Chapter 3 BLOG

I am reading along in the chapter and get to the section on Philosophical Foundations of Education. The paragraph says that “dominant systems of through and governing ideologies are closely aligned with the policies and curricula in schools,” (Diaz-Rico, p. 35). My mind is running thinking of all of the ways our society and government put constraints on what they consider learning to be. My head is nodding and I am thinking that this is wrong. The next paragraph, however, says that the United States is different because our Constitution protects us. I disagree with this assertion. Schools are struggling to meet the needs of all learners while trying to keep up with the government’s idea of what learning really is. While we use various techniques and are constantly learning new strategies for reaching our students, I feel that we are still on the fence between Traditionalism and Progressivism. “Traditional schooling features an emphasis on the authority of the teacher and school administration; learning is based on the discipline of bodies and acquisition of a predetermined body of authorized knowledge…,” (Diaz-Rico, p. 23).

Aside from this, I was drawn to the constructivist view of learning. The focus is to aid student in creating their own knowledge. There is conversation, problem solving, questions being asked; it is an active learning environment. Since we, as educators, are frequently on a time constraint to progress through the material I wanted to find some information about how to incorporate this active learning into my classroom. I found an article called Hands-on Activities. It describes this constructivist-based learning environment and talks about the benefits to ELs. Find the article at: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/13352


Response to Peers:
I agree with the constructivist view and acknowledge that students can create their own learning. “We may continue to work on the students’ behaviors, however using this teaching strategy focuses more on the students taking responsibility for their own learning. The students themselves will drive the content of lessons and the instructional strategies used,” she says. Michelle is absolutely right! I am curious, though, how much are our students willing to take responsibility for their own learning? Is that even what we are training them to do? When reading Jose Tapia’s BLOG, I was struck by his comments on the humanistic perspective. He says, “I feel that this is true because learning has to be staged in an environment that is inviting and safe for the pupil. We cannot expect our students to learn if they are not comfortable within their environment or feel threaten or incompetent.”

Chapter 2 BLOG

“Freire (1973) believed that one of the main tasks of adult education was to increase people’s belief in themselves,” (Diaz-Rico, p. 23). While I agree with Freire that people should be taught and encouraged to believe in themselves, I disagree on one point. Students of all ages can be taught to believe in themselves. My students, 4th-6th graders struggle with self-confidence and learned helplessness. This applies to my EL students and my non-EL students. All of my special education students benefit from being taught that they can achieve something and can change their own lives. Additionally, what Freire called the “banking model” is where public education is today. While we make an effort to differentiate instruction and identify individual needs, the basis for what students should learn is mandated by the state or federal government. A standardized test determines if our students have learned something, have grown in the past year. This model refuses to consider the student as an individual and ignores the fact that they have different backgrounds, cultures, and family situations.

When looking at the research done by Bourdieu, I realized how much teachers have the power to promote a positive environment for students learning English. There doesn’t need to be a separation of lessons. We can incorporate the English Learners into all lessons by differentiating instruction. I found an interesting video on Reading Rockets, displaying a teacher who is working hard to support all students. Find the video at: http://bcove.me/9ck4nck4


Response to peers:
“It saddens me to think that the EL students in my classroom may not feel equitable to the other students, I will be keeping a closer eye on their behaviors and how others treat them,” says Michelle Greco. When reading Michelle’s post about this chapter I was struck by a similar feeling. My English learners may be struggling with a sense of inferiority that is caused by something that I am doing. It is not my intent to make them feel powerless. My Spanish is horrible, but I have begun making an effort to converse with my ELs in their home language. Not only do they like that I’m taking an interest, but they are able to teach me something. Freire was the one that talked about building up the English Learners and empowering them. Our students couldn’t ask for more than to be empowered, respected, and valued. “Personally I think this is the most successful theory because it incorporates the students everyday life into the lesson and helps the student retain the language,” says Amanda Wright. Caring about our students’ lives is a very important part of what we do. If we go everyday and teach but have no meaningful interactions, we are doing something wrong.