There are seven major themes in American educational history: local control, universal education, public education, comprehensive education, secular education, changing ideas of the basics and expanding definitions of educational access and equality. Like before, there are contemporary issues that come from these same basic themes.
Local control originated in New England during the colonial times, but spread in the 19th century creating the school district system. Currently, an issue with local control is the question “What should be the role of the federal government regarding education?” Universal education is the second theme. Education was originally for very few privileged children, white males. Later on in the 19th and 20th century, girls, minorities, immigrants, and disabled children were allowed into elementary and secondary education. This is very different than today where education is available to almost anyone. A question for universal education today is, “How can we ensure the quality of education regardless of whether students live in wealthy or poor district?”
In the Colonial period, there really wasn’t a whole lot of public education; it was more private and available for the middle to upper classes. It was in the early 20th century that when the idea of public education became common. For comprehensive education in early education the basics were all that were taught: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Those subjects were enough to prepare the students in adulthood; today classes have grown where we still learn those basics but there are more classes to prepare students for today’s adult world.
The reason for education in the early Colonial period was for religious purposes, to train students with a religious background. In the 18th century American education became more secular to manufacture more socially accountable citizens. Today religious studies stay mainly in the private schools. The sixth theme is changing ideas of the basics; education will have never ending change. Colonial education focused on literacy and classical learning, while practical skills were more important in the 19th century. With all the technology advances of today’s society, education has added studies in the sciences and computers. The last American educational theme is the idea of expanding definitions of educational access and equality. In earlier education the idea of educational access was to enroll as many students as possible by building schools in places where more children lived. Today, rather than focusing on the location of schools, we focus on equal access to poor students compared to wealthier students.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Influence of Psychological Theories by Brenda Bermudez
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and human behavior. Psychology has influenced the work of teachers by giving its focus on how we students learn.
Behaviorism and constructivism psychology are two particular theories that have influenced schools around the country.
Behaviorism is a psychological theory asserting that all behaviors is shaped by environmental events or conditions such as sounds, words, or people. Behaviorist instructors made up predominately of multiple choice questions to measure to see how well students have learned. Also the instructors give feedback to the students. The student is also expected to practice a specific skill until leaned is successful. After learning the skill the specific skill they will move on to another subject to start the cycle all over.
It reminds me when I started high school here in the United States with the support of my instructor and also classmates I learned to speak English faster then expected. They welcomed me with open arms, and treat me equally like the others. For me this proved that environment has a big influence around how the students will learn and also how fast the can learn.
Constructivism a theory based on research for cognitive psychology, which people learn by constructing their own knowledge through in active learning process rather then simply absorbing knowledge directly from some other source. According to constructivism theory knowledge cannot be transmitted from the instructor to the student, but rather is constructed by the student and after reconstructed as new ideas become available.
My first language being Spanish I had to double work by myself to learn the English language. I would read books out loud each night, and that taught me different words and how to sound out them out. When it was time for me to read out loud I didn’t hesitate because I was confident in myself. Constructivism is a theory I’ve and I believe it is helpful.
Behaviorism and constructivism psychology are two particular theories that have influenced schools around the country.
Behaviorism is a psychological theory asserting that all behaviors is shaped by environmental events or conditions such as sounds, words, or people. Behaviorist instructors made up predominately of multiple choice questions to measure to see how well students have learned. Also the instructors give feedback to the students. The student is also expected to practice a specific skill until leaned is successful. After learning the skill the specific skill they will move on to another subject to start the cycle all over.
It reminds me when I started high school here in the United States with the support of my instructor and also classmates I learned to speak English faster then expected. They welcomed me with open arms, and treat me equally like the others. For me this proved that environment has a big influence around how the students will learn and also how fast the can learn.
Constructivism a theory based on research for cognitive psychology, which people learn by constructing their own knowledge through in active learning process rather then simply absorbing knowledge directly from some other source. According to constructivism theory knowledge cannot be transmitted from the instructor to the student, but rather is constructed by the student and after reconstructed as new ideas become available.
My first language being Spanish I had to double work by myself to learn the English language. I would read books out loud each night, and that taught me different words and how to sound out them out. When it was time for me to read out loud I didn’t hesitate because I was confident in myself. Constructivism is a theory I’ve and I believe it is helpful.
