Group Project

Our group was assigned to present an issue in Chapter four, which is on Student Diversity. We decided to do it on cultural diversity. I am going to specifically cover the education response to cultural diversity. I will touch on multiculturalism and culturally responsive teaching. Stefanie is going to cover cultural attitudes and values and Dane is going to be covering urban schools and cultural patterns. We plan to put the information we learn onto a powerpoint and hopefully find a short clip relating to our subject. We also plan to interview one of the teachers we know, we have a few options. This is such a broad topic so it's hard to just break it down into 30 min, but hopefully we can get our main points across in a creative fun way.

Atomic Learning: SPED200 class (January 27th)

On Thursday January 27th we had a presentation on how to use atomic learning and we were also introduced to edutopia. The atomic learning site is a good website to learn new ways of presenting information or how to do new things with technology. It's a great resource to have because everything is there for you right in one website. We specifically looked at how to write papers using APA style format. I think this will be a great resource for me because I always have guestions about how to site my papers so now I can just use this website and everythings there for me. We also looked at more information about blogging. The atomic learning website had a bunch of different applications to learn how to do a variety of things on our blogs. It had information like, how to upload videos, pictures ect. This will also be a great site for all of us since we will using our blogs for the entire semester and hopefully continue using them in the future. The final website we looked at was edutopia, it had a variety of different applications. I found lots of great education articles with great ideas and information for teachers and future teachers. It also gives a list of blogs that they follow on the website with some great discussions for educators. I think this is a great website for teachers to learn about new and creative things for their classrooms and also for me as a student to learn about what I want to do in the future and things I can use for class assignments.

Local Current Event:St.Cloud schools see mixture of spoken languages

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20110129/NEWS01/101290019/St-Cloud-schools-see-mixture-of-spoken-languages

I think it's great that there are so many different languages being spoken in the st.cloud area schools. Not coming from the St.Cloud area, I didn't realize how diverse the community actually was. I also think it's wonderful that these schools offer the ELL program for students who didn't learn english as their first language. It's a great opportunity for students because they still get to be with their classmates and be in the mainstream classroom for the majority of the day. I think having a diverse variety of students is a great way to bring multicuturalism into our classrooms. This is yet another reason why we as teachers need to be educated about issues all over the world and bring multiculturalism into our classrooms.

Global Current Event: Free schools in England

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12308512

The education secretary wants all new schools in England to be free. There has been 249 proposals already, but most of these proposals are in the early stage of the proposal process. There has only been one school that has been approved and they are getting a plan set up. The government has not said how many schools will be opening in the fall, but many have begun their admissions process.

I think it's great that they are giving students the opportunity for free education. Some students come from low income families so this gives them the same oppurtinity to grow in their education as it would for the more wealthy families. I think everyone should have an equal chance for education.

Local Current Event:The reading pays off!

http://www.kare11.com/life/community/schools/education/education_article.aspx?storyid=903917&catid=213

Principal Scott of Maple Grove Elementary school set reading goals for her students. She made a deal if they met her goal she would spend a night on the school roof. She would imagine they would meet the goal sometime in March or April but they actually met it in January! So she had to spend the night in 10 degree weather and her students brought her hand warmers and hot chocolate to keep her warm. They read more than six thousand books combined to meet their goal.

I thought this story was very warming, I think it was great encouragement for the students. It's very important for students to start reading at a young age and hopefully learn to make it a habit. I think schools should really continue to enforce things like " I love to read month," is an example of what we did in our school and I'm sure many other schools do it to. It's a great way to get kids to read and make reading fun.

Global Current Event: Transforming Africa Through Higher Education

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/world/africa/17iht-educSide17.html?_r=1&ref=africa


Mr. Awuah is a man who went to Ghana to study abroad in Africa. Since the education there was so low and after seeing all their struggles he couldn't just sit back and watch them fail. He started by maker sure Ashesi was equipped with modern computer facilities, with the help of Microsoft where he was employed. The school’s bachelor’s program is now designed to collaboration with professors from Berkeley, Swarthmore and the University of Washington, these were the schools Mr. Awuah originally attended. Tuition at Ashesi University is between $10 and $5,000.  Most students benefit from private grants since they wouldn't be able to afford it. The Ashesi University Foundation, based in Seattle, enables U.S. and international donors to support the school. I think it’s very ambitious of this guy to take on such a huge mission, something that seems so impossible. He even said in his article sometimes it feels like they are getting nowhere because there is so much room for improvement. But I think everyone deserves to have an education and the option to further our education at universities. We barely think twice about having so many opportunities for our education here in the United States, we don’t realize what great privileges we have. I hope they continue to improve their education at Ashesi University and further that into other schools in Africa.

Local Current Event: She ate 162 school lunches

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/21/nutrition.year.review/index.html?iref=allsearch

Mrs. Q works at an urban school in the midwest. Her mission was to eat the school lunches and then she would write about them on her blog and also take pictures of what the lunches looked like. This blog caused lots of controversies on what should really be on children's plates. Some experts wanted to argue that not all kids get meals like these in schools, since this school in particular was an inner-city school where most of the children received free/ reduced priced lunches. Mrs. Q said they were starting to make small healthy changes to their lunches and she plans to write a book about her experience. I also think it is very important what children are getting in school today, good food choices would not only make them healthier, but it would also help their performance in school. I think it's sad that some students don't even have the choice to eat healthy because of budget cuts and low income in families. If they don't receive healthy food at home or in school where will they ever learn the healthy eating habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Obviously something needs to be done about school lunches, I think it's always a working progress, but hopefully some day it won't be a problem in schools.

