Osborne, Jason W. "Testing Stereotype Threat: Does Anxiety Explain Race
and Sex Differences in Achievement?" Contemporary Educational Psychology 26, 291– 310 (2001).
This study investigated the arguments of Claude Steele that persons who belong to a group that has been traditionally stereotyped as academically inferior are less successful in part because of the stereotype itself. These individuals experience more anxiety for fear of personal failure AND for fear of reaffirming the negative stereotype of the group. These groups include both minorities and women. The study took a sample of high school seniors that represent the national population and tested the theory. The result was conclusive evidence that academic achievement is impacted by this anxiety and that math performance was also affected to some degree. Some 41% of performance disparity was explained the anxiety experienced by groups threatened by stereotypes.
This study made clear, logical sense to me. I truly believe that all students have a great potential and it always seemed like their was something missing in the educational achievement gap explanation. School systems that strive for equal opportunities often still see large racial disparities and elevated anxiety levels would explain the issue. If a person sits down to take a test with a clouded, anxious mind that somewhat expects to fail, they are clearly at a disadvantage compared to a peer who sits down thinking that they are expected to succeed. It seems that this greatly different perspective of the risk involved in academics could easily translate to anxiety and thus ability to perform. Students in my class who sit for a test and immediately exclaim "I don't know what to do." often extremely poorly because their anxiety over the test prevents them from even making an honest attempt at it. I think that the racially-motivated anxiety is a special case of that that merits more research.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Unconscious Bias
Moule, Jean. "Understanding Unconscious Bias and Unintentional Racism: Acknowledging our possible biases and working together openly is essential for developing community in our schools."
Phi Delta Kappan. Jan 2009.
Ms. Moule discusses the complex reality of unconscious bias in society and the classroom. Her thesis focuses on the idea that society dictates that racism is an inherently evil practice perpetrated by bad people, but that most of us are walking around with racist biases that we may not even recognize ourselves. From that foundation, the conclusion is that it would be better to seek out and acknowledge our subconscious racist tendencies in order to correct them than to simply shove them under the rug. The most interesting findings in the study were that even anti-racism activists harbored these unconscious sentiments.
I found this article to be very worthwhile and frank discussion about the realities of racism today. Sure there are extremist views on race that are flatly bigoted and cruel, but the reality is that most people are not criminally racist despite having underlying racist tendencies. I think that one of the best things that American society could do to improve race relations is to stop making racial distinctions taboo. As a white woman, I have often felt that the expectation is for me to completely colorblind and that any acknowledgment of other races has the potential to be held against me. I am sure that I have unconscious biases like those described in the article but so long as my actions are consistently fair and well-intentioned, I don't think that I should be fearful of being judged a bigot.
I truly believe that the more time one spends interacting with a variety of human beings (race, religion, lack of religion, sex, sexual orientation, affluence and many other categories make up my definition of "variety") the less unconscious bias they will harbor. Comfort with individual is typically generated overtime, so it seems to follow that the more time one spends with individuals from a particular group, the more likely they are to become comfortable with that group. Personally, after spending the last 4 months with my nearly exclusively Filipino students, I am a lot more comfortable with Filipinos. Prior to my students, I knew a few Filipinos that I liked (many who were in the Navy with my father) but the extended contact has simply increased how much I understand and embrace them. This brings me back to my original point, that if I would have unconsciously offered a negative response to a Filipino accent before, it wasn't a matter of immoral racism, simply a question of the comfort level that I felt as an individual with limited experience.
Phi Delta Kappan. Jan 2009.
Ms. Moule discusses the complex reality of unconscious bias in society and the classroom. Her thesis focuses on the idea that society dictates that racism is an inherently evil practice perpetrated by bad people, but that most of us are walking around with racist biases that we may not even recognize ourselves. From that foundation, the conclusion is that it would be better to seek out and acknowledge our subconscious racist tendencies in order to correct them than to simply shove them under the rug. The most interesting findings in the study were that even anti-racism activists harbored these unconscious sentiments.
I found this article to be very worthwhile and frank discussion about the realities of racism today. Sure there are extremist views on race that are flatly bigoted and cruel, but the reality is that most people are not criminally racist despite having underlying racist tendencies. I think that one of the best things that American society could do to improve race relations is to stop making racial distinctions taboo. As a white woman, I have often felt that the expectation is for me to completely colorblind and that any acknowledgment of other races has the potential to be held against me. I am sure that I have unconscious biases like those described in the article but so long as my actions are consistently fair and well-intentioned, I don't think that I should be fearful of being judged a bigot.
