Educational Metaphor: Final Blog 

Education is a mother. 

I say this because when thinking of something in this world that education resembles I think of a mother. I think this because education ends to all of our needs. We need knowledge, education gives us that, we need to support ourselves, education gives us that. we need to socialize and learn social skills, education gives us that. We need to learn how to problem solve, education gives us that. We need to learn equality and justice, and education can give us that as well. It is like a mother; guiding us through life and teaching us many useful lessons along the way. It will always be there for us to fall back on and it teaches us to support ourselves as human beings. Though education cannot make us chicken soup when we are sick education can teach us how to solve our problem of being sick on our own and help us be independent beings. Education is a mother. 

Three things I learned throughout this course: 

A lot of things come to mind but the first things I think of are...

Teachers are the role model of the class. They set forth the example they want their students to follow. I learned that a teacher has to be on his or her best behavior. Morally, ethically, and just with plain mannerisms The children/students will follow the teachers example, and I will be sure to always remember this while one day teaching my own classroom. 

I do want to become a teacher. So many people go into this profession with out he passion behind it. I learned of a lot of down falls and also positive aspects of becoming a teacher. I took all of these aspects into consideration and concluded I still want to become a teacher. We read about people who should not be teacher and who did not show the right passion for teaching. I put myself in a lot of possible scenarios that could happening in a teaching carer and there was not one scenario that changed my mind. I learned that I am truly passionate about teaching and that this is really what I want to do.

There is a lot of diversity among  the students in a classroom. I learned hat a teacher has to be aware of this and ready to handle any diversity he or she is placed with. I learned that a teacher must treat all of their students equally and with the same treatment, no matter how hard it might be to communicate, teach, or understand a student a teacher must treat all students equally and sometimes even go a few extra steps to understand the diversity in the classroom. 

Through blogging and he other students in this course I learned tat all teachers are going to end up different. We all have different views, backgrounds, and goals to meet. Seeing everybody's blogs every week and creating my own and seeing the major differences helped me to open my eyes to this. i learned that we all have different teaching styles and values. Some people value the thought of Columbus day and others do not want to teach about when thy become teachers. This is just one simple example of how we all differ from one another with our views and beliefs. 

Special Education Funds

For my blog this week I wanted to focus on public policy... more specifically Special Education Funding (or lack thereof) 

Students who require special education will always be a part of public schools system, they  won't one day just not be a part of public schools. 

Therefore Students with special needs are ensured their rights to education by the law passed called "Education for all Handicapped Children Act"

Please see a brief overview of he act below from Wikipedia.com  

"The law was passed to meet four huge goals:

1. To ensure that special education services are available to children who need them
2. To guarantee that decisions about services to disabled students are fair and appropriate
3. To establish specific management and auditing requirements for special education
4. To provide federal funds to help the states educate disabled students"

              Now this is great, that students with disabilities and special needs are entitled to their rights...but the issue still stands: funds for their programs are not where they should be. Did you know it is up to the school or the school districts to find the funding for these programs? The federal government supports the schools, but it is up to the schools to fund these crucial programs to their students. Yet it is legally mandated that the states provide these programs. So the government is saying "you must have these programs" BUT "YOU have to fund them"


Because schools have to find he funding for these programs and fit them into their budget some specific and special areas lag. It is known that autism is much more diagnosed now than it was in history, so that means there are more autistic children attending school. Their needs are not being met though. Many of these students require a speech therapist and schools are at a shortage for them and schools cannot afford private ones. This is just one example I found while researching the shortage of funds toward special education programs. (Understanding Special Education Funding)

While researching I also found this quote to help my argument from examiner.com 

"If you sample a school district's budget, you will find for example [PVPUSD] it receives $5,049M from the state [AB 602] in addition to the federal IDEA grant which is approximately $2M. However, the actual costs for the special education programs in this district total approximately $22M. This district has reported a deficit spending for special education in the sum of $12.5M which is almost double the amount it receives in funding from the federal government and state, combined. This school district has to find and fund $12.5M in excess of the sum provided by the government funding."


