War in Korea

How do you feel the recent attacks in South Korea should be taught in school? Should they even be taught in school? What type of spin do you think the recent actions will take based upon the political influence in our schools? Personally, I feel that avoidance of this war should be our number one priority seeing as we do not have the money, the man power, or even a reason to join. I also feel that the knowledge U.S. participation will be limited as if it is even allowed, schools will be blaming north korea simply for their political views without evaluation the U.S.'s involvement in provoking actions by sending military personal to "train" with South Korea.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/29/koreas.crisis/index.html

Prison Parenting Program

What do you think of this prison parenting program and its possible application to helping children be ready for school?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/29/mich.headstart.prison/index.html

Talking Points 9

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Christopher Kliewer

Matthew Sawyer

1)"Dialogue imposes itself as the way by which [people] achieve significance as human beings."

This quote is a perfect summary of most of the readings we have done so far in class, Delpit, Carlson, et. al. It is the perfect truth that being able to speak our mind and to have our opinions be heard and recognized is what makes us successful as a human being and a person. A voice that is silenced or that has fallen on deaf ears will never achieve the designation of being a person.

2)"Its not like they come here to be labeled, or to believe the label. We're all here - kids, teachers, parents, whoever - It's about all of us working together, playing together, being together, and that's what learning is. Don't tell me any of these kids are being set up to fail."

I love this quote and can see why it was included in the text. Society spends enough time labeling people and telling them what they can and can't do so why should school reflect that ideal? Why shouldn't schools combat that belief and fight to teach these children everything they can do and how to deal with criticism so when they do enter the "real" world, they are prepped not only to ignore the critics, but to prove them wrong.

3)"No child was inherently an intellectual burden to a classroom; infact, she argued, each student contributed a unique and potentially valuable dimension to the web of relationships that formed a school community."

I really agree with this quote as i have found it to be so true while working with children who others deemed to be, different, and an inhibitance on a class because they do not fit the social norms, not by choice but by design. Rather than attempting to integrate and "use" these children for their own unique perspective, schools separate these students out of the classroom, destroying the possibilty of a unique learning experience for all students and teachers.

So we've read and discussed separating based on race and monetary funds, which we collectively decided doesnt work. Next we tackled separating based on ability which we learned does more harm than good. Finally we come to tackle a subject that hits home for me: separating based on ability. Were quickly hitting every letter of SCWAMP and destroying it and have arrived at Able-bodied, which i feel should contain able-minded as well. I can honestly say i always felt those with disabilities were intellectually different from me in every way. I am guilty of prejudice towards them growing up and even making fun of those children as a child myself. Once i got the opportunity to work with those children, and learned to care about them because of my brother, that my opinion and mindset changed dramatically. These children have such a loving heart and a fully functioning mind. NO their minds do not function exactly the same as everyone elses, but frankly no ones mind functions exactly the same. Children with disabilities just have a different way of tackeling a problem and forming a solution, a different way of learning that should not only be understood, but should be explored by others in order to create a vast array of knowledge and learning. Theses students need not to be separated based on ability, but to be thanked for their contribution to a classroom and "used" by teachers as a way of showing students how many different interpretations of a subject, a book, or really anything, is correct.

Talking Point 8

Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route
By Jeannie Oakes

Matthew Sawyer

1) Some link tracking to our national security and economic well being, contending that the top students need special grooming to be leaders in science, government, and business.

2)In many classrooms the evidence of students' capability is a matter of public record.

3)Typically, low-track high school students have been in low-ability groups and remedial programs since elementary school.

With drop out rates being what they are and our country's overall knowledge being far below the rest of the world, it is quite clear that tracking doesn't work. We all are subjects of tracking but rarely recognize it. Do you remember being placed in low-ability or remidial classes? How about being placed in the advanced group? it constantly happens and little do we question its purpose though we must start doing so. Tracking acts as a way for those in power to recognize the "great minds" and separate them from the rest of us in order to further challenge them. These tracking classes do not truly find great thinkers but those who succeeded in wealthy schools with plenty of resources and once again places these students on the fast track to high grades and test scores. Where does this live the rest of the students now? well frankly middle-of-the-road students are given just enough resources to get by and never truly given an opportunity to prove their merrit. a largely ignored population, College Prep. kids are essentially prepared to survive, not excell, but simply survive with a mediocre setting. Low-ability students are the biggest sufferers of this teaching method, as not only are their needs for challenge ignored, they are also destined to continue through the low-ability track for their entire school carreer. Low-ability students needs are essentially ignored as they are believed to be unable or unwilling to learn and thus must be taught how to learn. rather than teaching to a students strengths and using the resources most beneficial to them, low-ability students are taught how they are supposed to learn and how they are supposed to act. Tracking doesnt work to help teach students, it helps to heavily fund those who succeed with extensive resources, ignore those who survive with mediocre resources, and silence those who struggle with little to no resources.