Monday, October 19, 2009
What Are the Philosophical Foundations of American Education? By Briana Martinez
The word philosophy is made up of two root words: (philo) which stands for "love" and (sophos) stands for "wisdom". Philosophy is love and pursuit of wisdom by logical means and moral self-discipline.
There are four different Philosophies of education. Perennialism and essentialism are the first two philosophies which stress the importance of subject matter knowledge in education.
Perennialism which is a particular view of philosophy that sees human nature as constant, with few changes over time. Perennialism is education promotes the advancement of the intelligence as the central purpose of schools. The educational process stresses academic firmness and discipline.
Second essentialism is American philosophy of education that began in the 1930s and 1940s. Proponents believe that an educated person must have this core of knowledge and skills and that all children should be taught it.
The last two Philosophies of education are opposite of the first two which are romanticism and progressivism they first look at the leaner rather then the curriculum.
Third is romanticism which is a child-centered philosophy of education that condemns the influences of society and suggest instead that a child's natural curiosity and the natural world should be used to teach.
Fourth is progressivism is a form of educational philosophy that sees nature as ever-changing. Because the world is always changing and new situations require new solutions to problems learners must develop as problem solvers.
With reading this chapter and actually really thinking about it, it makes me wonder what will be my philosophy or what is my philosophy? I figured out that my philosophy is going to take time, thought, and also energy, but one I thing I know is I've already started my philosophy and that is me picking education for a career choice.
There are four different Philosophies of education. Perennialism and essentialism are the first two philosophies which stress the importance of subject matter knowledge in education.
Perennialism which is a particular view of philosophy that sees human nature as constant, with few changes over time. Perennialism is education promotes the advancement of the intelligence as the central purpose of schools. The educational process stresses academic firmness and discipline.
Second essentialism is American philosophy of education that began in the 1930s and 1940s. Proponents believe that an educated person must have this core of knowledge and skills and that all children should be taught it.
The last two Philosophies of education are opposite of the first two which are romanticism and progressivism they first look at the leaner rather then the curriculum.
Third is romanticism which is a child-centered philosophy of education that condemns the influences of society and suggest instead that a child's natural curiosity and the natural world should be used to teach.
Fourth is progressivism is a form of educational philosophy that sees nature as ever-changing. Because the world is always changing and new situations require new solutions to problems learners must develop as problem solvers.
With reading this chapter and actually really thinking about it, it makes me wonder what will be my philosophy or what is my philosophy? I figured out that my philosophy is going to take time, thought, and also energy, but one I thing I know is I've already started my philosophy and that is me picking education for a career choice.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Corporal Punishment
Ch. 8 What Are the Ethical and Legal Issues Facing Teachers ?
By: Vanessa Garcia
The ethical issues that teacher faces is more than just doing the right thing. Teachers must teach students to respect one another and as a consequence teachers have a special ethical relationship with the students’ power. This power is the influence that teachers have on children and with it children are mark. This power can be easily abused and that’s why there’re codes and ethics to guide teachers to the right pad. Some of these cods and ethics are appreciation for moral deliberation, empathy, knowledge, reasoning, courage and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, we have a personal code of ethics that helps us get by day by day and sometimes we use it thinking that is the right one but we should never forget that everyone is different and that maybe what we learn growing up is not the right thing to do.
A very big change from when our parents went to school is corporal punishment. I remember my parents telling stories about teachers hitting them with a ruler, or smacking them in the head when they got smart with them. Some of the stories I heard are even to the point that kids were beat up by the teacher to the point that the student needed medical aid. Now it is illegal in most states and ban by most districts and it is a very controversial issue since it is not 100 percent illegal. In some districts teachers might be able to use “moderate” or “reasonable” corporal punishment to establish discipline; here is when the code of ethics comes in place. When is it ok to paddle a bully or smack someone that stole? The subject is still a controversy and until it’s settle teachers should research the laws and policies to be able to assist every situation without any issues.
By: Vanessa Garcia
The ethical issues that teacher faces is more than just doing the right thing. Teachers must teach students to respect one another and as a consequence teachers have a special ethical relationship with the students’ power. This power is the influence that teachers have on children and with it children are mark. This power can be easily abused and that’s why there’re codes and ethics to guide teachers to the right pad. Some of these cods and ethics are appreciation for moral deliberation, empathy, knowledge, reasoning, courage and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, we have a personal code of ethics that helps us get by day by day and sometimes we use it thinking that is the right one but we should never forget that everyone is different and that maybe what we learn growing up is not the right thing to do.