States are only ranted 40% for the total cost of special education programs. Which means they have to cut corners with the budget to either come up with the additional 60% in costs of cut corners in the special education program itself. Overall in my research I found the the rights of special education students are accounted for and they o have their rights to education, but are these rights being met? If schools can't fund these programs how do we know if these students re getting an equal opportunity the rest of the students are getting?Is this a violation of rights?

This week we focused on environmental education and place based learning in my EDU 100 class. Our assignment for this blog is to synthesize a topic we learned about, so i chose to talk about a lesson I found and have even done before. It is an environmental lesson so I also decided to take a step further and I researched whether environmental learning even works? The answer is YES!

First here is the pin I found. It teaches the effects oil has on the environment

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/341710690451519151/
http://www.education.com/activity/article/oil-spills-harm-wildlife/


Materials: oil, feathers, dish soap, water, tooth brush

                 \/                                   1.  Dip feathers in oil. Talk about how gross and heavy it feels and                                                          relate it back to the topic oil spills are bad for the environment,                                                                   See below \/ 
       1.  
2.  ]
Wash the feathers off with dish soap and a tooth brush and let dry.
Talk about how people help the animals by washing them off.

1. Environmental education
2. Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.  -Google search "environmental education definition"

In my research it was hard to find any negative effects of environmental education. The was my firt clue that it works! There many helpful booklets online to evaluate if your environmental education is working or not, so there are ways of improving if you feel your system is not quite working. I also found an article that says  "Since 1992, PLT's community action program,GreenWorks! has helped fund nearly 1,000 community service projects across the country." -American Forest Foundation This article talks of the positive aspects of environmental education, like the one quoted above. This statistic that is quoted is also proof environmental education works. There have been differences made. Over 1000. They might not all be large, but a difference is a difference. Also in my research I found an online booklet that measures the success of Environmental Education called "Measuring the Success of Environmental Education."While reading I learned that there has been many changes to the definition of environmental education, but also that it is still important. I also learned there are principles the book lists that effective environmental education includes. 

Are credible, reputable, and based on solid facts,

traditional knowledge, or on science. Values, biases,

and assumptions are made explicit.

Create knowledge and understanding about ecological,

social, economic, and political concepts, and

demonstrate the interdependence between a healthy

environment, human well-being, and a sound

economy.

Involve a cycle of continual improvement that includes

the processes of design, delivery, evaluation, and

redesign.

Are grounded in a real-world context that is specific to

age, curriculum, and place, and encourage a personal

affinity with the earth through practical experiences

out-of-doors and through the practice of an ethic of

care. Like the environment itself, programs transcend

curricular boundaries, striving to integrate traditional

subject areas and disciplines.

Provide creative learning experiences that are hands-on

and learner-centred, where students teach each other

and educators are mentors and facilitators. These

experiences promote higher order thinking and provide

a cooperative context for learning and evaluation.

Now there is a lot to this list, and this list does not need to be 100% implemented but these are the characteristics that have proven to be successful in environmental education. This means that effective systems of environmental education have been studied that actually work and these are principles which they possess. This list come from proof that environmental education actually does its job.

So in conclusion with these principles being considered and used and differences being made it is clear that environmental education does work and if it doesn't there are many ways and a lot of help to improve it.



"We believe that environmental awareness and caring for the natural world should be crucial components of youth education". -The EcoCenter.Org

For my education class this week we are learning of curriculum and theories. For this blog I will discuss a theory I researched which interested me. 

The theorist I chose is Montessori. I enjoyed learning of this theory in the last learning module with videos and discussions, so I decided to continue my research on the theory. 

"Montessori theory that can be applied across all ages.

Those principles are: Independence, Observation, Following the Child, Correcting the Child, Prepared Environment and Absorbent Mind. It is within these concepts we find the reasoning behind why things are such in a Montessori environment. These are goals and beliefs that Maria Montessori held with regards to the education of children."

Maria Montessori, creator of Montessori Theory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb7QLOCW8hs (Links to an external site.)

