Talking Point 6: Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route by Jeannie Oakes
Premise:
• Ability of students
• Marginalizing students
• Grouping of children
• Accomplishment
• Uneven Opportunities
• Unfair Advantages
• Uncomfortable in class
• Average students left out
• Cognitive tests showing learning over time
• Tracking students in unnecessary
• Mastering of skills speedily
• Active learning
• Complications in Work
• ‘Real World’ Problem Solving
• Changes to the School Systems
• Test scores unreliable
Author’s Argument:
Oakes argues that by just judging students’ abilities based on test scores is an inefficient way of measuring a student’s learning ability and new methods need to be employed in the classroom to assure that all students are given equal learning opportunities by allowing for all students to be challenged.
Evidence:
1. “One fact about tracking is unequivocal: tracking leads to substantial differences in the day-to-day learning experiences students have at school.”
2. “For example, in average classes, many teachers expected relatively little of students. They established set routines of lecturing and doing worksheets, held time and workload demands (both in class and for homework) to a minimum, accepted and sometimes even encouraged distractions and rarely asked students to think deeply or critically.”
3. “Recent work of cognitive psychologists suggests, for example that academic ability is not unchangeable but developmental and grows throughout childhood.”
Questions/Comments/ Point to Share:
Oakes’ article brought forth an argument that many students are not all given the same opportunities to succeed in life. Some of the more precocious children are given the advantage over others when it comes to teachers and resources giving them a chance to be much more successful. The article, overall, was an easy read and made a direct point that something needs to be done in order to eliminate the unfair academic treatment taking place in many public schools throughout the country. It relates to other texts that we have read because it talks of a progressive movement for action and awareness regarding the unfair advantages that some students gain. It is something that Johnson would wholeheartedly agree with the problem needs to be brought out into the open and needs to be discussed.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Talking Point 5
Talking Point #5 In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer
Premise:
• Community Service
• Improving society
• Lending a Hand
• Culture-bearers
• Stereotypes
• Politics
• Democracy
• Experiences
• Citizenship
• Homelessness
• Community Curricula
• Moral emphasis
• Giving Back to Society
• Intellectual transformation
• Empathy
• Bringing people together
Author’s Argument:
Kahne and Westheimer argue that service learning is great for the community as a whole seeing as it provides students with a chance to grow morally, become more active politically as democratic citizens, and become intellectually enlightened by erasing the stereotypes that are in place regarding many different social groups. This type of service will lead not only for improvements to individual students, but also the communities in which they live.
Evidence:
1. “Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling.”
2. The example of the student who went to a senior home to serve them their Thanksgiving dinners and the experience was structured to promote giving rather than to provide the kind of understanding need for the development of caring relationships.
3. Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article views the idea of community service and service learning as salient to help provide a better atmosphere in the overall society. It teaches students to become active and better citizens by donating some of their time to a good cause. This article overall was a very easy read and had a clear message that service learning is a good way of showing altruism and becoming active in the surrounding community. It relates to other texts that we have read such as the Johnson article that notes action is necessary if we are to change stereotypes and to have a reshuffling of the ideals in society. I think that overall the reading is an empowering piece that needs to be implemented in order for society in general to be bettered.
Premise:
• Community Service
• Improving society
• Lending a Hand
• Culture-bearers
• Stereotypes
• Politics
• Democracy
• Experiences
• Citizenship
• Homelessness
• Community Curricula
• Moral emphasis
• Giving Back to Society
• Intellectual transformation
• Empathy
• Bringing people together
Author’s Argument:
Kahne and Westheimer argue that service learning is great for the community as a whole seeing as it provides students with a chance to grow morally, become more active politically as democratic citizens, and become intellectually enlightened by erasing the stereotypes that are in place regarding many different social groups. This type of service will lead not only for improvements to individual students, but also the communities in which they live.
Evidence:
1. “Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling.”
2. The example of the student who went to a senior home to serve them their Thanksgiving dinners and the experience was structured to promote giving rather than to provide the kind of understanding need for the development of caring relationships.
3. Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article views the idea of community service and service learning as salient to help provide a better atmosphere in the overall society. It teaches students to become active and better citizens by donating some of their time to a good cause. This article overall was a very easy read and had a clear message that service learning is a good way of showing altruism and becoming active in the surrounding community. It relates to other texts that we have read such as the Johnson article that notes action is necessary if we are to change stereotypes and to have a reshuffling of the ideals in society. I think that overall the reading is an empowering piece that needs to be implemented in order for society in general to be bettered.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Talking Point 4
Talking Point #4: Christensen “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us”
Premise:
• False advertisement
• Rethinking the meaning of cartoons
• Misinformation/Propaganda
• Changing Views
• White supremacy
• Racism
• Sexism
• Students speaking out
• Raising Awareness
• Stereotypes
• Taking action
• Calling for more diversity
• Favoring groups over another
• Having some cartoons reworked
• Trying to stimulate change of society’s views
Authors Argument:
Christensen argues that by fighting images portraying hierarchy and inequality in cartoons and mass media, progress can be made by students and society in general that will allow for respect and equality to be gained by more groups of people.
Evidence:
1. There is a “secret education” that is contained in movies and mass media that tell people how they should act, treat people, dress and essentially run their lives
2. By trying to advocate for a “Black Cinderella” and creating a story based around Cinderella as a black woman would allow for another group of people to be idolized and thought of as the “princess of society.”
3. By having the students write essays of discontent concerning the images portrayed in cartoons and media as to what is important in life and looking for them to be published in newspapers or magazines is an activist approach to changing what is idyllic in society.
Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
This article by Christensen was aimed at trying to make a change in society by changing the way that media portrays perfection and happiness to people in America. Change needs to be made so that students and people do not get the wrong idea about what is important in life. The article was a smooth read and did not require too much effort on my part to look up words or anything of that nature. It did a good job of showing how society is negligent in favoring some groups of people and types of people over others. It relates to other texts that we have read in class because it is showing how the “culture of power” is truly at work here as Delpit would note. The ‘culture of power’ is at work in a sense that it is dictating how people should act, dress and organize their lifestyles based upon false images and propaganda. Also, I see a little bit of Johnson in this article because Christensen is calling for her students to take action and speak out against the cartoonists and other people in media who are the ones disseminating this false image of perfection to the public.
Premise:
• False advertisement
• Rethinking the meaning of cartoons
• Misinformation/Propaganda
• Changing Views
• White supremacy
• Racism
• Sexism
• Students speaking out
• Raising Awareness
• Stereotypes
• Taking action
• Calling for more diversity
• Favoring groups over another
• Having some cartoons reworked
• Trying to stimulate change of society’s views
Authors Argument:
Christensen argues that by fighting images portraying hierarchy and inequality in cartoons and mass media, progress can be made by students and society in general that will allow for respect and equality to be gained by more groups of people.
Evidence:
1. There is a “secret education” that is contained in movies and mass media that tell people how they should act, treat people, dress and essentially run their lives
2. By trying to advocate for a “Black Cinderella” and creating a story based around Cinderella as a black woman would allow for another group of people to be idolized and thought of as the “princess of society.”
3. By having the students write essays of discontent concerning the images portrayed in cartoons and media as to what is important in life and looking for them to be published in newspapers or magazines is an activist approach to changing what is idyllic in society.
Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
This article by Christensen was aimed at trying to make a change in society by changing the way that media portrays perfection and happiness to people in America. Change needs to be made so that students and people do not get the wrong idea about what is important in life. The article was a smooth read and did not require too much effort on my part to look up words or anything of that nature. It did a good job of showing how society is negligent in favoring some groups of people and types of people over others. It relates to other texts that we have read in class because it is showing how the “culture of power” is truly at work here as Delpit would note. The ‘culture of power’ is at work in a sense that it is dictating how people should act, dress and organize their lifestyles based upon false images and propaganda. Also, I see a little bit of Johnson in this article because Christensen is calling for her students to take action and speak out against the cartoonists and other people in media who are the ones disseminating this false image of perfection to the public.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Talking Point 3
Talking Point #3
Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community by Dennis Carlson
Premise:
• Homosexuality
• Categorization
• Discrimination
• “Normalizing Community”
• Stereotypes
• “culture of power”
• False norms in a society
• New ideas on what community should be
• Marginalization
• Hiding of gay features in schools
• Stopping of latent homosexualism
• Alienation of gays in schools
• Conversations of homosexuality avoided in schools
• Ridiculous myths about homosexuals
Author’s Argument:
Carlson argues that there needs to be a new outlook as to how society should be normalized, in a sense that people have to come to the conclusion that today’s society is vastly different than a generation ago, so it is pertinent to make changes that will not lead to malicious marginalization and degradation of homosexuals.