I truly believe that the more time one spends interacting with a variety of human beings (race, religion, lack of religion, sex, sexual orientation, affluence and many other categories make up my definition of "variety") the less unconscious bias they will harbor. Comfort with individual is typically generated overtime, so it seems to follow that the more time one spends with individuals from a particular group, the more likely they are to become comfortable with that group. Personally, after spending the last 4 months with my nearly exclusively Filipino students, I am a lot more comfortable with Filipinos. Prior to my students, I knew a few Filipinos that I liked (many who were in the Navy with my father) but the extended contact has simply increased how much I understand and embrace them. This brings me back to my original point, that if I would have unconsciously offered a negative response to a Filipino accent before, it wasn't a matter of immoral racism, simply a question of the comfort level that I felt as an individual with limited experience.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Multicultural Education: Getting Started
Burnett, Gary. "Varieties of Multicultural Education: An Introduction." ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education: New York, NY. Jun 1994.
Mr. Burnett gives a summary of the types of multicultural education that were commonplace in 1994. The three main categories that he identifies are: content-oriented, student-oriented, and socially-oriented programs. Each of these groups has a different focus and purpose, despite falling under the same banner of "Multicultural Education." Teachers, local boards of education and the Department of Education may choose to focus more heavily on one strategy than other, but the tide of change will compel all parties to move towards at least one of these methods.
Personally, multicultural education is always a hazy topic for me. I went to fairly progressive public schools in Virginia growing up and earned an International Baccalaureate diploma in high school. That meant that my secondary education included more works-in-translation from foreign authors than original-English literature written by Americans. The history classes that I took were from a diverse perspective and focused not only on North America and Europe, but also Africa, Asia, and South America. As such, I think my own experiences were a great leap beyond what this article discussed. Additionally, the diversity of the classroom that I now teach in dictates an immutable multiculturalism. Algebra is fairly limited in intrinsic bias, so I feel that coupled with the melting pot that my students create, there is a fairly casual exchange of culture created.
Mr. Burnett gives a summary of the types of multicultural education that were commonplace in 1994. The three main categories that he identifies are: content-oriented, student-oriented, and socially-oriented programs. Each of these groups has a different focus and purpose, despite falling under the same banner of "Multicultural Education." Teachers, local boards of education and the Department of Education may choose to focus more heavily on one strategy than other, but the tide of change will compel all parties to move towards at least one of these methods.
Personally, multicultural education is always a hazy topic for me. I went to fairly progressive public schools in Virginia growing up and earned an International Baccalaureate diploma in high school. That meant that my secondary education included more works-in-translation from foreign authors than original-English literature written by Americans. The history classes that I took were from a diverse perspective and focused not only on North America and Europe, but also Africa, Asia, and South America. As such, I think my own experiences were a great leap beyond what this article discussed. Additionally, the diversity of the classroom that I now teach in dictates an immutable multiculturalism. Algebra is fairly limited in intrinsic bias, so I feel that coupled with the melting pot that my students create, there is a fairly casual exchange of culture created.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Gender Bias in Education
Sadker, David. "Gender Equity: Still Knocking at the Classroom Door". Educational Leadership, Vol 56 April 1999.
This article considers a "Top Ten" of updates on gender bias in the classroom and in education in general. The purpose is to highlight a variety of sticking points in the move towards gender inequality that are often overshadowed. For example, while tax-supported tertiary education is nearly all coed, there is still a distinct gender divide present in majors. These majors feed into jobs that propagate the reality that women earn less money (due to the nature of their work, not necessarily outright discrimination). Another point made was about high school dropout rates. Boys repeat grades and drop out more often, but female repeaters on the whole are much more likely to become dropouts. The characterization that girls quietly drop out (often due to pregnancy) and do not return, boys drop out "with a crash" but are somewhat more likely to return.
I found many of these statistics and ideas very intriguing. While some of the facts highlighted areas where sexism was clearly to blame for the discrepancy, other problem areas seemed to be the result of personal choice. How do we motivate girls to even out the majors? What if they are capable, but simply still are drawn to being teachers or nurses?
I appreciated that #5 on the list also mentioned the impact of gender bias on males. The article explains that "...[m]ales are less likely to have close friends and more likely to endure alienation
and loneliness at every stage of life. It is males, after all, who experience higher mortality
rates through accidents, violence, and suicide, most of which are male role related." As we focus on traditionally disadvantaged groups, it seems appropriately egalitarian to note the struggles of the traditionally privileged as well.
This article considers a "Top Ten" of updates on gender bias in the classroom and in education in general. The purpose is to highlight a variety of sticking points in the move towards gender inequality that are often overshadowed. For example, while tax-supported tertiary education is nearly all coed, there is still a distinct gender divide present in majors. These majors feed into jobs that propagate the reality that women earn less money (due to the nature of their work, not necessarily outright discrimination). Another point made was about high school dropout rates. Boys repeat grades and drop out more often, but female repeaters on the whole are much more likely to become dropouts. The characterization that girls quietly drop out (often due to pregnancy) and do not return, boys drop out "with a crash" but are somewhat more likely to return.
I found many of these statistics and ideas very intriguing. While some of the facts highlighted areas where sexism was clearly to blame for the discrepancy, other problem areas seemed to be the result of personal choice. How do we motivate girls to even out the majors? What if they are capable, but simply still are drawn to being teachers or nurses?
