Paper 3 Final Draft

Aly Jensen

English 101

Sonia Begert

Formal Paper Three

Argument Paper

            What will and always has impacted the future of our lives, and the lives of others? This is education. Becoming educated can affect the rest of your life, whether or not you will be successful in life or not. Dan Brown from his article what makes a great teacher says, “Education policy had tremendous impact on the ecosystem where teacher and students operate.”(1)  Whether or not your children will be successful or not, education has affected so much of our lives today as well as it has history. What can we do today to improve the future generations? One way we can improve K-12 education is teaching students through their individual learning style. These learning styles include, visual, kinesthetic and auditory.

             Some may say that we are already doing visual learning in our education system such as labs. Yes, this may be true but there are so many opportunities that we can take to make visual learning happen more often and not only visual learning, but also to use all the different learning styles to educate children. Deanne Lachner from Visual Learning in Children says, “Eighty percent of people learn through their eyes.” How do people learn through their eyes? There are many different ways some of which are movies, pictures, diagrams, and graphs. When visual students are watching movies, they are able to remember things in the movie or situation better because they are able to visualize that event. A good example of visual learning in the movie Mona Lisa Smile was when Ms. Watson takes her students to an art studio and shows them an actual canvas painting. She explains to her students that their assignment for the day was just to consider it; they did not have to like it they just had to consider that painting (Mona Lisa Smile). This is an important lesson in education; to consider what it took to make that canvas and what led that person to make that object, what lesson can you learn from seeing those things? Mr. Escalante in the movie Stand and Deliver uses this lesson of visual learning when he gave his students apples that had slices out of them. Then he proceeded to ask the students what fraction of the apple they had. The students could see if half the apple was missing or if only one third of the apple was missing. (Stand and Deliver) If students who are visual learners were given more of the opportunity to watch movies or look at different object or pictures during class, that they would better understand the message that the teacher is trying to convey to them. But, sometimes it takes more than just student’s eyes to help them learn.

            Some people would claim that because teachers talk a lot of the class time, we are helping our auditory learners. Yes, this may help them learn a bit, but there are many other ways that we can help our students pick up the material faster. Maybe if we taught our students by music, making up little songs or rhymes to help them memorize things; whether it be equations or dates in history. If these auditory learners are given a beat to remember the information with, they should be able to retain that information better. I have seen this song method in progress, when I watched Waiting for Superman, and there was a math teacher who was teaching her students rap music that had math equations in it. This method of teaching kept the children interested and they were more engaged in what the teacher was teaching. I have also heard that some students process better if they can listen to music while they are working. If this is true then we should let those students listen to music in class if it is truly helping them get their work done. In addition, to help this auditory process a lot of students listen to the teacher better if they are doodling or taking notes in class. We should start training these students at a young age to take notes in ways that help them focus. Give them a scratch piece of paper to doodle, if that is what they need to focus.

            The last learning style that we need to incorporate into schools is kinesthetic learning which means hands on learning. To touch, feel, do labs, go on field trips. Often times we hear that it is unsafe for our children to go on field trips and be away from the school campus. However, if we express to our students that field trips are a privilege, and that they can be taken away, then they in turn will be better behaved. If we also start going on field trips at a younger age, the students will better know how to behave when they get older. However, to have hands on learning you do not have to take the students out of the classroom, you can simply do labs with the students, where they can touch and experience different things. I have also seen this when children are learning subtraction; they will put five cookies out for them. Then, the teacher will ask the student to take two cookies away; the child will move those cookies away and know that there are only three cookies left.  When Mr. Escalante showed his students how to do multiples of nines on their fingers this was a great example of hands on learning. It showed the students how they could use their fingers to count and a simple way to solve multiples of nines. (Stand and Deliver)

            It is extremely important for the school system to incorporate the learning style that best fits that student because it helps these students learn faster, because they can easily use the way their brains process information to help them learn quicker. The Inspirations Software website states, “Students see how ideas are connected and realize how information can be grouped and organized. With visual learning, new concepts are more thoroughly and easily understood when they are linked to prior knowledge.” Once the student has an easier time at learning, learning will become more interesting and more exciting for that student. When learning and school makes sense, you will want to do it more; if you enjoy something naturally, you are going to want to do it more often.

