Boys & Girls Learn Differently

Monday, March 7, 2011

There is way too much that goes into creating an ultimate classroom....

Blog #6
Alison Getsloff
Idea Illustrator
Pages 167-204

This reading was about discipline in the classroom and how to deal with the differences between boys and girls- but I think, it all comes down to respect. Respecting your elders, respecting your teachers, respecting your parents, and respecting your peers.

On pages 160-161, it is stated "Discipline could be a matter of fear- fear of God, fear of the rod, fear of parents. The teacher might not utterly bond with a student yet nonetheless instill fear because the child feared other forces- perhaps family and God- that supported the teacher. Futhermore, the child was taught from infancy to respect elders, including teachers, as inherently right. Both innate respect for the teacher and fear of punishment by supportive religious and family forces have diminished."

If the teacher and students can come to a common ground, where respect is mutual, then, hopefully in the future discipline won't be nessesary.

"According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average child watches 20,000 thirty-second TV commercials every year and sees 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. Dr. John Nelson of the American Medical Association (an endorser of National TV-Turnoff Week) said, 'If 2,888 out of 3,000 studies show that TV violence is a causal factor in real-life mayhem, it's a public health problem'."

"The average American youth spends 900 hours in school each year. That same average American youth watches 1.500 hours of television.Community collaboration in this area is crucial: teachers and parents alike need and want training in media literacy. This is because the media- especially its violence and amoral content- are ghosts from the home that visit many schools by way of schoolchildren who are allowed at home to surf the Internet inappropriately, watch whatever television they want, and see developmentally inappropriate movies,"

I think with all of the technology advancing everyday, it's just going to get worse and worse for the next generations. There are so many distractions with new technologies that kids aren't focusing on what's important for their future. Obviously, they don't know that all of this technology is mind-altering their health-like it was mentioned in the book, if parents could collaborate with teachers on positive training in the media literacy field- more school work and outdoor fun could go on. Healthy activities. If only some of these new technological advances' could be educational....

In the section titled "Innovations for Academic Excellence" starting on page 180, it give examples of how to engage your students, boy both and girls. Something that caught my attention was written on page 181, "By essentially making a game out of letter learning, she had great success". Both boys and girls thrive off of competition- "Cooperative learning is, of course, something to be enjoyed and celebrated, and its praises cannot be sung enough for both male and female brains," page 196. I think teaching and learning should be fun. Kids should want to learn, enjoy learning and want to do more of it. I never want any of my future students to dread coming to school. I want to make my classroom a learning environment where everyone can be open with each other, express themselves anyway they choose, and I just want to have fun. The more fun you have, the more experiences you will remember, and the more you will in-turn learn in the process.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Basics of "No Child Left Behind"

Blog #6
Suzanne C
Rigorous Researcher
Pages 167-204
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

This act passed in 2001 has received positive and negative feedback since it's passing. In order to shed light on the requirements of the law I have included the "Four Pillars of No Child Left Behind" as defined by the United States Department of Education Website.

1. Stronger Accountability for Results- "Under No Child Left Behind, states are working to close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. Annual state and school district report cards inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools that do not make progress must provide supplemental services, such as free tutoring or after-school assistance; take corrective actions; and, if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years, make dramatic changes to the way the school is run."

2. More Freedom for States and Communities- "Under No Child Left Behind, states and school districts have unprecedented flexibility in how they use federal education funds." Therefore districts can transfer up to 50% of their federal grant money to "need, such as hiring new teachers, increasing teacher pay, and improving teacher training and professional development."

3. Proven Education Methods- "No Child Left Behind puts emphasis on determining which educational programs and practices have been proven effective through rigorous scientific research. Federal funding is targeted to support these programs and teaching methods that work to improve student learning and achievement."

4. More Choices for Parents- "Parents of children in low-performing schools have new options under No Child Left Behind. In schools that do not meet state standards for at least two consecutive years, parents may transfer their children to a better-performing public school, including a public charter school, within their district. The district must provide transportation, using Title I funds if necessary. Students from low-income families in schools that fail to meet state standards for at least three years are eligible to receive supplemental educational services, including tutoring, after-school services, and summer school. Also, students who attend a persistently dangerous school or are the victim of a violent crime while in their school have the option to attend a safe school within their district."

United States Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/4pillars.html

Words to Explain the Brain

Blog #6
Suzanne C..
Vocabulary/Concept Vitalizer
pages 168-204

1. Lateralization-noun- : localization of function or activity on one side of the body in preference to the other
(Page 168)
2. Antithetical-adj.- 1. constituting or marked by antithesis

2. being in direct and unequivocal opposition (p.177)

3. Edify-verb- to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge

Synonyms: enlighten, uplift, inform (Page 178)

4. Aural-adj.- of or relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing (Page 181)

5. Hippocampal- adj.- relating to the hippocampus a curved elongated ridge that extends over the floor of the descending horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain, that consists of gray matter covered on the ventricular surface with white matter, and that is involved in forming, storing, and processing memory (Page 196)

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/

So many issues, So little time

Daniela Elliott
Blog #6, pages 167- 215
Creative Connector

1. "Teasing. Teasing is a normal activity among peers, in which children focus on a real or perceived weakness in another or others." (pg 175)

Teasing, harassment and bullying have become a central topic for many education discussions because of how much violence has been brought about due to these actions. This simple definition means so much because it’s something I’ve done and still do. When I take the time to think about myself and whether or not I tease people, I can’t deny this fact. Strangely enough, while in school, I don’t think I did all that much because I was such a quiet, shy young girl. Now that I’m older, more mature, and eager to be a teacher it’s hard to believe that with all I know, I can still tease people without realizing that I’m doing it and realizing how hurtful it can be.