I appreciated that #5 on the list also mentioned the impact of gender bias on males. The article explains that "...[m]ales are less likely to have close friends and more likely to endure alienation
and loneliness at every stage of life. It is males, after all, who experience higher mortality
rates through accidents, violence, and suicide, most of which are male role related." As we focus on traditionally disadvantaged groups, it seems appropriately egalitarian to note the struggles of the traditionally privileged as well.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Cognative Education
Haywood, H. Carl. "Thinking In, Around, and About The Curriculum: The Role of Cognitive Education." Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
Mr. Haywood's article brought up a variety of interesting idea about the current state of educational reform. He explains that education is in an endless drive towards reform and highlighted current examples of that. The three ideas that I found most interesting are (1) that we have only recently begun to approach the goal of formal education as being occupational proficiency (2) that recent studies have show that 40% of Americans are not literate to a functional level and (3) that teaching students to think is more and more critical.
I am partial to the idea of cognitive education because I think that it is the most sustainable way to impart knowledge. It's easy to memorize facts, but if students also learn the thinking process, they are able to rediscover the answers on their own later. It also allows them to make connections to content not specifically covered. I'm not sure that I focus enough on teaching thought-processes on a regular basis. I talk about the process for solving problems, but I don't fully explore the thinking behind it.
Mr. Haywood's article brought up a variety of interesting idea about the current state of educational reform. He explains that education is in an endless drive towards reform and highlighted current examples of that. The three ideas that I found most interesting are (1) that we have only recently begun to approach the goal of formal education as being occupational proficiency (2) that recent studies have show that 40% of Americans are not literate to a functional level and (3) that teaching students to think is more and more critical.
I am partial to the idea of cognitive education because I think that it is the most sustainable way to impart knowledge. It's easy to memorize facts, but if students also learn the thinking process, they are able to rediscover the answers on their own later. It also allows them to make connections to content not specifically covered. I'm not sure that I focus enough on teaching thought-processes on a regular basis. I talk about the process for solving problems, but I don't fully explore the thinking behind it.
Culturally Responsive Instruction
Jones, Shelley. "Culturally Responsive Instruction"
Jones' article discussed a new curriculum being implemented in California. Culturally responsive, standards-based instruction (CRSBI) is the new wave of pedagogy that aims not only to focus on the state standards for education, but also to fully account for the culture of the students in the classroom. The article points out that American schools are designed for white, middle-class kids (with all of the financial and cultural implications supported by that label) rather than the wide variety of students that actually matriculate. Students whose culture is not reflected in instruction (both content and style) are likely to face unfair hurdles in their journey to academic success.
I agree with the ideas expressed by Jones but, as with many educational trends, I question its viability and potentially over-idealistic nature. The focus on cultural sensitivity is important, but I worry that it invited stereotyping by instructors and could lead to just as much trouble as the current system. Asking teachers to consider what social differences exist for certain groups and to tactfully steer them back towards the mainstream is risky. How easy would it be for teachers to overgeneralize and offend students or parents? How likely is it that teachers would consistently express the concept of "code-switching" eloquently and inoffensively?
Some apects of CRSBI were very practical: the inclusion of different cultures' viewpoints in content and the use of diverse examples, for example, but I would still be hesitant about the more complex parts of the program.
Jones' article discussed a new curriculum being implemented in California. Culturally responsive, standards-based instruction (CRSBI) is the new wave of pedagogy that aims not only to focus on the state standards for education, but also to fully account for the culture of the students in the classroom. The article points out that American schools are designed for white, middle-class kids (with all of the financial and cultural implications supported by that label) rather than the wide variety of students that actually matriculate. Students whose culture is not reflected in instruction (both content and style) are likely to face unfair hurdles in their journey to academic success.
I agree with the ideas expressed by Jones but, as with many educational trends, I question its viability and potentially over-idealistic nature. The focus on cultural sensitivity is important, but I worry that it invited stereotyping by instructors and could lead to just as much trouble as the current system. Asking teachers to consider what social differences exist for certain groups and to tactfully steer them back towards the mainstream is risky. How easy would it be for teachers to overgeneralize and offend students or parents? How likely is it that teachers would consistently express the concept of "code-switching" eloquently and inoffensively?
Some apects of CRSBI were very practical: the inclusion of different cultures' viewpoints in content and the use of diverse examples, for example, but I would still be hesitant about the more complex parts of the program.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Setting Goals and Objectives (focus on I Can System)
Moore, Kenneth D. Chapter 3: Setting Goals and Objectives. Effective Instructional Strategies. Sage: Los Angeles, 2009. Pages 60-91
This chapter outlines the importance of setting goals and objectives for your teaching and being able to appropriately discern the two terms. An educational goal can be somewhat vague and abstract. (Example given: The student will develop computer literacy.) The goal serves as the overarching idea behind informational and instructional objectives. Both types of objectives are concrete and actionable (examples given: The student will be able to use a word-processing software program./Given a set of specific requirements, the student will be able to use a word-processing program to write a one-pare paper with no errors). They each focus on the specifics of what needs to get done to meet the standards. Moore underscores the value in breaking up benchmarks and course content as a way to achieve success and to hold oneself accountable for shortcomings.