                With this new way of learning more hands on and to each individuals learning type, these students will become more involved with their teachers and their other classmates. The students will be given a greater opportunity to work in groups, in labs, or other projects. Field trips the students may go on can help them become more active with nature and the outside world. Some may say that is why children are given extracurricular activities so they can make friends and then have time to bond with their classmates. However, not all students do extracurricular activities and not all students have the time to or athletic ability. Yes there are clubs, but why can’t we make connections and friendships inside the classroom as well? If students are moving around more in the classroom and able to participate more; more than just listening to the teacher lecture the whole time or just read from and text book, they will become excited about learning, they will be more engaged and more involved. These skills to communicate with other people will help better our future and theirs, to express ideas and emotions with each other.

           

           

Works Cited

Brown, Dan. "WJLA." WJLA. Abc 7, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/08/what-makes-a-great-teacher--79397.html>.

Lachner, Deanne. "Visual Learning in Children." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/273647-visual-learning-in-children/>.

Mona Lisa Smile. Dir. Mike Newell. Perf. Julia Roberts,Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles. 2003. DVD.

Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramón Menéndez. By Ramón Menéndez. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan. Warner Bros, 1988. DVD.

Waiting for Superman. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Geoffrey Canada, Michelle Rhee, Paramount Vantage. Paramount Vantage, 2010. DVD.

"What Is Visual Thinking and Visual Learning?" Visual Learning and Outlining in the Classroom. Inspiration Software, INC, 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://www.inspiration.com/visual-learning>. 

Paper 3 Draft

Aly Jensen

English 101

Sonia Begert

Formal Paper Three

Argument Paper

            What will and always has impacted the future, of our lives and the lives of others? This is education. Becoming educated can affect the rest of your life, whether or not you will be successful in life or not. Whether or not your children will be successful or not? Education has affected so much of our lives today as well as it has history. What can we do today to improve the future generations? I think one way we can improve K-12 education is teaching students through their individual learning style. These learning styles include, visual, kinesthetic and auditory.

             Some may say that we are already doing visual learning in our education system such as  labs, yes, this may be true but there are so many opportunities that we can take to make visual learning happen more often and not only visual learning but, also to use all the different learning styles to educate children. “Eighty percent of people learn through their eyes.” (Lachner page 1). How do people learn through their eyes? There are many different ways some of which, movies, pictures, diagrams, and graphs. When visual students are watching movies, they are able to remember things in the movie or situation better because they are able to visualize that event. A good example, of visual learning was when Ms. Watson takes her students to an art studio and shows them an actual canvas painting. She explains to her students that their assignment for the day was just to consider it; they did not have to like it they just had to consider that painting. (Mona Lisa Smiles) I think this is an important lesson in education, to consider what it took to make that canvas and what lead that person it make that object, what lesson can you learn from seeing those things? Mr. Escalante uses this lesson of visual learning when he gave his students apples that had slices out of them. Then he proceeded to ask the students what fraction of the apple they had. The students could see if half the apple was missing or if only one third of the apple was missing. (Stand and Deliver) If students who are visual learners, were given more of the opportunity to watch movies or look at different object or pictures during class, I really feel that they would better understand the message that the teacher is trying to convey to them. But, sometimes it takes more than just student’s eyes to help them learn.

            Some people would claim that because teachers talk a lot of the class time, we are helping our auditory learners. Yes, this may help them learn a bit, but there are many other ways that we can help our students pick up the material faster, maybe if we taught our students by music, making up little songs or rhymes to help them memorize things, whether it be equations or dates in history. If these auditory learners are given a beat to remember the information with, they should be able to retain that information better. I have seen this song method in progress, when I watched Waiting for Superman, there was a math teacher who was teaching her students rap music that had math equations in it. This method of teaching kept the children interested and they were more engaged in what the teacher was teaching. I have also heard that some students process better if they can listen to music while they are working. If this is true then we should let those students listen to music in class if it is truly helping them get their work done. In addition, to help this auditory process a lot of students listen to the teacher better if they are doodling or taking notes in class. I think we should start training these students at a young age to take notes in that helps them focus and get a scratch piece of paper to doodle, if that is what they need to focus.

            The last learning style that we need to incorporate into schools is kinesthetic learning which means hands on learning. To touch, feel, do labs, go of field trips. Often times we hear that it is unsafe for our children to go on field trips and be away from the school campus, but I do not agree. I know that if we express to our students that field trips are a privilege, and that they can be taken away, and then they in turn will be better behaved. If we also start going on field trips at a younger age, the students will better know how to behave when they get older. However, to have hands on learning you do not have to take the students out of the classroom, you can simply do labs with the students, were then can touch and experience different things. I have also seen this when children are learning subtraction, they will put five cookies out for them. Then, the teacher will ask the student to take two cookies away; the child will move those cookies away and know that there are only three cookies left.  When Mr. Escalante showed his students how to do multiples of nines on their fingers this was a great example of hands of learning. It showed the students how they could use their fingers to count and a simple way to solve multiples of nines. (Stand and Deliver)

            It is extremely important for the school system to incorporate the learning style that best fits that student because it helps these students learn faster, because they can easily use the way their brains processes information to help them learn quicker. “Students see how ideas are connected and realize how information can be grouped and organized. With visual learning, new concepts are more thoroughly and easily understood when they are linked to prior knowledge.” (Inspiration) Once the student has, an easier time at learning, learning will become more interesting and more exciting for that student. When learning and school makes sense, you will want to do it more; if you enjoy something naturally, you are going to want to do it more often.

