Since we as future educators will have to deal with bullying, I decided to post a short essay I wrote on the topic.
Bullying is direct behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing that are initiated by one or more students against a victim. Bullying in schools has become a worldwide problem. Students are entitled to learn in school without the fear of being victimized. Bullying creates an unsafe school environment for students and faculty members. The act of bullying not only has negative consequences for the victims; it also affects the bullies as well. Children who are bullies in school often grow up to be criminals and low achievers. Victims of bullies grow up to be antisocial and angry individuals. They also become violent. In the past few years there have been several incidents of victimized students coming to school to attack the person or persons who are responsible for the bullying. In addition to direct bullying there is indirect bullying. Indirect bullying involves causing a student to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion. Girls usually participate in this form of bullying. An example of indirect bullying is the spreading of rumors to force social isolation. Whether the bullying is direct or indirect, any form of repeated intimidation is wrong.
In my classroom, I plan to deal with every incident of bullying that I am aware of. I will have to pay close attentions to the students and be able to pick up any characteristics of bullying. Some characteristics of bullies are the need to feel in control of others and the little to no empathy bullies express for their victims. The victimized students display characteristics such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and antisocial behavior. I would have conflict resolution workshops and peer counseling for the students involved. Having other students cooperate in developing classroom rules against bullying can be effective. I would also increase the parental awareness and involvement. The parents will be asked to participate in the prevention of bullying done to their child or by their child. The school as a whole should be involved in the intervention of bullying. There should be non-bullying policies implemented to deter the victimization of students.
As a teacher it is difficult being aware of everything that goes on in the classroom. To help victimized students I will promote social skills that allow them to improve on their self-esteem. From my personal experience I have seen students be harassed and abused while the teacher is oblivious to the situation. I want my students to feel safe when they come to class. Hopefully my means of intervention will help defuse the situation or appoint someone to the victims or bullies that will be of better help to them.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Mixed Results for New Jersey Students On Statewide Tests
As required by the state, 3rd through 8th grade students and 11th grade students are required to take and pass an assessment test. Each test is scored from 100 to 300. A score of 200 is considered proficient (passing).
The New York Times reported that elementary students performed the best overall. At least 80% of the students tested in grades 3, 4, and 5 passed in both math and language arts. Middle school students showed improvement from last year’s math scores but they made little to no progress in language arts. Students in the 11th grade were the only ones to perform substandard on the math test but showed improvement in language arts.
Test results are important because schools that repeatedly fail to meet federal standards face discipline actions that can include limits on how federal money is spent. In some cases, schools are restructured, often resulting in the replacement of the principal, administrators, and teachers.
Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy stated that the state education officials are in the process of developing a plan to improve performance in both middle and high school.
A link to a PowerPoint presentation of the test results is provided below.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/schools/achievement/2008/pres_files/frame.htm
The New York Times reported that elementary students performed the best overall. At least 80% of the students tested in grades 3, 4, and 5 passed in both math and language arts. Middle school students showed improvement from last year’s math scores but they made little to no progress in language arts. Students in the 11th grade were the only ones to perform substandard on the math test but showed improvement in language arts.
Test results are important because schools that repeatedly fail to meet federal standards face discipline actions that can include limits on how federal money is spent. In some cases, schools are restructured, often resulting in the replacement of the principal, administrators, and teachers.
Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy stated that the state education officials are in the process of developing a plan to improve performance in both middle and high school.
A link to a PowerPoint presentation of the test results is provided below.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/schools/achievement/2008/pres_files/frame.htm
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Another College Shooting
A nursing student at Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge, L.A. opened fire yesterday on two of her classmates before taking her own life. At this time no one knows the motive for the tragic incident. The police learned of the incident after students started calling 911 simultaneously. The police arrived within four minutes. Students in the classroom and others surrounding the area were questioned briefly before being sent home. Classes were cancelled yesterday and will resume either Tuesday or Wednesday.
My condolence goes out to the families of the victims.
To read more about it I posted a link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/us/09campus.html?ref=education
My condolence goes out to the families of the victims.
To read more about it I posted a link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/us/09campus.html?ref=education
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Online Schooling
A recent article in The New York Times notes that online schooling is rapidly becoming the alternative to the traditional classroom schooling in some states. Wisconsin and Florida have a large number of school-aged children being educated by virtual public schools. There are two types of virtual schools. One type of virtual school is led and financed by the state, but it does not offer students a diploma. Instead it offers courses that complement regular class work at a traditional school. This virtual school is geared towards middle and high school students. The other virtual school is a full-time online charter school. The schools are publicly financed and are geared toward elementary and middle school students.
With virtual schooling, students would often download assignments and communicate with their certified teacher sporadically via Internet. These students are not considered “home-schoolers” because the online schools are financed by taxpayers and subject to federal testing requirements. The students are legally public school students.
Parents and some educators support virtual schools because the students can work at their own pace and they can receive an education without physically being present in the classroom. However, the article mentioned that virtual schools could create risk concerning the quality of the students’ education. Another downfall is that money is taken from school districts to support the virtual school in that town.
I would rather see high school students participate in online school because the majority of colleges in the United States conduct online courses. The online school will prepare them for online courses if they attend college. As for the elementary and middle school students, it is not a good idea to remove them from the classroom at such a young age. They will miss out on the advantages of a formal education if they participate in online schooling. A few things they will lose are the interaction with other classmates and the personal connection and support from a classroom teacher.
