April 09, 2007
Teachers and the Law Powerpoint
Posted by Nakia at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2007
Diane Ravitch on NCLB
Diane Ravitch is a historian of education who has moved into writing and reserach on education policy. She was an undersecretary of education during the Regan administration. Although I do not agree with many of the things she writes, seh recently wrote a piece on No Child Left Behind for The Huffington Post that I think is excellent. Although I don't agree with all her recommendations, her summary and analysis of NCLB is succinct, reader friendly, and gets at the meat of the matter. All of my students (and everyone else, I think) should read her article:
Posted by Nakia at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2007
School Finance Powerpoint
Here is the Powerpoint that we'll use in our discussion of school finance:
Please don't sue me, Tom Cruise.
Posted by Nakia at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2007
Eric Brown's Handout and Next Week
I understand that many of you were able to attend Eric Brown's talk last Wednesday; I heard it was very good and am glad folks were able to make it. I also understand he ran out of handouts. You can download that handout here:
My Soul Looks Back In Wonder
Next week, we will be finishing up Savage Inequalities on Monday and Tuesday (and we haven't had a quiz yet. Hmmmm. . .), then moving on to our discussion of school finance (358-367 in the textbook) later in the week.
Also remember that your framework papers are due soon!
Posted by Nakia at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2007
On the Precis Papers
First, I want to thank all of you for your honest feedback on the precis paper assignment last night. It was very good for me to hear your perceptions and thoughts on this particular assignment and how it could be made better.
Since the semester is halfway through, I am reluctant to change the assignment in any fundamental way that would penalize folks who have written most of thier precis papers already. I don't want people to feel as if they have wasted their time writing these papers. By and large, I feel they have served their purpose, I am just looking for ways to revise things to make the assignment better.
Based on last night's feedback, I am thinking about the following revisions to the precis papers:
1. Allowing students to turn in precis papers on a given reading assignment after we've discussed that assignment in class. For example, you could turn in your precis paper on Conflict Theory next week.
2. Allowing people the option of writing "double" precis papers -- 4 page analytical pieces on a particualr reading. This would allow people to get into more depth with something they feel deserves longer treatment. These double papers would count as two papers and would be graded on a ten point scale.
Each student would still be required to turn in ten papers, with the knowledge that double papers count as two and are graded as two.
This doesn't penalize anyone who has already written their ten papers and is happy with the grades they have received.
Thoughts? We need to make a decision soon.
Also, remember to check this blog post for tips on the analysis aspect of the papers.
Posted by Nakia at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2007
East St. Loius & Kozol on You Tube
Here, you can find a link to some recent images of East. St. Louis on You Tube.
There are also clips of Kozol speaking about his most recent book, Shame of a Nation, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VS9XHbEaFYand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rryBQ7CUCek.
Posted by Nakia at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)
New Calendar for EDUC 110
Use this button to get to the new, revised EDUC 110 calendar (constructed using Google calendar)
Posted by Nakia at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2007
Spring Break and the film paper
Spring break is proving relaxing, fun, and productive. Our friends Laura and David are visiting, so we've been cooking with them, playing lots of dominoes, and showing them what Rock Hill and the surrounding area have to offer. We're about to head up to campus and take a Professor Pope led tour of Winthrop.
Speaking of Winthrop -- Go Eagles! Beat Notre Dame!
I've also been working on the film and philosophy of education paper. It's coming together pretty well. Here's what I've got so far (in rough, note-like form):
1. Introduction:
The visual and narrative elements of philosophy have been with the discipline since the beginning. See Plato's Cave. (Thanks to Winston). These narratives have been used to explicitly illustrate philosophical ideas in a different/more understandable way. Aesthetics has also been a part of philosophy since the beginning, which seeks to explore questions of art and, in so doing, asks what philosophical content is expressed by works of art. Film is a new and a self-conscious art. That is, it is an art that has consciously attempted to justifiy its status as art since its inception. In this attempt, a body of theory has developed about film that has evolved into its own discipline. Film theory has evolved as something distinct from philosophy or aesthetics (or philosophy of education).
2. What is the panel doing? (Heavily influenced by Carl Plantinga's "Film Theory and Aesthetics: Notes on a Schism")
We're not really engaging in film theory, at least as film theory has traditionally been understood. Contemporary film theory draws heavily upon continential thinkers (Lacan, Saussure) and their accompanying activities (psychoanalysis, semiotics, deconstruction). Our film analyses are not explicitly political. We are not approaching these films with a feminist, Marxist, or other political framework or analysis. Nor are our analyses "cultural" in the contemporary film theory sense of that word. For film threorists, then, our work at best, probably doesn't count. At worst, it engages in dangerous hegomonic practice, that marginalizes the important cultural content of film.
Nor is the panel really engaging in Anglo-American aesthietcs, as understood traditionally/contemporarily. In pedigree, we don't reference Danto or other contemporary aesthetic scholars (except Shusterman, actually). In activity, the typical aesthetic issues of beauty, representation, and the like are not explicitly considered.
The difference, I believe, between what this panel is up to and those two broad categories of scholarship is the explicit concern with the pedagogical content of film. This is expected, given our background, but it is an approach that situates us between these two sides of Plantinga's schism. It also puts our sort of analysis in what I will call a Deweyan aesthetic vein (except, no one really mentions Dewey).
3. A short explanation of the Deweyan aesthetic, it's relation to pedagogy, and film analysis in that vein.
Forthcoming
Posted by Nakia at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2007
Jeopardy Exam Review
Here's the Jeopardy powerpoint. I hope it's useful for exam review.
Posted by Nakia at 03:31 PM | Comments (3)
March 01, 2007
Philosophy Jigsaw Powerpoint
This may be useful in preparing for the exam next week.
Posted by Nakia at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2007
Research Paper Prompt for EDUC 110
Some folks may have missed this last week, so here are the guidelines for your research paper. It's due March 27th for Section 001, and March 28th for sections 004 and 006.
Posted by Nakia at 09:51 AM | Comments (2)
February 22, 2007
Education Review
As both graduate and undergraduate classes move toward writing their papers, I thought I would direct everyone to a website that might be helpful. Education Review is an on-line journal of reviews of edcation texts. A great feature is that it's also searchable, so you can type in the topic you are interested in and see reviews of books on that topic. This site could be useful in generating sources that you could explore further for your paper; the reviews themselves may be helpful in determining which texts are worth pursuing.
Posted by Nakia at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2007
Schedule Error for Section 001 (Tuesday/Thursday)
Although we have moved away from the syllabus in terms of reading schedule, the assignment schedule still holds. There is, however, an error on the schedule that effects a scheduled exam. Spring Break is listed as 3/8 and 3/13, with Exam #2 scheduled for 3/6. As everyone is no doubt aware, Spring Break is really 3/13 and 3/15. So, Exam #2 will be on 3/8.
I'll repeat that and put it in bold: For Section 001 (Tuesday/Thursday, 2:00) Exam #2 will be on March 8th.
We wil still begin Savage Inequalities right after Spring Break, on 3/20.
All other assignment due dates are, for now, unchanged.
Posted by Nakia at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
Philosophy of Education Powerpoint
Here is the powerpoint for the philosophy of education chapter:
Philosophy of Education
We'll discuss this today and on into next week, then we'll talk about John Dewey and the excerpt from Experience and Education next week.
Next week's reading looks like:
Monday/Tuesday: Dewey from the reader
Wednesday/Thursday: Hopefully, we'll get to School Law, so read pages 391-416. This is the part of the School Law chapter up to "Teaching and Ethics".
Posted by Nakia at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2007
A Vision for SC school reform
You can find a copy of the reform report here.
You want to download the complete 22 page report; we'll discuss it next week.
