Equity Prompt 2

These words are inequitable because one word has to do with school and the other has to do with farming.  Not all students know what the word silo means or has any experiences with a silo compared to all the students who are in class so have all had professors.  Also the two do not really connect in any way.

            He is attributing his failure to him being different because he is of a different race.  In his eyes he believes that his teacher hates him because he does not act white, but it is probably because of some of the word choices that he uses at home which are considered to be acceptable, but not in the school setting.

            It is challenged because her whole life she has being talking in a certain way which is acceptable from where she comes from.  However she is not speaking proper grammar which will be hard for her to lose the tendency to use her pronunciation over the proper way to pronounce words.  This is true with any habit, but it is possible with practice.  The reason she would have more trouble is because all of the words that she would come up with for writing are in her long term memory and it is hard to forget those words or phrases and learn new proper ones.

equity post 2

Students in the class may or may not have prior knowledge to the word silo. Though with giving students the correct resources students and use their understanding of the word they could draw a conclusion and use higher order thinking to create a sentence of their own.

Geoff is attributing his grades to his race. I think that he has learned helplessness from attributing his scores to his race not his effort.

Alice's parents did not teacher her proper English at home, but in the school culture she is expected to know the rules of standard english. It will take time for her to pick up on these rules and understand them. It may be tough for her to switch cultures using different forms of english.

Equity Prompt 1

I thought it was interesting to learn about how to support children of low-income families, since I would be interesting in working with children inner-city. I thought it made sense that programs of early intervention show significant differences for students.

School is set up with a lot of expectations for students, some of which students may not have. This can be seen with ESL students. It is assumed all students who enter school will know English, and that is seen on worksheets and around the classroom. However, that could be inequitable to students who may still have trouble learning the language.

I think it would be effective to have the student practice speaking formally and informally in some situations. I think it would be a good idea to have a student write a story written in formal language, but allowing characters to speak however they may. This would take what the student is comfortable and combine it with practicing the end goal. Another thing a teacher could do is tell the student that she admires her effort and would like her to speak up in class, and possibly rephrase what the student says after she speaks up so the child hears the correct way to say it.

Equity Post 2

Not all students would benefit from the elaboration activity because not all students have been exposed to words such as professor and silo.  Not all students have experiences in their life that would include a professor or even a story with a professor in it.  Similarly, not many students would have past experiences with a silo.

I think Geoff has learned helplessness.  This could be that in his school he has seen a pattern of failure among the African American students he knows.  Therefore, he could not envision himself succeeding, and therefore, has learned helplessness.

Because Alice's parents hadn't used proper English in her sensitive period, she has learned an incorrect form of English.  Now, it will be harder for her to re-learn proper English.

Alice would find this difficult because she doesn't use proper English in everyday life.

Equity Post 1

One idea that was enlightening to me was the fact that some equity issues can be easily fixed, such as, eye glasses and hearing aids.  Not all equity issues have to deal with language barriers or race.

School can be set up inequitably concerning language barriers.  Teaching an entire lesson in English is inequitable to ESL students.  Also, giving quizzes in English would be inequitable to a Spanish speaking student.

As a teacher trying to help a struggling student, I would incorporate more phonics based activities in reading/grammar/writing.  I would also do more group work when picking sentences that are grammatically correct, so that the students can help each other.

Equity post 2

This activity might not be equitable because not every student in the class might know what those two words mean. Some of the students may have never even heard those words before. Some students might not know the word professor if their parents didn't go to college and never talk about college. They might not know the word silo if they don't live on a farm or have ever even been to a farm. Because every student might not have good background information on these words, the activity might not be beneficial.

Geoff is attributing his bad grades to an external source. He is blaming his grades on how he thinks the teacher treats him. He is not taking an internal responsibility for the grades he received. 

Alice might be having trouble with language because she did not learn how to speak in the proper formal way during the sensitive period. If the proper way to speak is not learned during that period, it is much more difficult for a student to learn it later in life. The student has already been taught to speak in an informal manner and has formed habits that are hard to break. Alice will find tasks like speaking and writing more difficult because she does not think in formal language like the rest of the students. She does not have that kind of language automatically ready when she needs it. She has to focus on the task being presented to her and also on the task of translating her thoughts into formal English. 

Equity

• The chapter says, "Though we usually think of cultural differences mostly as national differences, there is probably as much cultural diversity within the United States as between the United States and other industrialized nations." This quote was surprising and interesting to me because I never thought about it but it is very true. There can be so much diversity within one classroom. Each student can be from a different culture, different religion, etc. Everyone grew up differently.
• In my high school, if we were taking an AP course we were required to take the AP test. We have talked about how standardized testing is inequitable because the questions may be worded in a way that someone from a different culture or background does not understand the question. On standardized tests there are also words that may be inequitable because they may come from a culture that not all students are familiar with. There is also the matter of which books and text books are used in the classroom or school wide. Some books that are required by the school to read may be inequitable because they focus only on one culture and could be a stereotype of that culture as well. Also, some textbooks are underrepresented by minorities. Students who are of a minority will probably notice this and wonder why.
• One way I would help Alice become comfortable with using formal English would be to tell her that when she is speaking with me she must at least attempt to speak formal English. If she slips up I would tell her which word she needs to repeat in a different way. This would help her realize which words need to be changed. This would not take place in whole class discussions. This would only happen when talking one on one. Another way I would help Alice would be to have her read books in which formal English is used and easy to understand. I really think that reading books with the language I expect her to speak in would help her. In this way no one would know what she is doing. All they would see her doing is reading.

