The importance of Age

Age is one of the most important differences that can cause individuals to not be able to relate to one another. This is why it is very important for teachers to take age into consideration in their classrooms. Whether you teach elementary, middle, or high school, each generation has its own culture of differences. These differences can be displayed in their language, beliefs, clothing, interests, and passions.

Learning styles is one of the most apparent differences in the generation that is currently in school compared to my learning style growing up. While I am not that much older that the students currently in school, advances in technology make learning a much different atmosphere that it was 20 years ago. Students are now tech savvy individuals that engage through hand-held devices and computer screens instead of notebook paper and worksheets. The following videos are some of my favorite in depicting the differences that teachers must acknowledge and adapt curriculum to because of the age differences and learning styles of the new generation of students.



If you can ignore the weird robotic voice in the beginning, this video shows how teachers are adapting their teaching styles in order to meet the needs of the younger generation of students.


I found an interesting site that discusses the differences between the traditionalists, baby boomers, gen 'x'ers, and nexters (or Gen Y). It discusses how each generation has different values within the community. It also give great tips on ways to encourage communication with each particular generation. Click here to view the site.

The last video that I wanted to share is one on Generation WE. Generation We is a new movement on the more political side of society. It's purpose is to empower the Millennial generation to take action and become involved. As the video states, this upcoming generation will have more power when the reach the age to vote than any other in history. This is definitely something that a teacher should consider.

Geographical Differences in the Classroom

This week my group was responsible for presenting about geographical differences in education. This topic encompasses quite a bit of information. Geographical differences can come in many forms. Individuals can take on different cultures depending on the region that they live in. The united states is made up of primarily five different regions. Each of the regions contains its own subculture. Individuals within the regions speak, eat, believe, and live differently. Teachers should be aware of these differences in order to relate to students and understand their background within the education realm.

Not only do teachers need to be aware of regional differences within the United States but also differences within each of the regions. Even students who all come from the same region can have differences based upon the community within that region. There are urban, suburban, and rural differences. For example, students who attend an inner city school in Dallas will be much different than students who attend a school in the suburban city of Rowlett. Both of these will have much different perspectives than a student whonattends school in the rural town of Lone Oak (where I attended high school). I have had the privilege of attending all three types of schools. I went to elementary and middle schools in a suburban community. Then I attended high school in a rural community. Lastly, I currently attend SMU in the urban community of Dallas. I have been able to experience the differences in each of the different community types.

Religion Reflections

-Guest Speakers-

I always enjoy when we have guest speakers in the class discussions, even if those speakers as not exactly 'guests'. I love to hear the perpectives of different individuals and why they think and believe what they do. I find that it challenges my own beliefs as I understand and relate to the experiences of the speakers. 

-Religion-

Religion is one of those topics that I completely avoid talking about with other people. It seems that every time the topic is approached someone is defensive and/or adamant to convince you otherwise. I thought that the group tonight did a wonderful job of maintaining an unbiased point of view while presenting the religious differences of individuals. This is a hard thing to accomplish. Congrats to them! SOme of the most interesting points from the discussions were:

• 'Under God' was actually added to coins in the 1800's.  
• Religious clauses of the 1st amendment: establishment clause, free exercise clause. 
• Separation of church and state has developed through several supreme court rulings that declared that situations that demand students to say prayers or read the bible are unconstitutional.
• The numerous misconceptions that individuals have about different religions.

I love learning about different religions and what people believe. The following two websites have valuable information to learn more:

1. http://www.typesofreligion.com/
2. http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm

First-Hand Experiences...

In the first part of class this week, Charles & Howard shared their experiences and perspectives growing up as homosexuals. Charles shared his experiences with growing up in a small county town with extremist groups like the KKK. He realized he was different by the time he was 12 but truly believes that individuals are born that way. He shared how he grew up with a childhood just like others; working and playing. This contrasted his partners upbringing of knowing that he was homosexual since he was born. His partner believes that being openly gay so early on made his life much more difficult. His family doesn't speak with him any longer. Charles on the other hand gets along well with his sisters. His father was accepting of his lifestyle and supported it while his mother refused to accept the truth. Charles' medical difficulties brought the truth of his families acceptance of his lifestyle to light. He also feels that media portrays the worst of the homosexual community.

Howard's mantra is 'Fear will control your life if you let it.' He knew he was different by 7 but was afraid to talk to his parents about it. He continued to act like others to please those around him. At the age of 12, he decided to talk to his parents but was stopped by his family's reaction to his cousin coming out. He went through girlfriends and dates but it never lasted more than a month because he was so uncomfortable with the situation. At 27 he was an educated and successful man but could still not come out due to fear. Eventually he met a woman who he fell in love with and married. They had two children together. After about 5 years into the marriage, Howard struggled to maintain a relationship while his heart was not in it.  He focused his attention to work instead of his family. After filing for divorce, Howard came out to his friends and family. His parents were not supportive and didn't speak again for 2 years. His children had differing reactions to his news. His son was very accepting while his daughter had a difficult time. Howard lost a lot of family through his experiences. He has learned that you cannot go against the grain of nature.

