Midterm+Part+D+-essay

Answer each essay question with a good essay of five to seven paragraphs. In order to study for this, please add four bullet points to your two essays. If your point has already been "taken," explain why this point is particularly important and what aspects of it you would focus on should this essay be taken.

1. **One of our most difficult problems this semester has been determining the scope of the influence of teachers. Rogers said, "I have lost interest in being a teacher" because "the only learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning." Using at least one of the other sources from our course, respond to Rogers' comment.** //Kendra Smallwood//
 * According to Perkin's ideas on constructivism, teachers can aid in the self-discovered and self-appropriated learning that Roger's refers to by using what Perkin's calls "pragmatic constructivism" (using the ideas as a tool to aid in teaching. //Kaleidoscope article by David Perkins pp. 231//
 * In Bronfenbrenner's article he talks about the importance of the role of teachers as they are often filling a gap that is left out by other students. He states that the school has the opportunity to "initiate and strengthen links that support children and adolescents." (pp. 435). This role can be assumed by teachers while still allowing students to do their own learning that Roger speaks of. //Urie Bronfenbrenner "Alienation and the four worlds of childhood".//
 * In the story "Winter Oak" the young teacher learns that her traditional style of teaching, which seems to be similar to the teaching that Roger critically explained as his previous teaching style, does not work for all students. Allowing the young boy his own sense of self discovery but letting him walk through the woods even though it takes him longer to get to school is maintaining the traditional style of teaching while still allowing the individuality of the students. //Yuri Nagibin "Winter Oak".//
 * In Haberman's article of "star teachers" he talks about talks about the characteristics and behaviors that star teachers embody in their classrooms. Such behaviors as working collaboratively with teachers and students, and allowing students their freedoms (an example in the article is when he mentions not suspending students for reasons that are often considered merit for suspension) would allow students to learn in a environment more conducive to the learning the Rogers refers to. //Kaleidoscope article by Martin Haberman pp. 21//

//(Julia Richmond)//
 * Csikszentmihalyi and McCormack would disagree that the only meaningful learning can take place independently or in small groups of learners, as advocated by Rogers. They state the the purpose of education is to transmit the values and goals of a society to the younger generation adn to equip them with the strategies of thinking to properly deal with the current and future problems in that society. Good teachers use their passion to influence behavior of students by shaping their goals and values (and therefore actions).
 * Plato would agree that self-discovered knowledge is important, but he advocates the role of the teacher in guiding this discovery. The teacher does not "teach" per se, but encourages the students' learning by provoking them through questions. These questions reveal what the students do not know, and they are compelled to find the correct answers. Careful questioning is used to guide the students to reasing out these answers for themselves. Though the teacher does not give any answers, the learning is not entirley independent.
 * Clifford would disagree with Rogers' statement because she states that students must be challenged and their errors corrected in order to learn. She advocates the role of the teacher to keep students on track.

2. **One way to analyze the John Banks story is as a case of conflicting purposes. Choose three of the characters in the case, explain each of their apparent aims of schooling, and tell how the conflicts in purpose may have led to the problems John faced.**
 * Mrs. Flowers wanted to satisfy the parents and the community, along she agreed with John on some of his views, she would rather have the community satified.

3. **We know that good teachers design and manage their classrooms so that students are challenged and also feel safe to take intellectual risks. How do they do this? In answering, provide at least three examples from the classrooms we have studied (readings, film, visits to field placements). Be sure to show how the examples relate to our readings and to your thoughts about the topic**.

//Clifford's article appears in Kaleidoscope, pp. 218-223. For more information on scaffolding, consult Those Who Can, Teach, pp. 168-9. (Lauren Lutz)//
 * According to Margaret M. Clifford's "Students Need Challenge, Not Easy Success," students are more likely to feel challenged and take educational risks when a school environment is restructured to **allow for occasional error-making**. She advocates "error correction," rather than "error avoidance."
 * According to Clifford, students are frequently so afraid of the repercussions of wrong answers, that they fail to really commit themselves to learning. For instance, in the article, Clifford states that students will choose tasks "one-and-a-half years below their achievement level" if they don't receive any extra reward for completely harder assignments.
 * Clifford suggests that teachers provide risk-taking situations that are not as serious. The inclusion of practice tests or games, nonthreatening feedback, and formative assessments would probably encourage students to challenge themselves, without fearing that their risks might negatively impact their class grade.
 * One could also argue that the implementation of **scaffolding** into the classroom would allow students to more significantly challenge themselves.
 * With the aid of "a more skilled partner," a student can accomplish more than they would have been capable of independently. Therefore, scaffolding allows a children to progress past their previous point of comprehension, and more effectively learn and challenge themselves. Also, a safe environment for intellectual risks is present, as the encouraging guide will prevent the student from making any major errors.


 * In //Affective Education//, Arthur Combs states that "learning occurs best when teachers are successful in creating atmospheres that are challenging without being threatening."
 * people feel challenged when confronted with problems that interest them and that they feel they can cope with successfully.
 * They feel threatened when confronted with problems they don't feel they can handle.
 * While feelings of challenge are conductive to learning, feelings of threat are destructive.
 * This is all based off of how things seem to the student, not the teacher.
 * Empathetic teachers, sensitive to the feelings and beliefs of students, are far more likely to achieve productive learning situations than those who pay no attention to the affective aspects of learning. (//Kristen Dimitriades)//

Levy (in his video) shows an example of a classroom environment where students are challenged and they also take intellectual risks by the year long project that he gives his students (this can be used as an example)-//jillian kirchner//

Bransford states that it is important for a teacher to establish a sense of community within the classroom. By establishing an intellectual camaraderie amongst the students a teacher can eliminate the "don't get caught not knowing something"(Bransford p. 25) notion. To do this, teachers should encourage cooperation in problem solving and argumentation among students. Bransford also states that a teacher must be aware of other factors in the classroom, such as cultural differences, and a student's simple interpretation of intelligence(i.e. whether students think intelligence is achievable for all or inherent). //For more info refer to Bransford p. 23-26//

Regarding Student's role: Regarding the Curriculum: Regarding the Milieus (social environment): //Sources: John Dewey, "My Pedagogic Creed" pp. 261 in Kaleidoscope and R.M. Hutchins, "The Basis of Education". - Kendra Smallwood//
 * 4. Compare the ideas of Dewey and Hutchins on the philosophy of education. Use at least three of Schwab's four commonplaces (plus aims of education), as a framework for your response.**
 * Hutchins talks about the purpose of education to improve men, implying an action forced upon those being improved rather than a conscious or active learning process
 * Dewey talks about educations beginning unconsciously from birth and continuing on towards a school of progress and reformation
 * Hutchins believes that the essence of education is in distinguishing good from bad and true from false. He also talks of the importance of participating in the government (democracy) as an aspect of education
 * Dewey believes that the subject of school is not the traditionally studied subjects (ie. English, math, science etc.) rather the social activities of the students themselves
 * Hutchins refers in his essay to a //res republica// in which the goal of the educated men is to maintain (after learning the difference between right/wrong, true/false) "justice, peace, freedom, and order only by the exercise of intelligence" (p. 75)
 * Dewey refers to the community and it's role in education, the teachers being members and the children being able to function within the community. The emphasis on the social role of the school is dominant in Dewey's theory and within the school itself Dewey speaks of a "community life".

I would focus mostly on the ideas of curriculm and how that shapes their views on the Millieu and the Student's Role. I would also look at the way that each of them states their views on education. Dewey uses "I believe" but what does Hutchins use?

~Jess Couture