Reflection 12 Soviet Sputnik

Well basically before the Soviet Sputnik, the visible curriculum such as formal or explicit specified that learning in schools were different from learning in life in that which is formally organized. Formal curriculum is not a steady course of study; it tends to change to reflect the values of the time that is present. In the eighteenth century, they began to focus on building a new nation including education. Studies still included reading, religion, and morality, but also added to this was writing and arithmetic which received more attention. Then after the low point launching of the Soviet Sputnik, America’s schools were made the scapegoat for the U.S. failure to beat the Soviet’s into space. University academics were recruited to develop a harsher and disciplined curriculum, especially in science, math and foreign languages. These courses were organized so that the students would focus to think like mathematicians and scientists. Then the Civil Rights movement had an impact on the school’s curriculum. By high school students would explore an order of electives such as Black Studies, Multicultural Studies, Ecology, and Sexuality which we refer to as today Human Growth and Development. In the 1960s and 1970s the excessive spread of electives led to an apparent rather than real course option and a less harsh curriculum. They had electives that would have replaced a basic course you may have needed, or even shared some similarities in another course. After while the students began doing poorly in the basic courses which were the ones that are the most important, such as reading, writing, math, etc. Then critical reports were being made and books were being written about the poorly test scores the students were making. By these actions taking place they decided to eliminate electives and increase the number of basic courses required for graduation. Unfortunately the electives were much more interesting to the students but these were not a big concern for passing test scores for the basic courses. They made an increase on the number of basic courses required for graduation. Clear academic standard and frequent tests increased and then the scores eventually improved. In today’s society, the school’s curriculum is looked up by the states, and school effectiveness is determined by standardized testing. For example, Florida standardized test is called the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test). This test is a graduation requirement, so if you did not pass this test or the SAT test you would not have fulfilled your graduation requirement. You also need a minimum of twenty four credits to also fulfill this graduation requirement. Graduation requirements vary from state to state some may not need as much as others and their tests may be different. The FCAT test require to be passed in the third, eighth, and tenth grade.

Reflection 10

Gatekeepers, teachers must determine who will talk, when, and for how long., as well as the basic direction of the communication. As we know, that most of class room time is taken up by talk and the majority talking time is done by the teacher. Questioning time is a signal of curiosity; it is the teacher who does the majority of asking questions. Students rarely ask academic questions due to shyness or embarrassment. Teachers interact according to the grades of each student. For example, if a child whose grades are borderline the teacher would obviously be on top of them and pay little attention to a student whose grades are B’s and higher. They require less attention. Also if a teacher spends most of the time handing out supplies or enforcing behavior rules time for learning as decreased. The majority of questions asked by the teacher require that students use memory. It is more than likely questions asked about what was previously reviewed what they have learned from the curriculum. The point of gate keeping is to increase student’s curiosity and question for knowledge; for teachers it is to manage classroom interaction time. It expects students to be quiet, to think quickly and give the correct answer, to rely on memory, and to be dependent on the teacher. When students sit quietly and have less participation in classroom interaction they tend to have less positive attitudes and lower achievement in work practices. As student have communication with your teacher is a great tool to academic success. If you don’t communicate with your teacher, how would she know that you need to seek help in a particular subject area; they can’t read minds! Once it’s time to grade the paper and you receive an unsatisfactory grade you want to start opening up at the end once the final grade is in and it’s too late. So I say we need to continue using gate keeping and let the student apply more of the talk than the teacher would. As if the teacher asks the question, then turn right around and answer it that’s not considered learning to me.