The second part of class focused on language diversity. I found the facts and information about American Sign Language to be very interesting. For example, I was not aware that 381 languages are spoken in the United States. The spelling test from different hearing loss situations was very eye opening for me as I have a student with some hearing loss in his left ear. It allowed me to better understand what a student with hearing loss must cope with in the classroom.

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Our group has chosen to read a novel called Reading Lolita in Tehran. The novel is written by Azar Nasifi and is for the most part a non-fiction account of her memories of hosting an all-girls book club during the reign of the Iranian Revolution. I say that it is for the most part because at the beginning of the novel Nasifi explains how she has to alter truths about individuals in order to protect their privacy and freedom (even still) from the government of Iran.

The novel involves themes of personal freedom, social obligations, tyranny, democracy, love and commitment, ethic, and moral courage.




While the trailer listed above depicts all of the themes and topics shown in the novel. I found the book to be not quite as dramatic and involved as I hoped it would be. I was hoping that this would be a more personal memoir that gave accounts of the oppression of women however I was so lost in the multitude of characters and literature references that I found myself disappointed. However....I have not finished the novel at this point....there is always still a chance of redemption.  :)

Refugees and Exceptionality

Refugee Speakers 

Dr. Montgomery spoke to us about refugees and their populations. A refugee is not the same as an immigrant. An immigrant chooses to leave their country for a different life. While a refugee is a person forced to leave their homeland and is unable to return. Most often refugees leave with only the clothes on their back. Most refugees have been through numerous traumatic events such as, conflict and terror, chaos and camps, traumatic life events, unanticipated moves, left family behind, disruptions to daily routine, and great loss. Refugees gather in camps where their shelters can be made from scraps of fabric, boxes, sticks, or other materials depending on the geographic area. Sometimes generations of refugees can exist within an refugee camp. In the United States, the majority of the refugees are from Vietnam. From the 70,000 refugees who entered the US in 2006, only 50,000 were accepted. Refugees face many challenges when they come to the United States. Some of the challenges that they face are mental health issues, such as depression, limited formal education, lack of documentation, and difficulty with parental involvement and education.

Programs are set up for refugee students. Programs like medical and dental services, guidance and counseling, clothing and food, transportation, and specialized instruction are beneficial to those students. Teachers should provide socialization and accommodating activities for the newly-arrived students. Time and discussion of the norms in the classroom help students adjust to their new environments. Teachers can determine a 'welcome' process for your school. Four keys to success with refugee students are engaging students in thematic-based curriculum, draw on students backgrounds, have collaborative activities, and create confidant learners who value themselves and school. The most important thing a teacher can do is understand.


Philip did a great job describing his experiences during his time in the Peace Corps in South Africa. His presentation gave me a better understanding of the roles of the Peace Corps in other countries and the perpective of an outsider coming into an unknown culture. I found his stories very interesting and motivating for myself to experience more cultures in the world. I would love to experience and learn about others first hand, just as he did.

Exceptionality

Disproportionate placement in special education can be due to poverty, lead poisoning, over referrals, racial bias, assessment issues, unexplained issues, and lack of options. Exceptional students vary from learning disabled to gifted students. There are numerous options for those children in the educational setting. Students should be given the opportunities to grow, normalization, and inclusion if deemed necessary. Utilizing Garner's Multiple Intelligence theory in the classroom can help a teacher reach all students with exceptionalities in the classroom.

Impacts of Gender and Sexual Orientation

I really enjoyed the debate on issues related to sexual orientation from the book 'Is It a Choice?'. It brought some very serious issues to the forefront of discussion for the class. Some of the key points from the discussions were:

• gay adolescents can feel much more fear and isolation from society, 
• feelings of sexual attraction are innate, 
• physical behavior does not determine or change your sexual orientation, 
• more cases of molestation are from heterosexual males that are related to the child than from someone who is gay, 
• all parents have the same possibility of raising homosexual and heterosexual children, 
• parents of children who are homosexual should seek information to provide support for their children, 
• gay people can be positive role models for children in the same way that their colleagues can, 
• student learn most information about being gay informally and in a negative context, 
• Canada and Europe are the most open minded while the Middle East are very strict and threaten peoples lives

Perceptions of gender roles can be heavily influenced by the culture of the individual. There is a constant need for balance between teaching children about gender roles to be accepted into the society and trying to teach them the opposite gender roles to be unbiased. 