A very big change from when our parents went to school is corporal punishment. I remember my parents telling stories about teachers hitting them with a ruler, or smacking them in the head when they got smart with them. Some of the stories I heard are even to the point that kids were beat up by the teacher to the point that the student needed medical aid. Now it is illegal in most states and ban by most districts and it is a very controversial issue since it is not 100 percent illegal. In some districts teachers might be able to use “moderate” or “reasonable” corporal punishment to establish discipline; here is when the code of ethics comes in place. When is it ok to paddle a bully or smack someone that stole? The subject is still a controversy and until it’s settle teachers should research the laws and policies to be able to assist every situation without any issues.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Ch. 8 What Are the Ethical and Legal Issues Facing Teachers ?
By: Leslie Valencia
Teacher's today are facing a variety of ethical and legal issues in the classroom and in the work area, but in order to face these issues correctly a teacher must be ethical in his/her teaching. There are certain characteristics of ethical teaching, 6 to be exact,and by following these characteristics, the teacher will be more equipped in responding to ethical and legal issues. Some issues a teacher might face can be ethical dilemmas in which the teacher is expected to respond ethically such as if the teacher sees a student with drugs, or if a student complains about certain behaviors another instructor might have. An instructor should show appreciation for moral diliberation, empathy, knoledge, reasoning, and also have courage to face those ethical dilemmas in a proper manner.
A legal responsibility that teachers have in addition to preventing harm to students, is to safeguard them from abuse and neglect from their parents and other adults. It is very difficult but if a teacher reports any suspicions, they can prevent greater harm to the child. This a particularly difficult issue that teachers sometimes deal with becuase it is a very delicate situation, a teacher does not have to be certain that a child is being abused before he/she makes a report to the principal. Child abuse is an area where it is much better to act and be wrong.
To protect a teacher from reaction to an incorrect report or from the anger of an offending parent, the reporting is kept confidential. Teachers are granted immunity from accusations of slander or any possible libel suit. Without this protection teachers would be more hesitant in reporting their suspicions.
Another big ethical issue is prayer and scripture in school. In the mid 20th century, religious activities such as bible reading and prayers were common in public schools. In 1963 though the Supreme Court rueld both as being unconstituional and to violate both clauses of the First Amendment. Thomas mcDaniel recommends a religious neutrality principle in the classroom and offers four guidelines for putting into practice. This principle does not exactly mean that the public school must completely ignore religion. These are some ethical and legal issues that teachers face and are facing, but yet have acces to guidelines and by following the ethical characteristics of teaching will be able to manage through.
Teacher's today are facing a variety of ethical and legal issues in the classroom and in the work area, but in order to face these issues correctly a teacher must be ethical in his/her teaching. There are certain characteristics of ethical teaching, 6 to be exact,and by following these characteristics, the teacher will be more equipped in responding to ethical and legal issues. Some issues a teacher might face can be ethical dilemmas in which the teacher is expected to respond ethically such as if the teacher sees a student with drugs, or if a student complains about certain behaviors another instructor might have. An instructor should show appreciation for moral diliberation, empathy, knoledge, reasoning, and also have courage to face those ethical dilemmas in a proper manner.
A legal responsibility that teachers have in addition to preventing harm to students, is to safeguard them from abuse and neglect from their parents and other adults. It is very difficult but if a teacher reports any suspicions, they can prevent greater harm to the child. This a particularly difficult issue that teachers sometimes deal with becuase it is a very delicate situation, a teacher does not have to be certain that a child is being abused before he/she makes a report to the principal. Child abuse is an area where it is much better to act and be wrong.
To protect a teacher from reaction to an incorrect report or from the anger of an offending parent, the reporting is kept confidential. Teachers are granted immunity from accusations of slander or any possible libel suit. Without this protection teachers would be more hesitant in reporting their suspicions.
Another big ethical issue is prayer and scripture in school. In the mid 20th century, religious activities such as bible reading and prayers were common in public schools. In 1963 though the Supreme Court rueld both as being unconstituional and to violate both clauses of the First Amendment. Thomas mcDaniel recommends a religious neutrality principle in the classroom and offers four guidelines for putting into practice. This principle does not exactly mean that the public school must completely ignore religion. These are some ethical and legal issues that teachers face and are facing, but yet have acces to guidelines and by following the ethical characteristics of teaching will be able to manage through.
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