In my experience with the I Can math curriculum, the alignment of goals and objectives to benchmarks has been the highlight. The system is controversial on many fronts, but in terms of laying out a clear course map with goals and objectives, it is spot-on. Each “I can” statement lays out an informational objective and the corresponding quizzes and tests are a pragmatic version of instructional objectives.
Four elements of instructional objectives are laid out: performance, product, conditions, and criterion. (page 74-75) Each one is met clearly by the “I can” quiz for that objective. The quizzes lock in the performance and product components easily. There is some room for teacher discretion in the conditions and criterion, but the overall expectations have been communicated throughout the department to limit variation. I found in reading this chapter that the I Can system, while frustrating, does have a great deal of merit with respect to alignment of goals and objective.
This chapter outlines the importance of setting goals and objectives for your teaching and being able to appropriately discern the two terms. An educational goal can be somewhat vague and abstract. (Example given: The student will develop computer literacy.) The goal serves as the overarching idea behind informational and instructional objectives. Both types of objectives are concrete and actionable (examples given: The student will be able to use a word-processing software program./Given a set of specific requirements, the student will be able to use a word-processing program to write a one-pare paper with no errors). They each focus on the specifics of what needs to get done to meet the standards. Moore underscores the value in breaking up benchmarks and course content as a way to achieve success and to hold oneself accountable for shortcomings.
In my experience with the I Can math curriculum, the alignment of goals and objectives to benchmarks has been the highlight. The system is controversial on many fronts, but in terms of laying out a clear course map with goals and objectives, it is spot-on. Each “I can” statement lays out an informational objective and the corresponding quizzes and tests are a pragmatic version of instructional objectives.
Four elements of instructional objectives are laid out: performance, product, conditions, and criterion. (page 74-75) Each one is met clearly by the “I can” quiz for that objective. The quizzes lock in the performance and product components easily. There is some room for teacher discretion in the conditions and criterion, but the overall expectations have been communicated throughout the department to limit variation. I found in reading this chapter that the I Can system, while frustrating, does have a great deal of merit with respect to alignment of goals and objective.
Ableism
Hehir, Thomas. Improving Instruction for Students with Learning Needs: Confronting Ableism Educational Leadership. Feb 2007. Volume 64, No. 5, pg 8-14.
In his article, "Improving Instruction for Students with Learning Needs: Confronting Ableism," Thomas Hehir discusses the results of negative stereotypes and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities on their ability to succeed in the academic setting. He laments the push to force students with disabilities to adhere to the identical standards of able peers while emphasizing that effective accommodations can be made when done correctly. Drawing attention to the disparity in the severity of disabilities, he outlines various groups of learners and the effect that ableism has had on them.
Reading this article, I found that the confusion amongst his conclusions to be a very accurate reflection of reality. Students run the gamut of mild to severely disabled and correspondingly varied approaches must be taken. In particular, Hehir dances around both sides of the issue when it comes to whether or not the typical societal goal of wanting students with disabilities to be like “normal” kids is progressive or heinous. He applauds the NCLB regulation that students should be in the least intensive environment possible, but also sneered at the idea that disabled students should be encouraged to hang out with non-disabled students. Both ideas have good reasoning behind them, but do not give a clear dictate to educators for how to reconcile the current situation with the ideal situation.
The term ableism opens the floor to a many areas of debate but it seems to me that individuality is really the crux of the argument. The driving force behind ableism is that students, with or without disabilities AND with or without extraordinary abilities, deserve to be treated as the unique individuals that they are. Students who can move past their disabilities should be afforded the tools to make that transition. Students who cannot leave their ability limitations in the dust must be accommodated and supported until they have reached their true full potential.
In his article, "Improving Instruction for Students with Learning Needs: Confronting Ableism," Thomas Hehir discusses the results of negative stereotypes and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities on their ability to succeed in the academic setting. He laments the push to force students with disabilities to adhere to the identical standards of able peers while emphasizing that effective accommodations can be made when done correctly. Drawing attention to the disparity in the severity of disabilities, he outlines various groups of learners and the effect that ableism has had on them.
Reading this article, I found that the confusion amongst his conclusions to be a very accurate reflection of reality. Students run the gamut of mild to severely disabled and correspondingly varied approaches must be taken. In particular, Hehir dances around both sides of the issue when it comes to whether or not the typical societal goal of wanting students with disabilities to be like “normal” kids is progressive or heinous. He applauds the NCLB regulation that students should be in the least intensive environment possible, but also sneered at the idea that disabled students should be encouraged to hang out with non-disabled students. Both ideas have good reasoning behind them, but do not give a clear dictate to educators for how to reconcile the current situation with the ideal situation.
