Here are the list of potential problems, taken from last week's blogs:
1. technology/maker movement
2. teacher empowerment (pedagogical/curricular/activist?)
3. critical study of accountability movement
4. school-to-prison pipeline (Pushout)
5. immigrants, families and schooling
6. schooling for democracy (within or beyond current structures?)
7. comparative democratic education
8. culturally/linguistically diverse populations and opportunity/equity
9. theory practice gap (maybe specifically in math ed)
In this blog, please discuss the list and work to develop clear problems (as opposed to topics). Discuss which ones seem likely to garner interest and which will lend themselves to study of their philosophical/theoretical roots. Ideally, we will whittle the list down to four or so problems that will be focussed enough to be worth studying but broad enough to interest everyone!
While you are only required to post once, this is an important moment for the class, and it'd be great for folks to weigh in two or three times to help the discussion progress.
Kim here:
ReplyDeleteBrionna and I are interested in working on the theory and philosophies behind implementing service learning in schools. It might have some overlap with #2. teacher empowerment (pedagogical/curricular/activist?) & #6. schooling for democracy (within or beyond current structures?) and maybe some #9 theory practice gap. We expect it will have some relevance for anyone interested in critical pedagogy, pragmatism, and maybe some constructivism. I expect Paulo Freire and John Dewey will come up a lot among others. If anyone would like to dive into this topic with us, let us know.
I had a thought that we could focus on schooling for democracy and have our service learning fall under its umbrella, since it may be a very specific interest.
DeleteThis cluster of problems interests me as well. I like the idea of using Freire as part of the framework.
ReplyDeleteFollowing up on what Kim and Brionna posted--leaning on pragmatism, constructivism, and critical theory--my current interests are focused on the problem of teacher attrition, especially in the first few years of teaching. I believe that part of the problem--beyond the pressures of testing, discipline, paperwork, time management--is that new teachers are not empowered to effect change in their experience. Authority, voice, and power in a school are automatically granted to the veteran teachers and administrators who are far removed from the experience of being a new teacher. Empowering new teachers to find and use their voice to figure out what they need could lead to increased confidence, efficacy, and eventually, improved student outcomes (whatever those might be). Teachers who have been treated democratically might be more inclined to promote democracy in their classrooms and schools.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree that veteran teachers are automatically granted authority, voice and power. Many older teachers would argue that it is the newer teachers, whose training is more aligned with current trends and whose salaries are lower, who are valued. Either way, treating teachers democratically, and empowering them as professionals to figure out what they and their students need could lead to improved morale, efficacy, and student outcomes. I like the idea of using Freire and teacher action research to address this problem. ~ Carolyn
DeleteInteresting perspective, Carolyn! I wonder how much that varies from school to school and division to division. I definitely agree that some senior teachers feel overlooked and left behind.
DeleteI agree with Donia on beginning teachers not having a voice in the school building. Actually (in my opinion) it is part of the theory-practice gap. Beginning teachers are not using what they learning in academia in part because they don’t feel they have the authority to do something different than the majority of the other teachers in the building. If they had a bigger voice maybe the research-based pedagogy and techniques could get to the classroom faster. And we certainly do not have to focus on math because I think this is true for all teaching. Maybe diving into the philosophy of how a school should be run and who makes decisions. - Heather
ReplyDeleteVirginia here:
ReplyDeleteI am all for discussing how schools should be run, who has the power in decision making, and giving teachers a voice. I am also going throw out an idea in regards to #5 and #8 and bring in immigrants/ESL students/culturally and linguistically diverse populations with the question of how do we teach these students? What teaching philosophies are rooted in a culturally diverse educational system? How do we build/run schools to effectively incorporate our diverse population and help them be successful? In another class some of us are in we talked about how several of the educational philosophers (Watson and Dewey) were writing during the early 1900s when there was a large population of immigrants moving into the US. I would love to dive more into their thoughts about that and any newer theories about it.
I believe the impact equity has on immigrant families and schooling would be valuable to explore. This connects to student and parent efficacy, ESOL services for students, and graduation rates. How does a lack of equity affect immigrant families and schooling?
DeleteLaurie
ReplyDeleteI’m very interested in what educators can do to help students caught in the school-to-prison pipeline (#4) and, perhaps, how restorative justice solutions might make a difference. Since those run counter to the prevailing punitive atmosphere, I imagine it would bring in teacher empowerment and the theory-practice gap. Does that eventually fold up under schooling for democracy?
