Journal Analysis Module 6 Educ701

EDUC701 Theories and Research in Education

Literature Analysis Form

 

Your Name: Richard Gallagher
Title of Manuscript: "Improve Your Verbal Questioning"
Authors: Kenneth E. Vogler    
Source: Annual Editions, Educational Psychology, 23^rd Edition
Date: November 29, 2008

 

Objectives of Study/Paper/Journal Article:

In this interesting article, the author Kenneth Vogler, an assistant professor with the University of South Carolina, provides a good overview with some helpful insight into how teachers can improve their verbal questioning in the classroom. Through the use of question taxonomies, question sequencing and patterns, and colleague classroom observations, Vogler works to assist a teacher on they why they should offer better questions in the classroom and how they can achieve becoming a better questioner.

Description of the Experimental/Study Design/Problem:

    As Vogler clearly illustrates at the beginning of this note worthy piece the average teacher asks their students anywhere from 300 to 400 questions per day in the classroom. Depending on the nature of the course or subject, questions can be asked as many as 120 times per hour. With this many questions being asked throughout the day, Vogler emphasizes the need for excellent and appropriate questions. But as he notes, what studies have been done, regarding questioning by teachers, show that many times a teachers questions are not as effective as they can or should be. So as the author points out there needs to be a concentrated effort on training a teacher to become a good questioner and for the teacher to learn to evaluate and improve their own questioning techniques or modalities.

 

Theoretical Framework:

    We have already noted that Vogel sees there is a need to further improve teachers questioning skills. He points out that since teacher's use so many questions throughout the day, these questions need to be as clear, concise and as effective as they can possibly be to aid the student in achieving full understanding of course material. Vogel surmises that teachers who become better questioners aid students to become better learners through the teacher's successful use of questioning.

Summary of Results of Study/Journal Article:

    There really is not a summary of the issue; rather Vogel divides the piece into three subgroups, which was alluded to earlier are:

• Question Taxonomies
  
• Question Sequencing and Patterns
  
• Colleague Observations
  

In the article Vogel explains his methodology and reasoning behind the subgroups. We will briefly describe and define each of the groups in this summary section.

In the article Vogel looks at three taxonomies for questioning, Bloom's, Krathwohl's and Gallagher and Ascher's . Through a classification system such as Bloom's or the others, he demonstrates how proper questioning techniques can be developed by teachers for use in the classroom environment. By using taxonomy, Vogel is shows how a question can be broken down to its core meaning and it can be understood at its basic cognitive level. By understanding the cognitive meaning of the question, one can then move on to deeper and more meaningful questions and questioning techniques.

From here Vogel further expands the classifying through the use of six sequences or patterns that questions can go through to become more meaningful and helpful to the learner. These six patterns are:

• Extending and Lifting
  
• Circular Path
  
• Same Path or Extending
  
• Narrow to Broad
  
• Broad to Narrow or Funneling
  
• Backbone.
  

In each of these six patterns Vogel gives the reader the ability to see how questions begin, how they are developed more thoroughly, come full circle and are defined and redefined, concluding with a question or questions that aid the student to learn more deeply.

Finally, Vogel gives an assignment that can be done where colleagues can observe and discuss one another's questioning techniques in a classroom observation environment. In other words, Vogel offers an opportunity in which his students can now practice with one another, in order to fully develop their own questioning skill. For this he has devised a simple graphic organizer that gives the student the ability to see how taxonomy can be used and how the patterns are used in the questioning being observed.

 

 

Discussion/Conclusions:

    Vogel summarizes that good questions don't just happen; they are skillfully developed and presented in such a manner to provide the student with maximum learning potential. He points out that like all skills, in order to master the skill of being a good or effective questioner, one must practice. Through his three main points of the article, Vogel suggests that the reader now has the skills to understand the need for good questions, but acknowledges that it is up to the reader to develop his or her own skill set.

Reviewer's application:

    Since I have recognized for a long time that I do ask a lot of questions when I am teaching, I found this article to be very beneficial and quite informative. It did seem to be a bit dry to get through, but the authors intent and information was clearly explained, though in a rather detached manner. It would have been more helpful for me if the subject manner had been more completely developed and was written in a less clinical format. Having said that though, I still feel the message of the piece was quite clear.

This is a subject which I feel I could benefit more from in a workshop, where there was hands on exploration, examination and practice. It does appear that Vogel teaches this subject matter in his university class where he is able to go through the stages and patterns in a practical way. To me, this would be an exceptionally interesting course to take, or at least take a workshop. Simply, because as I noted, I do realize I use a lot of questions in my teaching. So am I asking the best questions which elicit higher learning, or am I asking questions just to hear myself and my students talk? It would be good for me personally to explore this subject further in a group setting with other professionals.

EDUC701 Theories and Research in Education

Literature Analysis Form

 

Your Name: Richard Gallagher
Title of Manuscript: "Using Engagement Strategies to Facilitate Children's Learning and Success"
Authors: Judy R. Jablon and Michael Wilkinson    
Source: Annual Editions, Educational Psychology, 23^rd Edition
Date: November 29, 2008

 

Objectives of Study/Paper/Journal Article:

    This article, written by Judy Jablon and Michael Wilkinson, begins by asking us to imagine what it would be like to be the teacher in a classroom in which all the students are fully engaged in learning. The authors hope, is that through the use of engagement and engaging learning principles and strategies, all classes can become places where active, collaborative, and enthusiastic learning occurs.
    

Description of the Experimental/Study Design/Problem:

    In their effort to focus solely on the benefits and successes of an engaging classroom environment, Jablon and Wilkinson fail to discuss any difficulties or challenges that a teacher may encounter in trying to develop the engaging classroom the authors envision. The article is more of a "how to" piece, that gives pointers, tips and advice on possible tools and strategies to use to develop an engaging classroom.

    Rather than take a problem and present solutions, the authors presuppose that there is a lack of engagement happening in classrooms and so they simply desire to give some guidelines to stop this presupposed problem. To do so they break their article into several categories, and then in each category they give pointers on how one can achieve the goal or design of that category. Their categories are as follows:

• Defining Engagement – Here it's interesting to note that they only define engagement in the broadest of terms. Primarily they see engagement as a place where children are using their natural curiosity, interest and enjoyment to learn.
  
• What Does Research Tell Us about Engagement in the Classroom?
  – They hold that the research proves that there is a significant correlation between high levels of engagement and improved attendance and achievement.
  
• Engaging Children in the Classroom. – Here is where Jablon and Wilkinson begin to discuss pointers of tips on how to use engagement in the classroom. This is where they give the why of engagement. They break it down in three steps, which are:
  
  • Focuses children on learning
    
  • Supports learning specific skills and concepts
    
  • Provides children positive associations with learning
    
• Understanding Why Engagement Strategies Work. – Jablon and Wilkinson now give us the reasons why engagement works, stating:
  
  • It activates prior knowledge
    
  • It requires active investigation
    
  • It encourages collaboration
    
  • It allows choice
    
• Facilitating Engagement Strategies. – Now we look at the how, where Jablon and Wilkinson give brief pointers on what is needed to facilitate engagement in the classroom. These brief points are:
  
  • A clearly stated purpose
    
  • Explicit directions
    
  • Needed materials
    
  • Guidance
    

Through the above framework, Jablon and Wilkinson lay out their points and reasons that are supportive of using engagement strategies.

Theoretical Framework:

    Jablon and Wilkinson apparently generally assume that too many teachers lack effective engagement strategies which in turn make their classes boring, repetitive and dull places to be. They build upon a framework that accepts engagement of students as primary focus of the classroom. As they conclude at the end of their article, their desire is to have children experience the feeling of being engaged in learning, which they describe as a lifelong gift.

Summary of Results of Study/Journal Article:

    Nowhere in the article do Jablon and Wilkinson summarize in a way which compares or contrasts engagement strategies to other strategies or ideas. Their presupposition appears to be that since engagement of the child is necessary and useful, then why discusses or consider other strategies or philosophies, since this article is meant to deal only with engagement strategies.

