Blog post #7

 What to look for in a classroom

By

Alfie Kohn

The author argues implicitly that the way our schools are shaped pedagogically affects our students’ success. The author explains his point of view by comparing what seems to be a prosperous classroom with that of an unsuccessful one. He talks about all of those kinds of signs, either positive or negative, which are sometimes related to how the classroom itself is organized and decorated, and sometimes those related to the instructors and students. I completely agree with the author when he gives importance to even small things
happening in the classroom, but they have a huge impact on students' learning experience! Let’s take an example when he compares the two ways teachers could speak to students, considering it a good sign when they talk respectfully and warmly over in a controlled manner. I can definitely feel the difference based on my experience of being a substitute teacher for quite a long time, where in many elementary schools, I used to be shocked about how some teachers next door used to jump into my classroom, yelling at my kids to be quiet, telling them they are taking advantage of the “sub”! I can notice how the kids’ faces turned sad, and not even blank or bored as the author described them. That teacher didn’t know that we’ve been having a great time learning and exploring new things, that those kids were so engaged to the point that they were surrounding me, eager to ask more and more questions; they found in me a listening and caring teacher who provided them with the opportunities to participate and engage while learning. This is what that teacher, for example, found to be a disorder, thinking that by yelling she can control the students! Also, I would share the author’s point on how the classroom’s decor could play a significant role in creating an encouraging environment. In one classroom in a middle school, I noticed how ALL the students looked as if they were tired and bored! When I was examining the walls, since I have that curiosity to discover the teacher’s artwork in every classroom I go to, I couldn’t see anything but signs that let the students know about the rules and their expectations, when I tried to investigate the students’ status, I’ve been told that no one likes the teacher of this class as she always tend to yell at them, punishing them for every tiny mistake as well as for not have been prepared! I would finally say that the author is trying to deliver to us the message that even though such appearances inside or outside our schools may look ineffective, they have a great impact, negatively or positively, on our students' learning success.

This is exactly what that teacher looked like when she screamed at the kids 😂

Question to share

Would you agree with me that there should be a kind of parents’ survey for teachers’ behaviors and/or observation for such behaviors to guarantee that teachers are practicing “teaching for social justice”?

Blog #5

                                                    The Academic and Social

Value of Ethnic Studies

By

Christine E. Sleeter

Reflection

In a country like the United States, where diversity is a main characteristic of the population, I find the author’s concerns to be completely appealing! I find it very normal for students to lose interest in school since they feel they don’t belong in it or that the schools only belong to a specific type of people. In this text, the author is talking about students “of color” being marginalized at schools. I strongly agree with that, and I could compare it strongly to my school experience in my original country, Syria, to talk about neglected peers in elementary school at that time, not only because they’re of a different color, but also of a different religion. With a Christian majority in my city back then, it happened to be two muslim students in my classroom who used to be looked at like aliens, laughed at them, I always used to see them sad, increasingly missing classes, with a very humble academic performance, until one day, we could see them in school no more! I think that those students could’ve been saved if there was an existing strong and supportive environment that would include them and their beliefs equally during schools where they could’ve felt welcomed! I think I can clearly notice every single aspect of students’ disingagemt the author talked about in the U.S., caused by the absence of their belonging, when a specific mainstream in education based on race and/or ethnicity is taking place and destroying the other students’s origin, culture and so their existence oppressing them as well as forcing them to feel ignored and angry toward the dominant students and curriculum. I also think that can go beyond school students’ engagement to cover other kinds of oppressions that lead to disengagement, anger, hate, and then wars! And these are, as I think, the results we are harvesting all over the world, unfortunately! 

Blog#4 Shifting the Paradigm

 Shifting the Paradigm

By

Shannon Renkly

Katherine Bertolini

Reflection

 I find this text extremely valuable, and everyone should be aware of it! It touched me deeply in many points that it discusses, since I lived in a very similar school environment where there was no place for the Asset Model; rather, as the authors mentioned, it was all about focusing on observing students’ behaviors and focusing on how to severely punish them, believing that, using such a method, can fix those behaviors and lead to successful students and, in that manner, they satisfy the government by “keeping their schools well disciplined”, exactly what they inherited from the prussian system! But from what I’ve seen and experienced academically, I can clearly understand the authors’ concerns about how the Deficit Model can strongly damage the students’ future, both academically and socially, especially with the absence of the adults' roles in supporting them, those adults who could be their parents, their teachers, their relatives, or even their community. Here, I would like to share the author's interest in that role, which I find to be of substantial importance in students' achievements, as it was in mine! When I was in middle school, I used to hate school, since I didn’t find it supportive; I couldn’t find most of my teachers caring for me or encouraging my unique talents. I couldn’t see the administration staff as loving ones who were there when I needed help or support; we were all treated almost in the same way, ignoring our diverse needs! The lack of consistent communication between schools and parents made my parents unaware of the concerns that I could’ve had! All these aspects of that Decifit school model made me, for example,
lose confidence in my school’s administration and most of its teachers, impacting my academic experience during that time, which also affected my high school experience. So, when I tried to find positive and motivational teachers when facing challenges, I found unlistening ears; So, I wonder, why doesn’t the majority learn from the minority since they see in those the model of good teachers loved by their students for all the academic and social support they receive?! 

