Blog #6 Kohn

    While reading through Alfie Kohn’s chart I analyzed the “good” and “bad” signs to look out for in a classroom and recognized some of these traits are crucial to be incorporated in the classroom. 

    Alfie Kohn talked about the set up of a classroom, the student’s faces in the classroom, atmosphere of the school, as well as student activities in the classroom. When I go to my placement during this semester I recognized the tables in the classroom are set up in groups, there’s a rug for doing work together as a class, and small comfy couches for the students to sit on. I recognized my classroom has both good and bad signs in the classroom but I don’t think it’s something to be too worried about. 

    “Respectful, genuine, warm” 

   When I analyzed John’s chart I found the teacher’s voice section and I would like to discuss how that can make a classroom feel more comfortable. The teacher in the classroom that I volunteer at does not have the most comforting tone in her voice. Sometimes when my teacher talks to her students, she tends to raise her voice. When this happens, I believe the students start to realize a pattern if they misbehave that they will get scolded, which is something I hope my students never fear of my teaching style. 

“Student’s reaction to visitor”

     This is another section I would like to discuss because my students are eager to talk to me when I enter the classroom every Thursday, but when it comes to another person walking into the classroom they don’t pay them much mind. My students have learned to sit down in the morning and eat their breakfast while completing their work and I wonder what the students would be like if I saw them at a different point in the school day. 

Alfie Kohn’s : “What to Look for in a Classroom”

Blog #7 Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn

    In his eye-opening book "Literacy with an Attitude: Patrick Finn explores educational disparities by showing how the method of teaching literacy determines whether students gain empowerment or face suppression. Finn presses readers to reconsider educational aims and methods for working-class learners because he believes schools usually strengthen rather than dismantle social inequalities. 

    Finn expands upon Jean Anyon's foundational research which demonstrated the substantial differences in educational experiences between schools situated in varying socio-economic environments. In middle-class and affluent schools students learn critical thinking and leadership skills which enable them to gain power and influence. The educational approach in working-class schools emphasizes memorization and basic skills development while teaching students to follow orders which prepares them primarily for low-paying occupations instead of enabling them to engage actively in societal roles. Literacy with an attitude describes a method of critical literacy which enables students to examine and confront societal structures that affect them. Finn believes education should teach students reading and writing skills while also developing their ability to critically analyze social issues and promote reform.

    To conclude, Finn makes a compelling statement essential to this conversation and he is clearly invested in creating a more equitable education system. 

Troublemakers by Shalaby

     Hi and welcome back to my blog! In this blog I’ll be taking apart “Troublemakers” by Carla Shalaby 

    After reading the troublemakers I could pick apart some major takeaways from this reading. Shalaby discusses some first and second graders’ behaviors’ in their classrooms. She stresses that the reader understand children are to not be punished in such a way, but to recognize each child’s individuality and internal struggles they could be going through. 

    While reading Carla Shalaby’s introduction I read a line that stated “As Philip Jackson, a researcher of schools, Long ago reminded us, there are only three institutions from which Americans are allowed no escape: prisons, mental hospitals, and schools.” (Shalaby 27) I understood this quote as framing our education system as an institution to escape from/ something that contains our body movements and thoughts. It related to the rest of the reading because Shalaby talked about a student named Anthony who knew a lot about certain topics, even more than she would know about and when it came to sitting still and being polite with his body language, he struggled. A statistic I read stated, “46 percent of kindergarten teachers report that more than half their class has trouble following directions; 34 percent report that children struggle who work independently; 20 percent report that their kindergarteners have poor social skills and are “immature”” (Shalaby 27). These statistics astonished me because I became curious as to what the cause for this could be, such as disinterest or other outside factors. I re-read the last part of that statistic and how kindergarteners are “immature” but we have to remember they are literally ages 4 and 5. We can’t simply call any kid who struggles to pay attention a troublemaker 

     To conclude, I believe this writing was influential and opened my eyes to these stereotypes and to not be quick to judge in my future classroom. I hope to never be THAT teacher who talks about her “problem students” in such a way and make any student feel disapproved of. Shalaby did an excellent job writing this book. 

Classroom Observation -Troublemakers

     Today I’ll be talking about one student perceived as a “troublemaker” in my placement classroom. 

    Last week at my placement I visited the school ready at 9:00 am. One student in particular gives me no issues, but on my first day walking into my placement the students were quick to describe him as “bad”, or “ he’s really bad, he gets in trouble all the time”. I took note of that, but explained to the students that we should not be dragging each other down, and to remind them that he could have other things going on at home that affects his morning which influences his behaviors in class. I am in a second grade classroom with a white presenting teacher, and I did not see any teachers of color in the grade. 

    My student that I thought about is not necessarily a “troublemaker” in my eyes. I say this because this student will simply stand at his desk every once in a while and my teacher will exclaim he needs to sit down. Apparently this student in the past has physically put his hands on other students, but I have worked with him in small groups and I think he is ready to learn, he just needs more reminders and more structure. 

    It’s true that my student has been moved around the classroom about 2-3 different times because of altercations with other students in groups. My student sits alone currently and is starting to improve on his school work. I have yet to see my student display ignorance to other students in the classroom, just a kid who wants to have conversations with his peers and not feel isolated. My student is shorter than most other students but has a nice personality, I believe he is slightly misunderstood.My student is African American presenting and has vitiligo. Overall, I enjoy my time in my placement and try not to focus on the “troublemaker” title, he is just another student in my eyes. 

The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies

     Hi everyone and thank you for tuning into this week’s blog! This week I’ll be discussing The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies by Christine E. Sleeter.

 While reading this article this week I realized the importance of ethnic studies among Chicano students. Most students enjoy learning about a topic that is relevant to them or their daily lives, and creating ethnic study groups helped the students gain a sense of love for learning. Sleeter emphasizes that ethnic studies can significantly boost students' academic success. When students see their own cultures and histories reflected in the curriculum, they are more engaged in learning. This increases motivation, improves academic performance, and enhances critical thinking skills. Research has shown that students enrolled in ethnic studies courses often perform better in other subjects as well, demonstrating the broad educational benefits of these programs. 

I believe these ethnic studies are perfect for students with different cultural backgrounds to explore more of where they came from, this reading inspired me to learn more about other cultural backgrounds.