Reflection #9

When compared to ancient education and first schools education, teacher effectiveness in today’s society is quite similar with a little difference set aside. Much education is based on a belief that all students are capable of equal outcomes. A difference in outcomes is all a matter of opportunity and fairness that education must fix. Back in ancient times, he children copied what they saw their parents doing and used this as their eventual trade of profession of such. Also whatever their parents taught them rather is was religious, point of views about how to look at others or label them all came from their parents’ beliefs. They never had their own opportunity to go out and explore the world themselves and experience it. Everything was by basically word of mouth. Just as today’s modern teaching, back then they had on job training also called (vocational training). Where the child would actually go out and work in a specific field of study. The only difference when compared to present day teaching is that it depends on the student’s credit on rather or not they were eligible for vocational training. For example, I was involved in on the job training as cosmetologist at Hair Escape Salon and Spa as a hair stylist. Every so often my teacher would come and check on me to make that I was attending work and was a doing a great job at it. This was a requirement that I had to fulfill for my graduation requirement. For the men in Egypt, their careers was not decided by themselves, it was often followed by their family trade or profession of study. Back then, there was no set limit to finish schooling nor start it, compared to today you must start school at the age of what I think four or five and graduate the twelfth grade before twenty.

Reflection 7 redited

The approach to education in the ancient civilization of Egypt and Mesopotamia goes as follows. Similar to modern time’s children in Egypt imitated adult like behavior. As time went by and the children grew older, they did tasks such as farming, workshops, the vineyards, and received most of their knowledge and practical skills from their elders. They received knowledge out of the books of instruction, or wisdom literature. Along with these texts was formal vocational training also known as “on the job training”. Just as in modern education of today. I was involved in the on job training in high school, and i was employed at Hair Escape Salon and spa. The boys did not manage their own trade of profession by themselves; instead they took on and followed whatever profession their family members have had or were into. As far as the girls from less wealthy families learned how to manage a household, sing, dance, and play music instruments. Foreign languages were not taught nor were religious. Students often used pottery shreds or limestone fragments to practice their writing skills. There was no set age length for schooling. As for Mesopotamia, the developed education very closely related to the Egyptian. It included from the basis of reading, writing, and religion to law, medicine, and astrology. The intellectual activity and training was the library. Memorization, oral repetition, copying of models was methods of teaching and learning. To conclude these two ancient civilizations has various similar ways of schooling education. Mesopotamia just had a little more information required and they taught than ancient civilization of Egypt which just got down directly to the basics. If I can go back into these times I would consider using the Mesopotamia methods because it taught a little more and I feel that I would have learned in a very simple matter. Furthermore feel that as far as the boys are concerned, them following their trade of profession from the families was a bad idea. What if this was not what made the boys happy or they were not satisfied with this profession. They may not have to work or school ad gave it their all knowing that was not what they intended on doing. As for the girls, they were okay. Due to the fact that back in the days the women were responsible for taking care of household. Things of such cleaning, cooking, and washing etc fulfilled these requirements that i feel was fairly easy. As far as the singing that should have been easy for them and make time go by fast. It may have enhanced them and maybe in the future the women may have become singers or dancers.

Invention of Writing Reflection #6

Writing was so virtually important and their main string of year ago. It was invented about three times in different places and in human history: Each place had their own invention and ways of communication through writing in Sumerian first; they used pictograms beginning with simple pictures to label basic farm produced food. In cities and urban areas of manufacturing goods they used tokens. Then eventually they used clay tablets. The impressions were used as a memory aids in recording economic data. Furthermore, homonymy began to have been used as abstract symbols that represented sound. Some English language can be used by this tactic but more complicated English cannot. In another area Egypt, they used hieroglyphs, or holy writing. This system was used as syllabic symbols or alphabetic symbols that represented single sounds. This system has been used by the priest to record events or royal and religious significance. This invention was complicated and no one has ever used them again besides themselves. Finally, the last place writing was so important to be china. They invented most of their writing independently. They had some connections with Sumerian writing and used pictographic signs as sound symbols. The sound was represented in the homonymous syllable way. Eventually when signs lost their requirements of resembling what it represented they became stylized. The meaning of a syllable as well as its sound was a way of syllable as well as its sound was a way of how the syllable was written. This is still in effect in modern Chinese today. To conclude, all of these systems of what ancient civilizations used writing for represented sound first and what they stood for secondly. These places used these different forms of writings as way of communicating with each others for events, and farming goods. All of these writings are special and different in their own unique way.