    

 

Discussion/Conclusions:

     If there is a conclusion it is, that if engagement is used effectively, teachers can capture the interest of the student which will then provide the student a path for success in school. The authors hold that once the child's interest is captured the student then experiences how it feels to be engaged and will desire more of that experience and therefore they will become lifelong learners.

Reviewer's application:

    It's not hard for me to imagine that by now you probably think I am the driest, most boring and dullest teacher you could ever find. After all, how could someone who believes in direct instruction, memorization, and rote learning ever have fun in class? I mean, isn't it likely that a teacher who uses a "drill and kill" approach, and the most antiquated methods of teaching, be nothing more than the world's worst bore? How dare such a person exist! In our day and time, don't you know that the ideal is the active, collaborative, and enthusiastic classroom?     Yet, in actuality, if you observed my classroom and the classrooms of many other dinosaurs like me, I think you will find overall we are a very engaging, interesting and personable lot. While of course I can't speak for other teachers who believe in substance over stimulation or mastery over mesmerizing merriment, I can speak for myself. For me, it's not a matter that I don't like or don't approve of everything that Jablon and Wilkinson are promoting. Rather it's an issue of philosophical differentiation and difference.

    As a teacher, I gladly and happily aim to engage and quite often entertain my students. I try to imagine how I would feel if I were them sitting listening to me. So I naturally realize that while instruction, learning, comprehension and mastery of subject are paramount, I also know that instruction can be done in an enlightening manner. A teacher who does not show their humor, humanity and humility ought not to be a teacher.

    My greatest concern is not to try and be engaging, my greatest concern is that I fully teach the subject matter to the best of my ability. While engagement and entertainment can and should be a part of the classroom day, the primary purpose of the classroom is to be a place where real and deep learning is occurring. In a piece such as this, with its heavy emphasis on engagement strategies, I can't help but question, what are the learning results in such a classroom? Again, it's not that I am opposed to engagement; it's just that I value education, learning and mastery of subject over simply making a class a fun and exciting atmosphere.

I fear for students and the future of our society, if all teachers are more concerned with fun over function. How will our society advance, move forward, and compete if we become a society that is so fascinated in the supposed felt needs of the child that we forget the child's educational and thinking needs. In an age of globalization, where a child from India or South Korea or the Philippines can do the same work at a better price than an American child, how dare we forget to teach our children to think, to perform, to achieve and excel. It's not that I don't want to engage a child; it's just that I want to know that the child is fully taught and thoroughly educated.

 

J

Kiss or Kick? Motivation Methods.

In my work with children over the years it's always a joy to see the fruit of your labor. As a teacher, one never tires of experiencing an "A-HA, now I get it!" learning moment with a child. There's a great sense of satisfaction and joy that comes when you know that your student has grasped a concept and is now at the place where they can build upon that concept.

The challenge comes when the teachable moment never seems to arrive. You work and work and try and try, yet nothing you do seems to sink in. You are frustrated and so is the child or student. The question then boils down to, "What do I do, and what does little Timmy or Tammy do, to keep on keeping on?" Both of you feel exhausted, discouraged, and unmotivated. So, what are some simple steps to keep yourself and your student motivated?

For me, I like to keep concepts simple, workable and useful, you know, the KISS method, Keep It Simple Stupid! Many of you have already mentioned some great ideas in your posting, so I will try to add a couple that may or may not be repetitious.

First, as some of you have pointed out, is to keep yourself motivated. A teacher, who is unmotivated, uncaring and uninterested, will never be able to motivate his or her students to achieve to do better. As Christian's we believe in the power of prayer and reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit. We not only should pray for ourselves and do spiritual inventory to make sure our hearts and minds are right before Christ. We also need to pray for our children and realize that God has through His providential wisdom and knowledge placed them in our classrooms for a purpose. Loving the Lord and loving our students will not only keep us and our children motivated, it will also lay the seeds in the lives of our children for bountiful harvest of good.

As well, we need to keep on keeping on. As Paul tells the Galatians in chapter 6:9, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." It's easy to quit and give up when things get challenging, but in order to reap the potential harvest that can come in education, we need to keep motivating ourselves and students. I think Jeffrey's poignant example in his posting is a good example of this. It would have been easy to become weary working with a child who really never wanted to be in school in the first place. But through patience, persistence and prodding, Jeffrey and the young man reaped that harvest of goodness.

Along with this, we need to be consistent in our persistence. Nothing seems more confusing to a child, than a teacher who never is consistent in their approach with that child. In the book of James, the apostle, writes of the double-minded man, who is unstable in all his ways (James 1:7). Confused children are often the crop of confused parents and teachers. Remaining consistent in our dealings with children cuts down on confusion and allows the stable and nurturing environment children need to grow and bloom. In one of my sixth grade classes one year, I had a very troubled child, who was always confused on how to behave or respond, because of her parent's lack of consistency and commitment to the child and to each other. Theirs was a two headed approach to child rearing. Both parents had a completely foreign value system to each other, and one would advise the young girl one way and the other would advise her in an almost diametrically opposite manner. Talk about a sad state of affairs! In our small Christian school, we all knew that it was up to the teachers and staff to be a place of consistency and stability for this child and her brother. The clash came when our biblical worldview and values, came in conflict with the mother's very secular and humanistic value system. Dad was supportive of training and teaching from a biblical viewpoint, whereas mom was almost always opposed to coming from that framework. To keep the child motivated and moving towards the right, we needed to be continually consistent in our teaching and the display of our Christian values.

We also need to realize that nothing motivates a child better than a "kiss on the cheek or a kick in the pants"! In motivation there is a thin line between being too soft in our motivation techniques or being too aggressive in it. But, both forms are acceptable and both forms are necessary. Kiss and Kick, is a simple alliteration that helps me to remember to use both forms of motivation.

Giving praise, showing warmth and kindness, being extra thoughtful and tender to a child, rewarding and honoring a child are all Kiss techniques. Romans 2:4, teaches us clearly that it is God's kindness that leads us or motivates us towards repentance. So too is it with children. Through acts of kindness, gentleness and goodness towards a child a teacher can often melt the hardest of hearts and motivate that child to the right. When this kindness is shown, the child feels a sense of self esteem and warmth that they may not get at home. They experience the inner joy of knowing that when they do well, that they are able to find success and earn reward.

But along with the Kiss, occasionally it's necessary to give the Kick. Proverbs 3: 11 and 12, clearly teach us the Kick is also a vital form of motivation, when it states, "My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father^] the son he delights in." Nowhere does the Bible teach an extreme form of "Kicking" or discipline, in fact the Scripture warns against it. Paul says "Fathers, do not exasperate (annoy, infuriate, drive around the bend, frustrate, madden) your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4. When we do need to use punishers, we need to do so with care, wisdom and discernment. Punishers should never be used light fully or carelessly and definitely never out of anger, frustration or bitterness.

While I know that corporal punishment is unlawful and unacceptable in the public school, it is still necessary for the public school teacher to use appropriate "kicks" to motivate. Such kicks can be time out, withdrawal of privilege, removal of a reward or any number of acceptable disciplines. There is a balance that must occur. But with the proper balance, "Kissing or Kicking" can often work well as a motivation tool or technique.

Through the use of proper motivation tools and techniques the classroom can be a comforting, stable and nurturing learning environment. A classroom that appears to be out of control or in chaos is often a classroom that is out of balance. For whatever reason, the teacher has not learned to use effective motivating techniques. Instead of being confident and comfortable in his or her own motivation skills, the teacher second guesses or even ignores proven techniques. Once a teacher learns a balanced approach towards motivation, his or her students will benefit immensely and grow and learn by leaps and bounds. It is my belief that this is the type of classroom we should all aspire to.