Posted by Nakia at 07:46 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Jobs and Education
I am an Apple fan. I'd use Macs exclusively, if possible. But I am not so sure Steve Jobs is who we should listen to when it comes to education reform.
Steve addressed a recent school reform conference (I am trying to find out what conference, exactly) and said the biggest issue with education reform was the inability of principals to fire teachers. He says similar things, claiming teacher's unions are at the root of our educational problems and supporting school vouchers, in a Wired article from 1996.
He says some good things -- like technology alone cannot reform education (duh), but I think his comments are a little off base. His central claim is that there is too much bureaucracy in schools and that stifles innovation and drives smart creative people away from education. In that, he sounds a lot like Robert Holland in How to Build a Better Teacher. Like Holland, he claims teacher unions are at the root of the bureaucratic mess that results in poor schools. But are teachers unions really the root of bureauracracy? What about NCLB? What about state curriculum standards and pacing guides? What about a litigous society that necessitates layer after layer of legal and personal protection for school employees?
What about the difficulty in defining what constitutes a "poor teacher", which comes from difficulty in defining benchmarks for learning, which has led to our current reliance on standardized testing? There are many complex issues here and teachers unions are only a small part of the equation, as this commentary in Wired points out.
Edit: The conference was sponsored by the Texas Public Education Reform Foundation. Not really sure what sort of organization they are and what they have done before. Seem to be busniess oriented, so that would make sense why they have Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Ross Perot, and others on the panel.
Posted by Nakia at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2007
History Powerpoint and Next Weeks Schedule
Here is the Powerpoint that we'll use to guide our discussion of US educational history:
Next week should look something like this:
2/19 & 2/20: History discussion (pages 284-303)
2/21 & 2/22: Philosophy of education. (Please read pages 324-357)
If anyone has any questions, just send me an email. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Nakia at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2007
EDUC 110 weekly schedule
I hope everyone had a good weekend and is prepared for the exam. Here's a reminder of our scheudle this week:
Monday and Tuesday: Exam 1
Wednesday and Thursday: History of Education. Read pages 284-303.
Coming soon: Information about the Framework paper. Think about how comfortable you are using the library's databases to find journal articles for research.
Have a great week, everyone!
Posted by Nakia at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2007
Exam Powerpoint
Here is a Powerpoint that gives the exam format and some questions to think about as you prepare.
Posted by Nakia at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2007
Taba Powerpoint
Here is the Powerpoint for the Taba article. One of the most important things about Taba is how she frames the conservative vs the reconstructive purposes of education.
Posted by Nakia at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2007
Mann Article
I know some folks are having CD-ROM issues (with the disc that comes with the textbook). I will stress that you need to get the CD or find some way to get the articles, as they are a vital element of your reading and our class discussion. I am posting the Mann article; it's free use so there are no copyright issues. There may be issues with posting the other articles, so I don't know if I'll be able to continue to do this. Thus, it's important that you have access to the CD-ROM Reader
Mann -- The Education of Free Men
Posted by Nakia at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2007
Show Day Schedule Changes
Because of yesterday's snow day, we will need to change a few things around for the Tuesday/Thursday class. Actually, the only thing that needs changing right now is the exam. I'm going to move it from the 8th to the 13th of February. NOTE THAT THE MONDAY/WEDNESDAY CLASSES WILL STILL HAVE THEIR EXAM ON THE 12TH. So next week will look something like this:
Monday & Tuesday: Finish Eisner; talk about Taba a bit; Mann intro
Wednesday & Thursday: Mann (with hopefully a bit of time for exam review)
Monday the 12th: Exam
Tuesday the 13th: Exam
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Go Colts.
Posted by Nakia at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
Anlaysis is the heart of the precis
I’ve caught up with all the précis papers and wanted to make a few observations that may help you as you continue to write them. I know that philosophical writing and analysis is a new skill for some of you. It may be frustrating and take some time to acquire. I’m willing to help you with that process. Don’t give up. I know it’s tempting to say “I just don’t get it. I am just not good at this stuff.” For many people, writing seems like an innate talent – you are good or you are not. That’s not the case. It gets better with work and practice, just like the skills you develop in other courses. Besides, you won’t take that defeatist, innate talent attitude from your future students, will you?
What’s missing from many of the papers is analysis. Most people get the gist of the readings pretty well and are doing a good job of stating the main points in a limited space. (Although really consider the economy of your language, especially given the short length of these papers). Then, most papers move into some sort of reflective mode, using statements like “I think” “I believe” and “I had never really thought about this point before, but it seems right to me.” I am glad these articles are thought provoking (I would be embarrassed about my reading choices if not), but there is a missing piece here.
That missing piece is analysis, where you deeply consider the author’s ideas, using a close reading of the text to bring penetrating questions to bare on those ideas. These questions can be ones of clarification (“Dewey seems ambiguous with the term “community”) *, of contradiction (“Dewey claims that schools ought to purify social life on one had, yet expose students to a variety of social stimuli on the other.”), or of extension (“Dewey suggests that schools bring different social groups in contact with one another. It doesn’t seem as if neighborhood schools can do this.”) There are other questions that you can bring as well.
(*Just make sure your clairfication questions aren't do to a quick or sloppy reading).
Notice two features of the examples: 1) They are not really questions; they are statements of criticism that arise from questions. In these précis papers, it would be fine to use the questions as a basis for analysis. You could say “Does Dewey mean we need to do away with the neighborhood school?” It more formal, argumentative papers, however, you should couch your criticism as statements, not as questions.
2) They throw you back into the text. If Dewey seems ambiguous with a vital term, then maybe he explains it better elsewhere (if it’s vital, he should at least try). If he’s contradictory, can any of that contradiction be resolved? Is there anything in the text that helps your extension play out? We use the text to try and answer any questions we have before turning to other texts (and, in the broad sense of the term, our experiences are texts as well). Those experiences are important; they shape how we read texts and the questions we ask of those texts, but we need to give the text a chance to answer those questions before we end the conversation.
There’s an exchange in Pulp Fiction between Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mrs. Wallace (Uma Thurman). Mrs. Wallace says something to the effect of “Most people don’t really listen in a conversation, they just wait for their turn to talk.” Reading a text means you should be in conversation with it. Careful analysis shows that you are listening.
Or, if you prefer, here’s an equation:
Careful reading + analysis + reaction = Criticism
Posted by Nakia at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2007
Eisner Powerpoint and Reading Update
For the Eisner article, we'll be using the following powerpoint to help focus our discussion:
After Eisner and Taba, we will read and discuss the Horace Mann except on the reader CD. For you Monday/Wednesday folks, try to have the Mann read by Wedneday the 7th. Tuesday/Thursday people should have it read by the 6th.
We will wait on the history chaper (pages 284-303) until after the first exam.
Posted by Nakia at 03:35 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2007
School Choice Powerpoint
I hope everyone is having a good weekend! I am about to head to the basketball game, but wanted to make sure this powerpoint was available:
I also want to apologize for what I know was a sub-par week on my part. Feeling crappy makes it hard to teach, much less teach enthusiastically. I am feeling better and will hopefully be 100% by Monday. I appreciate everyone's patience. It seems like between the holiday, the weather, and my cold, we haven't really gotten rolling yet. I am probably going to tweak the reading schedule a bit, since we are not exactly where I would like us to be in terms of our discussions, but I'll give everyone plenty of notice and a new hard copy of major changes are made.
I hope to see some of you at the basketball game and all of you next week.
Posted by Nakia at 03:04 PM | Comments (1)
January 26, 2007
Against Open Enrollment
We've been discussing open enrollment in our larger discussions about school choice. Open enrollment is also being advanced by our governor as a solution to consistently failing schools. This editorial in The State, written by a Furman professor, takes issue with open enrollment; note that he says many of the same things we talk about in class.
