Shelby's Question

Shelby's Question: Are textbooks a boon or a hindrance in the classroom?

To me, textbooks can offer a great deal of valuable information. However, considering the misleading representation of history presented in textbooks designed by people who choose to leave things out, I do not feel that all textbooks are credible. I believe that textbooks can be a valuable supplement in the classroom, but I also believe that primary sources offer the best and most accurate information. If schools could discover more innovative ways to teach material in their classes, rather than studying out of a boring textbook, they may find that their students are more engaged and more interested in the course. Having a variety of teaching strategies could mporve grades and make students more passionate about learning, instead of growing bored with the same monotonous textbook routine. However, having said that I don't think we should completely discredit textbooks and the amount/quality of information they offer. Can you think of a subject in school that you may have been more engaged in had you used other sources besides a standard textbook?

Natural Needs in the Classroom

In class we discussed the necessity to address different learning preferences and the importance of differentiated learning. In this discussion, we mentioned the difficulty of measuring intelligence. Although we talked about multiple factors that need to be taken into account when measuring intelligence, we did not discuss the role that natural, biological needs play in the classroom. For example, many students in the public school systems come from low-income parents. These students may arrive at school hungry because their families cannot afford food. While some schools do have breakfast programs and all schools serve lunch, the quality and quantity of the food provided is not enough to sustain a growing teenager. Hunger can become an increasing distraction during the school day, and may result in lower scores and less effort.
Another issue regarding natural needs is the bathroom regulations that many schools have in place. For example, many students are expected to go to the bathroom during the three minutes in between class periods, but they must not be late to their next class. Students are then expected to stay in the classroom unless they have an absolute emergency. These natural functions can become extremely irritable and distracting when regulated at school. So my question is this: How do you feel about school policies regarding allowing students to go to the bathroom, and also, what are your thoughts on the food provided to students in schools?

Education and Students

In class, we discussed the role of students in their own education. Many believe that at a certain point, a child/adolescent must become responsible for his/her own educational successes. This requires a great deal of maturity. Eventually, students must learn to question things on their own and to maintain their priorities without the aid of a teacher or parent. Students who prove that they can be responsible for their own education will ultimately achieve more and go further than students who may be "lazy" or rely on others to tell them what to do. On the other hand, how does the role of the teacher or parent prepare students for this undertaking? If a teacher holds her students hands throughout the course, then she is not doing her students a favor by making them dependent. How does one teach responsibility to another? Does this concept relate back to critical thinking and maintaining an awareness of thinking to improve one's life? My question is essentially this: What role do parents and teachers play in teaching responsibility to students and preparing them for the realities of college?

Jessica's Question

Jessica's Question: Can a person be taught to be a different kind of learner? If so, who does the teaching?

I believe that people can adobt new learning styles as a form of adaptation. For example, when in a college classroom, professors typically provide their course material through in-class lectures and at-home readings. If a student is a musical learner, then he/she may struggle in this type of class. In order to keep up with their peers and to remain active in a college classroom, this student must be able to adapt to these conditions. Although this student can adopt new learning styles to meet conditions in the classroom, he/she may still work best using musical strategies. To me, the process seems to resemble Darwinism and survival of the fittest - in today's classrooms where visual and auditory learning strategies are prevalent, students with different learning styles must be able to adapt. This situation is unfortunate.
My question is this: Do you think that favoring specific learning styles in the classroom is fair? If not, how do you think a teacher could incorporate multiple learning styles in his/her classroom?

Kim's Question

Kim's Question: Do you think that too much variation in courses in high school can impact students negatively?

In response to this question, I am torn. I believe that while variation provides students with more opportunities, variation can also have negative impacts on students when consistency is lacking. The variation that can occur between different districts can benefit students because the course material is chosen to suit the needs of the area. Every city and town is different, and so the material they choose to include in their curriculum will be different, and teach students something of value to that area. However, with the economy always changing, many parents lose jobs and are forced to relocate in search of work. When students leave one town for another, the variations between course material may cause them to enter classrooms that are either above or below their previous levels. Placing these students into such classrooms can lead to boredom or an inability to keep up. In this way, the students are impacted negatively. So I ask this question: Do you think that one standardized curriculum should be enforced nationally?

Multiple Intelligences

In class, we discussed the idea that different races learn better using different learning strategies. This became a subject of debate in the class, as many believed that learning cannot be defined by race. Many agreed that just because people come from different races, does not mean that they have to learn differently. While I do not support the idea that people of different races cannot learn the same way, I do believe that each individual has his/her own specific learning style.
Howard Gardner developed his theory of Multiple Intelligences, stating that each person maintains his/her own strengths and weaknesses. He developed seven basic "intelligences"  - Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Spatial, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. My question is this: Do you believe that each person has his/her own learning style that may conform to one of Gardner's "intelligences"? Which "intelligence" do you feel most complements your learning style?

For more info: www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Stereotypes and Prejudices

One claim about the introduction of multicultural education in the classroom is that it will diminish stereotypes and eliminate racism. By teaching about other cultures, the educational system aims to not only build tolerance, but also promote cultural understanding. However, I find this goal a bit unrealistic when many marginalized students have to attend under-developed schools. Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, has created a string of charter schools to give disadvantaged minority students a chance at a quality education and an opportunity to go to college. Canada's program begins monitoring its students before they are born through parenting classes for pregnant women, and follows the children through each year of their lives from preschool programs to high school. Canada's system brings me to this question: Do you think multicultural education should begin at a young age, and do you think a good education begins from birth?