 

 

 

 

Journal Analysis EDUC701 Liberty University

 

 

EDUC701 Theories and Research in Education

Literature Analysis Form

 

Your Name: Richard Gallagher
Title of Manuscript: "Constructing Learning"
Authors: Thomas M. Sherman and Barbara L. Kurshan    
Source: Annual Editions, Educational Psychology, 23^rd Edition
Date: November 22, 2008

 

Objectives of Study/Paper/Journal Article:

The goal or objective of this article was to present eight simple steps to using technology that is constructivist friendly and useful or beneficial. Believing there was no conflict between the principles of constructivist learning theory, which as the authors describe, as experiential and learner centered, the authors challenge teachers to embrace technology and use it in a constructivist centered classroom.

Description of the Experimental/Study Design/Problem:

The authors, Thomas M. Sherman and Barbara L. Kurshan, as noted above give eight teaching characteristics that they hold are consistent with constructivist principles. They take these characteristics and then give application that shows how these characteristics can be used in conjunction with present day technologies. These eight characteristics are:

• Learning Centered
  
• Interesting
  
• Real Life
  
• Social
  
• Active
  
• Time
  
• Feedback
  
• Supportive
  

Sherman and Kurshan then look at each of the characteristics and show ways in which technology can play an important part in the classroom and how it can also reinforce constructivist principle and thought.

Theoretical Framework:

By the very nature of the title of the article, "Constructing Learning, Using Technology to Support Teaching for Understanding" it is clear the Sherman and Kurshan look at education through the lens of constructivist theory. What they essentially do in this article is take principles or characteristics that are supportive of constructivism and then make modern technology fit into the mold of their constructivist thinking or view.

As the authors see it, these technologies are not to be feared, but rather to be used. With their usage, it is suggested that the classroom can be a place of solid and meaningful constructivist learning and education. The tools of technology are not an end in themselves, but they do assist in helping the classroom be a place of experimental and experiential learning for students.

Summary of Results of Study/Journal Article:

Since this is article leans towards being an opinion piece, though arguably a decent one, the authors do not give a general summarization of their points. Rather what they do fairly successfully, in each of the sections regarding the eight characteristics, is show how through a specific technology, this particular characteristic or method can meet its constructivist philosophy or goal. The goal of the article was to basically show how technology and technological programs can and should fit into the constructivist model of education.

Discussion/Conclusions:

The authors conclude the article with the following statement, " Classrooms that are active, interesting, learner centered, focused on real life, and social and provide time to learn, frequent and facilitative feedback and support both learning to be good learners as well as learning content have consistently been shown to be more effective with all learners." They go on to note that the goal of constructivism is to teach students how and what they need to learn, so they can have a fuller path and more understanding of life's important lessons. Through the use of technological tools in the classroom, the authors believe that this may aid students along this path of learning.    

 

 

Reviewer's application:

As I read through the article, I noticed good points being made. The authors spoke of technology in an affirming manner and used good examples of how technology can and should be used in the classroom. I don't consider myself a troglodyte, and in fact for a 53 year old, I think I am fairly tech savvy, though my children may not agree from time to time! I am supportive of the positive and proper uses of technology in the classroom and have in the past used technology in my teaching. Having homeschooled my own two children for a couple of years, we regularly used the computer and the internet, since one of our curriculums was web based, (http://www.k12.com/). I was supportive of some of the examples and programs the authors wrote about. It interested me enough that I followed some of the included links and learned a bit more about some of the programs or services they suggested. It's always good and helpful to know about tools that you have previously not known of. So the links and the explanations in the piece were appealing and helpful.

If I do have one complaint, it is a minor one. Since the authors are so grounded in constructivist theory, they as I noted needed to use technology examples to reinforce or support that theory. I think this is a rather silly way to support your system or worldview regarding how children learn or how they should be taught. It seems far more logical to me, to start by exploring and explaining the technologies suggested, and then see how they may or may not fit into constructivist theory. While this is not wrong in and of itself, it does present the article with a certain bias.

Rather than simply take technology for what it is and show how it can fit into the classroom, the authors have chosen instead to take the principles of constructivism and make technology fit into a constructivist framework. They started from their predisposed set of beliefs and made the technological material fit into those beliefs rather than contrast how technology may or may not fit into the constructivist model. Again, while I overall thought they did have some good points, I think there is a possible lack of academic integrity in presenting the material in such a subjective way. In the statement noted in their conclusion, "(constructivism), consistently (has) been shown to be more effective with all learners", nowhere do they cite a reference regarding this assertion. While there may be research that does verify this view, I know as well there is research that shows that direct learning is more effective. The best example of this research is Project Follow Through, which I have spoken of and alluded to in other previous papers. As noted in my earlier writing Project Follow Through clearly documented the most effective instructional approach is Direct Learning (Wikipedia, 2008). So again, while this is a minor quibble, because, I do believe that technology when used properly can be a very effective tool; I did want to note this as evidence regarding the authors bent or bias.

 

 

EDUC701 Theories and Research in Education

Literature Analysis Form

 

Your Name: Richard Gallagher
Title of Manuscript: "Creating a Culture for Learning"
Authors: Sidney Trubowitz    
Source: Annual Editions, Educational Psychology, 23^rd Edition
Date: November 22, 2008

 

Objectives of Study/Paper/Journal Article:

    In what I would consider a cogent and well written piece, the author, Sidney Trubowitz, a professor emeritus at Queens College in New York, outlines a design system that promotes a culture of learning within individual schools. The college also had a collaborative relationship with Louis Armstrong Middle School in New York City. In the article he not only writes about the theory of his design system, he also addresses the practicality of the system, and gives examples how it worked in the middle school.

    In the piece Trubowitz aims to show steps that he feels would lead to a new school culture. He defines these steps as follows:

• A Thinking Atmosphere
  
• Open Communication
  
• The Value of an Outside Observer
  
• The Need to Develop a Common Language
  
• Respecting Teacher Autonomy
  

In each of these, he gives reasons and examples how and why this should be occurring in all schools. He then concludes the article discussing obstacles that he sees stand in the way of building a positive school culture.

Description of the Experimental/Study Design/Problem:

The authors premise is that modern day schools have become far too methodical because of the demands of testing, standards, and benchmarks. In this he believes schools are losing their ability to become the denizens of thought and learning that they need to be. Trubowitz argues that so much time is spent in the rote and routine of the day at school, that the real mission of the school is being overlooked. Trubowitz would define that mission as being, that while schools may need regular routine, they need to balance that routine with the ideal of becoming places where real learning is paramount, or in other words where a culture of learning is elevated and valued.

Theoretical Framework:

Throughout the article Trubowitz develops his framework on the two main ideas of the article, the elements of a new school culture and the obstacles to building a positive school culture. He uses the five sub points listed above to build a case for his theory. In these five points he clearly delineates and gives examples of how and why these ideas can and should work in the modern school. The stress of the article is primarily upon building this theory and offering support of that theory. The theory behind his framework is that schools ought to be reflective and responsive to the needs of administrators, teachers, students and parents. As schools acquire the proper response and become more attune to achieving this ideal, they will be by their very nature, now harmonized to being cultures of learning.

Summary of Results of Study/Journal Article:

    There really is no results given in the piece since it is primarily a theoretical piece rather than a research piece, but Trubowitz does give real life examples from Louis Armstrong Middle School, that demonstrate the potential of his ideas. One thought that I felt was interesting was his questioning of the idea of parental involvement. As he notes there is wide spread support for the idea of having parents involved in education, but there is little talk of how this may actually occur and what it really means or what it looks like in the real classroom world. As he is discussing the need to develop common language in schools, he cautions against the development of jargon that is really meaningless, simply because we over use the jargon, and each person interprets it differently. To Trubowitz, parental involvement is no more than a catch phrase. This is true, as he points out, because such jargon is so often overused and oft time's misused or even abused, that it is never clearly defined by its users nor really thoroughly understood by the hearer.

