Science

Sell it to students in unique ways to cultivate enthusiasm and create confidence
Chaos in the classroom: how to balance between hands-on and a gong show?
Inquiry easily embraced in all styles
Experiments facilitate interest in the subject
Naive induction vs. falsification
Can be misused to enhance the media's arguments
Explore alternative approaches

Math: Traditional vs. Know-How

Our discussion last class surrounding the teaching of maths resonated strongly with the tensions I see arising in my co-op placement. I am extremely fortunate in that my school placement is at St. Anne school, an inquiry based learning community. I find that in general my experiences within the school are parallel to what we are learning in our courses on campus: the value of constructivist teaching, the skills that develop in students who learn in a hands on, community centered environment, and the level of student engagement tied to the theory and practice of inquiry based learning. At times I would go so far as to say I feel a bit guilty when we are chatting in our courses about forward thinking teaching, and my classmates grumble that in their co-ops they are seeing nothing that we are being taught, only traditional rows of desks and worksheet after worksheet. St. Anne is doing incredible things, and it is evident when walking through their halls or speaking to the students.

However, math is an area of contention, in my view. While all other courses at the school are generally tied together through inquiry projects and cross curricular endeavors, math stands alone. The classes at St. Anne are all intentionally splits when they could be full single grade classes, which adds to the richness of the environment. With math, however, students meet with their grades and are taught the curriculum according to Math Makes Sense. While in the younger grades hands on learning is utilized a bit, after grade 2 it becomes very heavy on workbooks and hand in sheets.

I understand that math is a challenge to teach in a reformed way, yet I think if anywhere should be striving to do so it would be this school. Jared commented in class that it is a challenge for us, as TCs, to be taught on campus to teach in the know-how way, of reform and inquiry, yet when it comes time for practice it will be natural, and safe in our first few years, to teach the way we know. This includes the way we were taught as students, which is generally in the traditional, rote style, and the way we are seeing our co-op teachers teach. For me, the tension lies not in the comfort zone, but in seeing that such a reformed school is hesitant to take chances with one subject area, and the questions surrounding that hesitancy.

Media Depictions of Women: Sexist Ads Through the Years

The barbeque article really caused me to reflect on gender roles in the media, specifically in marketing. While it is easy to have an appalled laugh at sexist ads of the first half of the twentieth century, so heavily insinuating the lack of intelligence in women and, later, objectifying them, it is necessary to acknowledge the continuation of this tactic in today's marketing.

Here are some of the wildly deplorable examples from the earlier half of the 20th century:

Both are kitchen-related, and obviously insinuating a woman's place is doing the cooking. The second one also heavily hints at females as being simple minded, promising the thermometer is easy to read and wash.


The problems with these ads are clear, and we laugh at how outlandish they are compared to the world today. Yet, here are a couple examples from the last couple years:

While these ads aren't placing women in the kitchen, they are highly sexualizing them, and showing them in submissive situations and positions. While the first two are overtly objectifying, I find the title of the perfume in the third paired with the picture of her being physically dominated equally bothersome.

I have no solution to this issue, nor do I think it will change anytime soon. However, by acknowledging what the media is doing, and drawing attention to it with students in a middle years classroom, it is possible to create awareness from a young age and challenge the views which are being put forth.

Hegemony

“normal” English

power decides what is 

        Normal

colonialism- Power

ideologies produce discourses, hegemony: 

        what is Common Sense?

language.

A Response to Ladson-Billings and Seiger

An acrostic poem (kind of) in response to the Week Three readings:


Vernacular

            Vocabulary is equally valuable in expressing and exploring, no matter the dialect
           tEachers must increase their expectations: doubt can be read too easily
     diveRsity through language and socialization
            Negative attitudes toward cultures create tensions with certain vernaculars
            Awareness in the classroom of language and the meaning behind it
            Culturally cultivated language as a springboard
     instrUmental use of vernaculars used as a bridge between home and school language
            Language of the individual needs to be respected and shared
        scAffolding toward academically promoted language use through launching off of a vernacular
 standaRd English should not be the only standard