Posted by Nakia at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
Service Learning Annoucement
I know a number of people have yet to be contacted about their service learning. Don't panic, especially if you signed up to work in a public school. Due to the bad weather last week, the public schools are behind in getting their programs running. Just be patient and you will be contacted soon.
Posted by Nakia at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2007
Powerpoint 1 for Chapter 4
There are really two big issues we will be discussing in Chapter 4: The Purpose of Schooling and School Choice.
Here's the Purpose of Schooling powerpoint:
The Purpose of Schooling
The School Choice powerpoint is coming soon.
Be alert for a slight schedule change with the reading, as it make take a couple of days to get through chapter 4. I'll let everyone know about any change as soon as possible.
Posted by Nakia at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2007
Teach for America and Value Added Assessment
A student in the 2:00 class yesterday asked about Teach for America and their success at recruiting and retaining persons of color. I didn't have a good answer to her question, so I did some quick checking. The 2006 Corps has 28% of its members as persons of color. That may be due to an agressive recruting effort and a visible emphasis on diversity within the Corps.
I found these details at Teach for America's website. Clearly, there is a higher percentage of people of color in the Corps than would be suggested by the % of college graduates that are people of color (9% of the Corps is African-American, while only 6% of college gradautes are African-American).
Beginning today, we are going to talk about Robert Holland's article "How to Build a Better Teacher." In that article, he talks a lot about value-added assessment. Some quick google searching revealed additional resources about VAA (since I didn't think Holland did a very good job of explaining it). Pennsylvania is using VAA, so here is a very comprehensive page about the methodology by the Center for Greater Philadelphia. There is also a good basic explanation of it in this article by John Holloway.. The later article is particualrly interesting, as it is housed on the NEA website. Holland is very cirtical of the NEA in his article, intimating that they are opposed to value-added assessment. That doesn't seem to be the case.
Posted by Nakia at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
PowerPoint for Chapter One
Here's the Powerpoint for this Tuesday& Wednesday's reading
Note that this is typical of how class will go. I can't cover everything in the reading in my powerpoints and lecture, so I highlight some important stuff and try to weave a common thread through it all. If there is something you really want to talk about in class that we don't get to, bring it up! If you have a question about something we don't focus on, ask it anyway! But please note you are responsible for all the material, not just what we talk about in class. My job is to help you synthesize and understand what you have read, not just explain the reading over again.
Posted by Nakia at 05:54 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2007
Precis Guidelines
In class yesterday, I mentioned that I would give some additional guidelines for writing the precis papers here, as well as posting a sample. I realized I wrote an entry last spring giving some guidelines. That entry can be found here.
Here is a sample precis, focused on the Palmer essay:
This was a good exercise for me. I think I will write a precis paper every week and post them for you guys to download.
Leave some comments if you have any questions or think I am way off base on Palmer.
Posted by Nakia at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2007
Welcome to the semester!
Greetings EDUC 600 students! Welcome to a new semester here at Winthrop and at Professorpope.com! Professorpope.com is my blog, where I post comments, writings, and links to items that are relevant to the courses I teach (along with personal thoughts, photos, etc in other categories). I'll also post things such and schedule updates, study tips, and important material for class, so remember to check back often. Please feel free to leave comments as well. The blog is just an extention of our class community. I'll also be posting material on the blog for EDUC 110. Links, commentary, etc will likely be relevant to both classes, but there will be category tags ("EDUC 110 or EDUC 600") attached to the posts if they contain course specific info (like this post, for example).
Here's the syllabus:
EDUC 600 Syllabus Spring 07
Posted by Nakia at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
Welcome to the semester!
Greetings EDUC 110 students! Welcome to a new semester here at Winthrop and at Professorpope.com! Professorpope.com is my blog, where I post comments, writings, and links to items that are relevant to the courses I teach (along with personal thoughts, photos, etc in other categories). I'll also post things such and schedule updates, study tips, and important material for class, so remember to check back often. Please feel free to leave comments as well. The blog is just an extention of our class community. I'll also be posting material on the blog for EDUC 600. Links, commentary, etc will likely be relevant to both classes, but there will be category tags ("EDUC 110 or EDUC 600") attached to the posts if they contain course specific info (like this post, for example).
Here's our syllabus for the semester:
EDUC110 Syllabus, Spring 2007
Posted by Nakia at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)
Procrastinating Help from the NYT
Fortuitously on the first day of the semester, I found this article in the NY Times that talks about academic procrastinating. It's a good read with good advice.
The skinny: to get things done, break down large, vague tasks into managable smaller ones that can be accomplished in a shorter period of time. Then work to complete some of those smaller tasks every day.
Posted by Nakia at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2007
A dynamic syllabus?
I've spent most of the say getting my syllabi in order for this semester. The hard part is always the schedule for readings. I generally know what I want my students to read during a given semester, even if occasionally I will run across something that I want them to read that I didn't think of at the beginning. The hard part is sticking to the reading calendar, as we invariably run long on some topics, or things have to be moved around because of some event, and the reading schedule gets screwed up. Last semester, I distributed a revised reading schedule twice, then made in class modifications to the final one.
So I am toying around with an idea -- using the blog to post readings a week in advance. For my undergrad classes, which meet twice per week, I'll do an entry every Friday morning which will tell them the next week's readings. I'll also throw in some reading questions that they can think about while they read.
I am not sold on this idea yet, though. If I post on Friday, is that enough time for my Monday 2:00 section to check the blog and read? Will posting assignments week by week really help with organization? Will it be confusing for my students? Will it encourage students to actually read? The only way to really see is to actually try it out, but I am stil a little nervous.
Posted by Nakia at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2006
Closing the Gap
This recent article in the NY Times magazine does a very good job of summarizing the issues we've been discussing in class recently regarding the achievement gap and accompanying explanations. It also has a nice discussion of some schools that are successfully closing the gap and suggestions for what it would take to take on the gap at a national level.
Commentary to follow.
Posted by Nakia at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2006
Scores and Parents, pt 2.
Yesterday's entry ended with this basic argument:
1. Meaningful parental involvment is necessary for students to succeed in school.
2. There are some parents who are not involved in their children's education.
2.a. Short of extreme state-sponsored coersive methods, those parents cannot be forced into involvement.
3. Our democratic principles require us to give children a fair shot at success. Children whose parents are not involved do not get that fair shot and it's not their fault that they don't get that fair shot.
Now for the new part (conclusion):
4. Some sort of compensatory mechanism needs to be put into place to give students whose parents are not involved extra help to assure they have the chance to do well in school and, thus, get a fair shot at out-of-school success.
What this argument is supposed to do is counter those people, like lots of the commentors in Tomlinson's blog, who say "It's the parent's fault!" That may very well be true. But what mechanisms can the state take to rectify the situation? It cannot force the parents to be involved. It can't make them discipline their children appropriately. It cannot make parents care about school. Those things are beyond the authority of the state. The primary mechanisms available are compensatory mechanisms. These are mechanisms that seek to give the children whose parents are not involved extra assistance in various forms -- before and after school care and tutoring, free and reduced lunch, extra help during the school day, etc.
Who ought to provide these mechanisms? The school (as an agent of the state) already tries to provide some of them and serves as the primary vehicile for these mechanisms. It's been doing that, to some degree, for most of the 20th Century, but especially since the 1960's. I think it should continue to serve as the primary mechanism for two reasons. One, as a compulsory agent, it gathers all these students together in the same place. Students have to go to schools, so schools seem a reasonable place to provide these mechanisms. Second, the democratic state needs an educated populace in order to function, so the state is perpetuating itself and the ideals on which it is based by assuring all students, regardless of the accidents of parentage, are educated.