Discussion/Conclusions:

In assessing the problems with the modern school, Trubowitz calls on developing a more collegial and cooperative environment in which learning, exploration and thinking are highly valued. He realizes that schools because of the challenges of modern society and political pressures have sometimes lost their way. In the piece he hopes the simple steps and solutions he offered, can once again allow schools to become places where real learning is cultivated and nurtured. He does note that the greatest challenge seems to be our society's fascination with instant gratification and success. Trubowitz realizes that as long as we seek only instant solutions to long term problems, we will not truly achieve the school that he envisions.

Reviewer's application:

    Overall, I am quite supportive of this ideal that Trubowitz puts forward. I believe he is correct that schools unfortunately have become too much like learning factories, rather than temples of learning. In our societies rush to promote testing scores and benchmarks, too much time is often wasted in the school and in the classroom. Instead of being places of learning and knowledge much of our educational system has become bogged down by social and political issues, instead of being focused on their true mission.

    As you may have determined by now, I am fairly traditional in my views and more supportive of direct instruction and teacher led learning than I am for constructivism and child centered learning. Though I am traditional in this view, I still believe very strongly in a collaborative, collegial, cooperative and communicative work environment. Having only worked in Christian schools, I have seen much of what Trubowitz is promoting played out on a daily basis. This was particularly true in the last school in which I taught, where we developed a very close collegial working atmosphere and much of the five characteristics of Trubowitz occurred without us even realizing they were occurring.

This benefit came, I believe, because all of us came from the same basic biblical worldview. So though some of our doctrine was dissimilar, our goal or mission of educating, evangelizing and making disciples of children and families for Christ was unified. Through this unified vision, we, I believe truly were a school that though traditional in our view, was a school of the new culture that Trubowitz inspires to. It strikes me as sad that in our modern day schools, in their rush towards being progressive, they have lost the very nature of what schooling should all be about. To me it's odd that the school Trubowitz aspires to, is not found in the modern school, but in the traditional one.

 

Reference:

Project Follow Through, (2008, April 14). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Retrieved, November 23, 2008, from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Follow_Through

Journal Analysis

EDUC701 Theories and Research in Education

Literature Analysis Form

 

Your Name: Richard Gallagher
Title of Manuscript: "Learning and Gender"
Authors: Michael Gurian    
Source: Annual Editions, Educational Psychology, 23^rd Edition
Date: November 15, 2008

 

Objectives of Study/Paper/Journal Article:

As the author, Michael Gurian concludes at the end of this fine piece, "It does indeed feel right to help boys and girls to learn to their full potential". The objective of this paper was to enable the reader to think outside the currently accepted secular doctrine that says that everyone is equal, and boys and girls must be treated and taught the same way. Gurian points to the example of a school board member from North Carolina who is relieved to recognize that it is now OK to admit there are hard-wired differences between boys and girls in their thinking. The article aims to show these "hard-wired" learning differences are not sexist, but rather scientific, and they can be proven through current brain research.

 

Description of the Experimental/Study Design/Problem:

To learn more about the author and his views, one needs to simply go to the Gurian Institute website and read their mission statement, which states,   "The Gurian Institute is a training organization focused on helping educators, parents and community agencies serving youth, children and families with crucial understanding of how boys and girls learn and grow. The Institute provides training in all settings – schools, workplaces, parenting seminars, and communities – blending brain-based theory with practical application and cultural relevance" (GurianInstitute.com, 2008). It is important to note that this article is simply one example of the work and writing of Michael Gurian. His reasoning and methodology is based upon the unique learning differences between boys and girls. In his research he relies upon, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, (fMRI) which employs the power of the MRI to explore the physical brain changes that are occurring in the limbic system and sensorial centers of the brain. As he points out in the article, the fMRI clearly will show different blood flow and neural connections occurring in the thought and learning process of boys and girls while doing the same learning exercise. From current brain research, Gurian is able to articulate the learning differences between boys and girls and advocate for diverse teaching approaches for boys and girls based upon the research.
   

Theoretical Framework:

    In our societies move towards equality of the sexes, schools and teachers aimed to neutralize the learning differences between boys and girls, believing that except for physical differences, there was no difference in learning style or ability. In this move towards gender neutral teaching and education, statistics unfortunately point out that girls may test lower in some subjects and boys tend to end up in the principal's office more frequently than girls. So, in reviewing these statistics, Gurian simply asked, why is this occurring and what can teachers do to solve the problem? His answer was to simply look at brain research that was beginning to develop in the early 1990's. This research began to find practical uses for PET scans and fMRI's to determine if boys and girls brains were functioning differently in their learning processes. What Gurian, along with other researchers were finding was that there are biological differences in the way that boys and girls learn.

Summary of Results of Study/Journal Article:

    Gurian points out that it is almost an epiphany when educators learn about brain research and the learning style differences between boys and girls. Once a teacher recognizes that boys and girls act, think and learn differently because of their brain chemistry, an "aha" moment occurs when they relate the brain research to their actual classroom experience. Knowing for example that boys fidget when they are bored, because less of the calming effects of serotonin are moving through a boys pre-frontal cortex, can be enlightening to a teacher in dealing with a boys fidgeting. So too, it is instructive to know that because there is more blood flow through a girls occipital lobe, girls use more sensorial detail in their writing than boys. With this knowledge, a teacher can plan appropriately in their writing assignments to adjust for the natural learning differences between boys and girls.

    
 

    

Discussion/Conclusions:

We noted at the beginning of this review that Gurian concludes that it is a good thing to help boys and girls learn to their fullest potential. This learning potential is enhanced by understanding the neurological differences between the male and the female brain. When teachers and schools recognize that is OK to conclude that boys and girls do learn differently, then they can fully use current brain research to maximize the learning potential of all learners.

 

Reviewer's application:

    Ever since my previous advanced psychology class at Liberty, I have been fascinated by brain research and how it can be used to enhance a teachers teaching ability. It is refreshing for me as a Christian to know that David was correct, when he joyfully declared, some 3000 years ago, in Psalm 139: 14, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made". Now, with the advent of brain research, we are seeing how true this affirmation of David was, which for me once again testifies to the veracity of the Scripture.

While our society drifts towards existential feminism, which seeks to tear down the differences between the sexes, brain research, verifies that we are different, created in God's image as male and female, (Genesis 1:27). While spiritually in Christ there is neither male nor female, (Galatians 3:27), there are distinct differences and roles that males and females play which are God ordained, such as, a husband loving his wife and a wife respecting her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-33) These roles were designed intentionally by a Creator who purposefully created men and women differently, with different brains and ways of thinking and unique learning styles. For me, it is a joy to see that research upholds these differences and encourages us to use these differences to teach, guide and instruct each one carefully and differently, just as God intended.

 

 

 

EDUC701 Theories and Research in Education

Literature Analysis Form

 

Your Name: Richard Gallagher
Title of Manuscript: "The Culturally Responsive Teacher"
Authors: Ana Maria Villegas and Tamara Lucas    
Source: Annual Editions, Educational Psychology, 23^rd Edition
Date: November 15, 2008

 

Objectives of Study/Paper/Journal Article:

    In their article, "The Culturally Responsive Teacher", authors Ana Maria Villegas and Tamara Lucas, both of whom teach at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, advocate that a new way of thinking and teaching must happen when one teaches students who come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. They especially promote that this must occur with students who have historically come from marginalized communities. They use six points in the article to defend their thinking and this view of multicultural education.

Description of the Experimental/Study Design/Problem:

    The design problem that the authors see is primarily addressed in their theoretical framework. They by their own admission come from a constructivist view of education and they advocate strongly for progressive philosophy. Through a child centered focus, the authors would hold that a teacher can become more responsive to the specific needs and challenges of children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Theoretical Framework:

As Villegas and Lucas see it, the problem that is occurring in our current educational system is that teachers and schools are not being responsive to a child's education, because they lack understanding of the child's linguistic and cultural background and perspective. To address the issue of misunderstanding, responsiveness and relevancy, the authors point to six possible solutions educators can take. These solutions are:

• Understand How Learners Construct Knowledge
  
• Learn About Students' Lives
  
• Be Socioculturally Conscious
  
• Hold Affirming Views About Diversity
  
• Use Appropriate Instructional Strategies
  
• Advocate for All Students
  

Villegas and Lucas would argue that through the above referenced ideas/methods a teacher can become fully aware and properly responsive to the needs of the children in his or her care who come from diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage.

