Post 6

I found the idea of "banking" to be interesting and some of the ideas that were purposed are fascinating and in a way, common sense. I think that some of the questions that the article poses are questions that we all, as humans, should at the very least consider. These questions include the critical thinking of our own constructed reality and how our reality may be different from somebody else. The idea of domestication is an important one because it deals with how we interpret and regurgitate information in a way that we domesticate it. This is a term that is used in English literature constantly, always being warned by professors to make sure that you do not domesticate what you're writing about. This quote from the text really elucidates as to how banking in education harms the minority while favoring the majority, "The more completely the majority adapt to the purposes which the dominant majority prescribe for them (thereby depriving them of the right to their own purposes), the more easily the minority can continue to prescribe. The theory and practice of banking education serve this end quite efficiently". This idea is something that reverberates along the proverbial notion that there are those in our contemporary society that are systematically pushed down, while others are uplifted. This is the hierarchical nature that we live in. Some people who come from different socioeconomic statuses, have dark skin, or have not inscribed themselves in the Anglo-patriarchal narrative are marginalized by those in power. Reading this article made me think about the philosopher John Rawls who purposed the idea behind the veil of ignorance. The veil of ignorance goes like this: "long with the original position, is a method of determining the morality of a certain issue (e.g., slavery) based upon the following thought experiment: parties to the original position know nothing about their particular abilities, tastes, and position within the social order of society." If everybody was placed behind the veil of ignorance, we would live in a much more idyllic world. Both in education, and in life.   

Post 5

           I think that the information presented was very practical and will come handy when implementing various assessing strategies in one's own classroom. What I found to be most interesting was how standardized education, grooming, and how we, as a society, define intelligence poses great limitations on students. First, standardized education may work for some, but for others it will just not be an adequate representation of themselves, who they see themselves as being and operating throughout society. For example, someone who has an immense talent for art, visual art/communication, design and so on may drop out of school. Secondly, students have been groomed their entire educational career to be a certain way, think a certain way, and act/present themselves in a favorable light when that is just unrealistic in our sociocultural environment. Some children will not adhere to the "standards" that have been enacted on them. The system was built around them, to house them, and keep them stagnant. Originality and freedom are limited in certain aspects of education, especially public education which only draws division lines between those students that are perceived as being more favorable than others. Lastly, intelligence is weighted above a lot of things and how we perceive intelligence within a pedagogical understanding. Intelligence is broad. Intelligence is vast, and it doesn't have to be equated to how well you can write a paper, your math skills, or your grammar. Some intelligent people are never afforded the chance of an education because of their socioeconomic upbringing. Some intelligent people are exceptionally intelligent but don't score well on standardized testing. Sometimes when you're locked in a prison, you can't see the bars but you still think you're free.
          I believe that alternative testing must be implemented to adequately measure student's likelihood for success. Whether that be college, technical school, or going straight into the job market. There is something out there for everybody, we all just have to work together to make it a reality. Students should have voices, and they should know that they have those voices and that they matter.

Blog Post #4

          I believe that this article really got to some of the key points as to why it can be difficult to effectively and efficiently disseminate information to young, aspiring students. All students come from varying backgrounds, and all students share and have dissimilar interests that may not pertain to what state core standards have been enacted. This is a problem because it creates a rift between teacher/educator and student. The problem is that it creates a divide between the two, where one attempts to reconcile there teaching strategy with learning objectives that are fun, inspiring, interesting, etc. in contrast to the way that the state wants a teacher to disseminate information. The student, being k-12 students may not have the time, patience, empathy, or really give a shit enough to try. Obviously this is a problem. If students, by the time they have left high school have, are not able to keep up with the rest of their peers then they may be left behind with no college future. This should not be the case. While some students excel and others don't necessarily excel, all students have an inherit worth and merit that deserves educators full support and attention. To create/sculpt/mold the next set of students for the oncoming future generations, educators must embrace a form of compassion and give back to a community of the world. These young children will grow up to be adults and these adults will write the laws, become CEO's, they aspire to do and be great not only in the classroom but in life. This is what teachers and educators need to understand the most, they are on the front lines of education, they are around students during some of the most formative years of their lives and it is of the utmost importance that they act as good role models but more than that they need to honestly engage with students at the students own pace whether that goes against common core state standards or not because every child/student deserves to have the skills necessary to progress further in their lives and education.

