

"He's a bad kid."

"He's a kid who acts badly."

Notes/Questions on My Pedagogic Creed

Here are my reading notes/key points/questions about Dewey's My Pedagogic Creed. You can post further questions as comments, or just jump right in and make your own post!

Article 1: What Education Is
It's a cultural process -- the process of bestowing "the funded capital of civilization" on the young. The young then get to meaningfully participate in civilization. Civilization then continues. Formal education is part of this process.

Process is one that we might call maturation. From self --> society. Puberty to adulthood. (See Parker's "Teaching Against Idiocy").

Process has two sides: psychological and sociological (or individual and social). Each individual has unique interests and powers. Education won't work unless it begins with where each child is at. Then must connect individual interests/abilities with social ends. (Themes of continuity and ends/means).

Article 2: What The School Is
The school is the social institution given the specific task of educating, given Dewey's definition of education.

"Education is the process of living and not a preparation for future living." (230)

Schools ought to be a genuine form of social life that reproduces and simplifies the complex social relations of the adult world. This allows children to gradually become a part of those relations without being overwhelmed or "disintegrated." (231) It is the transition between home and society, so it must base itself in home activities.

Does the school provide moral education? If so, how?

What do teachers do?

Article 3: The Subject Matter of Education
Wong to start with "subjects." Must start with social life and demonstrate that "subjects" gradually grow out of our everyday activities.

"The progress is not in the succession of studies but in the development of new attitudes towards, and new interests in, experience." (232-233)

"Education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience; that the process and the goal of education are the same thing." (233)

Article 4: The Nature of Method
Action is where we must begin and end. Interests motivate action. Emotions follow action.

Odd bit about images (233). What's he up to there?

Article 5: The School and Social Progress
Education is the way we change culture because it's how culture is reproduced.

"Through education society can formulate its own purposes, can organize it's own means and resources, and thus shape itself with definiteness and economy in the direction in which it wishes to move." (234)

Welcome to EDUC 600!

Hello everyone and welcome to Teaching in a Democracy. This blog will be essential for our course. What will we be using it for?

1. You'll be posting links to the readings you find for your classmates. Here's the one for the Plato reading for January 20th: Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
2. You'll be posting advance organizers for your chosen discussion days. This will be key points and questions to consider. I'll be posting an example soon.
3. You'll be posting summaries of our class discussions. This will free up folks from taking notes in class, archive our discussions, and be useful when it comes time for your final exam.
4. You'll be posting comments and questions on the posts of others.
5. You can post other thoughts, questions, or comments about the reading, either as a post itself or as a comment to others.You can post links to other relevant articles and news (even when it's not your week).
6. I'll be using it for some administrative stuff, like announcements and links to the reading schedule.

I've added all of you as authors for the blog, so let me know if you have problems getting started. I'm looking forward to class!