CTSE 204

Pruitt, Greta

5

Discussion

02/12/2003

Observation 3-Foshay Learning Center

Feb 12, 2002 10:30-12:00

8th grade English with Mark LeBendig

In today’s class, the teacher demonstrated a very different style of teaching than he usually does. His lesson plan consisted of having the students have a Socratic Seminar, in which they were split up into observers and participants. Basically they were to lead the class/discussion themselves. They were to first think of discussion questions concerning the reading, and then they would a pick a preliminary question to start the discussion. There would be no raising of hands, and the students must be very considerate of each other. There were no wrong or right answers, just opinions and comments.

At first the discussion started off slow; students seemed uncomfortable not raising hands or directing their comments to the teacher. But once someone asked a good question, they began to have a debate. They were talking about the topic of racism, and whether or not a character in the story was racist. They became very involved in this subject, and they began to get a bit off track and started to argue about racism in their own lives. The discussion turned into more of an argument between students, and I think the teacher should have stepped in at this point to get the students back on track and focused. But overall, I think the idea of having a seminar was great. It allowed for peer interaction, and the students would be able to learn more by teaching themselves then just the teacher directing them from the front of the classroom. They were also able to practice linguistic skills, and translating into words what they were thinking about the story, and ask questions.

Stanton-Salazar believes that there are 4 borders and barriers for minority children that prevent them from succeeding. The barriers can actually result in anxiety, depression, apprehension and fear for many students. First are Sociocultural barriers, which are when cultural components in one world are seen as lesser or inferior than another. I do not see any evidence of this from the students in this classroom. Many of the minority students may personally feel that they are inferior to other ethnic groups, but the school appears to be doing everything possible to teach them that this is not true. The school is attempting to educate them and give them the opportunity to go to college so that they can live successful lives.

Second are socioeconomic barriers, which are when economic circumstances prevent the student from fully participating in the daily life of the schools social world. Although this is nearly impossible to see by just observing a class, I can assume that many of the students do experience this barrier. With many of the students being from low-income families, it is unlikely that they can afford things like extracurricular activities, or tutors. The fact that they are in this school and not a private school or wealthier school demonstrates this. Money is a privilege that many do not have, and it clearly limits many students.

Third are Linguistic Barriers, which are things that obstruct the development of empowering bilingualism; the process by which students develop full mastery and understanding of 2 languages. This is one barrier that the school seems to be desperately fighting. Although many students clearly struggle with English as their second language, the school provides ELL programs to help students. The school nurtures the students’ knowledge of two languages, and attempts to help them improve in both. Yet even by the eighth grade, many students still appear to be struggling with their English.

Last are Structural barriers, which are features in school that prevent, impede, or discourage students from learning socially or academically; like lack of adequate resources, counselors, tutoring, books in libraries, and second language training. The school also tries to knock down this barrier for the students. They have a fully equipped library and computers for students to research on. Yet the school still seems to be lacking in many areas. The number of computers is very small, and individual tutors are limited. Yet the school is continually trying to improve these areas for the students.

Overall, the school appears to be very aware of these barriers, and it is doing what it can to try to fight them. This school wants to give its students every opportunity it can, yet no matter how much the school wants to help, It is the students desire to learn and improve that will determine their success.

I picked this work because I believe that it reflects the knowledge I gained from the class about the seven funds of knowledge. I feel that the examples I provided from the classroom at Foshay are good evidence to the Barriers that exist.  As a teacher it is important to be aware of these barriers and to help the students cope and confront these issues.

Sophomore Core 1: Coursework

CTSE 204

Pruitt, Greta

6

Electronic Journal

02/23/2003

Observation/reflection week 6

Foshay, Grade 8

Mr. Lebendig 10:20-12

For children there are six ingredients that help them succeed in school and the social world. One of these involves the seven funds of knowledge. At Foshay I have noticed that some of these funds are encouraged and helped, while others are much ignored.

First is an institutionally sanctioned discourse, which involves socially acceptable ways of using language and communicating. I believe that the school definitely encourages this area of knowledge. Through English classes and improving reading and writing skills, students are taught what is considered intelligent and appropriate speech. They learn words that are not supposed to be used, and what words are important in expressing opinions and thoughts. Also, with the implementation of ESL, students who struggle with the English language are given the opportunity to become better associated with English. The school is helping students understand English, which is the main form of communication in America.

Second is Academic task-specific knowledge, which is subject-area knowledge. While clearly some students are stronger in certain areas from Math to English, the schools main responsibility is to give children a solid overview of each main area of education. Although many students do struggle more in certain areas for many reasons, lack of self esteem to learning disabilities, schools like Foshay are working very hard to educate students up to the standards.

Next is an Organizational/bureaucratic fund of knowledge which focuses on how bureaucracies operate. This is an area that schools teach very little about. Because it is difficult to incorporate this topic into the traditional subject matter, it rarely comes up. So many students are left unaware about a very important aspect of this world. In order to combat this problem schools need things like government classes, or having a counselor knowledgeable in this area, who can teach students about this subject. Despite the fact that this knowledge may be gained more in college, many students may not have that opportunity.

Fourth is Network Development, which Salazar feels is one of the most important. I believe that schools do teach this area. With classes becoming smaller, and many lessons including group activities, teachers are aware of how important it is to teach students how to negotiate and work together. Teachers try to get peers involved and interacting not only so that they can learn better, but also so they can make friendships that could later be used as a network. Also, teachers like Mr. Lebendig at Foshay, attempt to really form connections with students, so that they feel comfortable, and might later be able to come back to him for help or for resources.

