In the Service of What?
By: Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer
"Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the
needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students."
I think this is great to get kids to help out in their communities. Doing things outside the classroom that benefit other people in the community is a great thing for the kids to do.
"By finding and engaging in community service activities, Mr.Johnson explained, students would interact with those less fortunate than themselves and would experience the excitement and joy of learning while
using the community as a classroom."
I like Mr. Johnson's assignment that made his students go out in the community and help out people that are less priveldged then them. I feel like this would open his student's eyes to the world around them and how good they have it in their everyday lives.
"This process can transform students' understandings of both disciplinary knowledge and the particular social issues with which they are engaged."
The beneits of students participating in a service learning project are excellent. After doing their project i feel like students will walk away with a sence of accomplishment and well being. The fact that the students helped other people should make them feel good.
I think that service learning projects should be a requirement in every school district. Participating in these activities is not only good for the community, but it is good for the students. Whatever the kids do whether it is serevice learning projects should be a requirement for all students in order to graduate. I think there is only good things that can come out of this and that the students will feel good about themselves after they participate in the activity. I helped out in a memory walk for Alzheimer’s disease one year and it made me feel good. The people that I passed out water to were all very greatful for the event that was happening.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Talking Point #3
"Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community"
Dennis Carlson
"The commonsence perspective on language is that words refer to or stand for things, so that it does not really matter what you call these things."
Carlson disagrees with this and feels that words represent things. He thinks that the commonsenced person does not see all the meaning in words.
"Early in this century, the dismissal of gay teachers was legitimated as a way of keeping young people from being exposed to improper role models, lechery, and child molestation."
The fact that this used to happen in this country bothered me. How can you assume that a gay person would do something like this just because they are gay? Those people were horrible to think that way and stereotype all gays.
"For example, it is now estimated that up to one-third of all adolescent suicide victims are gay...."
The fact that some many young gay kids are committing suicide is eye opening. I feel like these kids do not feel welcomed where they live and they may not be able to connect with anyone. I also think that bullying could also be a reason for why these young kids are committing suicide. They need to be treated fairly like everyone else.
I found Carlson's document a little hard to read at times, but what i took away from it is that all people including gays have to be treated equally. I feel like there is a problem with this in American today. Young people need to learn about gay people at an early age and need to understand that there is nothing wrong with it. This issue needs to be discussed in classrooms all over the U.S in order to try and fix the problem. The fact that these people are looked at in bad terms by some people is wrong. Their sexuality does not have anything to do with them being a good or bad person.
Dennis Carlson
"The commonsence perspective on language is that words refer to or stand for things, so that it does not really matter what you call these things."
Carlson disagrees with this and feels that words represent things. He thinks that the commonsenced person does not see all the meaning in words.
"Early in this century, the dismissal of gay teachers was legitimated as a way of keeping young people from being exposed to improper role models, lechery, and child molestation."
The fact that this used to happen in this country bothered me. How can you assume that a gay person would do something like this just because they are gay? Those people were horrible to think that way and stereotype all gays.
"For example, it is now estimated that up to one-third of all adolescent suicide victims are gay...."
The fact that some many young gay kids are committing suicide is eye opening. I feel like these kids do not feel welcomed where they live and they may not be able to connect with anyone. I also think that bullying could also be a reason for why these young kids are committing suicide. They need to be treated fairly like everyone else.
I found Carlson's document a little hard to read at times, but what i took away from it is that all people including gays have to be treated equally. I feel like there is a problem with this in American today. Young people need to learn about gay people at an early age and need to understand that there is nothing wrong with it. This issue needs to be discussed in classrooms all over the U.S in order to try and fix the problem. The fact that these people are looked at in bad terms by some people is wrong. Their sexuality does not have anything to do with them being a good or bad person.
Talking Point #2
The importance of storybook reading in multilingual, multicultural classrooms Kyle Garcia
By: Terry Meier
"According to the U.S. Department of Education, by the year 2020 students of color will represent the majority of students in 18 states including California, Texas, Florida and New Mexico"
This quote taken from Terry Meier's piece shocked me. It surprised me that this would be the case in some parts of the country.
"In addition, as the research cited here documented, they have figured out how to use language to get things done in the world, often in highly sophisticated ways."