Global Current Event: Shanghai Schools Push Students to Top

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/world/asia/30shanghai.html?_r=1&ref=internationaleducation

In December, an international standardized test was taken by students from Shanghai and 1,500 of those students outperformed students from about 65 different countries. American students came in between 15th and 31st place in three categories on the standardized test. These results proved China's progress in their education programs. But the scores really couldn't be represented of China since it was the majority of   students who scored exceptionally high. Their high scores were probably due to their very disciplined classrooms, rote learning, and test preparation that they teach. I think we need to look at these schools that receive such high scores, like Shanghai schools, and take into consideration what their school systems are doing. I think we should try to take the things that make the schools like these work and try to incorporate them into our school systems. I know nothing is as easy as that, but obviously we aren't doing everything right in our schools systems and there is always room for improvement. One of the teachers in the articles mentioned that discipline is rarely ever a problem in their school. You hear of so many schools in the U.S, like inner-city schools, that have problems with discipline day in and day out. I think it would definitely make it easier to teach in classrooms where the kids are respectful and willing to learn, this would create a great learning environment for the students, but it’s not that easy to teach things, such a discipline. The students need to grow up with this and I think all of that has to do with parenting, which we really can’t change.

The Freedom Writers

1.) Erin hopes to become a motivational and respectful teacher. She also wants to make an impact on the student’s lives. Her goal is to help them achieve in every way she can.

2.) The administration weren’t very helpful in her goals that she had for her students. They weren’t willing to buy the students books that Erin requested so she had to buy them herself.]The students were not cooperative and school wasn’t their first priority by any means. Right away it was a huge struggle and challenge for Erin to get her students motivated and get the administration to appreciate her work.

3.) The students were inner-city kids who came from rough backgrounds. Many of them were into drugs and gangs. Most of the children’s families were broken up and they didn’t have that supportive system most children are privileged with.

4.) At the beginning they had bad attitudes and this affected their academic performance in a negative way. They didn’t put the effort into their school work and their grades showed it.

5.) Erin used journals for the students to write their stories in. This was a way for them to open up to her and a way for them to get things out in the open if they chose to do so. She also used interactive strategies to get the students to communicate and be civil with each other. Through this they learn that they are all struggle in some way and they need to stick together rather than pull apart from each other like they were doing.

6.) Right away the students weren’t so cooperative with her teaching methods, but they grew to respect what she was trying to do. She used books that she had bought, since the administration wouldn’t buy them, to teach the students. Erin used books that they could relate to and would be interested in. She also brought in speakers so they could get education outside the books and the classroom.

7.)  Like I mentioned above Erin used books that she thought the kids would be interested in. This was how she got them to participate and enjoying reading. Another part of the curriculum that really seemed to help the children were the diaries Erin made them write their stories in.

8.) The administration and poor attitudes. They didn’t believe in what Erin was trying to do. They also didn’t believe that the students had the ability to academically achieve like Erin believed they could.

9.) Erin’s expectation about her students had a very positive role on their learning. They didn’t have many people in their lives that had such high expectations for them like she did. This helped them to realize someone does care and they could achieve more than what they were showing.

10.) This movie taught me many different lessons. In regards to my first year of teaching this movie makes me realize it may not always be what you expect right way, but you should make the best out of whatever situation that comes your way.  The way Erin becomes so intrigued with her students and so motivated to get them all to succeed is what inspired me the most. I think all teachers should care about their students like she does and I hope I feel the same way about my students when I become a teacher. I think this movie really shows the struggles of schools and inner-city kids that most of us can’t even imagine. It made me look at teaching outside of what I have known all my life.

Alternative Teacher Licensure

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=900178

I think diversity within teachers is very important so students can learn about different cultures. Which is one of the things this new licensure is said to do. But I do think all teachers should have the same process in order to become a teacher. It's not really fair if someone can get a license in two years vs. someone who can get a license in four years. I do think if they pass this they should make the programs somewhat similar, I think it's important for all teachers to be very educated that's why this licensure could be controversal. But then again who's to say that someone doesn't know just as much is someone who went through four years vs. two. It's hard to measure someones knowledge.

Why I want to become a teacher...

I want to become a teacher because I believe it could be a very rewarding and enjoyable job. I started off thinking I wanted to become a dental hygienist, but after starting my new job at a daycare center I realized I had a different passion. I enjoyed going to work everyday and seeing the kids. It's such an amazing feeling when you can see the childrens' progress after you have taught them something new. Becoming a teacher allows you to be creative and think outside the box. There's always new things that you can teach the kids, but not only that there's things that students can teach their teachers. I think it takes a special person to become a teacher. You have to want to do it for the kids and for their future, not for the pay or the summers off. I'm excited to start my journey in becoming a teacher and I hope to learn alot about the school systems and ways to become a better teacher.

Welcome...

Welcome to my blog. My name is Tori Altermatt and I made this blog for my SPED200 class. I  recently changed my major, and I now plan to become an elementary teacher! :)