The school/state need not be the only mechanism, however. In fact, it probably cannot do the job on it's own. As a state instituion, it is not overly local in focus, nor is it espeically personal or flexible. Other community agencies need to assist in the compensatory mechanisms necessitated by parental neglect. Churches, community organizations, and others must assist schools in helping those chidlren whose parents are not involved in the education of their child. Their rationale would likely be the same as that of the state: our democratic ideals of fairness and comminity require us to help those who, through no fault of their own, are placed at an educational, democratic, and economic disadvantage. This is happening in Charlotte and elsewhere, according to this article.
What I've tried to do in these two entries is develop an argument that shows why claiming "it's the parent's fault" when scores drop or school conditions are unacceptable. The claim may be true, but assigning blame to parents in no way solves the problem. Parents who are neglectful of their children's education place those children at a disadvantage. Those children cannot be left in that postion because they did nothing themselves to end up there. It's up to schools, with the help of other community organizations, to make sure they don't stay there.
Posted by Nakia at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)
October 30, 2006
Scores and Parents
Recently, CMS schools' scores on state math exams plummeted, due to a revamped, tougher exam. (See this article in the Charlotte Observer.) Crtics had long said the test was too easy, which artificially inflated gains on the exams during the 1990's. Once a new, tougher exam was put into place, scores went down. Not surprisingly, the largest drop in scores came from poor and minority students.
Tommy Tomlinson's column says the new scores should spark a sense of outrage that should be equally shared by various parties. That outrage should be inwardly directed ("I have not done enough") as it should be directed outward.
I don't particularly like Tomlinson's column; I think it's bad commentary and poor rhetoric. I think he's generally right -- that the failure of these students is a communal failure. After all, it's not as if a few bad apples are scoring poorly. It's systemic. More about that in a second.
What really irks me, though, are the comments to Tomlinson. There are a few that are just juvenile and dumb -- "eat less barbeque, you liberal freak". There's a lingering racist element to a lot of the comments; the failure of black students is to be expected because they don't have the necessary character and intelligence to do well. What stand out is the focus on parental responsibility. The argument is that the failure of these students is because they live in an home that does not value education, that tolerates disrespectful behavior, and generally does not care about school. Again, there are racial overtones to these comments.
Parental involvment matters. A lot. But what are schools supposed to do if it is not forthcoming? Many parents can't or won't be involved in the education of their children. Given that premise, what is to be done? Ruling out drastic legal action against parents -- like ticketing or fining parents who don't come to parent-teacher conferences, what can we do? One option is to just say "too bad" and consign certain children to failure. But that's unacceptable. Our democratic principles, even our misguided meritocratic ones, say we can't do that. It's not the 8 year old's fault his parents don't care about education.
Given those premises, some sort of institutional or communal response would be necessary. More on that later, since I have to go teach now.
Posted by Nakia at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2006
Fort Mill is growing, but how are they going to pay for it?
Fort Mill is the fastest growing school district in the state. All those new kids means a need for more schools and infrastructure.
This article in the Herald discusses two options available to finance all this new construction -- the standard bond referendum or an Installment Purchase Plan.
Honestly, I am not up to snuff on the ins and outs of either, but one thing I don't see discussed are impact fees for all those news houses they keep putting up in Fort Mill. New houses need new sidewalks, water lines, stoplights, and schools. One way to pay for all that is to charge builders (most of which in Fort Mill are developers) a set fee for each new house they put up, with that money going to infrastructure improvements. Critics (i.e. developers) say this will drive up the cost of housing and discourage growth. But the alternative seems to be raising fees or property taxes for everyone. Is it fair that someone who has lived in the area for years has to subsidize the new streets and schools that have to be built because of these new developments?
Posted by Nakia at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)
October 17, 2006
Top Ten No Sympathy Lines
I just discovered this today, so I haven't had time to digest it all quite yet. Admittedly, it does ring true, even if it is a little snarky.
Top Ten No Sympathy Lines from Students
(and I know that's three posts today, which means I spent too much time blogging)
Posted by Nakia at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2006
John Dewey: Progressive Man of Action!
I thought this activity was pretty clever. My students were okay with it. What surprised me was only 15% or so had actually seen the movie Pulp Fiction.
Download filePulp History Activity
Posted by Nakia at 05:04 PM | Comments (3)
October 10, 2006
No SC school district lives up to standards
No SC school district met its AYP goals, according to this article in the Sun News. A bit depressing, yes, but given SC has some of the toughest standards and tests in the nation, it's not surprising. Clearly, things need to improve, not just in terms of meeting standards, but in terms of thinking about standards, what they mean, and how we use them.
And, the gentleman dressed up in the article's photo was my 9th grade history teacher at Conway High. His name is Russ D'Arienzo, but we called him Mr. D. He's a great teacher.
Posted by Nakia at 08:23 AM | Comments (3)
October 04, 2006
Baseball, ethics, and Lost
I'm about halfway finished with the book review that's due next week. It's on a text titled Ethics and the Foundations of Education, which argues for a postmodern, autobiographical approach to teaching ethics. There is some good stuff in there, but the approach frustrates me a little. The book makes some assumptions and is sloppy in places. More as I finish the review.
As I was at the gym yesterday, I caught the beginning of the Twins/A's game while on the eliptical. I love playoff baseball, even though the Red Sox tanked this year and the Yankees look poised to win it all. I am pulling for Detroit, but if they can't beat the Yankees I may have to hope the Dodgers win it all.
And Lost starts tonight. Whoo-Hoo!
Posted by Nakia at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2006
Baltimore High School curbs dropouts
From today's USA Today:
Baltimore High School Curbs Dropouts
Posted by Nakia at 11:39 AM | Comments (1)
September 18, 2006
British School Opens in New York
A private school modeling the traditional Briish educational system and curriculum recently opened in New York City.
The article can be found here.
What's interesting (and relevant to recent discussions in 110), are the headmaster's comments that one of the goals of the school is to create "citizens of the world." How does that compare with the mission of schools to transmit culture? Is there a "world culture"? What does it mean to be a "citizen of the world?"
Posted by Nakia at 09:22 AM | Comments (1)
August 31, 2006
Better Blogs Than Mine
A conversation with good friend and colleague Kurt Stemhagen today turned me on to The Wall -- a blog maintained by several other philosophers of education who comment on current educational policy.
That blog led me to Sherman Dorn's site. Dr. Dorn is a professor at the University of Central Florida has has a very well thought out, organized blog/website that's pretty thought-provoking.
Both of these sites make me feel bad about writing about Steve Perry.
I can do better.
Posted by Nakia at 02:58 PM | Comments (4)
August 30, 2006
SAT scores drop
The new version of the SAT apparently means lower scores: SAT Scores Drop.
Fewer people are taking it. Fewer people are taking it multiple times. The format has changed so test prep and word of mouth has yet to catch up with the new test. The test itself is longer. All of these things probably combine to explain the score drop.
More people take the ACT and the average score increases.
Perhaps this will open up the conversation about the function of the SAT/ACT. Do they really do what they claim to do? Are they necessary?
Posted by Nakia at 12:12 PM | Comments (2)
August 29, 2006
Emailing the Professor
As a professor in a college of education, my job has aspects that are directly vocational -- help to prepare teachers who will be successful. As someone who teaches philosophy (among other things), that aspect often gets pushed to the background, as I strive to give my students conceptual frameworks and other information that does not seem to be immediately applicable to classroom use. I'm fine with that and I try to be as honest as possible with my students about the content of my course and its perceived practicality.
Here's something, however, that has immediate use and will help students be successful in the world of teaching or any other professional situation:
I welcome emails and enjoy communication with students. Constructing emails that are professional and quickly and accuately get to the point is a skill that students need to develop. I'm trying to help my students develop it. So send me emails, but treat them appropriately.
OK?THX.BYE!