Equity 2

This elaboration activity might not be equitable for all students of his classroom.  Students of diverse cultural backgrounds might not have any experiences to write about in order to connect to the words professor and silo.  Students whose parents didn’t attend college, and don’t know anything about college have no experiences with a professor that they could write about.  A silo refers to a tower on a farm; students who have no connection to a farm might also not have experiences to write about this vocabulary word.  The students who don’t have connected experiences with these vocabulary words will not do well on the assignment making it inequitable. 

Geoff is blaming the teacher for receiving poor grades based on his racial background.  The teacher probably isn’t giving him bad grades because he is African American, but because he is doing poorly.  Geoff’s way to cope with doing poorly is blaming his failure on external causes. 

Alice’s learning may be challenged, because when students don’t learn language skills during the sensitive period of their learning, it is much more difficult for them.  They have already developed habits about the way they speak, and it’s difficult for them to change their way of thinking.  Since she didn’t learn formal English from her parents, the processes of speaking formal English aren’t stored in her long-term memory.  She has nowhere to draw from in her mind on how to speak in formal English.  She will find tasks of writing and reading more challenging than students who fluently speak formal English because these students have already learned these skills and they have become automatic.  These students don’t have to think of focusing on how to speak in formal language, but they can focus on the task at hand.  Alice doesn’t only have to focus on the task at hand, but she also has to translate her thoughts into formal English.  

Equity Post 1

I thought it was interesting to consider the effects of the home environment have on a student’s education.  I also thought it was interesting that simple things such as vision problems or hearing problems could greatly effect a child’s learning, and these problems can easily be fixed.  

A school is typically set up based on the majority population.  If the majority of the students at the school are white and celebrate Christmas, the teacher may talk about Christmas and neglect to discuss the other holidays that students of different backgrounds may celebrate.  Classrooms are inequitable when not all cultural groups are addressed.  Also it’s important for teachers to teach in a way that all students from different backgrounds can learn and understand. 

I would help Alice in my classroom by helping her understand the difference between formal and informal language.  I will instruct to her that it’s important to use formal language in school.  I will correct her in a positive way when she speaks using informal language so that I am not degrading her or harming her self-efficacy.  When she may say something like “I bes fine” I would tell her that I would rather her say “I am fine.”  This way Alice can learn the proper way to speak, and start developing habits to speak using formal language.  It’s important to not allow Alice to use her home language or she will never learn academic language and continue to struggle.  If formal language is picked up at a young age Alice will have an easier time advancing in school.  I can help Alice during extra classroom time by providing grammar worksheets and one-on-one help so she begins to develop these new grammar skills.  

Equity Prompt 2

These words might be potentially inequitable because some of the students might have not encountered both of these words. A professor is a college educator. Some of the students’ parents might have not gone to college, so they have never been introduced to these words or heard their parents tell stories about their college professors and classes. The word silo could be inequitable to those students who have never lived in the country. They might not even know what a silo is, so this is a disadvantage for them. Not all students would benefit from this elaboration activity because not all students can connect past experiences to professors or silos.

He is contributing his failure to external causes. He is blaming someone else for his failure.

It might be challenged because the sensitive period is when a student HAS to learn something. Part of language development occurs during this time. If she didn’t learn these proper English skills during the sensitive period then she might have difficulty learning this topic. She did not learn these proper English skills when she was little from her parents, so they are not stored in long term memory. Whereas other students who did learn these skills at a young time probably have them stored in their long term memories.

Equity Prompt 1

It was surprising to me how much diversity and different cultures effect the educational environment.

This structure might be inherently inequitable because it does not take into consideration lower class, minorities, or different cultures. In textbooks minorities are not as represented as white children are. Also there could be a controversy with religion. When doing my field experience there was a Kindergartener whose parents and religion would not allow her to say the pledge of allegiance. All of the kids knew that she could not say the pledge and it singled her out.

I would help this student in learning and becoming comfortable with using formal English by first deciding on the parts of English she needs to work on. Once I made this decision I would focus on little pieces to improve upon at a time. I would start by restating her improper phrases with the proper phrase. If she said, “she kinda funny” I would respond be saying, “She is kind of funny, isn’t she?” I would be modeling the correct English to her, but would not be degrading her. I could also try pairing her with a peer tutor when she is working on English. This way the feedback would be from one of her peer’s perspectives and she would not be having tutoring with a teacher, which could bring her negative attention.

Equity

Something I thought that was very interesting from the supplemental reading was that geographic region contributes to student diversity.  I always knew that race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, etc. all contributed, but I never considered geographic region.

The education system is inherently unequal for all students.  One specific example of this is state standardized assessments.  Often on these assessments, some groups perform better than others.  These groups can be based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.  The questions on these assessments often include references to cultural norms that might not be understood by people from different cultures.