I'm also interested in examining the school-to-prison pipeline. It's hard not to be critical of this when zero tolerance policies often lead to expulsion, while students that drop out are about 8 times more likely to end up in the criminal justice system than students who graduate from high school. It just doesn't make sense. After reading Plato, and thinking about the purpose of education (to bring "good" per Plato), it makes me think of some big picture questions we could possibly address: 1. Do zero-tolerance policies benefit the good of education? Of society as a whole? If these practices result in more dropouts who may end up in the criminal justice system, isn't it putting a strain on society and producing more "bad?" If more "bad" is the outcome of the structural foundation of education (specifically, zero tolerance policies and the disciplinary system at-large), can education claim to be morally "good?"
DeleteAlso, I love your idea of merging teacher empowerment, theory-practice gap and/or schooling for democracy with this, Laurie. They all seem naturally related to this topic.
- Kiara
I would like to unpack the problem of equity, often confused with equality, in education and how it affects high-needs populations and areas. Are students that face inequities such as a lack of services and support (reading specialist for remediation, counseling for social and emotional needs, ESOL services) more likely to be incarcerated?
DeleteI’m going to start by making the case for my area, technology, as despite personal bias I truly see this as a problem in education. Technology, in much of my personal experience, is seen as a solution to the “problem” of education, or a replacement for books, paper, interaction and even teachers. Technology, however, for those of us in the field is a TOOL to enhance education. I think we could truly make this a philosophical discussion especially given that many of the great theories of education came at technologically pivotal moments in society. As my classmates in 617 will attest, we were discussing Dewey’s Pedagogical Creed on Thursday and it was written right at the time where the US was a a crossroads technologically with the assembly line and mass factory production. This is merely one example, but how DID that technology influence his beliefs regarding education. The question to be answered would then be: What are the limits of technology when it comes to educational practice? And, given the speed at which technology advances, what responsibilities, if any, do we as teachers have in terms of preparing a child for future use of technology.
ReplyDeleteI also think the school-to-prison pipeline, while a broad topic/problem, would be an interesting one to explore, especially given we are the CCC track. I personally do not know where this practice came from, and, despite my working in a lower-income school was completely unaware that when the Resource Officer broke up a fight it could lead to an actual record. I read and article recently after the shootings of African-American men this summer, and it dealt with the larger issue of the role of police and how we as a society have come to rely on the police to handle matters that should have never involved them. A person has a drug problem? Don’t get them medical attention, call the police. Fight at a school? Don’t call the parents, call the police? So maybe the problem/question is, what role, if any, does law enforcement have in a school.
Lastly, I think the theory practice gap would be an excellent topic to explore, as it goes well beyond one subject. I feel as if my years of teaching language have been spent utilizing a behaviorist philosophy, simply because that was what everyone else was doing and what was expected. Maybe a comparative theory/practice gap by subjects would lead to the discovery of more problems.
I am also interested in the role of technology in education and the responsibilities of the school to prepare the student. On the one hand, there is the need for the school to remain current with technological advances. On the other hand there is an increased urgency to equip students with the critical skills to successfully navigate the overwhelming (and often un-vetted) influx of information that technology provides.
DeleteTechnology could be tied to leveraging equity. Many high school students that come from economically disadvantaged homes have to work to support their families. Would the option of online courses allow more students to graduate from high school?
DeleteWhile my focus is on the responsiveness of school to minority status students from culturally diverse background, I find the ongoing dialogue regarding the empowerment of teachers and who holds authority in the school particularly compelling. I would benefit from a critical exploration of how the power is displaced within and across schools and who has the voice to create/sustain the current system.
ReplyDeleteIt's Jodi...I am interested partly in teacher empowerment and teachers' rights to receive professional development training in working with children of trauma. When school districts claim to be "trauma-informed" schools, they should be sure everyone in the school is trained in working with ALL children!
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in teacher empowerment from an activist stance. It seems like many people are interested in the school-level (or above) structures that lead to empowerment of certain types of teachers or administrators. I would be interested in exploring this, and then taking it to the next level by getting active in the community to help teachers feel more empowered in their profession.
ReplyDeleteJorli-
ReplyDeleteHi, I feel that school-to-prison pipeline, the issues surrounding immigrants, families and schooling, and culturally/linguistically diverse populations and opportunity/equality can all be boiled down to the same problem of equality of treatment in the school (and world). While these issues can be viewed through many different lense, at the base of the issue is the question of equality.
Anna here:
ReplyDeleteMaybe we could investigate schooling for democracy ( as suggested by Kim and Brioanna) through exploring differences between the US educational system (including the way that students and teachers are empowered/dis-empowered) and educational systems in other countries. Looking at specific problems such as inequalities in our school system (as suggested by Jorli) and comparing these problems to those faced in other places, as well as the solutions that other countries have tried. This might give us a more holistic view of where we are in the US with supporting a more democratic education.