The term ableism opens the floor to a many areas of debate but it seems to me that individuality is really the crux of the argument. The driving force behind ableism is that students, with or without disabilities AND with or without extraordinary abilities, deserve to be treated as the unique individuals that they are. Students who can move past their disabilities should be afforded the tools to make that transition. Students who cannot leave their ability limitations in the dust must be accommodated and supported until they have reached their true full potential.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
ELL and Early Intervention
Gyovai, Lisa Klett, Lefki Kourea, Amanda Yurick, and Lenwood Gibson. “Early reading intervention: responding to the learning needs of young at-risk English language learners.” Learning Disability Quarterly; Summer2009, Vol. 32 Issue 3, p143-162, 20p.
This study researched the benefits of the Early Reading Intervention (ERI) designed by Simmons and Kame’enui on the literacy skills of 12 kindergarten/first-grade English language learners (ELLs) in an urban setting. Students were evaluated on their phoneme segmentation fluency (PSF) and nonsense word fluency (NWF). The study showed that this intervention at such a young age was effective in improving students’ ability to segment phonemes and to pronounce letter sounds correctly. It also showed that the time spent on the program correlated to the gains made.
The article detailed many motivators for the investing in such a program. One pair of statistics was particularly staggering: nearly 75% of ELL students are below grade level of reading and 56% of ELLs being served in Special Ed were referred because of reading. Additionally, about 50% of ELL students were below grade level in math.
While the scope of the study was fairly limited, the success rate was impressive and raised a powerful issue: is there something that can be done to keep students out of special education with programs like this one? While special educations are and should be an important part of the public education system, it does not behoove students to spend years in special education when the root of the problem is a lack of English proficiency. I have a number of ELL students and while there are a couple that may also legitimately need special education services, the lack of language proficiency puts a heavy fog over their problems that makes it difficult to ascertain exactly where they lie.
This study researched the benefits of the Early Reading Intervention (ERI) designed by Simmons and Kame’enui on the literacy skills of 12 kindergarten/first-grade English language learners (ELLs) in an urban setting. Students were evaluated on their phoneme segmentation fluency (PSF) and nonsense word fluency (NWF). The study showed that this intervention at such a young age was effective in improving students’ ability to segment phonemes and to pronounce letter sounds correctly. It also showed that the time spent on the program correlated to the gains made.
The article detailed many motivators for the investing in such a program. One pair of statistics was particularly staggering: nearly 75% of ELL students are below grade level of reading and 56% of ELLs being served in Special Ed were referred because of reading. Additionally, about 50% of ELL students were below grade level in math.
While the scope of the study was fairly limited, the success rate was impressive and raised a powerful issue: is there something that can be done to keep students out of special education with programs like this one? While special educations are and should be an important part of the public education system, it does not behoove students to spend years in special education when the root of the problem is a lack of English proficiency. I have a number of ELL students and while there are a couple that may also legitimately need special education services, the lack of language proficiency puts a heavy fog over their problems that makes it difficult to ascertain exactly where they lie.
Cultural Capital Flow Analysis
Collier, Peter and David Morgan. “’Is That Paper Really Due Today?’: Differences in First-Generation and Traditional College Students’ Understandings of Faculty Expectations”. Higher Education; Apr. 2008, Vol. 55 Issue 4, p425-446, 22p, 1 diagram.
The concept of cultural capital is an critical idea can be examined in a variety of academic contexts. This particular study explored the effects of cultural capital by investigating the success of first-generation and traditional college students. The comparisons drawn between the two groups were used to illustrate the academic value that individuals’ backgrounds contributed throughout college. While it has been well documented that first-generation students have significantly lower retention rate, this study looked at to a particular cause: the ability to “play the role of college students”.
Based on panel research of professors and students, it became clear that there was a link between the ability to meet professors’ expectations and the familial background of students. Researchers concluded that because of the cultural capital that traditional college students brought with them, they were often more capable of navigating the world of tertiary education. They more easily picked up on the “implicit expectations and other tacit understandings” communicated by professors. Thus, traditional students were more successful because they were able to demonstrate their abilities better than their first-generation peers with similar academic ability. The reality of assessed ability, as opposed to actual ability, was a major cause of the perceived disparity in the two groups.
Using the information from this study, even taking into account its limitations are a purely qualitative study; I can see a major connection to my students and my school. The school spends a great deal of time working to send more of our graduates to college despite the reality that many of our students are not successful at the collegiate level. While this article focuses on the role that parents traditionally play in developing cultural capital, I see potential to contribute personally to my students’ cultural capital. If the essential conclusion is that a steady supply of cultural capital will facilitate success, why should their only resource be their families? Holding my students to high standards and adding enrichment opportunities that open their eyes to the beaux-arts and politics could easily increase the amount of cultural capital with which they graduate. Rather than simply aiming to get our students into college, we need to focus on getting them there with the tools to be successful.
The concept of cultural capital is an critical idea can be examined in a variety of academic contexts. This particular study explored the effects of cultural capital by investigating the success of first-generation and traditional college students. The comparisons drawn between the two groups were used to illustrate the academic value that individuals’ backgrounds contributed throughout college. While it has been well documented that first-generation students have significantly lower retention rate, this study looked at to a particular cause: the ability to “play the role of college students”.
