Education is like....

            

Education is like a ship, or should be!  An old ship, one of those that has been restored in the 21st Century.  It has the bones and structure from the past and all of its history.  It is moving forward towards the horizon to new, bigger, and better things.  It is push by changes in society, new technology, and the ever changing world (this would be the wind in the sails).  It is rocked around by new educational policies and changes (the waves), but keeps moving forward.  And it has had a variety of passengers and continues to have a variety of passengers on board...all of which contribute in different ways to making the ship change and move.

Education is something that cannot ignore anything.  Education cannot ignore policy changes, changes in the economy, changes in technology.  Education cannot not just close its eyes to new ideas or new opportunities.  Education cannot hid in the closet from students coming from other countries, low income families, language learners, or special education.  Education needs to embrace it all, make it work as one system and keep moving forward.


    From this class the biggest thing that struck me and I will take with me moving forward is that understanding of differing ideas.  This was the underlining theme in all of the readings, assignments, and my fellow classmate's blogs.  Education is a world were almost no one sees things the same way.  Education is not black and white, teachers live their lives in the grey (or gray as some might say).  Whether is be a debate of how best to teach special needs students or how to teacher students about social justice...no one fully agrees.  And they don't have to.  Each teacher can create his or his own classroom environment around their own beliefs and ideas.  The common denominator in all of this is to help form students into understanding learners.  Expose students to different things, the best way that we can and in the best way that they learn.  Expose them to the many different aspects of this world.  Teach them how to learn, where to learn, and where to turn when they need help learning.    

How does a teacher create a social justice classroom?

What a strange question and one with no true clear answer. There are many sides to this debate and not only sides but very strong sides.

Many people believe that the classroom is a place for black and white thoughts. As in...2+2=4. The teacher teaches it, you practice it, there is a test...the end. You follow the required standards and curriculum maps, no going off the path.  Others believe you still need to have conversation and explanations that dig deeper. However, how to you create an environment in the middle of all of this that fosters social just and aware students.

It would be easy to empower students to be activist or academically rigorous or even culturally sensitive. But to be a true social just teacher you need to give student the tools to become anyone of this things. Teachers need to be examples of and give students the tools to go out into the world and create a society that us just for all. Teach students both side to an argument and then the patience to tolerate and hear an side they do not agree with. To new aware of other cultures, backgrounds, and people and how to work together with them in the world....whether they like or agree with them!

Why so many theories on Education?

There are many theories of learning and teaching about how people learn the best out there.  After doing some research I kept coming back to the same theory.....the theory of Multiple Intelligence.  Created by Howard Gardner and is backed by the idea of eight different types of intelligence.  These believes that all student are intelligent in various ways.  The basis for this theory is that all people have intelligence, it is just expressed in various manners.

The areas of this theory are musical–rhythmic, visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, bodily–kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.  This theory is not just for the area of special education either.  This theory involves all learners.  That is the great part about it!  These ideas go right along with differentiated instruction.  Meaning all students can be working on the same topic and similar projects'assignments but in different manners.  I truly believe that this is wonderful!  This is tapping into different parts of students brains to get the most out of them and getting them to think in different ways.