Posted by Nakia at 09:34 AM | Comments (3)
August 24, 2006
Charter Schools Test Scores Slightly Behind
I picked up a USA Today at my dad's hotel yesterday and saw an interesting article. A new report shows that fourth grade students at charter schools score slightly lower than those at traditional publics schools on a battery of standardized tests. Apparently, charter schools are not a magic bullet to educational success.
One of the things that struck me about the USA today article was Jeanne Allen's remarks about how the report underestimates the number of poor students in charter schools. Her remarks imply that the schools are not doing as well because they primarily serve poor students. Ironically, this is what public school advocates have been saying since, well, forever.
Combine this with the article I spoke about a few months ago, which showed that private school students score slightly lower than public school students on standardized measures when SES is controlled for, and we see increasing evidence (as if more was needed), that SES is what must be overcome in order for schools and their students to succede.
The full report can be accessed here.
Posted by Nakia at 12:07 PM | Comments (1)
August 03, 2006
Individualism Old and New (and even newer?)
I've been revisiting Dewey's Indivdiualism Old and New this week as I continue work on the on-line class and some related research projects. This work was an important part of my MA thesis; I'm rereading it in order to further explore Dewey's ideas about community and individuality.
I'm struggling with the piece a bit, honestly. The work is an attempt to describe the present conditions of American society (Dewey wrote IOaN in 1930, as a series of essays for the New Republic), and to argue that a new individuality was needed that could deal with the emerging conditions of industrialization and interrconnectivity such industrial change brought about. This new individualism involves "a type of individual whose pattern of thought and desire is enduringly marked by consensus with others, and in whom sociability is one with cooperation in all regular human associations." (84)
Is Dewey just saying we need to think of the consequences of our actions in the social realm before acting? That we necessarily live with others and cooperation ought to be the norm? This does not seem all that radical to me, unless one takes it to political and economic levels. He offers political and economic suggestions that sound socialist, though he explicity denies he is advocating a standard socialist position. When he talks of cooperative ownership and decries the fact that those who engage in the work of production have little say in the direction of their activities, he sounds like Marx. he is clearly worried that the "Old-school" indivdiualism of the frontier is being maintained by those in power in order to keep everyone's energy focused on production and consumption for profit, instead of figuring out ways for different sorts of people to live together and still pursue their own projects as individuals.
But maybe that's the real question Dewey is wrestling with -- how can the liberal goal of multiple versions and pursuits of the good life withstand the corporate America he sees emerging. He asks this question almost directly at the beginning of chapter seven: "Can a material, industrial civilization be converted into a distinctive agency for liberating the mind and refining the emotions of all who take part in it?" (100) Clearly, a material industrialization is a good way to make certain people wealthy. Those people have a vested interest in keeping the conversations of the good life on a strictly monetary level; as long as everyone is producing and consuming, they make out okay. But Dewey is interested in individuality as possibility, possibility that can only be explored and achieved in cooporation with others (since that is what our society has become). Dewey, as always, is interested in individual growth. Now, however, such growth always takes place within and because of a social world. Socialism cannot guarantee that: "It is impossible to develop integrated (1) individuality by any all embracing system or program." (121). Integrated individuality can only emerge as we choose and deal with situations according to our ideals, ends, and anticipated outcomes thus related. This is an indivdiual task carried out in the natural world, which for us human beings is a social world.
Dewey thus becomes a existential naturalist. We are integrated into a world not, as other existentialists would argue intrinsically hostile or compeltely devoid of value (we are not born into a world alone, we are born into a social world). Yet the world is in flux and we must make meaning forourselves and the world with our choices. We need a social system that recognizes and promotes this ability.
Dewey ends with two marvelous quotes:
"We who are also parst of the moving present, create ourselves as we create an unknown future." (123)
"To gain an integrated individuality, each of us needs to cultivate his own garden. But there is no fence about this garden: it is no sharply marked off enclosure. Our garden is the world." (122-123)
Wow. So in the voicing of my difficulties with the piece, I kinda figured it out. Unless, well, I didn't. In which case I hope someone calls me on it. Now I just need to figure out how it relates to on-line education and I'll be set!
Dewey, John. (1984). Individualism old and new. In John Dewey: The Later Works, Volume 5: 1929-1930, edited by Jo Ann Boydston. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. 41-123.
Posted by Nakia at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2006
On Line Course -- The First Article
I thought it would be a good idea to give my students in this on-line course an initial article to read and discuss in common before turning them loose to generate their own content and disucss whatever each student brought to the table. I was looking for something that got at the central themes of the course -- democracy, schools, teaching -- in an accessible manner. The article would present some interesting ideas that would prompt some discussion.
I think I may use "Teaching Against Idiocy" by Robert Parker (Phi Delta Kappan, January 2005, 344-351). Jenna, I believed, mentioned this article in my summer 670 class. I offers that schools should be about countering idiocy in socoety. Idiocy is defined in its oroginal, Greek sense -- as someone who is selfish and uninterested in communal affairs. The opposite of the idiot is the citizen. Parker goes on to aruge that public schools are the primary places to combat idiocy and cultivate citizens. He then gives ways in which schools can undertake that mission. Although Parker's argument is not especially new, his approach through the use of idiocy is a novel one. I think it will make a good starting point for the course.
Posted by Nakia at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006
On-Line Course -- Key questions
I spent considerable time yesterday experimenting with WebCT. It certainly has the capabilities to provide me with the space for communication. It has a messageboard feature that is highly cusomizable. There is a chat feature as well which I plan to use for Virtual Office Hours. There are plenty of methods for grouping and delivering content -- more than enough to accomplish the student generated content approach I'm attempting. There are even methods for assessment; I can construct tests and quizzes and have the students complete them online. I doubt I will be using that feature in a graduate course, but it's nice that it's there.
So, goal #3 is easily accomplished by WebCT. As I get more practice with the program, I'll be able to use it to do more stuff. Now I am trying to figure out the relationship between goals 1 & 2 (list of resources and guiding questions). Slowly but surely, I have been compiling a list of websites and other print materials which can be used by my students to construct their own knowledge. I was then going to give them four or five guiding questions or assignments. They would use those resources as well as others to complete those assignments, then they would comment on each other's assignments. This would allow them to learn from each other, be assessed by each other, and hopefully create an on-line classroom community.
I was grouping the questions according to the disciplines involved in the Schooling in American Society course. These disciplines -- history, philosophy, law, and sociology -- are the foundations disciplines. They are also part of the conceptual framework of the Riley College of Education and are part of the course description in the catalog. So far, here is what I've got:
History: Find and research two historical events/people/movements/practices that you regard as vital to the development of public education in the United States. For each of those things, post a 3-4 paragraph description that gives the important aspects of the event/person/movement/practice, why that thing is vital to the development of American education, and why you chose that thing out of all the possible things you could have chosen. Be sure to also cite any references you consulted in developing your post.
Philosophy: Two parts. 1. Epistemology: What does it mean to know something? Why is this question important for educators to consider? What are some ways knowledge is treated in schools? How is knolwedge asssessed? What does that say about the type of knolwedge that is valued? What is you opinion of all this? Answer these questions in a post of 3-4 paragraphs.
2. Ethics: What are the core ethical principles or obligations an educator should follow? In a post of 2-3 paragraphs, give at least one of these core principles or obligations, your interpretation of that principle or obligation, why you think it's important, an example of an educational situation where the principle or obligation is tested, and your solution to that dilemma.
Sociology: What role do schools play, if any, in the construction and maintenance of the U.S. social system? You should consider both positive and negative aspects of our social system in your post. (What are the positive and negative aspects, you ask? Well, you tell us! Which aspects of our social and educational system are postive and which are negative?). You should also consider the sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflcit theory/Marxism, and interpretivism. Remember to include references
Law: Find and research one legal case and/or concept that is relevant to educators, children, or parents. Post a 3-4 paragraph description of the case or concept. Be sure to include why you think it is relevant, the impact you feel it has on educators, and whether or not you agree with how the case or concept has been interpreted. (An example of a case would be Swann v. Mecklenburg, a Supreme Court decision. An example of a concept would be freedom of speech or due process). Remember to include references.
