Monday, April 26, 2010

50

John Taylor Gatto:
Believed that schools did not fully allow children to learn but instead made information being received very confusing. Programming kids even adults to memorize things would not help them because in the long run everything will be forgotten. They don't have any real application to children's real lives so it is not as helpful as most would think. Gatto compared schools to a "cell block style" environment, he said that he thought that school did not allow kids to stay interested and instead of promoting maturity it encouraged kids to act childish. Student don't really have a say in there position in society because they have just done what they were told to do their whole life. School devalues children's views and potential in life. Children for the most part only do what they are told to do, the school system promotes this idea of acceptance by others, not just teachers but making friends. We as students always look for approval and rewards. School is such a robotic thing and many might argue that it is not allowing us to explore out own intrestests and creativity instead we obey and are almost robot-like.

If you ask anyone why we go to learn you will only hear about two different answers, some believe because they feel they are getting an "education" and other want to keep there kids out of trouble. But in reality most teachers really spend a large about of there time acting as the care taker, they have no choice but to try and keep out of control teenagers in check. Gatto argues that school conforms students and makes them in the end all the same; indifferent from society, child-like and very dependent people. Why is it so hard to control students?... maybe because they are bored or even that the teachers are bored! we are forced to sit and listen to stuff that most of us are not even very interested about, while teachers are teaching stuff they are told to by higher authority. If you think about it, it is a cycle. Why is it made to seem that people can not be successful without a college education. Gatto argues and strongly believes that people can make it in the world with out a traditional education.

Paulo Freire:
He discusses the "banking meathod" of teaching, he believes teachers should insert a certain about of knowledge and have their students memorize it. This is the total opposite than what other think is an effective education. In his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed he discusses the people he feels is oppressed and their oppressors. This quote stood out to me because it explained how he felt the school system worked "teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-student with students-teachers." teachers are doing the teaching, and the students are the ones left memorizing what the teacher is saying and that is considered learning. While the 'teacher-student' and 'students-teachers' is a relationship where the teachers are learning from their kids, and their kids are learning from their teachers, this second method seems more effective. The relationship where the teachers and students are learning from each other is much
more effective from first hand experience. When the teacher is doing the lecturing and the students are the ones taking notes, the teachers accepting that the students have actual experiences and insights worth sharing, while the teacher that teaches to be heard treats the students as objects and prevents them from actually learning everything they could be. Freire is saying is that the teacher that is only really interested in making sure facts are embedded in the students' minds (the oppressor), however the students that are memorizing what the teachers are saying are the oppressed ones

Lisa Delpit:
while reading about her she believed that schools should provide strategies to be able to teach both the kids that have already mastered the knowledge to use what they already know to expand and learn other things. Education should be used as a resource to help children that come from homes that cannot provide a bery decient education in order for them to be prepared for the real world. She felt it very important that teachers get to know the students they are teaching on a more personal level and also explore the life they live outside of school as well. Art is very important to her and i strongly agree with this aspect of her educational plan, i also feel it is important for kids to beable to be creative. Lisa Delpit believes that the teacher should build on how their students as individuals already are, and to incorporate that into what they are being taught "teachers can create a curriculum based on strengths rather than weaknesses, then they are teaching to their student's needs." She thinks that instead of teachers just teaching by the book, teachers should understand their students and how they can help individuals learn at their own pace and in their own way.

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