I provided a link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/education/01virtual.html
With virtual schooling, students would often download assignments and communicate with their certified teacher sporadically via Internet. These students are not considered “home-schoolers” because the online schools are financed by taxpayers and subject to federal testing requirements. The students are legally public school students.
Parents and some educators support virtual schools because the students can work at their own pace and they can receive an education without physically being present in the classroom. However, the article mentioned that virtual schools could create risk concerning the quality of the students’ education. Another downfall is that money is taken from school districts to support the virtual school in that town.
I would rather see high school students participate in online school because the majority of colleges in the United States conduct online courses. The online school will prepare them for online courses if they attend college. As for the elementary and middle school students, it is not a good idea to remove them from the classroom at such a young age. They will miss out on the advantages of a formal education if they participate in online schooling. A few things they will lose are the interaction with other classmates and the personal connection and support from a classroom teacher.
I provided a link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/education/01virtual.html
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Block Scheduling: Friend of Foe???
What is block scheduling?
“In contrast with the traditional daily, six-, seven-, or eight-period schedule, a block schedule consists of three or four daily longer periods. Commonly used forms of block scheduling are the alternate-day schedule, the 4/4-semester plan, and the trimester plan.”
I experienced the block scheduling from seventh grade until I graduated from high school. I happened to like the set up because most of the teachers I had used the time effectively. However, there were a few teachers who BORED me with their lectures. So below I listed the pros and cons of block scheduling. Check it out!!!
Pros
1. More time for learning and student-teacher interaction
2. Teachers have more planning time
3. More time to work with students who are not grasping the material
4. Less stress for both the teacher and students
5. Have fewer classes to prepare for
Cons
1. Students may not receive instruction in a particular subject for a large number of time
2. It exceeds the students’ attention span
3. If a student misses a day of school it will be harder to catch up because a large amount of the material would be covered in the class
4. Difficult to cover all the material in an Advanced Placement course
5. Subjects requiring repetition, like mathematics and foreign languages, are difficult to teach in this format
Here are some links that discuss block scheduling:
http://www.jefflindsay.com/Block.shtml
http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=667
http://712educators.about.com/cs/blockschedule/a/blockschedule.htm
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin029.shtml
“In contrast with the traditional daily, six-, seven-, or eight-period schedule, a block schedule consists of three or four daily longer periods. Commonly used forms of block scheduling are the alternate-day schedule, the 4/4-semester plan, and the trimester plan.”
I experienced the block scheduling from seventh grade until I graduated from high school. I happened to like the set up because most of the teachers I had used the time effectively. However, there were a few teachers who BORED me with their lectures. So below I listed the pros and cons of block scheduling. Check it out!!!
Pros
1. More time for learning and student-teacher interaction
2. Teachers have more planning time
3. More time to work with students who are not grasping the material
4. Less stress for both the teacher and students
5. Have fewer classes to prepare for
Cons
1. Students may not receive instruction in a particular subject for a large number of time
2. It exceeds the students’ attention span
3. If a student misses a day of school it will be harder to catch up because a large amount of the material would be covered in the class
4. Difficult to cover all the material in an Advanced Placement course
5. Subjects requiring repetition, like mathematics and foreign languages, are difficult to teach in this format
Here are some links that discuss block scheduling:
http://www.jefflindsay.com/Block.shtml
http://www.edreform.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=document&documentID=667
http://712educators.about.com/cs/blockschedule/a/blockschedule.htm
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin029.shtml
Friday, February 1, 2008
Nel Noddings & the ethics of care
Recently in my Principles and Techniques of Teaching in Secondary School course, we discussed an educational philosopher by the name of Nel Noddings. Noddings worked in the education profession for a number of years. She started out as an elementary and high school math teacher and school administrator. Noddings later became a college professor and administrator for over twenty years before she retired in 1998.
She developed an educational philosophy called the ethics of care. The ethics of care involves the teacher, who is called the carer, exhibiting a deep understanding for the student, who is called the cared-for. After the understanding is developed, the teacher then base his or her behavior on the needs of the student. Finally, once the teacher establishes the caring relationship the student must show they he or she knows how to care for others as well as themselves.
Critics of Noddings’ philosophy believe that the teacher is carrying out the traditional female role in life of giving while receive little in return. They also believe the relationship between the teacher and student is unequal because the act of caring is solely controlled by the teacher thus making the student dependent upon the teacher. To the critics this is seen as an unhealthy relationship.
Whether one agrees with her philosophy or not, it is good to see the diversity in the ways a student can be taught. I have provided a link to Noddings’ ethics of care so you can read more about it.
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm
She developed an educational philosophy called the ethics of care. The ethics of care involves the teacher, who is called the carer, exhibiting a deep understanding for the student, who is called the cared-for. After the understanding is developed, the teacher then base his or her behavior on the needs of the student. Finally, once the teacher establishes the caring relationship the student must show they he or she knows how to care for others as well as themselves.
Critics of Noddings’ philosophy believe that the teacher is carrying out the traditional female role in life of giving while receive little in return. They also believe the relationship between the teacher and student is unequal because the act of caring is solely controlled by the teacher thus making the student dependent upon the teacher. To the critics this is seen as an unhealthy relationship.
Whether one agrees with her philosophy or not, it is good to see the diversity in the ways a student can be taught. I have provided a link to Noddings’ ethics of care so you can read more about it.
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm
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