Next are technological funds of knowledge. This is an area that varies more between schools. For example with computer literacy, many schools have very limited resources. But for skills like test taking, study skills, and time management skills, I think even inner-city schools are working hard to teach the students these characteristics. Especially with the continuous standardized testing, it is important for kids to know how to take tests and figure out multiple choice. At Foshay they often take practice tests and discuss different test taking methods.

Knowledge of labor and educational markets is an area similar to that of bureaucratic funds. It is taught very little in school, since it is so hard to include it in the lesson plans. I think the best way to handle this is to have a counselor who has connections with local business’s and can help students find jobs, and understand options that may lie in their futures.

Last is problem solving knowledge. This involves all the funds of knowledge, and relates to whether students can relate them to school. Overall I think schools focus mostly on this area. Most schools attempt to teach at least a broad and general idea of all the subjects and how to apply them. Problem solving itself is key in every aspect of education, and will remain important for the rest of a Childs life. So I think teachers work hard at getting students to think and figure things out, as opposed to simply just knowing the right answer.

I picked this work because it continues to reflect on the importance of the seven funds of knowledge.  I believe that it reflects my understanding and the knowledge that I have gained from this course.

Sophomore Core 1: Coursework

CTSE 204

Pruitt, Greta

10

Discussion

03/26/2003

Observation 2-The Accelerated School

March 25, 2003 Wednesday 10-12

Ms. Steven’s 7th/8th math/science

Today I arrived to the classroom while the students were finishing up their math worksheets/books. The students were separated into tables with four students at each, and they either worked individually or with each other. I thought that it was good that they had the option of peer help, yet still had the opportunity to try to figure out problems on their own. Then, after homeroom and recess, the students would prepare for their fieldtrip with the Marine Science Education Program. They would go on the Ventura, a science vessel boat which would take them outside the harbor where they would do and learn many things for the biology and science aspect of this class. They would do a mud dredge to collect plankton and other algae, and they would collect seabird data like depth, temperature, ph, UV light, and chlorophyll. Then they would bring this data back to class and graph and manipulate the information. Also, a biologist would be on board with them the entire time telling about the many different organisms that exist in the harbor. Then back in the classroom the students will pick an organism and do a research paper on it. Also, in the class’s final assessment at the end of the year the students reach into a hat and pick out a habitat; they then design an organism based on the habitat they picked. This trip is a great way for students to connect what they are learning in their books to real life, and it is a great way for students to connect to the subject and learn in another way. It is also good how they are taking what they will learn from this trip and use it in the classroom as a way to learn other things and strengthen the knowledge they already have. While the class was in recess, we had the opportunity to talk with Mrs. Stevens about the war and how it is being handled in the classroom. She told us that in her classroom she had an open discussion on the first day of war, and then when the first casualties occurred they had a moment of silence. She told us that most of the students were very quiet about the subject, and many of the kids have friends and family in the service so it has to be handled very delicately. She has also had daily meetings on the topic, when students can come in during lunch or after school to discuss how they feel. She says about ¼ of the students have participated. The school itself is also very involved in the discussion of the war. There are open discussions every day for interested students, and the humanities classes have incorporated current events as part of the curriculum. There are also dialogue walls outside where students can write their opinions. They also had a spontaneous, voluntary protest on the first day of war, when the kids and teachers went out to the street and had peace signs. They are also having another peaceful protest on Friday and students must have permission slips signed by their parents if they wish to participate. I think it is great that the school is offering so many different options for students to express their feelings, and the school is making an atmosphere that is supportive and open for many opinions. During homeroom, an interesting example of labeling occurred, yet it seemed to be mostly by the students rather than the teacher. The elected representative of student council got up in front of the class to answer questions and concerns about their current point system. They have monthly field trips of things like ice-skating or bowling, but in order to participate students must have a certain number of points. Students lose points for things like not finishing homework, or not wearing uniforms, or being suspended; students can gain points by volunteering to help teachers before or after school or during recess. Students thought that they had a clean slate of points each month, and the girl felt that she had never said that. Students were expected to raise their hands to express their opinion, but many were shouting in anger. Yet I was still impressed that the girl was able to control and basically lead the class. This was also a good way to encourage student interaction. Then on another topic, a boy from student council got up to speak; this is when I thought labeling may be apparent. He told the class of a recent vandalism problem in the girls and boys bathrooms. In the boys bathroom the door had been ripped off its hinges and the knobs were thrown into toilets and sinks; in the girls feminine products had been thrown all over the bathroom. Because of this the principal had decided that until he thought of a solution to the problem he would have students sign in whenever they went to the bathroom so that they would know who was in there and when. He would also have student council members stand at the bathroom and monitor it during all recess periods. The female student council member was clearly angered by this, but another student suggested that monitoring the bathrooms could be a way for other students to get points. I thought this was a very unique and creative idea to solve not only this problem, but the earlier problem as well, and I was impressed by her analytical thinking and problem solving skills. But what I thought was most interesting during this discussion was how the student council member articulately described the event with words such as culprit, and perpetrator to describe the vandals. Although he wasn’t clearly labeling any particular student, he did put a name and label on the people that had done the crime. This clearly separated people into two groups the norm group which conforms to society, and the deviants which are outsiders. This demonstrates how not only does society label groups, but we also teach children to label each other therefore continuing the labeling theory.

With the war being such an important topic in today’s society, I found it very valuable to discuss with the teacher about how the school was handling this issue.  I also found this observation particularly interesting because of how it related to our reading on Labeling Theory.  Overall I found that this observation demonstrated a wide variety of topics covered in the course, and I felt that this reflection shows how I have developed the ability to recognize these topics in a school setting.

Sophomore Core 1: Coursework