Damicka Bates
Emily Hurt
Educ 301
2/10/09
Stages of Teacher Leadership
Today many parents look for the best teachers (http://www.teachers.tv/video/22799) to educate their children. They expect these teachers to model the qualities of a great leader within the classroom. Yet, what are those qualities that define what a great leader is? Most parents would say that a great teacher is someone who exhibits a very mature way of dealing with curriculum, uncertainty, diversity, and situations that occur within the classroom. In order to achieve this accolade, there are many stages a teacher must endure. The following paragraphs will approach the stages a teacher experiences throughout their tenure and why leadership development is so important.
Some of the most challenging situations that teachers deal with are classroom management, multi-cultural awareness, and meeting the demands to achieve high test scores thus receiving a “passing” grade. Despite whose fault it is that students are not making the grade, the bottom line is teachers are the ones who are most criticized. But how does the novel teacher’s evaluation fare compared to the experienced teacher? This is why the stages of leadership are important. Teachers cannot just become the experienced teachers that parents expect. There are stages they must go through to master all of the challenges they face daily within the classroom.
According to (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2001), the definition of teachers who are in leadership is “Teachers who are leaders lead within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders and influence others toward improved educational practices” (p. 5). To reach this level in teaching there are stages teachers go through. The first stage is Teacher as Learner stage. In this stage, teachers learn the knowledge and skills necessary for performing instructional tasks within the classroom. Teachers demonstrate promising practices and have ongoing professional development by and with peers. The second stage is the Teacher as Adopter stage. In this stage, teachers progress through stages of personal and task management of classroom goals. They begin to try new things within the classroom, use self reflection and share their experiences with their peers. The third stage is Teacher as Co learner. In this stage, teachers focus on developing a clear relationship between the standards and curriculum. They participate in workshops and online resources with strategies for enhancing instruction within the classroom. The fourth stage is Teacher as Reaffirmer or Rejecter. In this stage, teachers develop a greater awareness of intermediate learning outcomes. They begin to create new ways to observe and assess impact on student products and performances and to disseminate exemplary student work to a larger audience. In this stage, teachers look to their administration for support in learning outcomes of students. (http://www.teachers.tv/video/3036)Administrative support is very valued by teachers in this stage. In the final stage the teacher is Teacher as Leader. In this stage, experienced teachers expand their roles to become active researchers who carefully observe their practice, collect data, share the improvements in practice with peers, and teach new members. In this stage, their skills and knowledge become portable.
It is these stages of leadership development that our community gains leader teachers. We must know that it is not just administration that holds a leader position. It is our teachers who also hold and maintain a leadership role within our schools. The work of constantly promoting learning for all students is challenging, uncertain, and exhausting. For this reason, it is important to have the leadership of teachers because it is these teachers that bring many resources and knowledge, which provide continuous improvement in schools. “Teacher leaders provide the key to sustaining meaningful change in schools and classrooms (Katzenmeyer & Moller , 2001).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Adolescent Social Issues
Adolescent Social Issues
Duncan, B., Harris, G., Krahe, S., Gillis, R., & Laguna, M. (2008). Common/Unity: An Innovative Program to Address 3 Root Causes of Many of the Social Ills Seen in Adolescents. Clinical Pediatrics. 47 (3), 280-287. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from EBSCOHost.
Teen pregnancy, negative self-esteem in adolescence, and the lack of support systems for disenfranchised youth are three social ills found in society. The negative effects of teen pregnancy are far reaching, affecting both the mother and child. Teenaged mothers are less apt to complete their high school education, they are more prone to be single parents, and they often live in poverty. This makes financial security, secondary education, and job skills training difficult to attain. Children of teenaged mothers are at risk for developmental challenges as a result of poverty, unstable home situations, and the low education level of their mothers. The children of teenaged mothers tend to be of low birth weight and are at a greater risk of being abused or neglected. Sons born to adolescent mothers are prone to becoming incarcerated, and daughters are prone to becoming teen mothers themselves. Adolescent mothers are also susceptible to suffering from low self-esteem and having few support systems. Adolescent self-worth is often found by joining cliques and peer-groups. Homeless youth adopt the traits of their given group, which might include drugs and alcohol. Others may participate in the survival tactics of theft or prostitution. The lack of support systems for children is of great detriment to their developmental capabilities. Many children of working parents or single-parent homes are left unsupervised or are enrolled in less than optimal day care facilities. Lacking the support of family, the children feel unneeded and believe that they cannot contribute to society and are therefore of little value.