Reflection 8 The Three Waves of education Reformed

In 1983 a report cited a decline in test scores, the weak performance of U.S. students compared with those of other nations. This called for an education reform. To reform education they came up with three waves of reform which continues to influence American education today. The first wave of reports states, the goal was to raise educational quality by reporting more courses and more testing of students and teacher performance. States were to assume the leadership in improving existing practices and this wave continues to be the strongest. This wave also viewed reform in terms of national defense and economic competition. This first reform wave covered several educational issues and topics such as; the rapid growth of state tests, and the effort to identify weak performing students, teachers, and schools. The second wave of reform, began in the mid-and late 1980’s, and was led by educators, rather than by politicians and business leaders. They see the nature of the curriculum as a central weakness, and recommending that students cover fewer topics but study them in the greater depth. They were alarmed by the loss of teacher autonomy in school climates and poor academic performance. To change this they came up with a conclusion to reduce bureaucracy, creating a more professionally trained of teachers, and study the subjects in greater depth. Finally, the third wave began in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s refer to full service schools, by all means to provide a network of social services, nutrition, healthcare, transportation, counseling, and parent education. School policy, focused only on education, would be replaced by children policy. In my opinion I feel the third wave has been so dominant because it primarily focuses on the need of the children and not the sake of the nation’s reputation. We never know what a child is capable of and have access to. Some children may not afford the ability to seek counseling, healthcare, and networking. School is probably their only access to the key to success and other guidance beyond their own home. In my opinion, the first wave is basically worrying about making the students improve to give the nation a high-quality view from other nations or as a competition.

Reflection 5 Initiation rites and rites of passage ceremonies

Initiation rites and rites of passage ceremonies have several traits that involve teaching and learning such as communication, relationships, performances, beliefs, and formal structures. For one thing, it examines face-to-face interactions through which diverse individuals are transformed into teachers it uses rites of passage to describe the processes in which teachers acquire cultural knowledge about teaching and eliminate inappropriate displays of behavior. It is a transition from one social group to another. It also depends on the way the school operates would justify how the teacher would adapt based on the guiding beliefs, skills, and aspirations represented in the school. It also refers to the environmental location of the school whether it is in a good or bad neighborhood. Good quality relationships of both personal and professional characteristic. It begins at home and continues in the school environment. You can’t expect to not have any discipline at home and once they arrive to school they are the perfect angels…NEGATIVE!! We as teachers need the support from the parents, this would be a tremendous help to managing a classroom. Another is among the colleagues, disagreements often arrives from staff conflict and experiences with school base politics and unfair treatment from some of the staffs. Primary teachers have to contract with classroom managements; they will have to deal with different attitudes, disruptive students, Students that refuse to complete their work, etc. In my opinion, without classroom management lesson plans will be ruined. As far as learning, most teachers use learning objectives to pinpoint their lesson plans. Since learning cannot be seen directly teachers must make inference about learning from the information the students turn in. a well planned learning objective would leave less room for doubtfulness about what the teacher plans on lecturing. In conclusion, my view is that initiation into teaching has its similarities with the initiation rites of some eras. It can be painful sometimes and involves time to you before trying to deal with others. A well written learning objective it is the meat (root) of a lesson plan. Without this your class will not have any patience or practices.

BIO OF ME reflection 1

Sherika Davis is my name. I was born on March 3, 1989 to the parents of Sherry Rolle and Fredrick Davis. I have six siblings and I am the third oldest of them all. I attended Carol City elementary, Lawton Chiles middle, and American senior high school. While attending American I was involved in the OJT program (on the job training) and joined the auxiliary team as a captain of the flagette squad. I graduated in 2007, and continuing to extend my education at Miami Dade College north. When I began attending MDC my major was criminal justice. My whole way through high school I was so focused on criminal 0justice because of the money. Months later after my junior year I changed my mind because my father was incarcerated for over twelve years and he told that I was a very nice, soft-hearted person and he believed the people would probably run over me and I wouldn’t be fit for that pressure. Then I started getting opinions and hearing stories from prior correctional officers and detectives which made me change my major to elementary education. I decided that I want to be a teacher because I want to help children better themselves and be a part of their lives in becoming someone successful. I also enjoy tutoring kids with their homework. I can’t get enough of the happiness children can bring I love being around them I adapt to them just fine. My goal is to become a teacher; I feel I would be a teacher that looks forward to waking up bright and early every morning and going to work joyful without any doubts of a bad day. Once I leave work I want to have an impression left on me as if I got the job done of making a better understanding with my lecture to the children and made a difference. It may not be every single piece of information but hey...At least I can sit back and say “I tried” and I will continue I will never give up on any of my students. I also want to make a great connection with the parents and not just the students. I will like for all the children to have study time in and outdoor so they can have help from the parent or legal guardian. To conclude, I wish and hope to meet all the requirements to succeed in this class to enhance my chances of becoming a great successful teacher in the making.