Summary of Results of Study/Journal Article:

Villegas and Lucas reason that the teacher as a facilitator of knowledge has a responsibility to become as culturally aware and intuitive as possible. Through this intuitive cultural understanding, the authors would maintain that this would then lead to the teacher becoming culturally responsive. Once and if a teacher becomes culturally responsive then the authors hold that the student would be fully taught.

Discussion/Conclusions:

The authors concluded with wanting the reader to, "just imagine". They desire us to imagine how much brighter the life and school experience of Belki (a child used as an example in the opening narrative of the article) would be if a teacher could get beyond their own limited views and become fully responsive to Belki's cultural and linguistic challenges. Instead of emphasizing the educational deficits a child such as Belki may face, Villegas and Lucas would rather the teacher take into account all of the life experiences of Belki and incorporate these experiences into the classroom for Belki.

Reviewer's application:

It is hard not to feel sympathy for children such as Belki, when reading the article. Villegas and Lucas do an admiral job advocating for the needs of children such as Belki. After all, they would hold, Belki is far more than a simply a child in a classroom who is struggling with English and math. She is a unique and special child with positive traits that may not show up in the classroom. Though this advocacy is admirable, I would question whether it is truly practical or achievable.

While the authors argue for a new construct with regard to teaching of new immigrant students, they primarily seem to address their article around Latino or Hispanic migrants rather than a large cross section of other cultural groups. The only example of becoming culturally responsive is their brief narrative about Belki, who is from the Dominican Republic. Nowhere else in the article do they mention other cultures or suggest ways to address the needs of those cultures. So while they may or may not say it, their article appears to focus solely on the demands of teaching Latino and Spanish speaking students whose parents may or may not be in the U.S. legally. To this author it would seem that if you want to address the needs of Latino immigrants, then why not come right out and say it? Why hide your views behind the guise of being a culturally responsive teacher, when in actuality the only culture you wish to address is the Latino culture?

To me it seems to be disingenuous to address the needs of multiculturalism when in actuality you are asking teachers not to be "multi" cultural, but only "one or two" cultural? It would seem to me that in order to be an effective culturally responsive teacher, one would need to be aware of numerous cultures and languages. Here in Los Angeles County for example there are 224 identified languages spoken at home, and 92 of these languages can be specifically identified as spoken at home by Los Angeles Unified School District students (Ivanov, 2000). So, from this statistic it could be perhaps concluded that if a teacher is to be truly culturally responsive or relevant here in LA, then that teacher needs to be able to relate to and to understand a minimum of 92 specific linguistic and cultural groups.

Again, the question I would ask after looking at the challenges of a district such as Los Angeles Unified, would be, can the approach advocated by the authors of the article actually work in a place like LA? I would agree that if you look at the six salient points above, you could conclude, yes, this approach may work. After all who can argue with the noble goals of such points? But it's not the points that should be argued, for they are admirable and achievable and most good teachers would already be doing such things in their classrooms with their children. Rather, I would hold, it is the theory and the philosophy behind the main points that is incorrect and in my view impractical.

Our educational system in my view has become so focused on what feels good or what sounds good, we seem to forget, what works good. As stated, I would hold that all good teachers aim to achieve the above points not only with their students from diverse cultures, but all students, regardless if they are of a Dominican, Mexican or Guatemalan heritage or English, Irish, German or French heritage. Good teachers want to be responsive to the needs of all their students regardless of their heritage or cultural or linguistic background.

It is true that Spanish speaking migrants today may face unique challenges, but so too did the Italians, Poles, Russians and Greeks who came to the United States for a better life. I would argue that all of these groups, whether they are current or past immigrants to this country, would or did benefit far more from direct instruction, core knowledge and mastery learning than they would from the feel good philosophies of constructivist and progressive education. So while it's possible, the author's views do perhaps sound good, I would far rather imagine a system that works well and educates all children to their fullest potential regardless of their cultural or linguistic background.

 

References

Gurian Institute (2008). Mission Statement. Retrieved November 15, 2008, from http://www.gurianinstitute.com/

Vyacheslav Ivanov (2006). Language Spoken At Home by Individual Los Angeles Communities, Persons 5 years and over, City of Los Angeles, 2000 Census. Retrieved November 15, 2008, from http://www.laalmanac.com/LA/la10b.htm

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

A Possible Biblical Model For Maximum Learning.

I would submit that perhaps the greatest model of teaching and learning isn't a new or even modern method or technique. In fact, I think one of the most effective methods of teaching that maximizes learning is ancient wisdom that's approximately 3300 years old. We can find this ancient wisdom laid out for us in the Old Testament, in the great Shema Yisrael, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. In this ancient prayer, one of the most well known in Judaism, Moses declared, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." This passage in Deuteronomy 6 directly follows the giving of the Ten Commandments, found in Deuteronomy 5. As Moses has now presented these new commandments, he is now teaching the people of Israel how to learn and live these commands. To teach and remind the Jews of these new commandments, Moses gives instruction, to God's people to love God with all our hearts, all our soul and with all our strength. To remind the people of this solemn responsibility, Moses tells the people that these commandments are to be:

• Cogently Taught
  
• Continually Emphasized
  
• Constantly Remembered through Review
  

I believe that the prayer can be viewed as a great tool and example of practical teaching and learning. For many years I have considered teaching and learning in a holistic manner, meaning that good teachers don't just provide information, but they also impart how to let that information remain with you and how to let that information become practical and meaningful in your own life and the lives of others. I like to consider this the Head, Heart and Hand philosophy of teaching and learning. Jesus, when asked by one of the teachers of the law, which is the most important of the commandments ?, he replied, "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:29, 30

The great prayer of Deuteronomy and the instruction of Jesus, points out the principles of schooling or educating to the whole person, in that there is holistic emphasis which tutors us to reach the Head or Mind, the Heart and Soul, and the Hand or Strength of the person being taught. If we would look at these terms in an educational setting we would see that they reference the principles of, Instruction/Explanation, Meditation/Adaption and Application.

To make this clear, we simply break down the passages from Deuteronomy and Mark in the following manner:

• HEAD – Here we see Instruction and Explanation or Cogent Teaching. This is illustrated in the prayer when Moses tells parents to "impress them upon your children and talk about them" (the new commandments). Introduction and explanations need to be made in clear and concise terms.
  

  
   

• HEART – Here is the Meditation and/or Adaption that is necessary to assimilate the new knowledge, which is to be Continually Emphasized. This meditation comes through continual talking and instruction emphasis on the new commandments, we see this when the people are told, "Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up". In other words let the new commandments become part of your life and let them sink deep into your heart and soul.
  

  
   

• HAND – Here is the Application stage which is demonstrated in the Constant Remembrance and Review of the new commandments. The application that comes through instruction and meditation is seen when the people are encouraged to "Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates", or simply put, the commandments aren't just to be in your head and heart, they are meant to be acted upon and visible to you and others with whom you come in contact.
  

  
   

So while this methodology isn't new, I believe that through a return to a simple principle which emphasizes teaching to the whole person, we can maximize learning in the life of the students we are given charge over and care of.

Multiculturalism in Education in the U.S.; the Melting Pot and the American Dream

Unlike some of you, I have struggled with this topic, and thus my delay in getting my post online. Personally, on this issue, I am torn between my Christian convictions and my political views. While I don't feel the two are not reconcilable, it's taken me some time to try and put into words what I want to say about this subject.