Evidence:
1. “In what follows, I not only want to point to some of the ways gay people and “gayness” have been “kept in their place” in the school community; more importantly I want to argue that these practices are increasingly hard to sustain.”
2. Carlson discusses a second discourse on community in America as being associated with new right and neo-conservatism. This essentially states that during a romanticized lost American community authority was respected and everyone knew their places and society was homogenous. It also holds that there will be a use of oppressive tactics to keep “Others” in their places
3. Employing of homosexual teachers who were thought to be lecherous and present a danger to students is also an art that will die soon because homosexuals who want to become teachers will fight for their rights now and increasingly making practices of old hard to sustain.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article by Dennis Carlson is an eye-opening piece that shows how horrible practices of marginalizing different sexes is something that should and will eventually disappear; unfortunately it still exists. The article overall for me was an easy read I did not have any trouble understanding the message that Carlson was trying to convey and I feel that he is completely right in his assertions. It relates to other texts we have read such as Delpit and the culture of power dictating how certain marginalized groups are viewed and treated. Overall, Carlson takes a controversial topic and points to the importance of respecting all people and by normalizing society it should in no way include discrimination of homosexuals; however, this is still the case, but it will be as he says tougher to sustain in the future.
Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community by Dennis Carlson
Premise:
• Homosexuality
• Categorization
• Discrimination
• “Normalizing Community”
• Stereotypes
• “culture of power”
• False norms in a society
• New ideas on what community should be
• Marginalization
• Hiding of gay features in schools
• Stopping of latent homosexualism
• Alienation of gays in schools
• Conversations of homosexuality avoided in schools
• Ridiculous myths about homosexuals
Author’s Argument:
Carlson argues that there needs to be a new outlook as to how society should be normalized, in a sense that people have to come to the conclusion that today’s society is vastly different than a generation ago, so it is pertinent to make changes that will not lead to malicious marginalization and degradation of homosexuals.
Evidence:
1. “In what follows, I not only want to point to some of the ways gay people and “gayness” have been “kept in their place” in the school community; more importantly I want to argue that these practices are increasingly hard to sustain.”
2. Carlson discusses a second discourse on community in America as being associated with new right and neo-conservatism. This essentially states that during a romanticized lost American community authority was respected and everyone knew their places and society was homogenous. It also holds that there will be a use of oppressive tactics to keep “Others” in their places
3. Employing of homosexual teachers who were thought to be lecherous and present a danger to students is also an art that will die soon because homosexuals who want to become teachers will fight for their rights now and increasingly making practices of old hard to sustain.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article by Dennis Carlson is an eye-opening piece that shows how horrible practices of marginalizing different sexes is something that should and will eventually disappear; unfortunately it still exists. The article overall for me was an easy read I did not have any trouble understanding the message that Carlson was trying to convey and I feel that he is completely right in his assertions. It relates to other texts we have read such as Delpit and the culture of power dictating how certain marginalized groups are viewed and treated. Overall, Carlson takes a controversial topic and points to the importance of respecting all people and by normalizing society it should in no way include discrimination of homosexuals; however, this is still the case, but it will be as he says tougher to sustain in the future.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Talking Point 2
“Aria” by Richard Rodriguez
Premise:
• Bilingualism
• Disadvantaged Children
• Feelings of Being an Outsider
• Changing of culture
• Familial pressures
• Dominant white culture
• Teachers pronouncing students as “deficient learners”
• Breaking of families
• Public vs. Private Individuality
• Hearing sounds in language
• Intimacy ruined by culture of power
Author’s Argument:
Richard Rodriguez argues that educators are oblivious to the fact that by forcing bilingual students to obtain and master the language of ‘the culture of power’ ultimately leads to a diminishing of private individuality (family lives and speech) by trying to assimilate them into the dominant culture.
Evidence:
1. When the nun asked Richard to speak in front of the entire class, and not to just address her, showed that he needed to obtain a better grasp of English, and this put pressure on him to practice English in his Spanish speaking home.
2. His parents then assumed the role of teachers outside of school advocating the use of English to help their children have a chance of being part of the dominant majority; ultimately this caused the family to not speak as much and reduced conversation between family members.
3. As the children became more confident with English they talked to more people outside of their own family driving a wedge between themselves and their parents, and indeed the teachers’ insistence that Rodriguez’s parents teach them English led to an intrusion in his family’s private individuality, but it was given up to achieve public individuality: a fair tradeoff?
Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
I believe this article showed a great perspective of how trying to assimilate into a dominant culture can have both benefits and downfalls. The insistence of Richard’s teachers that he practice English in his home caused this perpetual tension between he and his parents causing them to not converse as lucidly, or as much as before. The article was an easy read for me and showed a great example of how knowing the dominant language is more important than knowing any other language. I feel that it relates to other texts we have read such as Johnson saying how this type of situation needs to be explicitly dealt with in society. This could also relate to Delpit as well because it is sort of silencing the dialogue of a family and Delpit would agree that this type of action is completely wrong.
Premise:
• Bilingualism
• Disadvantaged Children
• Feelings of Being an Outsider
• Changing of culture
• Familial pressures
• Dominant white culture
• Teachers pronouncing students as “deficient learners”
• Breaking of families
• Public vs. Private Individuality
• Hearing sounds in language
• Intimacy ruined by culture of power
Author’s Argument:
Richard Rodriguez argues that educators are oblivious to the fact that by forcing bilingual students to obtain and master the language of ‘the culture of power’ ultimately leads to a diminishing of private individuality (family lives and speech) by trying to assimilate them into the dominant culture.
Evidence:
1. When the nun asked Richard to speak in front of the entire class, and not to just address her, showed that he needed to obtain a better grasp of English, and this put pressure on him to practice English in his Spanish speaking home.
2. His parents then assumed the role of teachers outside of school advocating the use of English to help their children have a chance of being part of the dominant majority; ultimately this caused the family to not speak as much and reduced conversation between family members.
3. As the children became more confident with English they talked to more people outside of their own family driving a wedge between themselves and their parents, and indeed the teachers’ insistence that Rodriguez’s parents teach them English led to an intrusion in his family’s private individuality, but it was given up to achieve public individuality: a fair tradeoff?
Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
I believe this article showed a great perspective of how trying to assimilate into a dominant culture can have both benefits and downfalls. The insistence of Richard’s teachers that he practice English in his home caused this perpetual tension between he and his parents causing them to not converse as lucidly, or as much as before. The article was an easy read for me and showed a great example of how knowing the dominant language is more important than knowing any other language. I feel that it relates to other texts we have read such as Johnson saying how this type of situation needs to be explicitly dealt with in society. This could also relate to Delpit as well because it is sort of silencing the dialogue of a family and Delpit would agree that this type of action is completely wrong.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Talking Point 1
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Premise:
• Women’s Status
• White supremacy
• People of color as inferior
• Invisible power of whites
• Privilege of being male
• Skin-color privilege
• Elusive nature of whiteness
• Fugitive nature of whiteness
• Obliviousness of Whites
• Unearned power due to being white/male
• Earned strength due to sex/whiteness/male
• Sexual orientation of straight gives unearned power
• “Myth of meritocracy”
• Perquisites of being white in America
• Will any action be taken with white power to change the system?
Author’s Argument:
Peggy McIntosh argues that white males in America are oblivious to the fact that their skin color and gender gives them both privilege and dominance in American society.
Evidence:
1. “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as male are taught not to recognize male privilege.”
2. “I have met very few men who truly distressed about systemic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance.”
3. “It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all.”
Questions/Comments/Point To Share:
I felt this article to be a statement made to white males instructing them to take action and realize that they have so much power in society due to the fact that they are white and male. McIntosh did a good job talking about unearned advantage and dominance in society due to these factors and I felt that she was quite explicit in conveying her ideas to the reader. I felt that the article could be read easily and smoothly and gets the point across to the reader in an explicit manner. It relates to other texts such as Johnson because he said that people need to talk explicitly about racism and sexism so that progress can be made to eliminating the persistent problem that is engrained in American society.
Data Show Racial Bias Persists in America
Premise:
• Racism is still present
• Whites still ignorant of effects of race and opportunity
• Prejudiced social policies engrained in American society
• Discrimination of jobs due to race
• Drugs and people of color
• More people of color in prison systems
• Analysis shows racial bias
Author’ Argument:
Salim Muwakkil argues that by using analysis it can lucidly be seen that racial bias is largely persistent in the United States hindering people of color’s chances of attaining certain job opportunities and causing stereotypical views of people of color as drug dealers and users in America.
