Pop Skits

OK, some people give pop quizzes so I've decided to do pop skits. In the spirit of giving you some time to get your minds around the concept, have a look at the video clips on this blog and the reading for this week in PAII. Monday during class, I want you to plan a "before and after" skit with your study group related to the case studies I cooked up and passed out in class on Friday. The idea is to look at the historical and analytical readings and clips and relate them to current decisions made in schools that reflect similar values.

The "before" version of the skit (total length of the skit should be no more than 10 minutes) would be how you might handle a situation and decision as described in the case study handout before PAII and your thinking related to this decision and an "after" version of the same decision based on your reflection on this reading and viewing. You can use this as a basis of your group discussion this week. We will share these skits on Friday.

And, if you would like to come up with another case study example not listed on my handout, GO FOR IT. Be thoughtful, be clever, be creative, and have fun.

Gender and Education

Why are boys failing or falling behind at a ever increasing rate? Check out ABC News

Indian Boarding Schools

Friday Forum

This Friday we will break into groups surrounding some essential questions posed by some of you related to the readings and discussions for the week. Based on your readings and on your personal values we will see if you can come to some level of consensus on how best to respond to these questions. I will also post some web links related to the questions that might help inform a response.

1. Taxes and Investment in Public Education (see Greg Schutte's Blog) I like to think about this question in terms of developing the human infrastructure of our society in much of the same way we invest in physical infrastructure like highways, bridges, libraries, park systems, and the rest. Do our taxes and investment in children make sense from an economicstandpoint? Is it a matter of either paying now or paying later in deferred costs to society through reduced productivity, retraining costs for employers, unemployment costs, additional prison numbers, social welfare programs and other "costs" to society related to lack of academic skills?

2. Do Delpit's links between color and culture (see Mya Scarlato's Blog and Will Maddox's response) actually create more segregation and more separation between people? Is a cultural of poverty more of an issue than a cultural of color? Do rural poor white students and urban poor students of color have more issues in common than urban affluent students of color and urban poor students of color? Do we expect less because of any of these categories and therefore shouldn't differentiate between any culture related to teaching and learning?


3. "Where are the directions?" (see Kelly Bandman's Blog) Because of the complexity of cultures, communities, values, schools, individual students, and uniqueness of each classroom setting, what "directions" can be provided for you, as future teachers, with regard to how best to deal with your future students and classroom to maximize their learning? How much is it about finding the "perfect method for teaching" or is it about "developing dispositions of inclusiveness" or about "examining your own values and motivations and concepts of power?" Can anyone teach you to become a good teacher or is it something you need to discover on your own and based on your own experiences in the classroom?

4. English only? (see Madeline Allen's blog) How does this compare with the expectation for "Every effort should be made to encourage them to abandon their tribal language" as written about in the 1880s Annual Report of the Commission on Indian Affairs?

Jonathon Kozol Interview

So what do you think and what should be done? Is this "Equal Opportunity for All?"

Trading Schools

So where would you be today if you "Traded Schools" when you were in high schools?

Corporal Punishment

Why do the states that have ruled that corporal punishment is illegal have the right to make this decision if parents and schools are OK with it?

Langholz Section-Student Blogs

Madeline Allen
Kelly Bandman
Hannah Berlin-Burns
Peter Burleson
Caitlin Fisher
Laura Forst
Beth Gonia
Anders Hanson
Jocelyn Hare
Tony Krebsbach
Andrea Martinson
Kris McAllister
Jaclyn Ohnemus
Katy Roberts
Mya Scarlato
Emily Schmitt
Greg Schutte
Dana Sonnicksen
Amy Streck
Jennifer Tweten
Bethany Van Sloten
Maria Vejdani
Michelle Voights

Inequality in USA Education

"Still Separate, Still Unequal"

What Would Frankena Think?

Where do you begin to unravel the issues related to the New York City School District's issues? How would you analyze these issues from a Frankena framework? What are the conflicting values operating in this clip?

Educating for What?

Welcome to Paideia II!

Welcome to a new semester and to Paideia II: Decision Making in US Schools. I am looking forward to meeting all of you. I am going to be asking each of you to create a Paideia II blog that will serve as one more way for everyone in the class to share ideas.

You will also be a part of a discussion group that will serve as my way to hold you accountable for the reading material. Each group will be expected to meet for one hour each week to discuss the readings and to talk about the reflective papers required for the class. The groups have been intentionally designed to have a mix of majors in them so that you can come at the issues from different perspectives.

Group 1- M. Allen, L. Forst, E. Gonia, J. Tweten, G. Schutte
Group 2- K. Bandman, J. Hare, A. Hanson, M. Voights, K. McAllister
Group 3- H. Berlin-Burns, J. Ohnemus, A. Martinson, B. Van Slotn, A. Krebsbach
Group 4- P. Burleson, M. Scarlato, A. Streck, D. Sonnicksen
Group 5- M. Drees, M. Vejdani, E. Schmitt, K. Roberts, C. Fisher

Class #1 will focus on: 1) Introductions 2) One difficult decision that you have had to make or that you were the for of the decision. 3) What conflicting values were involved with the decision and how did that influence it. 4) What is ultimately the purpose of schools, of education and of teaching?

For Wednesday: 1. Read pp. 1-3 in the Reader. 2. Think of a difficult decision you have had to make in your life. 3. Watch a couple of these clips: Shift Happens

Shame of the Nation

NCLB

Look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday at 9:15. Enjoy the last days of break.

Cheers.

Jim