                With this new way of learning more hands on and to each individuals learning type, these students will become more involved, involved with their teachers and their other classmates. The students will be given a greater opportunity to work in groups in labs or other projects. Field trips the students may go on can help them become more active with nature and the outside world. Some may say that is why children are given extra circular activities so they can make friends and then have time to bond with their classmates. However, not all students do extracurricular activities and not all students have the time to or athletic ability, yes there are clubs but why can’t we make connections and friendships inside the classroom as well? If students are moving around more in the classroom and able to participate more; more than just listening to the teacher lecture the whole time or just read from and text book, they will become excited about learning, they will be more engaged and more involved. These skills to communicate with other people will help better our future and theirs, to express ideas and emotions with each other.

What is the biggest challenge k-12 students are facing today?

I think one of the biggest challenges is drive and respect. I can see that in how the students were disrespectful to Mr. Escalante when we watched that movie. How he really had to earn the respect of his students. These students have almost very been taught how to act of how to respect adult. You need to show respect to some whether or not you like them or not. I think that it is hard sometimes but just because you do or don’t like someone doesn’t mean that you can’t be rude to them.

Respect also leads into drive, because these students have no respect for themselves or others. Then they normal don’t care about their education, they don’t care about the teacher or their own success. I think that is really hard and draining on a teacher when they have to constantly put that motivation into their students. To everyday have to wake up and try to believe in them, but not only that believes in themselves. Keeping in mind that these are good teachers who really want what is best for their students. I think that drive to do or become anything these days is a big issue in our youth, they are just so lazy and them don’t care enough they want to take the “easy way out.” I’m not saying this is everyone but it seems to me that the majority of high school students these days are like that.

Chalk Movie Notes

Morgan Spurlock grew up surrounded by teachers. 50% of teachers quit in the first 3 years of teaching. Morgan said that teaching can be very funny, that is so true kids will do and say the funniest things.

It shows the differences in the classrooms on the first day, the way that teachers teach and what they do on the first day of school. Some teachers are funny, nervous, and more. You can tell how the students like the teacher or not within the very first day of school. Mr. Lolwer doesn’t know anything as a first year teacher, he is so nervous and when he talks to the students he rambles a lot.

It shows a fight in the school yard, the one woman teacher us freaking out and over reacting. Then after breaking up the fight, students start making fun of her. Mr. Lolwer has no control over his classroom; he needs to learn how to teach his class discipline. The class is acting like a bunch of wild animals. The funniest thing is that I have had teachers like this, were they have no control over there class and the other respectful students normally just laugh.

An older teacher gives a newer teacher advice, “the most important thing about being a teacher is caring for your students.”  

The teachers are inconsistent with the school rules and one teacher approaches another teacher about letting the student come in late.

Mr. Lolwer leaves the classroom because he is disrespected, they hide his chalk, then he said “I’m going to leave and when I come back in I will see who is going to lead the classroom.” Well when he came back in there was a student “leading” the classroom. Now he decides to change the way he is going to run the classroom, he is going to try to use more humor. But, he tried to show that humor and it was really horrible.

There is a P.E teacher and the students think she is gay. Which I can understand because sometimes the things she says can be taking the wrong way; she wants to hang out with the teachers like work out with them before school and stuff like that.

The P.E teacher found a crush at work and now is “I found myself enjoying work more now.”

One of the teachers asked some of his students not to act so smart, so that he would look more intelligent in front of the class.

Mr. Lolwer is having a fantasy about the P.E teacher (Coach Webb). Then the advisor asks him if he is in a relationship or something and he feels like the subject of dating keeps coming up and he doesn’t think he can handle it right now.

“They say 6/10 kids walk about with a college education.” Mr. Lolwer gets really angry with one of his students because his cell phone and he kind of loses it and goes all off on the students. He is having a really hard time having patience with his students and earning respect. I honestly feel bad for teachers sometimes because I can’t imagine being that patient all the time and trying to teach a group of rowdy kids.