Final Exam: Having read, posted, and discussed all this, you will hopefully have seen how all these areas and questions overlap. You are now ready for the final question: What is the purpose of American education? What ought to be the purpose of American education? Is there a difference between the is and the ought? Why? What can be done to eliminate that difference?
Posted by Nakia at 08:58 AM | Comments (2)
July 19, 2006
On-Line Course -- Student Generated Content
I have reached some decisions about the on-line course. The largest one is that I want all the course content to be student generated. That means I am not going to tell them what they need to know; instead, they are going to determine what is relevant, useful, and important for themselves and each other given the large topical framework of the course.
The typical course, on-line or otherwise, is very teacher centered. The teacher assigns and distributes content (the "stuff" students ought to know) and students read, absorb, and otherwise engage content. Students then (hopefully) share their new content knowledge with other students as they discuss material. Content is assessed by the teacher in a variety of formal and informal ways.
Basicly, I want to radically alter that linear process. Students will be given the parameters of the course. Given the subject matter I am dealing with and the catalog description of 670, those parameters can be very broad. Then, they will be given some guiding questions that will help them search for, generate, and present content. They will then engage the content presented by each other. One of the key questions to each student should be "Why did you think this was important enough to research and bring to our attention?" The teacher will ask questions about the material researched and presented, but will not have any sort of privledged position. Everyone will assess each other.
There are four key things I will provide as the instructor: 1) A list of resources, print and electronic, that can be used by students. The list wil hopefully be extensive, but certainly not exhaustive. Students will understand that they can and should range beyond the resources given. 2) Helpful questions to frame the research and presentation (more on this later) 3) Constant feedback on the material presented (this feedback should come frome other students as well) and 4) An electronic space where presentation and communication can take place.
Given those four key things, I now have a "to-do list". Prior to the course, I need to:
1. Develop that list of resources.
2. Develop those helpful questions.
3. Develop that electronic space.
More on these later, as I need to think more about them, particularly #1.
Posted by Nakia at 09:29 AM | Comments (2)
July 10, 2006
Hyperpedagogy
As I work on developing my on-line course, I'm investigating the literature on both theorectical and practical aspects of on-line pedagogy. I've had this Dwight and Garrison article on my desk for awhile now and just got around to reading it. I should have read it a long time ago, because it promises to be very fruitful.
Here's the reference:
Dwight, Jim and Jim Garrison. (2003) A manifesto for instructional technology: hyperpedagogy. Teachers College Record: 105 (5), 699-728.
Dwight and Garrison put forth a manifesto, a call to action based on the possibilities hypertext organization presents for teaching and learning. Because hypertext decenters the author/teacher, it presents possibilites for revolutionary change in pedagogy. This change will only happen, hwoever, if we are able to overcome our structuralist metaphysics. Those metaphysics, with the concepts of fixed essences and an unavoidable telos, need to be replaced with a post-structualist one based on transaction.
Dwight and Garrison see most curriculum design and theory as being based in this structualist metaphysics. Citing the work of Ralph Tyler, they demonstrate how must curriculum theory attempts to be content neutral, describing only a method. Such method is centered on clear objectives, determined by the teacher or designer. Their major criticism of Tyler is that he simply perpetuates the ancient metaphysics of presence, with its dichotmies of fact/value, content/method, and means/ends. This curriculum theory places the designer at the center, presumably because he/she knows the telos. This leaves the student as a passive rider on the curriculum train.
Tyler is criticized using Kleibard and Dewey. One of Dewey's central philsophical projects was to destroy metaphysical dulaisms. Dwight and Garrison demonstrate how means and ends are inextricably connected; thus, what is to be learned emerges from the how of the learning, just as the how is influenced by original conceptions of the what. Students ought to be involved in the development of the what and the how. Such involvement is essential for democratic involvement and individual growth.
Hypertext is de-centered, flexible, and requires that indivdiuals be involved in the both reading and authorship of the text. Hypertext, with the possibilites for linking one text to many, many others obviates the notion of a static authoritarian text isolated from other events. It represents the elimination of dualisms and distinctions of author/text and student/teacher.
One thing Dwight and Garrison do not do is speak about hyperpedaogogy and the possibility of community. The social is a vital part of learning for Dewey. I wonder how hyperpedagogy changes, eliminates, or shifts the idea of community and its role in learning. That's an open question I'm exploring further, but it's an interesting lacunae in the article.
The article also brought up some interesting challenges for the on-line course.
1. Is it possible or desirable to create a course where there are no initial objectives given by the instructor? The teacher and students co-construct the learning goals initially, then change those goals as the course and learning progress.
2. What are the best mediums for promoting hyperpedagogy? A messageboard, where students can post thoughts and replies, seems the obvious choice. But are there others? Could I create a mini-wiki for my course? That's an interesting idea. . . I need to check into the technology for that.
3. There's still the community aspect. Can a classroom community be carved out in an on-line space? Does the possibility of infinite connections that hyperpedagogy presents dilute the possibility of genuine community?
Posted by Nakia at 11:44 AM | Comments (2)
May 31, 2006
On-Line Course: Some initial concerns
(Although this and subsequent entries about my on-line course are in the "classes" category, I'd like to hear comments from anyone -- students, general readers, whomever -- about my process. Any dialog will only make the course better).
This summer, I've been asked by the Department to work on developing a wholly on-line version of EDUC 670 -- Schooling in American Society. I am also teaching a face-to-face section of the course this summer as well, so that dovetails nicely.
In the past, I have been leery of on-line instruction. I've never taken a course on-line, nor taught one, but my worries stemmed from anecdotal reports and some conceptual concerns. These concetns included:
1. The impersonal nature of the course. With a lack of face-to-face interaction, the instructor would never really get to know her students, nor would the students know each other. This lack of contact would stifle dialog and discussion, as well as develop passivity in students.
2. Instructor-Centered course. Again, because of the lack of face to face contact, students would become passive consumers of information presented by the instructor in various forms. Students would accept new information, then be assessed on that information, without really engaging with the ideas and/or issues. The instructor would have all the power in the class situation. It would be the typical "knowledge transmission" format of instruction, exacerbated by the distance and impersonal nature of the on-line environment.
My concerns were exacerbated by the subject matter of the course. I'm teaching philosophy, sociology, and history of education. The primary activites of those foundational subjects are reading, thinking, talking, and writing. On-line instruction makes "talking" difficult, so that leaves reading, thinking, and writing. "Thinking" is usually seen as an indivdiual activity -- something that goes on inside the head of the student. Thus, "thinking" gets assessed or demonstrated by either talking or writing. I've already taken talking off the list, so that leaves reading and writing. It would be easy to develop a course that has the basic structure of "Student reads X. Student writes a response/critique/reflection on X. Instructor grades writing. Repeat." I don't think that course structure would be very successful.
Thankfully, there are resources (conceptual, technological, and instructional) I can draw upon to create a course that does not have that passive structure. Investigating those resoruces is the next phase of the course development.
Posted by Nakia at 10:45 AM | Comments (4)
April 24, 2006
The Personal Responsibility Argument
From what some would see as an unlikely source:
Rappers Urge Financial Responsibility
Posted by Nakia at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2006
No Child Left Behind tinkering
This story describes how the Secretary of Education is pushing forr an examination of a portion of the NCLB act that lets states set their own minimum number of scores reported under the act.
