Case Study 1

I just wanted to point out that when I first read the case study I was stuck between melinda and babera's teaching methods. I like Melinda's approach to creative hands on learning but Barbera's paranoia over the standerdized test kind of made me think. I do feel Barbera went a little over board with some of her request. After discussing the case study in class I could really care less about how Barbera wants Melinda to teach her kids. I am all for Melinda teaching which ever way she feels is best for her kids to learn. After all like we discussed, it is her first year and that is the time where you explore different things and where it is ok for you to make mistakes. Who knows her kids may even do great on the test, no one will ever know unless she is allowed the oppurtunity.

Adler/Holt reading

Adler and holt produced two complete different sides of teaching. Adler believes that students should follow a three main objectives and that every education system should follow these strct criteras. This plan will inculde only one elective and eliminate all others. This is just crazy I mean students need electives, everything about school cant be drill all day. Its not boot camp were talking about its school. Holt thinks that students should choose what they want to learn, when they want to learn, and how they want to learn. The kid runs the show? I dont see this working, the closest you will get to this is charter school and we should be happy with that. Letting kids choose when, where, and how they are taught is way to farfetched for my book.

Noll, ISSUE 2: Should the Curriculum Be Standardized for All?

Mortimer J. Adler Argues that a public school system should establish uniform curricular objectives for all students.
I noticed that he breaks his curriculum standards down to the absolute tee, with great detail. His essentials of basic schooling are laid out in three different columns, all of which include what he feels is most important to be taught in the public schools. The one thing I would like to vouch for as a Physical Education and Health major, is the fact that this subject area is put on the back burner of his plan. I mean I understand how important language, math, history, science etc, are important I also think Phys ed and health deservere more attention in his plan. Our country is facing a major epedemic where a large portion of our population is obeast including many of our adolescents. I feel that kids being overweight and unhealthy are more likely to struggle in class than those who are fit and healthy. Kids that become obeast face many obstacles both physically and mentally which can affect there progress and succes in the classroom. They may also be targets for bullying because of there appearance, which can result in a decline of their academics. Pyhsical Education can also help reduce stress through the many activities that are offered. I believe that Physical Education is essential to help bridge our youths ability to focus and learn at a pace that is not interupted with such minor things like poor health and physical education. As future Physical educator I am proud to say that teaching our adolescents how to keep in shape and healthy is an essintial part of their lives for as long as they live. This is just a mere opinion that I have, and is not intented to take away from any of his propositions. Much good things can be said about his great ideas, but this is just one thing I chose to comment on.

Dewey/Hutchins reading

The schooling and social Experiences society argues how important social interaction is in students learning. I understand deweys side when he says that social interaction is important to a students learning. Hutchins believes that it is not as important and thinks that it will take away from a students learning experience. I feel that social interaction can help more than it can hurt a students learning most of the time. When I was in school I didnt always understand what the teacher was trying to teach. therfore learning from my peers was always the next alternative and most times it worked. I was comfortable learning from my peers and this helps for those reasons. Going along with hutchins he doesnt think that social interaction should be emphasized. I do see his point that students are in school to learn but along with learning the material a student must also learn how to interact. Socializing and interacting is apart of everyday life, school is where students spend most of their time in the day so socializing should be emphasized.

Eisner Reading

After reading Eisner's Questionable assumptions about schooling, there are some arguments that I agree with and others that I question myself. One thing that I do not agree with is Eiesner's idea of students being taught by the same teacher for a few years rather than just one, and moving on to a new teacher. I believe that all teachers are different in there own unique ways, as to say that all of them have something special to offer that others may not have. If students are left with the same teacher for 3 or 4 years, they are being held under one teaching style and one source of knowledge. It is essential that kids are educated in the many different teaching styles that are out there. This way they can adapt to varios learning enviorments and be versitile enough to educate themselves through different teaching methods. Having different teachers will also help with their social skills, because they will have a new teacher and new classmates each year. We are not here to influence anti-socialness to our adolecents, or offer them knoledge from one source. Change is good.

I do agree with Eisner when he stated that all children should be at the same level intellectually is a little bogus expectation. Many students learn and read at different paces, some are smarter than others or pick up on things faster. Saying that all 10 year olds should be at the same level is alot to ask for because you have to take the students personal life into account. If a student is having family problems or is a victim of bullying, there intellect may be slowed down, as oppose to a student that is not experiencing this. On the other hand it could be best if students at the same age are kept in the same grade level. Just because one student in the third grade has a sixth grade reading level, that doesn't mean he/she is ready to be in a classroom with kids that are 3 or 4 years older than them. Booksmart is one thing, but their are many other aspects to a childs life that need to be taking in to consideration.