Evidence:
1. Using a job application as a means of analysis and putting white names and people of color’s names on the application the study found that “applicants with white sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get called for an initial interview than applicants with black-sounding ones.” Most notably the people of color had better credentials than the whites.
2. White males who had prison records were more likely to be hired than black men without them.
3. “Blacks constitute about 13 percent of America’s drug users, but make up to 58 percent of those sent to prison for drug possession.”
Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
This article was quite eye-opening in revealing some of the statistics of white and people of color having opportunities when applying for jobs. Muwakkil did a good job noting that people feel that racism is disappearing when in actuality it still persists to this day. The article was an easy read, yet it was highly informative regarding white and people of color’s statistics for imprisonment. It also relates Johnson’s reading because I feel that Muwakkil is trying to overtly show that racism is a topic that needs to be discussed correlating to the argument presented by Johnson.
Premise:
• Women’s Status
• White supremacy
• People of color as inferior
• Invisible power of whites
• Privilege of being male
• Skin-color privilege
• Elusive nature of whiteness
• Fugitive nature of whiteness
• Obliviousness of Whites
• Unearned power due to being white/male
• Earned strength due to sex/whiteness/male
• Sexual orientation of straight gives unearned power
• “Myth of meritocracy”
• Perquisites of being white in America
• Will any action be taken with white power to change the system?
Author’s Argument:
Peggy McIntosh argues that white males in America are oblivious to the fact that their skin color and gender gives them both privilege and dominance in American society.
Evidence:
1. “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as male are taught not to recognize male privilege.”
2. “I have met very few men who truly distressed about systemic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance.”
3. “It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all.”
Questions/Comments/Point To Share:
I felt this article to be a statement made to white males instructing them to take action and realize that they have so much power in society due to the fact that they are white and male. McIntosh did a good job talking about unearned advantage and dominance in society due to these factors and I felt that she was quite explicit in conveying her ideas to the reader. I felt that the article could be read easily and smoothly and gets the point across to the reader in an explicit manner. It relates to other texts such as Johnson because he said that people need to talk explicitly about racism and sexism so that progress can be made to eliminating the persistent problem that is engrained in American society.
Data Show Racial Bias Persists in America
Premise:
• Racism is still present
• Whites still ignorant of effects of race and opportunity
• Prejudiced social policies engrained in American society
• Discrimination of jobs due to race
• Drugs and people of color
• More people of color in prison systems
• Analysis shows racial bias
Author’ Argument:
Salim Muwakkil argues that by using analysis it can lucidly be seen that racial bias is largely persistent in the United States hindering people of color’s chances of attaining certain job opportunities and causing stereotypical views of people of color as drug dealers and users in America.
Evidence:
1. Using a job application as a means of analysis and putting white names and people of color’s names on the application the study found that “applicants with white sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get called for an initial interview than applicants with black-sounding ones.” Most notably the people of color had better credentials than the whites.
2. White males who had prison records were more likely to be hired than black men without them.
3. “Blacks constitute about 13 percent of America’s drug users, but make up to 58 percent of those sent to prison for drug possession.”
Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
This article was quite eye-opening in revealing some of the statistics of white and people of color having opportunities when applying for jobs. Muwakkil did a good job noting that people feel that racism is disappearing when in actuality it still persists to this day. The article was an easy read, yet it was highly informative regarding white and people of color’s statistics for imprisonment. It also relates Johnson’s reading because I feel that Muwakkil is trying to overtly show that racism is a topic that needs to be discussed correlating to the argument presented by Johnson.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Matt: Who I am
Hello There,
I am Matt Rodrigues. I am a sophomore at Rhode Island College and I am currently a Secondary Education History major. My semester so far has been rather strenuous and nerve-racking. I hope that the semester will ease down a bit as time progresses. I tend to be a very punctual person and like doing well in school. Outside of school, I work and I hang out with my friends in my spare time. Some activities I enjoy are basketball, weight lifting, swimming, ultimate frisbee, and meeting new people.
http://mrodrigues1.blogspot.com
I am Matt Rodrigues. I am a sophomore at Rhode Island College and I am currently a Secondary Education History major. My semester so far has been rather strenuous and nerve-racking. I hope that the semester will ease down a bit as time progresses. I tend to be a very punctual person and like doing well in school. Outside of school, I work and I hang out with my friends in my spare time. Some activities I enjoy are basketball, weight lifting, swimming, ultimate frisbee, and meeting new people.
http://mrodrigues1.blogspot.com
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