In Honor of President's Day...

Class and Socioeconomic Status in Schools

LARSQ is an acronym for developing the core communication skills that are essential in discussions dealing with differences of opinion. It stands for Listen, Acknowledge, Reframe, Summary, and Questions. Listening stands for attending, following, and authenticity shown while in the discussion.
Acknowledge can be displayed by attempting to understand the emotions of another person. Acknowledgement does not mean that you have to agree with the other person, but it does mean that you are trying to understand their point of view or values. Empathy can be shown in acknowledging by labeling the feeling and then connecting to the content being discussed. Reframe is the transition point from dealing with feelings in the conversation to dealing with the problem. Often the transition leads into a rational stage of thinking to deal with problem solving. It is important to make sure that there is no misunderstanding when you reframe the situation or problem. Summarize is when you reflect your own words of what the speaker has said. Summarizing is when the speakers can filter out the irrelevant issues of the problem. Lastly, questioning is used to fill-in important information. Questions can clarify facts, points of view, and intentions of the problem at hand. Use open-ended questions that require explanations.

Dr. Ruby Payne has lectured about socioeconomic status and its impact on education for numerous years. The following SlideShare was created by Deborah Crawford, Rhonda Gillett, Ronda Hamilton, and Karen Watkins. It explores the 'Puzzle of Poverty' a little further. 

The Puzzle of Povery

View more presentations from guestf0db54.

I think that it is very important to be knowledgeable about the various socioeconomic statuses or classes of the students in your class. As Dr. Ruby Payne teaches, once you understand the class of the students you can better understand the mannerisms and values of their family. I created the following poll to allow the reader to share what dynamic is prevalent in their classroom. 

 

The customizable graphic on class by the New York Times was very helpful for myself to see how my self-perceptions of class compare to actual calculations of class according to the country's norms. It is interesting to see how factors such as employment and education are placed in the class system in the United States. 

What about Ethnicity and Race?

Social contracts can be beneficial to incorporate into the classroom at the beginning of the school year. They establish a foundation of what is acceptable within the course of the year. The two main questions to focus on when constructing the contract are: How will we treat each other (in respect to race and ethnicity during our class)? and How will we resolve conflict that may arise regarding cultural taboos and prejudice?

A fantastic website was introduced called UnderstandingRace.org. This website was produced as a project of the American Anthropological Association. It is a wealth of information about race, including the history of race since the 1600's, the genetics behind race, and personal accounts of race. I explored it a little further after class and found a section of the site created specifically for kids. There are games, quizzes, and movies. It would be very interesting to incorporate these activities into a computer center in the classroom.

In the following video, the California Science Center in Los Angeles interviews visitors to the exhibit they held on race. I thought that the assumptions and beliefs on races by the individuals was very interesting.

Foundations of Individuals

Culture provides the blueprint that determines the way we think, feel, and act. Manifestations can be a hello kiss, hug, or handshake. Cultural Relativism is walking in someone else's shoes. Ethnocentric is the opposite where you don't understand other cultures because you only think about your own culture. Mainstream culture is better to say than dominant culture. Dominant carries a negative connotation and feeling about culture.

According to Chartock (2010), the principles for being a culturally responsible teacher are communicating high expectations, utilizing diverse learning strategies, becoming a facilitator, having a positive perspective on parents and families of culturally diverse students, being culturally sensitive, redesigning the curriculum by creating culturally mediated instruction, and by having a student-centered, student-controlled classroom environments.

Patriotism being a school requirement is a controversial subject. While some teachers feel that it can build relationships to military service, provides a unified and common front in the school, and allow students to become more aware of own traditions and culture. Other teachers believe that it is militaristic, possibly imposes on their own personal culture, can create a conflict of culture within students, and can contradict religious beliefs. However, most teachers can agree that while students might not choose to say pledges or show patriotism within the school, they should still hold a certain amount of respect for the country which they live in.

Educators can obtain knowledge from their diverse student cultural populations.  This knowledge of difference cultures is necessary to understand students better. Teachers will come across numerous situations dealing with parents and families that might involve understanding of their culture. For example, gender roles and responsibilities within the family is much different in middle eastern cultures. I have personally experienced this during a parent conference where the father would respond to every question, even one directed toward the wife.

Cultural backgrounds can be difficult to address in the classroom however lessons can be flexible enough to always bring in cultural references that relate to students. Teachers can accomodate other cultures by modeling respect and understanding of other cultures. Introductions at the beginning of the school year allow students to share cultures as individuals rather than singling out specific culture differences during the school year. Parental involvement can bring in cultures too. It can be overwhelming at times. Embrace different cultures, build a community that is sensitive and accepting to others' differences.