Here is a video we watched in our class on the Montesorri Theory that sold me on the idea in the first place. 

 This is the definition I found on what the Montessori theory is. In short it is a way of teaching that applies the 6 principles listed above to teaching methods. This theory encourages children and students to learn on their own and by their own means. It allows students to choose what they want to learn and even how they can learn it. As I drive home from school every day I see a sign for a Montessori school, but never knew what it was until last week. Now I want my own child to one day attend this kind of school. 

While researching lessons for Montessori Schools I found them to be more home school based. I think this system should be more available in a school setting though. Some of the lessons I saw were about cooking, playing games, and just reading books with children. These simple lessons teach independence and interpret letters, numbers, and science in them as well. Here is an example of a cooking lesson I found on a Montessori school website. 

We also had to learn about the banking theory which, I personally have become accustomed to. It is a theory when the teacher has all the control over a classroom and the students act as the "Slaves" as the reading said. I do think the Montessori Theory is the exact opposite and I think Maria Montessori, the creator of this theory, would be disgusted that the Banking Theory. I think it is so appalling because each child is different. Each child learns different, and therefor they should not all be taught the same way, and especially not like "slaves" "The banking approach...will never propose to children that they critically consider reality" This quote from the Banking Theory designed by Freire proves its opposition to the Montessori Theory. It says children will never think critically about reality whereas in the Montessori theory, children learn and think from reality. 

http://www.dailymontessori.com/montessori-theory/

Philosophy in the Classroom

So this week we learned all about philosophy in the educational system. This is something I hadn't really considered before and I'm glad we learned about...it really does come into play a lot more than one would think. There are many different philosophies to believe in and to practice.. it all comes down to a persons beliefs and how they portray them. "Various theories of learning have been suggested, and these theories differ for a variety of reasons." This is from an article from the website Education.com We learned that these philosophies derive from ancient times from famous philosophers (who were also educators) like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. And their methods of philosophy are still implemented in how people teach and learn today in modern education! While exploring the different philosophies and theories we were encourages to consider ourselves and where we fall into this world. Personally I do believe and admire Plato and his philosophies. 


After researching and learning of all the different philosophies that schools, teachers, and students "run off of" we got to assess our own philosophies. When assessing mine I found I am Reconstructive Critical Theorist as a teacher/person.

Reconstructionism/Critical Theory
Social reconstructionists advocate that schools should take the lead to reconstruct society in order
to create a better world. Schools have more than a responsibility to transmit knowledge, they have
the mission to transform society as well. Reconstructionists use critical thinking skills, inquiry,
question-asking, and the taking of action as teaching strategies. Students learn to handle
controversy and to recognize multiple perspectives.

^ This is the definition the assessment gave me, and I have to say... I think it is right on the money with my beliefs and my game plans as an aspiring educator. Since I agree with the outcome I do think this was an effective assessment.

I think that my philosophical outlook will come into my role as a teacher quite a bit. I believe that students should be taught more how to critically think than to solve a simple problem. I believe that in instilling critical thinking it will help out students to come up with more original solutions and also help them when solving any problem.. school related or not. It is an important trait to have. I believe. like the theory that schools have a big part in shaping the world. After all isn't it commonly said "The children are our future" so why not send our students into the world ready to take it on and make it a better place. I think I will have a lot of hand on activities in my classroom and ask a lot more open ended question that cause my students to think outside the box. If the children are of age I would even enjoy having discussions and sharing our ideas.

What makes a completely inclusive Classroom?

This week in our class we focused on different ways to integrate differences between students. Whether it be race, ethnicity, culture, or learning styles we learned about how schools work around these differences. One way which I feel is very beneficial to a diverse classroom is inclusion. An Inclusive classroom should be centered around the needs of all the students no matter what they may be. Going deeper into this definition is equality. An inclusive classroom should have an equal feel to it among its students.  But what makes a completely inclusive classroom? Is it lesson plans? Is it the physical set-up of the class, is it the teacher to students relationships? Is it student to student relationships? I believe the answer lies in all of these questions. An inclusive classroom cannot just be one of these aspects but needs to include all of these aspects as one.