Based on panel research of professors and students, it became clear that there was a link between the ability to meet professors’ expectations and the familial background of students. Researchers concluded that because of the cultural capital that traditional college students brought with them, they were often more capable of navigating the world of tertiary education. They more easily picked up on the “implicit expectations and other tacit understandings” communicated by professors. Thus, traditional students were more successful because they were able to demonstrate their abilities better than their first-generation peers with similar academic ability. The reality of assessed ability, as opposed to actual ability, was a major cause of the perceived disparity in the two groups.
Using the information from this study, even taking into account its limitations are a purely qualitative study; I can see a major connection to my students and my school. The school spends a great deal of time working to send more of our graduates to college despite the reality that many of our students are not successful at the collegiate level. While this article focuses on the role that parents traditionally play in developing cultural capital, I see potential to contribute personally to my students’ cultural capital. If the essential conclusion is that a steady supply of cultural capital will facilitate success, why should their only resource be their families? Holding my students to high standards and adding enrichment opportunities that open their eyes to the beaux-arts and politics could easily increase the amount of cultural capital with which they graduate. Rather than simply aiming to get our students into college, we need to focus on getting them there with the tools to be successful.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Models of Teaching
In Chapter 11 of the Skillful Teacher, the authors review eight main models of teaching, patterns of instruction, the difference between the two categories, and offer current outlooks on the topics. The models of teaching are grouped into four "families" of information processing, social, personal and behavioral. Each family focuses on a different area of the learner's development and leverages that area to transfer knowledge and skills.
What I found most interesting was the description of the Advanced Organizer Method. It gave a description of a method that helps students to find meaning in the content due to the subject's own interrelatedness. It cited math as a specific example and it was easy to see how this might help to push students forward. If I (or any other teacher for that matter) was able to get students invested enough in math, this approach could easily lock them into continuing to stay invested. Getting ninth graders to recongize the intrigue of how math all comes together would be the lynch pin for maximizing this model.
What I found most interesting was the description of the Advanced Organizer Method. It gave a description of a method that helps students to find meaning in the content due to the subject's own interrelatedness. It cited math as a specific example and it was easy to see how this might help to push students forward. If I (or any other teacher for that matter) was able to get students invested enough in math, this approach could easily lock them into continuing to stay invested. Getting ninth graders to recongize the intrigue of how math all comes together would be the lynch pin for maximizing this model.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Indirect Teaching Methods: Let's find out together, shall we?
Moore, Kenneth D. Effective Instructional Strategies. Chapter 6: Using Indirect Teaching Methods
In this chapter, Moore tackles the more progressive styles of teaching, indirect methods that follow discussion-based and heuristic strategies. The Discussion Method is a valuable, if underused, technique that allows students to supply much of their own content and to reach conclusions mostly on their own. The two main heuristic strategies examined were discovery learning and inquiry learning. Each method relies on the students to engage new material (armed with background knowledge and a bit of teacher guidance) to solve or explore problems independently. These methods can yield an impressive amount of self-motivation and retention but also are very costly in terms of planning time and structure.
As an Algebra teacher, I see room for this technique, but only for certain topics within my content. Algebra requires a great deal of skill development and serves as an essential foundation for all other math and science, thus lending itself less to consistently indirect teaching methods. For other subjects such as science, social studies, and language arts, the utility of these methods is far more transparent to me. Students can see a chemical reaction and surmise how is occurred or they can study events in history and literature and develop theories on the impact of those events.
For mathematics, we can work together to derive some formulas and Properties, but the value in students discovering these things on their own seems lower than for other content areas. As I have discussed before, I also harbor concerns about how effective this type of strategy is in classrooms where self-motivation is lacking. In my mind, self-motivation would have to be established in order to use these indirect methods effectively.
In this chapter, Moore tackles the more progressive styles of teaching, indirect methods that follow discussion-based and heuristic strategies. The Discussion Method is a valuable, if underused, technique that allows students to supply much of their own content and to reach conclusions mostly on their own. The two main heuristic strategies examined were discovery learning and inquiry learning. Each method relies on the students to engage new material (armed with background knowledge and a bit of teacher guidance) to solve or explore problems independently. These methods can yield an impressive amount of self-motivation and retention but also are very costly in terms of planning time and structure.
As an Algebra teacher, I see room for this technique, but only for certain topics within my content. Algebra requires a great deal of skill development and serves as an essential foundation for all other math and science, thus lending itself less to consistently indirect teaching methods. For other subjects such as science, social studies, and language arts, the utility of these methods is far more transparent to me. Students can see a chemical reaction and surmise how is occurred or they can study events in history and literature and develop theories on the impact of those events.
For mathematics, we can work together to derive some formulas and Properties, but the value in students discovering these things on their own seems lower than for other content areas. As I have discussed before, I also harbor concerns about how effective this type of strategy is in classrooms where self-motivation is lacking. In my mind, self-motivation would have to be established in order to use these indirect methods effectively.