In order to combat the three social ills of teenage pregnancy, low self-worth, and the lack of support systems, the Community Unity Project (CUP) was founded. The program consisted of agencies that provided short-term housing for homeless youth, case management, life skill classes, counseling in the prevention of and recovery from domestic violence and drug abuse, vocational or GED training, and parenting classes. Those families that were considered for the program were young single mothers with young children, those who were found to be inadequate in their parenting skills, and those who lacked support systems or were homeless. The CUP’s goals were to improve the attachment between children and their parents through parenting techniques, to lower the incidences of self-defeating behavior through positive peer support, and to introduce pediatric residents and student nurses to community help by participation in life skills classes.
The results of the Common Unity Project were mixed. The home-based one-on-one educational section was not effective with the population because scheduled home visits with a parent educator were repeatedly not kept. More than half of the residents tested with the Child Abuse Potential Inventory scored above the cutoff score for child abuse potential resulting in four women losing custody of their children. Also, over half of the women tested by the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training were determined to be at-risk in regard to their interactions with their children. Interestingly, most mothers thought that their relationships with their children were excellent. Community building responsibilities were more successful. The residents established a Resident’s Council with elected officers that democratically made rules for those living in the apartment complex. The mothers would turn to each other, the staff, and the Advisory Board members for any needs and support. Challenges did exist in retaining the mothers for more than a few months at a time. More than half would eventually leave for various reasons, including pregnancy, unemployment, drug problems, loss of children to Child Protective Services, and the programs inability to provide for their specific needs. Less than a quarter of the mothers stayed within the program to completion.
The article points to several failures that the Common Unity Project did not take into account. The most obvious being that the dysfunctional backgrounds of these women were still familiar, easier, and more comfortable to go back to than to work for change in a new environment. The women also had numerous obligations, such as multiple jobs, completing their education, and raising their children, which interfered with the project’s established activities. Neurological defects, cognitive difficulties, and addiction to drugs and alcohol, may have limited some women’s ability to participate fully in the program.
The article concludes that changes must be made in the program in order for future work with disenfranchised youth to be successful. More attention must be focused on the women’s internal motivation and decision-making abilities within the case management and life skills classes. Other ideas include an orientation for the women to enhance bonding between families before actually entering the program. A mentor program would also be of added benefit. The CUP must contend with years of poverty and dysfunctional upbringing found within these women’s past. The best that the CUP can do for their residents is to help these women become more committed to their children and consequently break the cycle of abuse.
Duncan, B., Harris, G., Krahe, S., Gillis, R., & Laguna, M. (2008). Common/Unity: An Innovative Program to Address 3 Root Causes of Many of the Social Ills Seen in Adolescents. Clinical Pediatrics. 47 (3), 280-287. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from EBSCOHost.
Teen pregnancy, negative self-esteem in adolescence, and the lack of support systems for disenfranchised youth are three social ills found in society. The negative effects of teen pregnancy are far reaching, affecting both the mother and child. Teenaged mothers are less apt to complete their high school education, they are more prone to be single parents, and they often live in poverty. This makes financial security, secondary education, and job skills training difficult to attain. Children of teenaged mothers are at risk for developmental challenges as a result of poverty, unstable home situations, and the low education level of their mothers. The children of teenaged mothers tend to be of low birth weight and are at a greater risk of being abused or neglected. Sons born to adolescent mothers are prone to becoming incarcerated, and daughters are prone to becoming teen mothers themselves. Adolescent mothers are also susceptible to suffering from low self-esteem and having few support systems. Adolescent self-worth is often found by joining cliques and peer-groups. Homeless youth adopt the traits of their given group, which might include drugs and alcohol. Others may participate in the survival tactics of theft or prostitution. The lack of support systems for children is of great detriment to their developmental capabilities. Many children of working parents or single-parent homes are left unsupervised or are enrolled in less than optimal day care facilities. Lacking the support of family, the children feel unneeded and believe that they cannot contribute to society and are therefore of little value.