As you are probably aware, we here in the Southwest are on the frontlines of massive waves of immigration. While some of you can write from a perspective of living in a state where whites or African Americans make up the majority of your states population, this is not the case, for those of us who live in California. California ranks number one in the U.S. with the total amount of Hispanics being, 13,088,000 people, making up 36 percent of the state's population (Pew Hispanic Center, 2006). We also have 40 percent of the nation's Asian population of 6.7 million people, making up just over 12 percent of our population. As well we have the largest population of African Americans in the western U.S. with a total population of 2.1 million residents or just over 6 percent of the state's population (Wikipedia, 2008). California is now the second state in the nation, after Hawaii, where non-Hispanic whites are a minority, making up approximately 47 percent of the state's population (cbsnews.com, 2001). In my county, Los Angeles County, it is estimated that there are at least 224 distinct languages spoken, with a 180 of these languages having their own publications. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, there are 92 spoken languages specifically identified among the district's students (Ivanov, 2006). As the nation's second largest school district, LAUSD serves nearly 700,000 students (Wikipedia, 2008).

I don't point these statistics out to simply show you the statistics. Rather, I use the statistics to illustrate that for some, multiculturalism is an interesting idea to talk or think or write about, whereas for those of us who live here in California, it is a reality that we experience on a daily basis. Good or bad, right or wrong, life in California, especially for those of us who live in urban areas, is all about learning how to live with people who are often very different than you or I may be.

Along with this massive influx of other cultures, come difficult and challenging problems, as well as unique and fascinating opportunities. As others have noted thus far, the real issue is not how to get along with Asians, for example, but rather, how is the United States going to cope with the massive amount of Mexican and Central Americans who have flooded our shores?

First, I believe as Christians we have a duty to care for the poor, feed the hungry and minister to the stranger in our midst, (Proverbs 29:7, Isaiah 58:7, Deuteronomy 10:19). As the book of James clearly points out in chapter 1, verse 27, pure and undefiled religion in God's site is to, care for orphans and widows and to keep one's self from being polluted or corrupted by the world and the worlds system. If we are serious about our faith, then we need to be serious in regard to these instructions.

Yet on the other hand, I know that the Scripture also affirms, recognizes and allows the sovereignty of borders and nations and God ordains the authorities that govern the nations (I Samuel 8:4-20, Proverbs 22:28, Psalm 33:11-13, Romans 13:1-6, I Peter 2:13, 14). So it is troubling to me when the laws of our nation are broken by persons who illegally cross our boarders and move into the United States. Even more troubling is our government's inaction, and big business and big labor's coalescence in allowing the laws of our country to be broken. While the argument can be made that most of these people simply come here for work and a better life, (which I believe is true), I believe that the sovereignty and security of the United States are put at risk, because of the immense challenges we face due to an immigration system that is run amok. I could easily document the problems that have occurred, are occurring and will continue to occur because of illegal immigration, but that is not primarily the purpose of this piece.

So while this is a social, educational, economic, political and cultural challenge, my primary concern here is to address the issue in the light of my faith. As noted, I believe that Christian's have the responsibility to care for the strangers in our midst, who need care, but also, Christian's have the obligation to uphold and support the laws of our country. The problem occurs I believe, because we as a nation have not developed a clear and enforceable system that allows law abiding immigrants to make a better life, without overburdening the life of citizens who are born here or who have come here legally. Unfortunately, it can easily be documented to show how this laissez-faire approach to immigration has stretched our system and way of life to near the breaking point.

To address the issue of possible solutions, I have thought long and hard this week about some basic educational strategies that may work to help integrate new migrants into the American educational system and introduce them into our way of life.

First, I would propose that we as a nation look at a school system that is not built upon our former agrarian past. What worked in the 20^th century and earlier, probably should be readjusted to work into the 21^st century and beyond. In our agrarian system 180 days at six hours per day was considered essential so children could attend school and still help with chores on the farm. Today as we all know, this is an outdated model, since children for the most part are no longer helping on the farm. So, I would propose that we follow the example of other countries and consider extending our school year. For example students in Australia attend 198 days per year, Germans 220 and Japanese students go to school 243 days per year (Barrow, 2008). Along with extending the year, we need to look more to a year round single track system. With this new year, we also should consider longer hours in school per day. I would hold that a modern school day should be at least seven hours and even perhaps eight or longer. An example that I have looked at that seems quite promising is the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools, which advocates a five pillar philosophy in which one pillar is more time, which they define in the following way, "KIPP schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences." (KIPP.org, 2008). My justification for this new school year and day, would be built upon statistics which show that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds/homes (e.g. Hispanic immigrant children) fall behind in their education during a long summer break, more than children from middle or higher socioeconomic backgrounds (Slavin, 2006).

Second, I believe that every school in our country should be teaching character education. Character or values may differ from culture to culture, therefore I would hold that a clear sense of values that are embraced by a majority of American's should be introduced to new immigrant children who are sometimes unfamiliar with the American value system. Yes, it is true that we are a pluralistic society, but if we were to simply teach the values proposed by the Josephson Institute in their Character Counts program, we would be laying a foundation for widely held values. These character traits or values are known as the Six Pillars of Character, and they are as follows:

• Trustworthiness
  
• Respect
  
• Responsibility
  
• Fairness
  
• Caring
  
• Citizenship
  

In teaching new immigrant children these values we would hopefully be molding a future generation of citizens who hold to a value system that coincides with historic values held by many citizens of the United States.

Third, we as a nation need to return to civics education. In recent years, statistics have shown that most students in the United States have a poor knowledge of and a limited engagement with civic education (Rosenthal, 2008). In 2003 the Carnegie Corporation funded a research project that reviewed and researched school based civic education and they made the following recommendations regarding civics and civics education in schools.

In the report it was shown that competent and responsible citizens should be able to articulate and demonstrate the following goals or characteristics:

• They are informed and thoughtful about the principles and practices of democracy
  
• They participate in their communities through membership in voluntary civil associations
  
• They act politically to accomplish public purposes
  
• They have moral and civic virtues, such as responsibility of the common good
  

The report also outlined six school based "best practices" that can lead to increased civic knowledge and engagement of students:

• Schools should emphasize formal instruction in government, law, history and democracy
  
• Schools need to incorporate discussion of current events—local, national and international — and especially those that students perceive to be important to their lives, into classroom discussions
  
• Schools should provide students with opportunities to apply formal civic learning in the classroom to community service projects connected to the curriculum
  
• Offer extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for students to be involved in their schools and communities
  
• Encourage students to participate in school governance
  
• Encourage student participation in simulations of democratic processes and procedures (Rosenthal, 2008)
  

With a return to a strong civic education for all grades, I believe that we can protect and preserve the things that do make America great, while we learn to appreciate the values of other cultures as well. Immigrant students need to learn our history and our values in order to become a full and complete part of our history, and a part of the great American melting pot.

This subject is of tremendous importance to our country and our national identity. Hopefully, as we pray together and work together we can continue to see God's blessings on our nation. May we continue to be a welcoming place for new immigrants and may they too learn to become a part of our great melting pot in their search to achieve the American Dream.

 

References

Barrow, M. (2006). School days in other countries. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/schterms.html

Ivanov, Vyacheslav (2006). Language Spoken At Home by Individual Los Angeles Communities, Persons 5 years and over, City of Los Angeles, 2000 Census. Retrieved November 15, 2008, from http://www.laalmanac.com/LA/la10b.htm

KIPP Schools (August 21, 2008). About KIPP, Five Pillars. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://www.kipp.org/01/fivepillars.cfm

Pew Hispanic Center (2008). Demographic Profile of Hispanics in California, 2006. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://pewhispanic.org/states/?stateid=CA

Rosenthal, L. (November 2008). The State of Civic Education: Teaching the Citizens of Tomorrow. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/435

Slavin, R. (2006). Educational Psychology Theory and Practice (Eighth Edition ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

Demographics of California, (2008, November 8), In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved, November 14, 2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_California

 

 

 

 

My Final Paper for Advanced Educational Psychology – EDUC500 – Liberty University – July, 2008

 

It's over for now. So, how did I get here, what did I learn here and how can I use it in the future?