The fact that states omit scores from reporting is not terribly surprising, nor do I think it's some big conspiracy. Giving states power to set the mimimum amout of data needed for their analysis seems like a reasonable thing to do, given the wide variety of student populations and organizational structures in each state. Measuring the entire population is not necessary to generate reliable data, you just need a sample that is representative and statistically significant. But is there potential for abuse? Certainly.
What's also interesting about this story (and other NCLB stories) is how Spellings and the Federal government typically ends up framing the debate as "the federal government wants what's best for all children and the states keep getting in the way of that." I'm not sure that's entirely true, but it makes the Department of Ed. look like the good guys.
Interesting tidbits at the end of the article. I'll have to track down the entire AP study.
Posted by Nakia at 08:52 AM | Comments (1)
March 29, 2006
I KNOW I posted this yesterday
This article in the NY times discusses a study that is tracking one of the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act -- more time being spent on reading a math (especially by low performing students) and less time on social studies, science, and art.
I know I posted this yesterday. I even had two comments. I wonder what happened.
Posted by Nakia at 08:36 AM | Comments (4)
March 09, 2006
Blame the Students
Based on a conversation we had in the 600 class the other day, a student sent me a link to the following news article:
Blame the Students
It raises some good points, but my (quick and dirty reply) is that motivation, drive, enthusiasm, etc are functional qualities (indivdiual characteristics that are influenced by the environment and vary accordingly) rather than mere traits of indivdiuals. A student's "work ethic" is not something that they just "have" but is itself influenced by environmental factors.
Posted by Nakia at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2006
Maxine Greene and Earl Shorris
In last night's 600 class, we ended with a discussion about whether Maxine Greene's concept of wide-awakeness (and the art and literature used to reach it) were elitist. Some argued that such a concept and approach were too distant from the realities that poor or otherwise disadvantaged indviduals face. While I don't think Greene sees it that way, I take it as a valid concern.
Earl Shorris, however, beleives that exposing the poor and disenfranchised to art and literature is not only a good thing, but a key part of their economic, political, and personal empowerment. He began a program in New York City, called the Clemente Course, that engaged the poor with works of literature and art. Shorris believes, along with Greene, that personal freedom and empowerment is the key to individual growth in all areas, even "practical" areas such as economic mobility.
Here are some links to investigate further:
An Interview With Earl Shorris
A Clemente Course at Trident Technical College in Charleston
More details about the Clemente Course
A Clemente Course Manual
Posted by Nakia at 10:47 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 02, 2006
Create your own study guide!
Here is the space for all students from my classes to post questions and answers to help prepare for the upcoming exam. I'll use some of the posted questions in our "Question Game" next week.
Remember, this is a space for you to post questions and ask them of each other. If you have questions for me, please ask them in class, during my office hours, or via email.
Posted by Nakia at 10:46 AM | Comments (4)
March 01, 2006
On line colleges may soon be able to recieve federal student aid funds
I am not an opponent of on-line education per se. In fact, I'm developing an on-line course for Winthrop. But I am not sure this is such a good idea, especially when the federal government is cutting higher education assistance in general:
On-Line Universites May Soon Be Able to Recieve Federal Aid Funds (Ny Times)
Posted by Nakia at 08:52 AM | Comments (1)
February 27, 2006
Does TV really rot your brain?
A new study, reported in today's NY Times, deals with watching TV and test scores:
Here's the article in the Times.
Notice what the study says and what it does not.
Also notice it talks about the Coleman Report, which we will mention in class.
Posted by Nakia at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2006
Structural features of identity
One of the things we didn't get to really talk about in class this week was how schools and other institutions influence one's identity -- the "structural features of identity." Your text talks about this on the top of page 117.
The idea here is pretty simple -- part of our social identity is defined or determined by the institutions to which we belong. Others see what institutions we participate in and use that to help figure out who we are. If, for example, we tell a new co-worker that we cannot play golf with them on Sunday because we will be in church, then they may see us as Christian (the dominant religious group that keeps Sunday as its holy day, with a few exceptions). We also see ourselves in terms of institutions to which we belong. For many of us, one of the things that being a Christian means is belonging to a particualr institution -- a church. Students who belong to a fraternity or sorority see that institutional affiliation as part of their identity. One even says "I'm an A-D-Pi."
Now, take this idea and apply it to schools. Belonging to an educational institution such as an elite prep school is a part of who you are. It helps to set how you see yourself. It helps to set how others see you. And it helps to determine expectations of behavior and performance. Prep school kids are "supposed to be smart" so they may, in fact, work harder to make that prediction come true. And they may benefit from those expectations of intelligence when it comes time to apply for colleges or get a job.
The other side of the coin is students who have to go to a "bad" school or are placed in "lower" tracks. According to this view that structures and institutional affiliations influence identity, how do you think those students see themselves and are seen by others?
Posted by Nakia at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
Reading the Philosophy Chapter for 110
Chapter 5 in Sadovnik (on Philosophy of Education) can be a little difficult and overwhelming. There are a lot of "isms" and a lot of philosophers discussed in a small amount of space. While philosophy of education is my specialty and I like it a lot, I'm not terribly thrilled with the way it's presented in the text. Philosophy isn't about "isms", it's about a particular stance on the world and one's place in it.
Nevertheless, it's still a good idea to have some basic familiarity with some philosophical basics. To help folks gain this familairity without getting bogged down in minutiae, use the following guidelines when reading chapter five.
1. Read the first part ("The Persepective of Philosophy of Education") thouroughly. It's only two pages, but its the most important part of the chapter.
2. The Powerpoints (already online) will have the most important parts for each "ism". Know those well, then skim the section on each "ism" to gain a better understanding. In particular, pay attention to the "generic notions", the "goals of education," the "role of the teacher," and the "methods of instruction" portions of each "ism."
3. While we may not get to the articles at the end of the chapter before the exam (which means they will not be on exam #2), we will discuss them. They are some of the most interesting stuff in the whole textbook, IMHO. So do read them. We'll probably talk about them after spring break.
Happy philosophizing!
Posted by Nakia at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2006
Philosophical Hands on Experience
As a teacher who deals with philosophy and other theorectical or abstract disciplines, I often wonder how to provide students with "hands on experience" that appeals to folks who are more kinesthetically orientied.
We are, after all, dealing with ideas and concepts. The way one deals with ideas and concepts is to read about them, write about them, and talk about them. Discussion is "hands on experience" for philosophy.
I have the scene from Dead Poet's Society in my head -- the one where Keating has his students quote lines of poetry while kicking soccer balls. I wonder if that would work . . .
Posted by Nakia at 09:56 AM | Comments (3)
February 22, 2006
Are private schools really better?
A new study casts doubt on the "common-sense" assertion that students in private schools score better on achievement measures than public school students. The study finds that, when controlling for the socio-economic status of students, public school students perform better. It also discusses which type of private schools have higher-achieving students.
The study can be found here.
Posted by Nakia at 09:27 AM | Comments (4)
February 20, 2006
Reading guidlines for 600
I wanted to state/reiterate where the 600 class was at in terms of reading, so folks could target their reading a little better and make better use of their time. This will also help people go back before class and look over the things we are going to be talking about that day.
Feb 27th -- We'll talk about the "isms" of the philosophy of education chapter in some depth. They'll be a Powerpoint (which will be on the website soon) to help us out. We'll also talk about the dangers of "isms."
I quote Ferris Bueler: "isms, in my opinion, are not good. A person shouldn't believe in an ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon: 'I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.' Of course, he was The Walrus. I could be The Walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off of people."
March 6th -- We'll talk about the articles at the end of Chapter Five. Your Pedagogic Creed can also be turned in on this date.
March 13th -- Spring Break. Have fun in Cancun.
March 20th -- We'll talk about Chapter 4 -- the sociology of education. Read the Rist and the Wells/Serna articles at the end of the chapter as well, but you can skip the Goodman one if you want. This is the last day to turn in your Pedagogic Creed as well.