In order to combat the three social ills of teenage pregnancy, low self-worth, and the lack of support systems, the Community Unity Project (CUP) was founded. The program consisted of agencies that provided short-term housing for homeless youth, case management, life skill classes, counseling in the prevention of and recovery from domestic violence and drug abuse, vocational or GED training, and parenting classes. Those families that were considered for the program were young single mothers with young children, those who were found to be inadequate in their parenting skills, and those who lacked support systems or were homeless. The CUP’s goals were to improve the attachment between children and their parents through parenting techniques, to lower the incidences of self-defeating behavior through positive peer support, and to introduce pediatric residents and student nurses to community help by participation in life skills classes.
The results of the Common Unity Project were mixed. The home-based one-on-one educational section was not effective with the population because scheduled home visits with a parent educator were repeatedly not kept. More than half of the residents tested with the Child Abuse Potential Inventory scored above the cutoff score for child abuse potential resulting in four women losing custody of their children. Also, over half of the women tested by the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training were determined to be at-risk in regard to their interactions with their children. Interestingly, most mothers thought that their relationships with their children were excellent. Community building responsibilities were more successful. The residents established a Resident’s Council with elected officers that democratically made rules for those living in the apartment complex. The mothers would turn to each other, the staff, and the Advisory Board members for any needs and support. Challenges did exist in retaining the mothers for more than a few months at a time. More than half would eventually leave for various reasons, including pregnancy, unemployment, drug problems, loss of children to Child Protective Services, and the programs inability to provide for their specific needs. Less than a quarter of the mothers stayed within the program to completion.
The article points to several failures that the Common Unity Project did not take into account. The most obvious being that the dysfunctional backgrounds of these women were still familiar, easier, and more comfortable to go back to than to work for change in a new environment. The women also had numerous obligations, such as multiple jobs, completing their education, and raising their children, which interfered with the project’s established activities. Neurological defects, cognitive difficulties, and addiction to drugs and alcohol, may have limited some women’s ability to participate fully in the program.
The article concludes that changes must be made in the program in order for future work with disenfranchised youth to be successful. More attention must be focused on the women’s internal motivation and decision-making abilities within the case management and life skills classes. Other ideas include an orientation for the women to enhance bonding between families before actually entering the program. A mentor program would also be of added benefit. The CUP must contend with years of poverty and dysfunctional upbringing found within these women’s past. The best that the CUP can do for their residents is to help these women become more committed to their children and consequently break the cycle of abuse.
Adolescent Cliques
Annotated Bibliography: Adolescent Cliques
Nichols, J. (2001). Impact of Peer Networks on Achievement of High School Algebra Students. The Journal of Educational Research. 94 (5), 267-272. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from EBSCOHost.
Adolescent cliques are activities or friendships that combine groups of adolescents connected by similar attitudes, beliefs, or values. Cliques are either adult–centered and controlled (activities) or adolescent-centered and controlled (friendships). These peer groups are important sources for adolescent development and an adolescent’s ability to find a clique in which to belong predicts psychological health within school and the community. Those students who are nonaffiliated with a clique are termed peripheral students. There are five categories of peripheral students: loners (those who do not include themselves with others but are recognized by others), ignored (those who were not recognized by peers), invisible (those who are neither recognized by others nor include themselves with others), floaters (those who identify with many cliques), and overlooked (those who are not recognized by teachers). The above-mentioned article explores these classroom cliques and how student achievement within Algebra class is effected by peer-relations.
The study included male and female students from two high schools in the mid-south region of the United States. The students were enrolled in either a low-track or high-track Algebra class. Surveys were given to students and teachers regarding clique formation and behaviors in motivation and academics. Teachers also provided a grade point average for the students.
The results showed that the girls had significantly higher academic achievement than boys in both the low and high tracks. There were no significant differences in achievement between the low and high tracks. For all students involved, there was higher achievement in mathematics when the students were affiliated with a clique. Also, the academic achievement of floaters was greater than those of single clique affiliated students and of unaffiliated students.