One of the teachers is talking to the students about being teacher of the year. So I think he is going to convince his students to win the teacher of the year. He says that he wants to take the other teacher down basically. This teacher is now having students make posters for him and also making them do some undercover work for him. I think it is crazy how much he is taking charge, he wants it for the name not so much for the actual position. He is letting it all go to his head. When he doesn’t win teacher of the year he asks his students to tell him the bright side. He ends up throwing a desk because of his anger; he is acting like a child. Then in the end he says “a grandma beat me.” He is being disrespectful to other teachers.

“He doesn’t have to respect me, but he has to act like he does.” That is true. But, I think that the teacher has to be the bigger person and I think that he has a lot to learn. He goes over to talk to one of the student’s moms about his behavior and then the mom ends up giving him advice about how to teach. Then he gets drunk and he needs a cab to get home.

Ms. Webb and the AP keep fighting about changes that Ms. Webb wants. The AP is missing when she gets to teach. She feels like she has been focusing so much on the children with discipline problems and knows she wants to focus on the students who actually want to learn.

They are having a “spelling hornet” which is for the teachers to spell slang words that the students always say. Mr. Lolwer wins the spelling bee.

All the teachers go and play sports together and hangout. It is cool to see how Mr. Lolwer starts to make a better bond with his students by getting involved with the student’s language/speak and the spelling bee. All in all at the end of the year, the students and the teachers I think both learned something. They learned that you still have to be the strong and mature one. Lolwer said, “That being a teacher is a gift and maybe it can be something you can learn… but no one’s taught me.” He ends up quitting after his first year I believe.  

My Thoughts: I think that this helps me think about education that some of these situations are true. I mean yes at times they were over the top, but there were some truth to them also.  That students will make fun of some teachers and that some teachers don’t know how to “handle a class,” But, overall I think that they were ok teachers like underneath all the silliness and exaggeration, most of these teachers really did want to teach and be there for their students. I think that there was lots of improvement that could have been made. Like the way that teachers talked with each other that it needed to be on a more professional level. The way that they talk with their students also it could have been more respectful with dealing with the discipline and different things, and for sure the cursing at their student’s right back at them was not necessary. Some of these teachers needed to practice self-control.

What would Friere add or change about K-12?

“Education is suffering from narration sickness.” Friere feels that the school systems are suffering because of the history. I think this is a lot like the movie Waiting for Superman because in there it talks about some of the old rules and how they have never been changed. These rules severed in that time and they had a good purpose, but times are different now. I think he wants to change the fact that teachers seem like they are higher than their students. Like they are better than their students or something, “the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing.”  He feels that there are just expectations for students and they should meet those. I think that is true that students should meet the expectations but what I am getting from Friere is that it is all so “cliché.” It sounds to me that he is pointing out the fact that people success is measured more on how the world views success and these makes me really think about what is success mean to me? “Whose tranquility rests on how well men fit the world the oppressors have created and how little they question it.” That everyone just goes with the flow, with the way things were before and that they don’t feel the need to change it or stand up. 

Sonia, is this what you were looking for? 

Wating for Superman Notes/ My Thoughts

“No matter whom we are no matter which neighbor we live in. It’s all the same taking a leap of faith in school.” There are not enough good schools, so we place our kids in the hands of luck. This little boy, Anthony lost his father by suicide with drugs.

Daisy a little girl is already writing a letter to the college she wants to go to become a vet, doctor or nurse. She knows at such a young age that students should make school fun; she knows that she has to get an education for themselves. They are talking about the differences in schools and also the impact they have on students. Daisy’s way to college path is hard, in high school over 40% of the students don’t graduate. There are over 2000 drop out factories.

All these presidents are talking about how important education is. But why is it not changing? There is doubled money in education and yet the test scores stay the same. “We need to know through tests if students are making it, getting an education.”

There is another little boy that doesn’t like school, but he likes math and it is interesting because he is in a school that is over packed with kids. This little boys name in Francisco, he has trouble in reading even though mom works with him at home. The mom wishes she could do more for her kids, she is stuck, and it’s not fair.  

“You go to college you learn you get a career. Not a job, there is a difference.” What is happening to students why do their grades drop as they get older?

Students are being “pushed through the system.” At 15 years old they are a drop out. When they get into the 9^th grade they are only reading at a 2^nd and 3^rd grade level. We blame the neighborhood for the dropout rates, but I think it is the schools fault for the neighborhood’s.

The money we have spent on people in jail could have set a student to a private school for 13 years for less than that amount.