2. "The average American youth spends 900 hours in school each year. That same average American youth watches 1,500 hours of television." (pg 179)

This statistic was scary to think about not so much because it was hard to believe that children watch so much TV; on the contrary, I wasn’t really surprised to read that part. Rather, I was surprised how much little time is spent in school. I would never have said this when I was in school, I don’t think, but this just makes me stop and think about the idea of having children go to school year-round. As much as I never liked having to go to school and do school work as I grew up, I did like getting to see my friends every day and I did like the athletic activities. So, was it really that bad? No, probably not, and I think many children wouldn’t mind.

3. “I have found not only those hands-on activities make abstract concepts much more clear, especially in math, but also that team activity helps a lot.” (pg 189)
As a soccer coach, I learned the hard way what my players did and didn’t want to do at practice. When I think about this quote and my players I remember how much they loved being in teams during practice and competing against each other. No matter what drill it was, as long as it became a team drill and they got to work together and without any direction from me they level of intensity, the excitement and the passion was all increased.

Outside Forces Affecting Education

Daniela Elliott
Blog #6, pages 167- 215
Literary Luminator

1. "The effect of media influence, especially on male violence, must be courageously dealt with by every school district." (pg. 178)

Media, whether its music, television or the internet, I believe, has corrupted young children so much more than parents think it would. When I think about the ridiculous shows that our on TV that are directed towards young adults: Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, Secret Life of the American Teenager, etc. The list goes on and on and these shows will never been understood by teenagers and young adults as just a TV show. They see these shows and want to imitate what they see, or they spend so much time trying to make them something that seems popular on a show. I don’t believe teenagers understand that it’s not real, or that it’s all just for fun. I know that when I think about my own children, someday in the future, I’m learning so much right now about what not to do with my children and restricting media use is going to be one. When I was growing up, it used to be Saved by the Bell and Charles in Charge, and there was never anything on those shows that negatively influenced me and I want my own children to have that same upbringing.

2. “This year our school separated the girls into classes by themselves away from the boys. it has helped the girls to concentrate. They are more focused, and I have noticed things about girls’ behavior that I never really noticed before.” (pg. 183)

The more I read this book and the more I think about my own childhood, the more I like the idea of single-sex education. I do believe that there is something very beneficial to having our children go through elementary and even middle school in a single-sex school. This book talks so much about how rapidly the brain is developing during these young ages and how many differences there are between boys and girls. Then I think about the schools here in Rochester that offers this education style: Mercy and McQuaid. Two private and expensive schools, so the question is: how badly do I want my children do get the best education style of teaching? Enough to spend thousands of dollars each year to send them to these schools? I have a feeling that if more people could afford such schools, that more parents would select this option.

3. “No one denies the need to hold schools and teacher accountable, and no one likes schools to constantly under perform, but is the present hysteria to test students healthy for the learning brain? Our research shows us that, for the most part, it is not.” (pg. 190)

As a future educator, I’ve heard so often of standardized testing and their “importance.” Importance is a tricky word to use because for the most part, it is politicians who are deciding what is and isn’t important for schools and students. I agree with the quote, that a level of accountability needs to be held, as with any other job, being responsible for what you’ve taken part in is only natural and expected. But, with all that I’m learning in only my first semester in grad school, and all that is still left to learn, I wonder how politicians could ever be qualified to make such important decisions for the educational system. Politicians are intelligent in their own rite but if a person is not well-informed of something how could it ever be okay for that person to make such a powerful decision for something they don’t fully understand? With so many bigger issues affecting our country, it seems as though politicians have bigger things to worry about, bigger things to actualyl take part in.

Video: a humorous take on Teachers and Wall Street

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Buddy-Buddy System

Daniela Elliott
Blog #5, pages 126-180
Rigorous Researcher

A term that came up towards the end of the reading under the “Role of the Mentor” section was the educational strategy of vertical or intergenerational mentoring. The book speaks about a private school in Texas in which vertical mentoring is mandatory. What interested me most about this strategy is how useful and successfully it can be for both parties involved. It’s possible, to underestimate the effect of two students working together and in their own way helping one another. It’s a powerful tool and can be overlooked in public school systems.

Whether it’s a young, maturing adult working with an older community citizen or pairing up a young elementary student with an older elementary student; any pairing of young and old can have a great result. As Education.com posted, mentoring is “a relationship between a more experienced person and a younger person which involves mutual caring, commitment and trust.”

Some of the student benefits listed on the website include: 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, 53% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class, less likely to hit someone, more confident of their performance in schoolwork and demonstrating improved relations with families. These benefits were noted after an 18-month study of a Big Brother Big Sister; although ages and ethnicity of participants were not noted in the article, it was stated that the effects of the program were even greater among minority students who had not already begun using illegal drugs or alcohol.

Intergenerational mentoring can provide for extra attention for those who need it, offering the help of an older student/adult to help give perspective of life or simply an ear to talk to. In relation to the book, offering such services to students, young and old, who are still trying growing up and mature at different times than other students could possibly enjoy speaking to someone neutral.

What does that mean exactly?

Daniela Elliott
Blog #5, pages 126-180
Vocabulary/Concept Vitalizer

In this week’s blog I chose to look in to vocabulary that is used to describe educational events, people or statements made in the book that I had heard of, and read, before but never really took the time to understand the true definition. Researching these definitions certainly enhances my understanding of the reading:

Prophetic, pg 143

Adjective: predictive; presageful or portentous; ominous: prophetic signs; prophetic warnings