Past research literature has often depicted peer-cliques as detrimental to adolescent development. However, this study found supportive evidence for the positive influential power of student cliques and their potential for academic achievement. The author suggests that motivational factors within the peer-groups that focused on goal orientation, persistence, efficacy, and efforts to please the teacher, could have led to superior mathematical achievement. Furthermore, cliques that are formed on the basis of mutual respect, trust, intimacy, and pro-social behavior are more apt to positively affect students. In contrast, groups that lack these positive qualities are more prone to failure. The research as given did not delve into the particular reasons for the cliques’ existence. It would have been interesting and more useful to know if the cliques were in fact school clubs, athletic teams, or merely friendship based. That information would have provided more depth to the research.
For teachers, the author suggests that actively engaging the cliques in class may provide for better achievement. Care should be taken to encourage the positive features of cliques, such as goal achievement and pro-social behaviors. Further care should be taken to include peripheral students, in order to bolster their own motivation. By using cooperative learning activities, a teacher can take advantage of these naturally occurring clique formations.
Nichols, J. (2001). Impact of Peer Networks on Achievement of High School Algebra Students. The Journal of Educational Research. 94 (5), 267-272. Retrieved January 26, 2009, from EBSCOHost.
Adolescent cliques are activities or friendships that combine groups of adolescents connected by similar attitudes, beliefs, or values. Cliques are either adult–centered and controlled (activities) or adolescent-centered and controlled (friendships). These peer groups are important sources for adolescent development and an adolescent’s ability to find a clique in which to belong predicts psychological health within school and the community. Those students who are nonaffiliated with a clique are termed peripheral students. There are five categories of peripheral students: loners (those who do not include themselves with others but are recognized by others), ignored (those who were not recognized by peers), invisible (those who are neither recognized by others nor include themselves with others), floaters (those who identify with many cliques), and overlooked (those who are not recognized by teachers). The above-mentioned article explores these classroom cliques and how student achievement within Algebra class is effected by peer-relations.
The study included male and female students from two high schools in the mid-south region of the United States. The students were enrolled in either a low-track or high-track Algebra class. Surveys were given to students and teachers regarding clique formation and behaviors in motivation and academics. Teachers also provided a grade point average for the students.
The results showed that the girls had significantly higher academic achievement than boys in both the low and high tracks. There were no significant differences in achievement between the low and high tracks. For all students involved, there was higher achievement in mathematics when the students were affiliated with a clique. Also, the academic achievement of floaters was greater than those of single clique affiliated students and of unaffiliated students.
Past research literature has often depicted peer-cliques as detrimental to adolescent development. However, this study found supportive evidence for the positive influential power of student cliques and their potential for academic achievement. The author suggests that motivational factors within the peer-groups that focused on goal orientation, persistence, efficacy, and efforts to please the teacher, could have led to superior mathematical achievement. Furthermore, cliques that are formed on the basis of mutual respect, trust, intimacy, and pro-social behavior are more apt to positively affect students. In contrast, groups that lack these positive qualities are more prone to failure. The research as given did not delve into the particular reasons for the cliques’ existence. It would have been interesting and more useful to know if the cliques were in fact school clubs, athletic teams, or merely friendship based. That information would have provided more depth to the research.
For teachers, the author suggests that actively engaging the cliques in class may provide for better achievement. Care should be taken to encourage the positive features of cliques, such as goal achievement and pro-social behaviors. Further care should be taken to include peripheral students, in order to bolster their own motivation. By using cooperative learning activities, a teacher can take advantage of these naturally occurring clique formations.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Critique of WSJ Article
Wall Street Journal: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time
College suffers from the same mentality of primary and secondary schooling: if time and money is spent in an institution, then an economic reward and success will follow. It sounds good, but it’s not a promise that can be kept. Nor is it a rule that those who do not attend college are failures and less of a citizen. Knowledge and skills can be attained through a myriad of opportunities, one of which is certification.