Lesson plans, in my opinion, should always be inclusive. By inclusive I mean that they can be altered or varied to students who may not be able to grasp the lesson as well or for students who find it to easy. Either way... the lessons should be flexible and tangible to all students no matter what. And this is something to always remember "NO MATTER WHAT" and that it when the lesson plan becomes inclusive.

The physical set up of a classroom is also pretty important. Students should have a set up that is easy for them. If a child is disabled the classroom should work around this trait. If a student speaks a different language maybe keeping language dictionaries or even a buddy for the student to guide them and be there for them can help this situation and still include the student. If there is a student with learning disabilities he or she should not be separated and have a different setting within the classroom but instead should be included and be a member of the class. These are just a few issues that can be worked around and fixed to make a classroom physically inclusive.

The relationships in the classroom though are most important. How students act toward eachother is very influential to other students. Children should be encouraged to treat each other equally and include everybody in the classroom during group activities. This can really only be enforced by the teacher. The teacher has the most influence on how their students behave. This is aproven fact. This being said a teacher should include all of its students in the classroom and meet the needs of each student without excluding anybody. If the students see the teacher practicing this quality they are sure to follow.

A lesson I found on Pinterest this week while researching inclusion really caught my eye and  I couldn't wait to share it! This lesson really taught students to include each other and even take the act of inclusion into their own hands without directly knowing this is what they are doing. This approach I found was very hands on and under the students discretion which makes it even more beneficial and fun. The lesson was "Fuzzy Wuzzy Bags". Each student decorates a brown lunch bag and personalizes it. The bags are hung in a tangible place in the classroom. When a student notices something positive about another student in the classroom they can write a note and put it in that persons bag. At the end of the year the students can open their own bags and read all the positive feedback from their peers. I saw this as an inclusion method because it encourages students to focus on the good things about each other and their education and if all the students participate all the students will have positive feedback at the end of the year and feel as an important member of the classroom
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/341710690451255284/

This week in my elementary education class we are focusing on the controversy of Columbus Day, seeing as it is coming up. We were asked how we would deal with this topic as teachers. Will we teach the lies about Columbus like the traditional curriculum or will we stray away from that tradition as an elementary school teacher, and why?

To start off when I was an elementary school student I was amazed at this great guy named Columbus. He seemed pretty daring, adventurous, and like somebody to look up to...at least that is how my teachers painted him out to be. Later on as a high school student I learned the truth about Columbus and was very angry I had been lied to throughout elementary school about this "great man" Having said that I was displeased with the fact I was not taught the truth it made me question what else was I thought that wasn't true or that was made up? I do not want my students one day to feel the same way I felt as a high school-er finally learning the truth about Columbus. 

Although the story of Columbus is not one to applaud over I want to show my students they deserve to learn the curriculum the correct way and I want to be as honest as possible with my students. After all isn't holding back something educational from your students kind of against teaching ethics? In the article we read "There is no reason to Celebrate Invasion" there was a lot of anger associated with this holiday from a woman who represents the Native American people in present day America.  In her interview, Susan Harjo,  she said a few things that stood out to me which helped see the truth about this Columbus fella a little more clearly. 

"There is a reason we are the poorest people in America. There is a reason we have the highest teen suicide rate. There is a reason our people are ill-housed and in poor health, and we do not live as long as a majority of the population" 

these words made me feel very empathetic towards this minority but I glad I learned these facts and struggles of these people. Although it is not all Columbus's fault, I can understand the frustration Native American's have with this holiday, it seems pretty corrupt for us to be celebrating. After considering the question asked for this weeks blog and after reading about the truth and how to teach it I have decided to teach the truth about Columbus and stray away from that tradition. Although there are not a lot of pre-planned lessons to teach on the actuality of Columbus there is a lot to teach about the Native American people and that is how I would substitute the place of teaching the Columbus Curriculum.