 Comment to share

If that had happened, you would have suffered from the Deficit Model in your middle school. What was your most difficult challenge, and what did you do to overcome it?

Blog #3

What Counts as Education Policy?

By

Jean Anyon

Reflection

After moving to the U.S. and living in Providence, Rhode Island, for almost a year, I always wondered, saying, “Why do people believe that Providence’s schools are bad?”. I said to myself: “It’s the capital, and even many of its schools are located in beautiful areas, so shouldn’t they be the best in the entire state?!”. But after reading this article by Jean Anyon, I think I got more than enough reasons to answer my questioning! It’s now that I know why such urban schools, even though they have beautiful buildings and are equipped with the most up-to-date technology tools for both teachers and students, have inferior expected outcomes in terms of student performance. That also answered my exclamation when I used to see, every day, and while the dismissal time of not only these public schools, but also some private ones located in the same area, that, in the public schools, I could notice that the majority of students are getting into either school buses or public transportations to give them a ride to their homes. On the other side, at the dismissal time of those private ones, I could see that the majority of the students are meeting their parents with luxury cars to pick them up, at the schools that are well known for their students’ competencies. If I want to give a reason to what I’m seeing and what I’m getting informed, I would say: “There should be definitely a financial issue.” Here, I’m trying to connect my observation and my questioning to what the author is saying about these differences between these two types of schools, why this one has successful students and the other does not. He tells us that the generous efforts of both the state and the federal governments towards the public schools and especially the urban ones, like curriculum reforms, funding increases, and much more, only affected the schooling system, ignoring the rooted problem, which is the living situations of the students and their families that, as the author mentions, many studies have shown the strong impact of these conditions like poverty, unemployment and housing segregation on the srtudents’ cognetive development and their academic performance! I find this current situation very hurtful, which always made me ask myself: “Why should a specific group of people be neighborly separated and judged to be poor and having a bad academic experience forever?!”. I really would like to join the author’s hope in the government to look beyond the schooling system to work on improving the economic and social situations of those families who need such financial support, which will lead to healthier and more successful students in every school in the country.

Health and wealth in Rhode Island

Question to share in class

Do you think that the author’s suggestion of expanding the government’s effort to address the poverty issue is something doable? If yes, what do you think the actions could be?

Sami Salloum: Blog post #2

The Broken Model

By

Salman Khan

Reflection

I found the author's words awe-inspiring and revolutionary, which could lead to a new, better way of learning in both schools and colleges compared to the current old Prussian system adopted in many countries, including the United States. But what shocked me the most, after reading this article, is that this particular educational system is still adopted in a country like the United States: I lived and studied in my original country, Syria, for the most of my whole life, but after I had read the broad description of such a system, I felt like the author was talking about that one taking effect there! I got that feeling especially after I saw him talking about how the Prussian system was designed to feed domains like the army by providing obedient students instead of creative and talented ones, and, in order to accomplish that, they implemented a uniform schooling system that follows rules like: a teacher-centered lecture for every subject period, subjects are the same for all students, ignoring students’ diverse intelligence, and tracking students! All that is in effect in the Syrian schooling system, and actually, even in many major European countries such as France. So yes, I’m very familiar with how defective that educational system is and how outdated it is, as the author mentioned in his article. But however, to explain why I was shocked, while I was in Syria, we were all told that our teaching and learning methods are much harder and less beneficial than the American ones that are supposed to be the best model in the entire world! I also would like to link what the author is saying of tests and testing with the system followed in Syria, since that touched me a lot and reminded me of how harmful is that to most of students. Salman Khan critisized the testing system for many reasons like students are memorising information instead of gaining knowledge, and the unjust grading system that categorizes and shapes the students’ future on behalf of them. That exactly what’s happening Syria where senior students at a high school level, have to take a standarized final test for all subjects and, depending on their overall grade (points) and not on how well they did in particular subjects that they are really good in and passionate about, they are categorized into specific college majors that those can choose from even though that they really can’t find themselves in that field of study! 

So, overall, I really agree with Salman Khan, the author of the Broken Model, that even though the Prussian educational system is very outdated, doesn’t meet today’s students needs to be creative and, is very rooted in both our economic and political life, it’s time to call for the change towards a new schooling system that give the fair opportunities for a better future for all student.

Reflection/Comment(s) to discuss in class:

I'd like to discuss with my colleegues if they wether find the author describing the U.S. schooling system is accurate or not. In other words, is it really the same Prussian one that has been brought to The United States in the 18th century, or it's very much improved as this is what I think especially that I see a big difference between the Syrian Prussian educational system and the one adopted here in the U.S.