Blog Post #3

            This read was really interesting and very engaging, I really enjoyed the fact that they used “Thou Shalt” to convey the message that what they are trying to accomplish. Well, what is the author trying to accomplish? The author is making the attempt to explain the rationale for implementing co-teaching at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education. By skimming through the other article, if I was a student, I would prefer some sort of co-teaching instruction rather than “one teach, one support” or “parallel teaching”. These methods to me, while they have their benefits, also have their disadvantages which I don’t believe outweigh the pros. An interactive teaching model shared between two or more people, who explicitly know what their defined roles are for the course material, would be much more worthwhile then having a professor or teacher become mundane, boring, and/or just really bad at disseminating information. When this happens, for me, I believe that the true goal of education is mired in beaurocracy and failed pedagogical underpinnings that have been established for years which only do more harm than good. Which is why this article is a breath of fresh air as it elucidates to other, more effective and pertinent notions of education and teaching which takes into account not only the students but the way in which you, as an instructor conduct yourself. One thing that the author pointed out about co-teaching which I found to be one of those “well, of course” moments was when Leavitt writes, “you have everyone pulling in different directions, and you need to keep a coherence in the course.” detailing the urgency of having to meet with other colleagues to discuss and reflect on the progress that the class had made overall. Also, allowing students to speak openly seems like a common sense, a lot of this I felt like was common sense. To see a honest change in your students, you must honestly change and reevaluate your behavior towards teaching, which means being open to new ideas like co-teaching.

Blog Post 2

Blog Post #2 

Right from the beginning of reading this article I knew I would like it simply because it attempts to foster meaningful discussion and advocates for interpersonal dialogue to be shared between peoples of different backgrounds in a safe academic setting. Personally, I believe that this can be one of the strongest methods of teaching, and not only for adolescents but for all students young and old. The information being presented in this article had a resounding impact on the way that I look at the Socratic method, or Socratic dialogue. This type of dialogue has the ability to advance the atypical thinking of younger students and can transform the abstract into the concrete. While thinking abstractly is not always a bad thing, and in some cases it is warranted, but to flesh out your own unique idea through critical thinking to illuminate ideas is paramount to one’s education. The use of Socratic dialogue should be utilized more in K-12 settings as I believe that it has the power to create more well-rounded and articulate person. I am not saying that an individual is incapable of achieving this without using this method, but I believe that it can be a tool that sets you, as an educator, apart from the rest who perpetuate anachronistic methods of teaching (which seems ironic since the Socratic method was created in the second half of the 5^th century B.C.E.). But if it works, it works. The idea and notion behind building or constructing a democracy within the classroom is an idyllic view, and one that all educators should strive for. However, the caveat with this is that discussion can leave children feeling left out when they feel excluded from classroom discussion, or feel "other". This situation could potentially evolve into them not thinking that they have anything important or useful to contribute. The way that I would defeat this is by creating smaller groups, where participation can be limited in the beginning but as the students feel more secure with their group mates, they can begin to reflect on themselves and embark upon their intellectual quest. I really enjoy what Michael Oakeshott said concerning group talk as being an “unrehearsed intellectual adventure” (p. 198). 

Reading and Response #1

One thing that I immediately noticed while reading this chapter was how it was able to bridge the gap between two different fields of education, and for me that is Psychology and  English literature. One thing that I have learned from the principles of educational psychology is that we all, no matter who you are or where you come from (socioeconomic status, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, etc), have different modes of learning that takes different shapes as we get older and begin to see ourselves operating throughout society. This includes everything from who your friends are to what you read to what your interests are and why you have those interests, the list could go on and on. However, learning and education in the 21st century should be something that is afforded to all but that is usually not the case. Children and adolescents who are looked down upon either because of who they are, where they come from, possible living in poverty, the color of their skin, and so on have a harder time in succeeding in certain education settings because they are not given the opportunity to succeed. They have other things that demand their attention and education is often left by the wayside. An interesting study done by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck discovered that white students who were given a "positive" note on an essay was much more likely to go back and rewrite the essay (87%) whereas only 62% of white students who received a "bland" note did nothing and left the essay as is. Take this scenario and change white students to African American students and the disparity between numbers becomes even more apparent. The African American students who received the positive note were 72% more likely to go and rewrite the essay, where only 16% of students with the bland note rewrote the essay. This is of the greatest importance when looking at a deep, meaningful, and enriching education system that doesn't take into account the psychological barriers that students face on a daily basis. If you were told, repeatedly, that you were not a good writer and to give up would you wake up every morning and be excited to learn at school? Or that you can't be apart of STEM  related classes because you have a vagina, which is literally the most absurd notion ever. There are many factors that go into making a great teacher truly exceptional but I believe that you must go outside of the state mandated education quotas and teach not only effectively but teach what your students want to learn, what their interests are, and do it with such tact and grace that they experience an enriching and deep connection to education and learning. I thoroughly enjoyed what Linda Darling-Hammond (2011) had to say regarding the state of affairs American adolescents are currently battling.