Reflection 4

RELECTION #4
What I have learned is that the first human evolved in Africa about 2 million years ago. The earliest humans are called Homo habilis which means handy man because of its contact with tools that they used to survive. They used tools such as the hammer stone, flake scraper, flake, and heavy duty scraper. These species share some characteristics one being the bipedal locomotion meaning walking upright. Mitochondrial DNA is transmitted only by females. But a more clearly nuclear DNA is called chromosomal DNA. Where as in today’s society, they use this to determine if a male is the father of a child in many situations. Then there was a conflict on the Mitochondrial DNA because the female eggs carry many mitochondria while the sperm contribute no mitochondria to the new baby. This can be a big problem in society because without a male sperm contribution, no baby can be made. So physically when the female have sex with males and the males disperse their sperm inside of a female, we will never know who the baby belong to. On the other hand, the chromosomal DNA showed a clearer analysis from the cell surface receptor on white blood cells that identifies the AIDS located on human chromosome 12.Then with this solution they came up with all the answers concerning humans. Humans and Apes share many characteristics that are very similar, Apes have a skull base of humans also a few teeth and little similar bones which characterized that human descended from ape like ancestors. Ape species are small brained when they are compared to human species that specialize in eating tough plant material and are considered vegetarians because their brains are small and they have to maintain their brains in a healthy function. As for humans we are considered omnivores (meat eaters).Since our brain is way much larger we can eat more meats and plants than compared to Apes. I truly believe that we share and have several characteristics as Apes that it’s scary to me. The information presented to me in these readings leaves my opinion that we as humans evolved around apes in several types of aspects. Such as bones structure, the texture of our skin, and hair type to our color. If we all evolved around Apes I have to question how did people of white race get their skin color pigment? Why woudlnt we question God when people say that God made all humans and we evolved around Apes. Does this means that God made APes first and we were born from Ape ancestors.

Reflection 3 Multicultral education approach in elementary school

The extent to where my elementary and secondary education was multicultural has been exposed to me in many ways. It begins in my neighborhood, of course some of the kids that lived around me went to same school I went to so, so we interacted with each other outside of school also. I was surrounded by Hispanics, Asians, Haitians, Jamaicans, and many more. Everyday some of us would come outside and play with each other; sometimes the Haitian kids got teased at for being Haitian. I can vouch for that because I use to tell them that they eat cat for dinner and do voodoo. Of course now my opinions about them as changed as I grew older because I learned more and interacted with them more. Not just in my neighborhood, in school too. I also understood that when I was in school and got caught teasing other about their ethnicity would result in a punishment and bad consequences. Secondly, the school had several celebrations for different cultures such as Black History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. The United States schools are so diverse that we interacted with other kids we probably never even heard of the ethnicity background. We tend to learn a lot from others such as the way they are punished, certain beliefs, different types of food, music, and so on. I remember at my elementary school, “Carol City” during black history month the teachers would come together and have an African American parade. The students, counselors, principals, and teachers would wear their African attire and the music would play African American music and bring out the instruments. Another activity that the teachers involved us in was a bibliography project. The teacher gathered up a couple of Hispanic famous people and we had to research information on them, and the day of the presentation we had to bring a Hispanic covered dish or drink of whatever we wished it to be. If I can go back to my elementary education, I would want my teachers to take the social action approach. I feel that this action was already being taken and this was an interesting and exciting approach. With this approach, we are communicating face to face with each other. We can get a clearer understanding of what other students and teachers experience of different cultures. I think that Carol City Elementary did an excellent job in introducing us into and implying multicultural activities to our school work. What do think about your elementary school?