Direct Teaching Methods: Get to the Point Already
Moore, Kenneth D. Effective Instructional Strategies. Chapter 5: Using Direct Teaching Methods
Moore outlines the major pros and cons of direct instruction in the fifth chapter of his book, Effective Instructional Strategies. While direct instruction has gotten a bad rap for being too traditional and teacher-focused, Mr. Moore was able to illuminate both sides of the debate. On one hand, there is merit to the current criticism; direct instruction is a low student-involvement method that is often employed due to the limited planning required. Conversely, it is an efficient way to express material and can be done in a manner which invites engagement. Specifically, the way in which questioning is used to augment the lecture can allow a teacher to turn a potential ineffective method into a potent way to transfer knowledge and skills to students.
In reading this chapter, it struck me that a great weakness with lecture is that it is often used as a crutch to take the place of more considered instruction. When teachers are using plain vanilla lecture as a way to means of simplifying their lives, no doubt it is an ineffective strategy. In my experience, when I give lessons in a lecture format but supplement them with student questioning and numerous examples, I feel as though I have intentionally chosen an efficient, effective method. Making certain to use questioning to extract potential misunderstandings (Are you sure that's a negative 7? Why wouldn't it be positive?) and involving students with solving small parts of large equations has proven successful in mitigating the downsides of lecture.
Moore outlines the major pros and cons of direct instruction in the fifth chapter of his book, Effective Instructional Strategies. While direct instruction has gotten a bad rap for being too traditional and teacher-focused, Mr. Moore was able to illuminate both sides of the debate. On one hand, there is merit to the current criticism; direct instruction is a low student-involvement method that is often employed due to the limited planning required. Conversely, it is an efficient way to express material and can be done in a manner which invites engagement. Specifically, the way in which questioning is used to augment the lecture can allow a teacher to turn a potential ineffective method into a potent way to transfer knowledge and skills to students.
In reading this chapter, it struck me that a great weakness with lecture is that it is often used as a crutch to take the place of more considered instruction. When teachers are using plain vanilla lecture as a way to means of simplifying their lives, no doubt it is an ineffective strategy. In my experience, when I give lessons in a lecture format but supplement them with student questioning and numerous examples, I feel as though I have intentionally chosen an efficient, effective method. Making certain to use questioning to extract potential misunderstandings (Are you sure that's a negative 7? Why wouldn't it be positive?) and involving students with solving small parts of large equations has proven successful in mitigating the downsides of lecture.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Standards-Based Instruction
Thompson, Carla J. “Preparation, practice, and performance: An empirical examination of the impact of Standards-based Instruction on secondary students' math and science achievement.” Research in Education; May2009, Issue 81, p53-62. EBScohost 16 Sept 09.
Preparation, practice, and performance: An empirical examination of the impact of Standards-based Instruction on secondary students' math and science achievement” provides an analysis of a study done in Oklahoma City from 2000-2002. The study involved over 10,000 student participants and tracked the impact of the use of Standards-based Instruction (SBI) on students standardized test scores. The research showed that there was empirical support for the effectiveness of SBI, in particular the P3: Preparation, Practice, and Performance framework. The study was significant both because of its magnitude (and correspondent reliability) and because of its affirmation of the claims made by SBI reform advocates.
In addition to the overall conclusion that SBI is effective, there were many intriguing trends between varying gender and ethnic groups. For example, it was found that for females manipulatives and self-assessment were effective in math where males’ success was more likely to be achieved through the use of calculators. My personal experience in teaching math aligns well with this claim. I have certainly seen the males in my classroom rely on calculators due to poor arithmetic skills where the females are more likely to need tools for the bigger picture of concepts.
One potential weakness that I detect in the study is the issue of how frequently SBI techniques are employed. It discusses the reality that SBI is just taking root, but it concerns me that rather than an attribute of the current educational landscape, the rarity of SBI is cause for a greater weakness in the study. Supposing that the primarily innovative, reflective teachers are the ones that choose to pursue the newer SBI methods, are those also likely to simply be better teachers? Regardless of the type of activity that is being used, a better teacher should have better results. I would be curious to see how well that discrepancy could be accounted for in future studies.
Preparation, practice, and performance: An empirical examination of the impact of Standards-based Instruction on secondary students' math and science achievement” provides an analysis of a study done in Oklahoma City from 2000-2002. The study involved over 10,000 student participants and tracked the impact of the use of Standards-based Instruction (SBI) on students standardized test scores. The research showed that there was empirical support for the effectiveness of SBI, in particular the P3: Preparation, Practice, and Performance framework. The study was significant both because of its magnitude (and correspondent reliability) and because of its affirmation of the claims made by SBI reform advocates.
In addition to the overall conclusion that SBI is effective, there were many intriguing trends between varying gender and ethnic groups. For example, it was found that for females manipulatives and self-assessment were effective in math where males’ success was more likely to be achieved through the use of calculators. My personal experience in teaching math aligns well with this claim. I have certainly seen the males in my classroom rely on calculators due to poor arithmetic skills where the females are more likely to need tools for the bigger picture of concepts.