Certifications hold a standard that is not found in school. First of all, certifications are a choice, they represent a specific passion. In school, people can be going through the motions because it is expected of them, but no true learning may be occurring. Secondly, primary and secondary schools must move students along the grade levels regardless of abilities, because of law that states students must graduate by the age 21. Certifications do not consider age as a factor; the tests must be passed on knowledge acquisition alone. Thirdly, certifications are much more inexpensive than college tuition.
Numerable certifications already exist, but there are problems in how they exist at the moment. One issue is the shortage of nationally accepted certifications. Different states require different certifications for the same title. Also, certification requirements differ from state to state. These requirements might also be contingent on a college degree.
If certifications were to be valued as respectable and boast the equivalence of a college degree, opportunities would become available for those individuals with limited income or time. It would no longer matter how the information was acquired, in a school setting or alone in a public library, as long as the knowledge was there. Certifications would also assure that employers had trustworthy information about their prospective employees. The lack of a college degree would no longer be stigmatized and employment opportunities would be available to all individuals with a good work ethic and a firm foundation in knowledge, regardless of how that foundation was laid.
College suffers from the same mentality of primary and secondary schooling: if time and money is spent in an institution, then an economic reward and success will follow. It sounds good, but it’s not a promise that can be kept. Nor is it a rule that those who do not attend college are failures and less of a citizen. Knowledge and skills can be attained through a myriad of opportunities, one of which is certification.
Certifications hold a standard that is not found in school. First of all, certifications are a choice, they represent a specific passion. In school, people can be going through the motions because it is expected of them, but no true learning may be occurring. Secondly, primary and secondary schools must move students along the grade levels regardless of abilities, because of law that states students must graduate by the age 21. Certifications do not consider age as a factor; the tests must be passed on knowledge acquisition alone. Thirdly, certifications are much more inexpensive than college tuition.
Numerable certifications already exist, but there are problems in how they exist at the moment. One issue is the shortage of nationally accepted certifications. Different states require different certifications for the same title. Also, certification requirements differ from state to state. These requirements might also be contingent on a college degree.
If certifications were to be valued as respectable and boast the equivalence of a college degree, opportunities would become available for those individuals with limited income or time. It would no longer matter how the information was acquired, in a school setting or alone in a public library, as long as the knowledge was there. Certifications would also assure that employers had trustworthy information about their prospective employees. The lack of a college degree would no longer be stigmatized and employment opportunities would be available to all individuals with a good work ethic and a firm foundation in knowledge, regardless of how that foundation was laid.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Adolescent Teaching
Annotated Bibliography: Adolescent Teaching
Gay, G. (1994). Coming of Age Ethnically: Teaching Young Adolescents of Color. Theory into Practice, 33. 149-155.
Race and ethnicity are factors that affect an adolescent’s experiences throughout school. The author of the article Coming to Age Ethnically: Teaching Young Adolescents of Color, holds the position that in order for adolescents to be taught effectively in secondary schools, a thorough understanding of how race and ethnicity affects developmental characteristics is needed for teachers. The article’s intentions are three-fold. First, developmental characteristics of adolescents of color are considered. Second, past and current research and texts are examined for relevance. Third, modifications to education are proposed that are more responsive to the ethnic and cultural diversity within the classroom. (149).
African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native-American adolescents have the additional developmental change of clarifying their ethnic identity, which is central to their psycho-social health and educational success. Ethnic identity is defined as
“the dimension of a person’s social identity and self-concept that derives from knowledge, values, attitudes, the sense of belonging, and the emotional significance associated with membership in a particular ethnic group”. (151).
The general pattern of ethnic identity development begins with diffusion or the pre-encounter phase where the individual is unaware or unconcerned about their ethnicity. They then move into the foreclosure stage where they have a positive or negative perception of their ethnicity based on the reference groups of friends and the Eurocentric mainstream standards of our country. Adolescents in this stage often hold onto stereotypes. The next phase of growth is the moratorium or encounter phase, which concentrates on personal exploration. This stage is expressed through confusion, ambiguity, and vacillation about its meaning. Adolescents in this stage are letting go of their stereotypic views of others. The final stage is the achievement or post-encounter stage. It is here that individuals are self-determined, clear, and secure in their understanding and acceptance of their ethnic identity. (152).