Again, this is for my 600 class only. If you are in 110, we're still pretty much on track.
Posted by Nakia at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2006
Teacher In Trouble for Showing "Faust" Excerpt
A teacher in Colorado is in trouble for showing her elementary school students an introduction to opera video that has scenes from the opera "Faust."
Did she do anything wrong?
Posted by Nakia at 12:51 PM | Comments (7)
January 31, 2006
Writing the precis papers
Greetings, everyone! This post is directed primarily at the students in EDUC 600, although you undergrads out there may find the writing tips useful as well.
I wanted to give a little more guidance on the précis papers. I realize that these précis papers are a bit different from other “reflection” pieces you may have written for other professors, so what follows is a distilled, focused version of what I was saying in class Monday.
An excellent précis paper demonstrates all of the following five qualities. Above average papers may not demonstrate some of the qualities as well as an excellent paper, but all of the qualities are still present. Average papers may fail to demonstrate one of the qualities at all, or may lack significant demonstration in several areas. Below average papers fail to demonstrate more than one of the following qualities. The qualities are listed in rough order of importance.
1. Engagement with text and/or ideas presented in class.
Your paper should deeply engage an idea or ideas the reading has presented. You should demonstrate an understanding of the idea or ideas that are the focus of the paper and why those ideas are important. While it’s fine to present more than one idea in the paper, the paper should not loose focus (see below). Remember that these papers are supposed to show your involvement with the ideas of the course. This is the part where you demonstrate your understanding of those ideas.
2. Presence of student’s views, perspective, and/or argument, with evidence for those views when appropriate.
This is the part of the paper where you demonstrate your thoughts on the presented idea or ideas in a clear manner. You interrogate the idea, smack it around a little, and see if it talks. Ask questions of it. Present your own views, but bring evidence and reasoning with those views. Connect that idea to other ideas or concepts the text discusses or we’ve talked about in class. I want to know about the ideas and concepts, but also want to know what you can do with them.
3. Focus
You only get two pages, so use them wisely. I know – there are a lot of ideas out there that are just asking for it. You’re not a super-hero, though, you’re just one lone graduate student amidst a see of ideas, so pick your battles. Better to take on one or two and finish the job than to try and take down the whole Family, wound a couple, and have them come back and get you in the end.
4. Originality
We’re talking about American education, so it’s no surprise a lot of people have been here before. That doesn’t mean you can’t contribute in a novel way. Make a connection that the text doesn’t explicitly make. Make an argument that isn’t obvious. Sin boldly, as Martin Luther exclaimed.
5. Writing skill
You are graduate students. Write like it. Complete sentences. Use appropriate punctuation! Avoid superfluous and extra adjectives. Use adverbs sparingly.
Construct quality transitions.
Remember also that style is important, but readability is essential. And, of course, don’t follow my example here. :)
Note that it’s also possible to use a précis paper to explore an idea you are still struggling to understand. You still demonstrate what you think the idea is getting at, then use the rest of the paper to interrogate the idea and your own belief/assumptions about it. You “bring the idea in for questioning,” even if you are not quite sure it’s guilty.
Posted by Nakia at 06:51 PM | Comments (1)
January 25, 2006
Bill for More General Diffusion of Knowledge
The University of Virginia (my Ph.D. alma mater and home to all things Jefferson) has digitized and made available for public use most of Jefferson's writings. Below is the link to Jefferson's proposal to the state legislature for publicly funded schools in Virginia.
Bill for More General Diffusion of Knowledge
A few things to note:
1. Jefferson's views on democracy and the link between education and democratic government. (the first paragraph)
2. The system of primary and grammar schools. Who advances from one to the next?
3. The importance of merit for advancement and selecting those who govern.
4. Vestiges of elitism. Does Jefferson really think everyone has an equal chance to achieve higher education and, then, deomcratic rule? Or are some more suited than others?
5. Who is not included in Jefferson's school system?
If you have some time, explore the etext versions of Jefferson's other writings. Education was something very important to Jefferson. It's interesting to see how he embodies both equality/democracy and elitism/racism.
Posted by Nakia at 09:40 AM | Comments (2)
Teacher Requirements, circa 1923
The following document was forwarded to me by a graduate student.
What does everyone think about these? What kind of expectations do they convey toward teachers? Why do you think these rules existed?
Posted by Nakia at 09:34 AM | Comments (2)
January 17, 2006
Reading and Studying the Textbook
Starting this week, I hope all of you begin reading chapter three in Exploring Education. We'll begin our discussion of the history of education next week. Before folks get too far into things, I wanted to give some tips about how to process the text.
I'm giving these tips, in part, because I do not give out study guides for exams or reading guides for texts. Higher education is about much more than just learning new "stuff". It's about developing skills in reading and interpretation that allow you to continuously learn from your encounter with texts and other materials. Giving out reading or study guides gives you a shortcut to some "stuff" but robs you of developing the reading and study skills which are essential to being a successful college student and a successful educator.
1. Read in small chunks. It's better to read 10-15 pages in 4-5 sittings than it is to try and cram all 48 pages into one reading session. If you try the "read it all at once" approach, you'll get bored and end up missing out on a lot of important information. By setting aside several smaller chuncks of time to read shorter amounts, you will be able to focus better and process more between reading sessions.
2. Pay special attention when the book emphasizes something. The book puts words in italics, creates numbered lists, and quotes certain authors at length. It does that for a reason. Make a note of those things.
3. Make the headings your study guide. Each chapter is broken up into larger section headers (with BIG BOLD TYPE) and topic headers (with Smaller Bold Type). Make questions out of each of those headers; then read to answer the questions. Answers to the topic headers will contribute to the answer of the section header.
Here's an example:
Page 65 ends with a section header: "The Age of Reform: The Rise of the Common School." You can turn that into a few questions, like When was the age of reform? Why is it called 'the age of reform'? What is the common school? How did it rise?
Within that section are smaller topics: "Opposition to Public Education" and "Education for Women and African Americans". First, make those into questions as well: Why were people opposed to public education? Who was opposed? How were African Americans and Women educated during this time?
Formulating questions from the headers offered by the book and then reading to answer them are good ways to generate your own study guides.
4. Read and study with other people. I really encourage group exploration of the topics in the text. It helps to get other perspectives of the reading. Someone else may have generated different questions than you. Others may have answered the same questions in a different way. The more you can talk about your reading and explain what you have read to others, the more you will have to process the material and put it in your own words. This is key to constructing your own meaning of concepts.
5. Constantly ask yourself what you think about what you have just read. Remember, two of our course goals relate explicitly to application of material to your experience and professional situations. Figuring out what you think about the common school (was it a good thing or a bad thing? How could it have developed differently? How did the development of the common school influence the current school situation?) tests your own ideas. Exams don't just measure whether or not you memorized terms; they measure your conceptual understanding of the material and your ability to apply it.
Posted by Nakia at 01:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2006
Merit Pay for Houston Teachers
Is it a good idea to give teachers bonuses and incentives based on the test scores of students? The Houston School District, with over 200,000 students, seems to think so.
Houston to link teacher pay to test scores
What do you think?
Posted by Nakia at 08:35 AM | Comments (5)
January 11, 2006
Welcome!
Welcome to professorpope.com and our weblog (blog) for the Spring 2006 semester. I hope to use this blog as a space to communicate with students about course work, class discussions, and other items that I find that may be useful and interesting to our classes. It's also a space for my students to ask questions and make comments about what's going on in EDUC 100 and EDUC 600.
As a public space for discussion, I'd ask that you use the same guidelines for discussion that are outlined in your syllabus -- be respectful of others, but don't be afraid to ask questions and challenge opinions.
Much more will be coming in the future, but for now -- welcome!
Posted by Nakia at 01:00 PM | Comments (2)