One potential weakness that I detect in the study is the issue of how frequently SBI techniques are employed. It discusses the reality that SBI is just taking root, but it concerns me that rather than an attribute of the current educational landscape, the rarity of SBI is cause for a greater weakness in the study. Supposing that the primarily innovative, reflective teachers are the ones that choose to pursue the newer SBI methods, are those also likely to simply be better teachers? Regardless of the type of activity that is being used, a better teacher should have better results. I would be curious to see how well that discrepancy could be accounted for in future studies.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Assessments: Self vs. Teacher Administered
“Student Self Evaluation, Teacher Evaluation, and Learner Performace.” Oline, Zone and Howard J Sullivan. Educational Technology Research & Development; 2004, Vol. 52 Issue 3, p5-22, 18p. Ebscohost. 16 Sept 09.
“Student Self Evaluation, Teacher Evaluation, and Learner Performance.” reported on a study that researched the efficacy of different assessment methods. The comparison was drawn between different administrators of assessment: self, teacher, or self-plus-teacher (along with a control without in-program evaluation). Using eight teachers and 341 high school students, the study was conducted in Latvian school over the course of a 12 lesson long program of study. An independent evaluator rated the efficacy of each method and determined that the students who used self-plus-teacher evaluations were best. Additionally, the evaluator determined that while those students earned higher ratings, there was a ancillary benefit for students who did self-evaluation because of the increase in self-confidence in their mastery of the unit.
Many of the conclusions made were simply logical and none-too-surprising. The most comprehensive form of assessment proved to be the most effective, not doubt because it offers the widest cross-section of students with a method that worked for him or her personally. Without explicitly differentiating each lesson, this format does build in differentiation because students will experience their preferred method at least some of the time. This could certainly supplement any displeasure or frustration with the misfit of the non-preferred method.
The study evoked much more curiosity from me during the discussion of the self-administered assessment. Student expressed a concern about not know if they were being sufficiently objective in their evaluations. One subject gave the following quote, “I think that is very difficult to evaluate oneself. When writing your work you already think that it is the best. And you write it in a way that you find the best. I don’t know. It is very hard [to evaluate oneself].” This student does not sound like the majority of my students. While many teachers lament the lack of student questions, my experience is that students will (persistently) ask questions when confused and are often helpless to move forward until given assistance.
What would the self-assessment model look like for my keiki or for low-achieving students in general? I can’t imagine most of my kids telling me they are sure that they think most of their answers are “the best” or even correct. I suspect that they would be all too likely to grade only at the extremes. In my use of self-reflective behavior grades, I saw many ratings of A and D but many fewer B and C grades. Whether this has to do with their academic profiles or could be corrected with a clear rubric to explain expectations, I am not sure. I am much more sure that I am more confident in the idea of moderation in all things and the use of mixed self-and-teacher evaluations.
“Student Self Evaluation, Teacher Evaluation, and Learner Performance.” reported on a study that researched the efficacy of different assessment methods. The comparison was drawn between different administrators of assessment: self, teacher, or self-plus-teacher (along with a control without in-program evaluation). Using eight teachers and 341 high school students, the study was conducted in Latvian school over the course of a 12 lesson long program of study. An independent evaluator rated the efficacy of each method and determined that the students who used self-plus-teacher evaluations were best. Additionally, the evaluator determined that while those students earned higher ratings, there was a ancillary benefit for students who did self-evaluation because of the increase in self-confidence in their mastery of the unit.
Many of the conclusions made were simply logical and none-too-surprising. The most comprehensive form of assessment proved to be the most effective, not doubt because it offers the widest cross-section of students with a method that worked for him or her personally. Without explicitly differentiating each lesson, this format does build in differentiation because students will experience their preferred method at least some of the time. This could certainly supplement any displeasure or frustration with the misfit of the non-preferred method.
The study evoked much more curiosity from me during the discussion of the self-administered assessment. Student expressed a concern about not know if they were being sufficiently objective in their evaluations. One subject gave the following quote, “I think that is very difficult to evaluate oneself. When writing your work you already think that it is the best. And you write it in a way that you find the best. I don’t know. It is very hard [to evaluate oneself].” This student does not sound like the majority of my students. While many teachers lament the lack of student questions, my experience is that students will (persistently) ask questions when confused and are often helpless to move forward until given assistance.
What would the self-assessment model look like for my keiki or for low-achieving students in general? I can’t imagine most of my kids telling me they are sure that they think most of their answers are “the best” or even correct. I suspect that they would be all too likely to grade only at the extremes. In my use of self-reflective behavior grades, I saw many ratings of A and D but many fewer B and C grades. Whether this has to do with their academic profiles or could be corrected with a clear rubric to explain expectations, I am not sure. I am much more sure that I am more confident in the idea of moderation in all things and the use of mixed self-and-teacher evaluations.
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