The author found that current research and text does not cover the issues of diversity and identity very well. There is a tendency for the information to be biased, superficial, lack specificity, and have negative undertones throughout. Curriculum and instructional modifications are overlooked (149); instead broad statements involving minority unrest, growing populations, and poverty issues are fearfully expressed. Often, when ethnic and cultural pluralism is discussed in some detail in a text, it is in isolation from the central themes and priorities of the educational philosophy. (150).
For all the author’s observations that there are few suggestions on how to incorporate ethnicity and diversity within the classroom, the article itself offers few ideas. The second paragraph of the article does discuss this failure, stating that the few ideas selected are “to illustrate the potential of culturally sensitive knowledge and pedagogy for making education more effective for students from different ethnic and racial backgrounds”. (149). The author suggests four principles: exploratory learning, creative caring and supportive learning environments, facilitating the personal development of students, and implementing developmentally appropriate instructional strategies. The study of ethnicity itself is seen as an important component of education as well as educating students on their own processes of developing their ethnic identity, as discussed above. No specific in-class or out-of-class activities are suggested by the author, just the generalization that teachers should incorporate critical thinking, problem solving, citizenship, and value clarification within their curriculum.
The conclusion of the article offers dire warning that ignoring differences within the classroom may jeopardize the integrity, credibility, and trustworthiness of the teacher and minimize the academic success of minority students. It is necessary to empower students and establish better relationships between students and faculty in order for academic performance to increase, to engender feelings of personal competence, and support social adjustment. (154). These statements speak true of any classroom, age group, or ethnicity group. Further exploration of particular activities is needed to truly implement a successful curriculum that incorporates the diversity found within the classroom.
Gay, G. (1994). Coming of Age Ethnically: Teaching Young Adolescents of Color. Theory into Practice, 33. 149-155.
Race and ethnicity are factors that affect an adolescent’s experiences throughout school. The author of the article Coming to Age Ethnically: Teaching Young Adolescents of Color, holds the position that in order for adolescents to be taught effectively in secondary schools, a thorough understanding of how race and ethnicity affects developmental characteristics is needed for teachers. The article’s intentions are three-fold. First, developmental characteristics of adolescents of color are considered. Second, past and current research and texts are examined for relevance. Third, modifications to education are proposed that are more responsive to the ethnic and cultural diversity within the classroom. (149).
African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native-American adolescents have the additional developmental change of clarifying their ethnic identity, which is central to their psycho-social health and educational success. Ethnic identity is defined as
“the dimension of a person’s social identity and self-concept that derives from knowledge, values, attitudes, the sense of belonging, and the emotional significance associated with membership in a particular ethnic group”. (151).
The general pattern of ethnic identity development begins with diffusion or the pre-encounter phase where the individual is unaware or unconcerned about their ethnicity. They then move into the foreclosure stage where they have a positive or negative perception of their ethnicity based on the reference groups of friends and the Eurocentric mainstream standards of our country. Adolescents in this stage often hold onto stereotypes. The next phase of growth is the moratorium or encounter phase, which concentrates on personal exploration. This stage is expressed through confusion, ambiguity, and vacillation about its meaning. Adolescents in this stage are letting go of their stereotypic views of others. The final stage is the achievement or post-encounter stage. It is here that individuals are self-determined, clear, and secure in their understanding and acceptance of their ethnic identity. (152).
The author found that current research and text does not cover the issues of diversity and identity very well. There is a tendency for the information to be biased, superficial, lack specificity, and have negative undertones throughout. Curriculum and instructional modifications are overlooked (149); instead broad statements involving minority unrest, growing populations, and poverty issues are fearfully expressed. Often, when ethnic and cultural pluralism is discussed in some detail in a text, it is in isolation from the central themes and priorities of the educational philosophy. (150).
For all the author’s observations that there are few suggestions on how to incorporate ethnicity and diversity within the classroom, the article itself offers few ideas. The second paragraph of the article does discuss this failure, stating that the few ideas selected are “to illustrate the potential of culturally sensitive knowledge and pedagogy for making education more effective for students from different ethnic and racial backgrounds”. (149). The author suggests four principles: exploratory learning, creative caring and supportive learning environments, facilitating the personal development of students, and implementing developmentally appropriate instructional strategies. The study of ethnicity itself is seen as an important component of education as well as educating students on their own processes of developing their ethnic identity, as discussed above. No specific in-class or out-of-class activities are suggested by the author, just the generalization that teachers should incorporate critical thinking, problem solving, citizenship, and value clarification within their curriculum.