A Final Paper Submitted for Educational Psychology 500.

Abstract

In this paper we will be reviewing material learned in Educational Psychology 500 and reflecting on it in a personal manner. The goal will be to look at personal experience, personal style and professional approach. This course has been a valuable tool in helping me recognize strengths, weaknesses, positives and negatives of my teaching ability, teaching goals and teaching tools and techniques. As has been shown in the text, there is an extensive amount of material gathered over the years that looks at, diagnoses and dissects educational psychology and learning (Slavin, 2006). The goal here is to personalize that knowledge and learn how to use it most effectively to become an even better educator.

***

In this first section of the paper, we will be looking at personal events and circumstances that moved me towards the field of education and teaching. In the second section, we want to consider some of the things that I personally have gained from the course and the personal analysis tools offered. Then thirdly, we will be looking at a specific area chosen from the text, that being student assessment, and how that should be offered for typical learners and learners who may have learning disabilities (LD) or who are English Language Learners (ELL).

1. So What Brought Me Here?
   

From some of my earliest days, I was taught to be a teacher. My mother, who had been a full-time teacher in a one room school house in an Alaskan village when I was a baby, was a substitute teacher in our local school by the time I started schooling. Around seven years of age, my mother accepted Christ. Soon she found the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), which is a bible centered, worldwide organization whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, (cefonline.com, 2008) Then she also discovered the evangelistic ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, to be another ministry she wanted to devote herself to. So even as a young lad, I was exposed to CEF and Good News Clubs and as a young teen I often helped teaching lessons or leading singing in the club. I was even taught how to present the well known Bill Bright tract, "The Four Spiritual Laws" (Campus Crusade, 1968). With exposure like this, it wasn't hard to see that I was probably headed towards some sort of career that was related to education and evangelism.

Along with this exposure, I had the influence of some good and godly men who were mentors and trainers to me. It is with fondness that I think back upon the ministry and the impact of Bob Coombs, Dave Griffin, Elmer Klassen and Herbert Peeler in my own life. While they were not prophets in the biblical sense, their ministry to me was prophetic. I often think of them and compare them to the saints listed in Hebrews 11, of which is said, "…the world was not worthy of them…" (Hebrews 11:38, New International Version). Though these men never achieved worldly fame or notoriety in Christian circles they chose to follow the Master fully. In actuality, they were men who ministered somewhat in obscurity, seeking to do their own work, but, God's work. Their ministries had great influence on me, for in them, I saw dedication to and love of teaching and spreading the Word of Life. It was through the impact of their lives and ministries that my life was shaped to be a life that was destined for ministry and service over a life dedicated to worldly success and fortune.

The next thing that brought me into full-time Christian school teaching was that I was simply asked to become a teacher in the school my children were attending. We as a family had moved to California in 1994 simply on faith, believing that the Lord was calling us to come and help in a ministry here with a former pastor. Needless to say, it was a big shock to move from rural Idaho, where we had been involved in pastoral work to metro Los Angeles. But in our hearts we knew God had a plan and a purpose for us. While we worked alongside our former pastor, in a voluntary capacity, we continued to look and pray for ministry that could help meet our financial need. The second year that my children were enrolled in their new Christian school, the pastor who oversaw the school asked me if I would like to teach sixth grade. Of course he asked me this at the end of August and the school year was less than two weeks away! So for six years I successfully ministered as a teacher in three Christian schools, unfortunately two of which closed while I was working there.

In 2004, after the last school which I worked at shut down, life became even a bit rockier. I did a few odd jobs but ended up gravitating back to education. So for the last three years, I have worked as a tutor in two secular programs then the past year I was affiliated with a Lutheran school. While my previous teaching experiences have been a mostly up and sometimes down, my last experience was a real negative. As was spoken of in a previous paper, I worked this past year at a Lutheran school. This was a sad and very negative experience since they let many good people go since they wanted to work towards accreditation and only have credentialed teachers. At the end of June, I along with about six other employees was laid because of this very late decision by the school board and the minister of the church. While I had only been there one year; but was looking forward to this coming year, other teachers had been there as long as ten years. So with minimal warning we were all laid off quite abruptly without any unemployment benefits or even a reference letter. The truly sad part about this was that California does not require private schools to be accredited or have credentialed teachers (California Department of Education, 2008). In fact the regional accreditation organization, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), states quite clearly that accreditation is not an issue or a problem for children who are in elementary or middle schools (acswasc.org, 2008). So, even though the school boards intentions in the long term may have been good, why such as hasty or quick house cleaning? Why not give every employee fair warning of what the new system will be and give them to do what I have now decided to do? That would allow them within a given framework to work towards California State licensure. Why do I bring up this up? Primarily because I was hurt and wounded by a Christian organization and Christian people and the wound is still fresh. But also because it was this bitter pill that finally gave me the kick in the seat of the pants to enroll at Liberty to further my education and perhaps work toward teacher licensure. While I personally reject the way this was handled, I am trying as much as I can to turn a real bummer into a real plus. You perhaps are familiar with the old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemon-aid". It's a good adage, but the squeezing of the lemons can sometimes be painful! So here I am, now enrolled in Liberty trying to turn this souring experience into a good and sweet one.

II. So What Have I Learned So Far?

Since the
days of the
ancient Greeks philosophers have had an interest in learning styles (Lemire, 2001) Famous Greek physicians such as Hippocrates and Galen, wondered how and why people were so different one from another. Their assumptions had them looking at the basic elements and liquids of the body. They surmised that these four primary substances; black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood or as they called them the four humors were the cause of differences in human natures (Wikipedia, 2008). Later Galen went on to develop the four psychological or character temperaments; the sanguine or humor blood, is a generally lively, light hearted person, the phlegmatic or humor phlegm is a person who is calm and unemotional, the choleric, or humor yellow bile, is the fiery, decisive, quick tempered person, and finally the melancholic or the humor black bile, is a person who is dark, moody, and pensive. These theories of human nature and temperament endured from ancient Greece till the 19^th Century. It was only when Rudolph Virchow introduced the world of medicine to cellular pathology and the knowledge that sickness came from disease and not from the four humors or temperaments that medical science moved away from the ancient teaching of the Greeks (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007).

    So what is the purpose of bringing this up? Well it is my opinion that just as the debate about the four humors came and went so to do I believe that eventually we will view learning styles in a much different way than we do now. After all the theory of individual learning style was only introduced in the 1970's. As a relatively new form of psychology, some would hold that there has been utter failure to find a relationship between children's learning style and a methodology that enables them to learn better (Stahl, 2002). So while it is interesting to wonder if a child is a visual or a tactile or an auditory learner, is it true that, that and only that style is the only way or the primary way that children can learn? Even though I do find looking at my own navel rather interesting from time-to-time, I still must ask, do tests such as Parkers tests or other tests accurately reflect on the type of learner I really am? In my instance for example, I saw a good increase in my study skills, but my learning styles test was rather balanced with most results being quite close to each other. My interpretation would be that while I may lean to being an auditory learner with some tactile learning thrown in, is this the only kind of learner I am?

    A far more interesting thing to reflect upon is the wonder of the human brain. With the development of the Functional MRI (fMRI), scientists and researchers can now look at what is actually occurring in the brain while activities such as stress or happiness or learning are actually taking place (Willis 2007). The past twenty years have provided extraordinary progress in the understanding of the nature of learning and learning's connection to neuroscience and brain activity (Willis, 2007). It would make sense that the next twenty years or more would provide even more evidence that learning is more closely related to neurology and neuroscience than it is to individual learning styles. As more and more educators understand the significance of this science, more and better ways to reach and teach students can and should be made possible. As Sylwester (2006) so aptly puts it, "teachers who fail to understand the purpose of the brain and how it works, may as well be teaching a grove of trees rather than a room full of students". It seems that so many educators fail to recognize that student behavior and learning is directly related to the definitive properties of the brain and neuroscience. These are concepts I personally find much more interesting than individual learning styles in one sense because they so clearly validate the Psalmist in the 139^th Psalm, when he declares, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful". (Psalm 139:14).