“Because a good teach, Anthony shows promise.” Most kids in D.C are getting a crappy education right now. They thing there is one woman would can change the school district, Michelle Rhee. She shut down 23 schools in Washington D.C because of firing principals or teachers.  

“Things we have done to make our schools better have made our schools worst.” A good teach is what is working and a bad teacher is not working. Good teachers can cover 150% and a bad teacher can cover 50%.

Once you get tenure, you are there for life.  After you have taught for a certain amount of time, you cannot get fired almost no matter what you do. Teachers get protected for life, whether they are honorable or whatever they are doing. I think we should change this rule for sure.  

There is nothing more difficult than the life of a teacher. There is so much that they have to worry about, home, school everything for their students. You cannot pay teachers more if they are doing amazing in their job because it’s not in the “contract.” That is stupid and messed up!!

1 in 2500 has actually lost their teaching credentials.  There are these new things called charter schools, but by law they have to choose students be the lottery system.

If you want a better school for your kids, it is all about the options. A parent like Maria has to look hard for a good school for her kid. It should not have to be like that, it would be awesome to have amazing teachers everywhere. I don’t know how we can do it. But we should really make amazing teachers happen everywhere. We had an amazing education system in the 1900’s because of our free education system. But, now we are the highest in confidence.

A lot of the ways that we have things now have not changed from back then, which is bad because the world around us has changed.

These poor parents are doing all they can to get the best education that they can for their kids. It should not be that way; you should not get a good education just because of chance.

If you teach students with music and other ways it helps students learn different skills. Which makes so much sense, because you learn better with different things involved like music, hands, eyes, ears etc. The more you get it involved the more progress and learning you will see. If you apply the right standards you can make those kids learn. You can raise them to those expectations “No exceptions.”

Why can’t we just change the past rules. Times have changed so the rules should be changed too. There has to be, this is really what is going to better all of our schools. “We have tried money, passing laws and the latest reforms. You can’t have a great school without great teachers.” How true that is when teachers are good it pushes the students to be great also and to accomplish great things. So what do we do to get good teachers? Did we do the right thing, did we do enough?

That is just so sad that the rest of these kids’ lives had so much to do with which schools they go to and have it all by a lottery system, I know that they have to do it. But that is so hard. Only one out of like the 5 or 6 kids got accepted and it is just so sad and hard for the students and families. These poor parents are just fighting their hearts out for their kids, to be the most successful they can.  

All and all though the statues quoi can be changed, and we have the tools to do so.

I think that the charter schools can help education, but I am think that it can be hurting other schools because I think they are taking money from that school district and putting it into the charter schools, and as I have said before how is it fair to randomly choose students to basically have a better life because of their education. I guess it is kind of, but that is so hard to see. I think that is awesome that they are making improvements with these students. But, why can’t people just get smart, and we take a vote on changing some of the only rules, like tenure thing and also the way that the princapals run things. How other teachers treat their students if they are poor, how people look down upon those kids. I think this video really opened my eyes to how bad education really is, everyone talks about how bad it is but, I never really knew. This video showed me first hand and helped me understand those concepts. I thought it was okay, because in the area that I go to school, it doesn’t seem that bad, maybe I am one of the lucky ones…? I don’t know but, I wish that everyone had an equal chance.  

Rose V.S. Black

Comparing Black and Rose: they are very different in the fact the black just points out that school are not progressing and should change. While Rose identifies to his readers how the school system could change and why the school system is “bad”.

How do Rose and Black make me think about education differently?

I think that Rose gave me a different way of looking at education in the fact that he pointed out the way politics view education, or portray education. Rose says, encourage “school officials and policy makers to stop using corporate speak when talking about education: game changer, non-starter, etc.” He also goes on to say that often time’s students are referred to as kids. “We’re doing it for the kids.” Or “It’s good for the kids.” I have often thought well maybe sometimes what they think is best for the “kids” really is not the best thing for them…  Rose also mentions which I think is nice and a new idea that we should really not just go with what the more “educated” people seem to think, meaning think for yourself, and really think things through before you make a decision.   

I think Black really showed brought to the surface through his video that people are not doing anything about the school system. We talk a lot but where is the action? There needs to be qualification in volunteering. To make sure that they are safe, and to make sure that people learn things correctly the first time.

I thought there was a really important point that Black brought up. Kids in the United States rank number of in self-confidence. What does that mean? That our kids are just cocky? That we are not very well educated by we are proud of ourselves but, proud of what? Where did we get all this self-confidence? There is more to school and teaching then money and the look, we need to focus more on the students than the building or sports and other stuff.