The conclusion of the article offers dire warning that ignoring differences within the classroom may jeopardize the integrity, credibility, and trustworthiness of the teacher and minimize the academic success of minority students. It is necessary to empower students and establish better relationships between students and faculty in order for academic performance to increase, to engender feelings of personal competence, and support social adjustment. (154). These statements speak true of any classroom, age group, or ethnicity group. Further exploration of particular activities is needed to truly implement a successful curriculum that incorporates the diversity found within the classroom.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
ODE- Physical Education Standards
Ohio Department of Education: Physical Education Standards
I am currently enrolled in school to attain my Teacher’s Certification in Physical Education and Health. I’ve come to realize that the Ohio Department of Education does not have standards regarding Health curriculum. That does offer me a bit of freedom, but at the same time, I understand this is really a slap in the face. Health is evidently not a worthy enough concept in which to educate young minds. Of course, I disagree. I view the human body and all its mental, physical, and emotional health as a basis for all other continued growth. If a child is malnourished, or depressed, or in chronic pain, s/he cannot function in a classroom to the best of her/his ability. The person as a whole must be addressed in tandem with the liberal arts.
Thankfully, the Ohio Department of Education does have standards for Physical Education. Looking over the list I notice that it takes into account child development physically, mentally, and emotionally. Respect of self and others (standard 5) and social interaction (standard 6) are addressed in as much detail or more than the actual movement pattern standards. This is of key importance, because where else does one engage with so many people at a time in so passionate a dialogue as the movement of the human body in sports or dance? Physical Education can be a key player in the school curriculum by helping children understand democratic behavior and working towards a common goal. The chance to relieve stress, move, engage with peers, express oneself – all of these activities can lead to a positive influence on school work and test taking.
Unfortunately, I was not one to experience this kind of environment after the Primary grades. Middle School and High School P.E. classes were mostly geared toward established games and rules. There was little time for play, creativity, and skill development. One was not asked to personalize the curriculum. That is another standard addressed by the Ohio Department of Education. Standard 3 states that students should participate regularly in physical activity, both in school and out. I’ve played around with the idea of requiring homework in P.E., and this standard expresses the idea positively. Students should be able to recognize community resources for extracurricular activities; either by joining an activity, interviewing the club members or leaders, etc. By demonstrating to students that what they are learning in school follows them out into the “real” world, a deeper understanding and appreciation unfolds.
I am currently enrolled in school to attain my Teacher’s Certification in Physical Education and Health. I’ve come to realize that the Ohio Department of Education does not have standards regarding Health curriculum. That does offer me a bit of freedom, but at the same time, I understand this is really a slap in the face. Health is evidently not a worthy enough concept in which to educate young minds. Of course, I disagree. I view the human body and all its mental, physical, and emotional health as a basis for all other continued growth. If a child is malnourished, or depressed, or in chronic pain, s/he cannot function in a classroom to the best of her/his ability. The person as a whole must be addressed in tandem with the liberal arts.
Thankfully, the Ohio Department of Education does have standards for Physical Education. Looking over the list I notice that it takes into account child development physically, mentally, and emotionally. Respect of self and others (standard 5) and social interaction (standard 6) are addressed in as much detail or more than the actual movement pattern standards. This is of key importance, because where else does one engage with so many people at a time in so passionate a dialogue as the movement of the human body in sports or dance? Physical Education can be a key player in the school curriculum by helping children understand democratic behavior and working towards a common goal. The chance to relieve stress, move, engage with peers, express oneself – all of these activities can lead to a positive influence on school work and test taking.