 

1. So What Will I Take With Me?
   

Perhaps it's because it was the last unit so it's

freshest in my mind, or perhaps it's that the last unit got me thinking about my own style of grading. Whatever reason, it made me wonder what I can do to improve my grading techniques? When assessment reforms came about in the 1990's many believed that it was the very foundation of school reform ( Cizek, 1995). While I could not go that far, I can certainly agree that I need to look and perhaps reform my own testing and classroom assessments based upon research. Having not had any real or current pedagogical training my own grading assessments have historically been mainly norm-referenced. While they gave a grade to my students, I always struggled with the question if this was the right grade for this particular student? But I didn't know or properly understand testing, so I was only doing at the time what I believed to be the best.

Unfortunately, I must admit that while I cared for and tried to nurture the children with LD in my classroom, I really didn't understand criterion-referenced assessment or even differentiated instruction. It seems clear to me now that assessment training needs to be not only studied but taught to teachers (Tognolini & Stanley, 2007), as regular part of a teachers training and ongoing professional development. My challenge will be the same as others, who face this challenge of criterion-referenced testing, in answering the question of what are the appropriate performance standards (Oescher, Kirby, & Paradise,1992), which will need to be made? As well, how will I in the future successfully differentiate instruction for children who need differentiated instruction?

This course along with my other course Education 524, Learning Disabilities: Characteristics and Interventions, have given me some real tools as to how to better serve the students to whom I minister. Some of the information I have learned in these two courses this summer have helped me come up with some possible tools that can help me serve all students who are entrusted to my care. Following are some ideas that I think will be possible and necessary for me to make in my future teaching:

• 
  
• Know and understand the needs of your students. While it is easy to say this, sometimes, it's hard to do. Yet, to be able to teach that student fully, how can you effectively assess what they have learned or are learning unless you truly know and understand them? Perhaps in my haste to teach the big picture, I sometimes forget the small detail. I have to remember that I am not painting a large or full mural; I am simply weaving a piece of fabric into that student's life. While it is more than likely true that I know my subject, I have to ask, do I know my audience (Beaver, 2005)? Do I know my students well enough to know what needs to be differentiated for them? While I did not knowingly realize that I was doing differentiated instruction in my last class with my students who are LD, I do now, and I know I need to keep improving in that area. I need to more carefully consider the needs of all the students. Do I understand their current knowledge base and what measures I need to take to effectively assess them? Am I grading them appropriately? Previously, I thought so, but now I realize that I need to make better accommodation for students with LD or ELL. Through this course and my other one, I have sincerely found areas that I need to challenge in my own thinking and doing. I need to ask the are big questions about my skills and assessments, and I need to fully comprehend and appreciate, my students and their needs to become an even better teacher.
  
• Know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. Sun Tzu, in The Art of War says, "Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril" (DeSutter, 1994). Obviously students are not our enemy, but this strategy strengthens the two points just given. First know your students and secondly know yourself. As a teacher, it's important to recognize and be able to admit what makes you a great teacher, and what areas still need work. If I through my continuing education learn to think better, work better and teach better then I believe that I am getting an even better sense of self. Probably the greatest benefit of knowing self is developing an even better confidence to do the best you can as is pointed out by Sun Tzu. One thing, I have learned so far from my courses, is that I didn't know as much as I thought I did!
  
• Plan, plan, plan, and don't forget to plan! Probably the greatest tool that I never have used effectively is the lesson plan book. After I did a project in the other class I mentioned, I realized that I am a great planner, if I really do take the time to thoroughly plan. Instead of looking at lesson planning and differentiating instruction and proper assessing of students as a chore, rather consider yourself to be a choreographer of lesson planning (Bird, 2007). Perhaps one of the most interesting concepts I read about in this course was the idea of "lesson study". Lesson study is where teachers collaboratively plan, observe and analyze each others lesson plans (Lewis, Perry, Hurd, & O'Connell, 2006). It would interest me someday to work in a collaborative teaching setting in which we as teachers could assess and evaluate one another's lessons or lesson plans. While we did this in college in speaking, education and preaching classes, it would be practical and beneficial, at least to me to have my peers evaluate my lessons. Lesson study could in my opinion lead to great planning and great teaching.
  

 

So What Now?

    As you can see, hopefully I have learned some good lessons from the class and from life. The goal now will be to translate the head knowledge into heart knowledge so that it can become hand knowledge. Larry Richards and Gary Bredfeldt said it wonderfully in their book Creative Bible Teaching (1998), "The old adage that we 'learn by doing' is true. Somehow, when we begin to live out what we have learned, we are interested in learning more. The heart is like a sponge. Fill it with knowledge of the Word that remains unapplied, and it becomes stagnant. But use the knowledge and the heart becomes ready to soak in more. Application has a way of motivating learning". May this be true for me, my fellow students and for you Dr. H.

 

References

 

 

Beaver, H. D. (2005). Who Is My Audience? Keep Your Message from Falling on Deaf Ears by Knowing Your Listeners. ABA Banking Journal, 97(12), 40. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5012187783

 

Bird, J. L. (2007). Classroom Choreographer. Childhood Education, 84(2), 92+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5024841126

 

Bredfeldt, G. and Richards, L. (1998) Creative Bible Teaching, Chicago, IL, Moody Publishing

 

California Department of Education (2008), Private Schools Frequently Asked Questions, Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ps/cd/psfaq.asp#psfaqs24

 

Campus Crusade for Christ (1968), The Four Spiritual Laws English, Retrieved August 19, 2008 from http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

 

 

Child Evangelism Fellowship (2008) History of CEF, Retrieved August 19, 2008 from http://www.cefonline.com/content/category/8/31/75/

 

Cizek, G. J. (1995). The Big Picture in Assessment and Who Ought to Have It. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(3), 246+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000362971

 

DeSutter, P. A. (1994) Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, and the Importance of Knowing Yourself and the Enemy, Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA440962

 

Humor. (2007). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=112864826

 

Humorism. (2008). In Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism

 

 

Lemire, D. (2001). Brief Report: An Introduction to Learning Styles for College Teachers. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 32(1), 86+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000920141

 

Lewis, C., Perry, R., Hurd, J., & O'Connell, M. P. (2006). Lesson Study Comes of Age in North America. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(4), 273+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5018563339

 

Oescher, J., Kirby, P. C., & Paradise, L. V. (1992). Validating State-Mandated Criterion- Referenced Achievement Tests with Norm-Referenced Test Results for Elementary and Secondary Students. Journal of Experimental Education, 60(2), 141-150. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=95866316

 

Paterson, F. R. (2000). Building a Conservative Base - Teaching History and Civics in Voucher- Supported Schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(2), 150. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001103579

Slavin, R. E. (2006), Educational Psychology Theory and Practice, Boston, MA, Pearson

Stahl, S. A. (2002). Different strokes for different folks? Taking sides: Clashing on controversial issues in educational psychology (pp. 98-107). Guilford, CT, USA: McGraw-Hill.

 

Sylwester, R. (2006, December). Cognitive Neuroscience Discoveries and Educational Practices: Seven Areas of Brain Research That Will Shift the Current Behavioral Orientation of Teaching and Learning. School Administrator, 63, 32+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5018613337

 

Tognolini, J., & Stanley, G. (2007). Standards-Based Assessment: A Tool and Means to the Development of Human Capital and Capacity Building in Education. Australian Journal of Education, 51(2), 129+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5024823381

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (2008), Some of Our Most Frequently Asked Questions, Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://www.acswasc.org/faq.htm

 

 

Willis, J. (2007). Preserve the Child in Every Learner. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 44(1-Fall 2007), 33-37. Retrieved July 2008 from, http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=27172850&site=ehost-live,

 

Willis, J. (2007). Brain-Based Teaching Strategies for Improving Students' Memory, Learning and Test-Taking Success. Childhood Education, 83(5), 310+. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5021712883