Meier gives three examples of young children around the age of three getting away with things or getting what they want. The accomplish this by tricking their parents by doing something that they think is cute. I never really thought about the fact that kids get away with a lot until this article.
"Or a teacher may spend 10 minutes or so reading aloud and then spend the balance of the literacy period on follow-up activities (e.g., an art or cooking project related in some way to the story)."
Some teachers feel like they have to do this because students can not sit and listen to the story. I feel like they should spend more time going over the story and less time doing little projects. The students need to give more effort to get through the assignment.
I think children at a young age are a lot more intelligent than we think. The fact that they have the ability to be persuasive around their parents and get away with things proves this. They get these idea from books that they have read and stuff that happens in school. The information that they get sticks to their mind and they try to use it in every day life. I feel like students should spend more time reading because of the benefits that they get from it. Their vocabulary is expanded each time they read a book because a young child's brain is like a sponge.
The persuasiveness and exchange of power can be related to the Delpit piece. The children take the power from their parents and somehow manage to get what they want. This is an exchange of power because the parents direct their kids to do something and the kids get to do what they want because they are persuasive.
By: Terry Meier
"According to the U.S. Department of Education, by the year 2020 students of color will represent the majority of students in 18 states including California, Texas, Florida and New Mexico"
This quote taken from Terry Meier's piece shocked me. It surprised me that this would be the case in some parts of the country.
"In addition, as the research cited here documented, they have figured out how to use language to get things done in the world, often in highly sophisticated ways."
Meier gives three examples of young children around the age of three getting away with things or getting what they want. The accomplish this by tricking their parents by doing something that they think is cute. I never really thought about the fact that kids get away with a lot until this article.
"Or a teacher may spend 10 minutes or so reading aloud and then spend the balance of the literacy period on follow-up activities (e.g., an art or cooking project related in some way to the story)."
Some teachers feel like they have to do this because students can not sit and listen to the story. I feel like they should spend more time going over the story and less time doing little projects. The students need to give more effort to get through the assignment.
I think children at a young age are a lot more intelligent than we think. The fact that they have the ability to be persuasive around their parents and get away with things proves this. They get these idea from books that they have read and stuff that happens in school. The information that they get sticks to their mind and they try to use it in every day life. I feel like students should spend more time reading because of the benefits that they get from it. Their vocabulary is expanded each time they read a book because a young child's brain is like a sponge.
The persuasiveness and exchange of power can be related to the Delpit piece. The children take the power from their parents and somehow manage to get what they want. This is an exchange of power because the parents direct their kids to do something and the kids get to do what they want because they are persuasive.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Talking Point #4
Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us Kyle Garcia
By Linda Christensen
"Our society's culture industry colonizes their minds and teaches them how to act, live, and dream."
-Chistensen states this because he thinks that pop culture today is brain washing kids in what their desires and goals should be in life. This is shown because children are so heavily influenced by what they see on television, hear in music, and see in magazines. Some kids may not feel happy if they do not accomplish everything that happens in a fairy tale.
"They assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them-as they sit with Fubu, Nike, Timberlands or whatever the latest fashion rage might be."
-Christensen makes this statement because it shows how students will not admit to the obvious fact that these children are influenced by the media. Some of these children might not even like the styles that these brands come out with. They probably just buy them because the media says "that's what the cool kids are wearing".
"And often the world depicts the domination of one sex, one race, one class, or one country over a weaker counterpart."
-I agree with this quote by Christensen. It seems like when you watch television today you see the same social group being used or the same race or class over and over again. You also see the "bad guy" as someone of a different race or gender from the main character. This can give children the wrong impression as to what is good versus bad. Children can not be brain washed to thinking that there is perfect world outside, like the movies and shows exemplify.
Christensen's piece shows many good points about the current ideas that may be in young peoples minds today. I feel like kids should be watching less TV and getting more experience in the real world. By watching television their brains are being corrupted into thinking things that they do not really want. Kids may think they want one thing because that is what is shown over and over again in all types of media. They should go out in the real world and form their own opinions on what they want. All girls are not going to be princesses and they should not feel like the have to find a prince charming like the movies portray to be happy. Instead they should go after whatever it is that makes them happy and do it.
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