Unfortunately, I was not one to experience this kind of environment after the Primary grades. Middle School and High School P.E. classes were mostly geared toward established games and rules. There was little time for play, creativity, and skill development. One was not asked to personalize the curriculum. That is another standard addressed by the Ohio Department of Education. Standard 3 states that students should participate regularly in physical activity, both in school and out. I’ve played around with the idea of requiring homework in P.E., and this standard expresses the idea positively. Students should be able to recognize community resources for extracurricular activities; either by joining an activity, interviewing the club members or leaders, etc. By demonstrating to students that what they are learning in school follows them out into the “real” world, a deeper understanding and appreciation unfolds.
What is Cognition?
What is Cognition?
Lerner, R. (2002). (Adolescence: Development, Diversity, Context, and Application. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Jean Piaget developed an approach to cognitive development that explains the qualitative changes that characterize the process of cognition throughout a person’s lifetime. His theory contains four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. The first three stages are associated with infancy and childhood up to the age of twelve. The last stage, formal operational, addresses adolescent and adult cognition. Within each stage, assimilation and accommodation of information must be met and the egocentrism of the stage must be overcome to lead the individual to the next stage.
The sensorimotor stage is the first stage and encompasses the ages of newborn to one year old. A major cognitive limitation of this stage is the infant’s lack of ability to differentiate between themselves and the external stimulus of the world. At first an infant will assume that what cannot be seen does not exist. Eventually, through experience, the child will learn that objects do exist outside of the child’s awareness. This is called object permanence and it is the major cognitive achievement at this level and will lead the child to stage two.
Stage two, the preoperational stage, involves ages two to six. Limitations include the child’s lack of ability to differentiate between a symbol and an object. Growth during this stage will include systems of recognition and symbolic functioning, such as language development and symbolic play.
The third stage, concrete operational, spans ages seven to twelve. Limitations include a child’s lack of ability to differentiate between his thoughts about reality and his actual experiences of reality. Growth will occur through the ability to show independent thought and those thought processes can now handle the idea of reversibility.
The forth stage, the formal operational stage, is limited at this time by an imaginary audience and the personal fable. Children in adolescence and into adulthood in some cases will suffer from a severe egocentrism that involves the belief that everyone is thinking of that individual and that they are special and unique. The major cognitive achievement at this time includes the person’s ability to think hypothetically, counterfactually, and propositionally. Piaget theorized that the goal of cognitive development is to create a balance between assimilation and accommodation through the process of equilibration. Through the continual trials of this inner work, a person eventually will be led to the forth and final stage, the goal, of adulthood.
Lerner, R. (2002). (Adolescence: Development, Diversity, Context, and Application. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Jean Piaget developed an approach to cognitive development that explains the qualitative changes that characterize the process of cognition throughout a person’s lifetime. His theory contains four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. The first three stages are associated with infancy and childhood up to the age of twelve. The last stage, formal operational, addresses adolescent and adult cognition. Within each stage, assimilation and accommodation of information must be met and the egocentrism of the stage must be overcome to lead the individual to the next stage.
The sensorimotor stage is the first stage and encompasses the ages of newborn to one year old. A major cognitive limitation of this stage is the infant’s lack of ability to differentiate between themselves and the external stimulus of the world. At first an infant will assume that what cannot be seen does not exist. Eventually, through experience, the child will learn that objects do exist outside of the child’s awareness. This is called object permanence and it is the major cognitive achievement at this level and will lead the child to stage two.
Stage two, the preoperational stage, involves ages two to six. Limitations include the child’s lack of ability to differentiate between a symbol and an object. Growth during this stage will include systems of recognition and symbolic functioning, such as language development and symbolic play.
The third stage, concrete operational, spans ages seven to twelve. Limitations include a child’s lack of ability to differentiate between his thoughts about reality and his actual experiences of reality. Growth will occur through the ability to show independent thought and those thought processes can now handle the idea of reversibility.
The forth stage, the formal operational stage, is limited at this time by an imaginary audience and the personal fable. Children in adolescence and into adulthood in some cases will suffer from a severe egocentrism that involves the belief that everyone is thinking of that individual and that they are special and unique. The major cognitive achievement at this time includes the person’s ability to think hypothetically, counterfactually, and propositionally. Piaget theorized that the goal of cognitive development is to create a balance between assimilation and accommodation through the process of equilibration. Through the continual trials of this inner work, a person eventually will be led to the forth and final stage, the goal, of adulthood.
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