As a teacher, I could help Alice by creating assignments that focus on English grammar so that she won't publicly be put on the spot.  When talking to her in private, I could reinforce the fact that there is "formal" and "informal" speaking, and "formal" is expected at school.  By using the words "formal" and "informal" instead of "standard" and "non-standard" I will make her feel more comfortable.

Equity

• One thing that I really liked and thought would be useful in the future was the part about teachers giving back thru teaching and encouraging students to do the same. I never really thought about teaching as a way to really give back to the community. It was just about enlightening kids about the future and allowing them to make good choices through their education. I will definitely be willing to have a talk with my students about giving back to the community and letting them know they can make a difference.
• It's hard for teachers to be equitable because it's hard to teach and be culturally relevant at the same time. Most of the things we have to teach are all mandated, so there's no room for us to interpret or do our own things.
• One idea I think would be helpful would be to let her know that other kids are struggling too. Maybe allow her to go and talk with kids from other foreign places and let them work together to accomplish the task of getting more acquainted with formal English. That way she won't feel as if it's just her being "picked on". By doing this we are able to show her she's not the only one.
• Another idea I have is to teach the class as a whole about being comfortable learning new things, and believing that you can. That way she doesn't feel singled out and does understand that everyone is willing to help and work towards a goal. So if she comes to after school tutoring one day, then I can just make sure she believes she make the change to formal English and really learn something new without being embarrassed for help. It's all about teaching her to have confidence in herself as well as just being able to be unafraid to ask for guidance.

Teacher controlled vs. student centered classrooms (Prompt 2)

• This statement could be true because when the teacher comes up with the lessons and does all the planning he or she knows exactly what should happen and if that doesn't happen he or she would know what to do to get it back on track. That is the easy part. But when the teacher hands the planning and control over to the students there is no telling where that lesson could go. The teacher would almost have to come up with something on the spot to teach to the kids. You could do this productively though by possibly scaffolding this way of learning. Start the kids off with just one thing they are in control of and as they get used to this give them more and more control over what is being taught. You could say to your students that they need to learn about the Civil War and ask them how they would like to go about doing that. Possibly give them examples of things they could do and then help them do what they picked and still get out of the project what they needed to get out of it.
• I was in a kindergarten classroom and honestly most of everything was controlled by the teacher. The students would do morning work and sometimes they would have to draw on their paper. This they had creative control over. There are also times when the students were able to add their own describing word to a sentence the teacher came up with. But again not too many things were really centered around the students getting to choose what they did.
• I feel that this can take away from the children being motivated to learn because they know the teacher will tell them what they are to be doing. I feel that if these students were told that they were aloud to come up with their own project or activity they would not really know what to do and would expect the teacher to just jump in and tell them what to do. In this way I can see students not really wanting to learn because they know the teacher will just tell them what to do. They know the teacher will always be there to tell them what the next step is.

Blog Post 2

Giving students control can be very difficult.  Students can sometimes take control of a teacher who gives them too much control.  A teacher is looked as the authority figure in a classroom, and if the students are given too much control they can become disruptive and too "big-headed" because of the control they have been given.  Also, if the students are given too much control they can think they know everything, and take instruction from the teacher lightly, leading to the belief of incorrect information.  Handing over some control to the students can be used beneficially by assigning group work for certain topics and having each group become an "expert" on the topic.  At the end of the allotted time, each group will teach the class their part of the topic, ensuring that everyone understands the whole thing.

During math lessons, my teacher followed a very strict process.  After being presented with the topic (teacher controlled) the students were allowed guided practice time where they were allowed to collaborate with fellow students (student controlled).  Finally, they had individual learning time where they were not allowed to collaborate and the teacher was grading their progress (teacher controlled).

The students will feel more passionately about the student controlled work, and take more responsibility for the strides they made.  Teacher controlled lessons tend to have a less excited feel from the students.  I feel that more progress is made with student controlled lessons because of the passion and credit they take for the work.

Teacher Control vs. Student Control

I think teaching with a lot of control is easier than letting the students have some control, because if the teacher has full control, he/she knows exactly what is being taught, and is in control how the information is presented.  When the students are handed some of the control, the teacher now becomes responsible for managing the progress and learning of the students.  The teacher takes more of an observational role rather than a direct instructional role.  In order to effectively hand over some control to the students, I think collaborative learning is essential.  Setting the students in groups and allowing them to collaborate and learn from each other on projects, worksheets and initiating experiences allows for a more well rounded education.  However, the teacher now becomes responsible for making sure each student is presented with the same information.

In my field experience, I observed the teacher in control when leading discussions on a novel.  The teacher would discuss vocab words, as well as, go through subject and predicate grammar books.  The teacher gave control to the students on a group project about the book, but observed the work of each group, making sure that they were all getting out of the book what was needed.

The students are less excited with teacher controlled scenarios.  When given the option to do the project with their friends they are excited about the outcome and really try to do their best work.  They are significantly less excited about doing grammar books or learning vocab words.  While these are necessary, the freedom they experience with the group project is what they love.