Legal Issues In Teaching

As many of my classmates have already touched upon this issue I wish to add my own thoughts into the mix.

Religion in schools. Should it be taught? Why or Why not? And, if so, How should it be taught?

In my opinion religion can be a very touchy subject. This country was founded upon the beliefs of religious freedom. "In God We Trust" is on our money. We say "God" in the pledge of allegiance. We even have a moment of silence in schools to honor those who have gone before us. As someone who is religious I use that time to pray. Some people believe thsi should not be allowed. In my opinion, "God" in those instances can mean whatever higher power you want it to be whether you believe in God or Allah. Even for those of you who do not believe in a higher power, it can mean doing what is right and just and moral.

Now in public schools especially, teaching religion should be allowed in a very strict historical sense. You cannot understand the Spanish Inquisition, or why the Pilgrims left Europe, without explaining religion and religious persecution. Aspects of religion are in all parts of our society and our history so taking it out completely would only harm our children's education. Religion is in the Holocaust, the crusades, it is in 9/11, and the constant wars in Israel. Religion is a constant motivator for people's political beliefs. Most voters who are against Gay marriage and Abortion are so because it goes against their religious beliefs. Our children need to understand this. If we want our kids to be accepting and understanding of the diversities among their peers, religion needs to be taught in schools in a very cautious, historical way. If we continue to push religious education into silence and taboo, it will breed ignorance. Ignorance leads to hate, which in turn leads to violence. I do not think we as teachers should shove our personal beliefs down our children's throats. I believe in God but I will leave him outside of my classroom to respect the fact that many of my children might not believe in him. Historical aspects of ALL religions should be taught in classes to promote acceptance of differences.

Does the participatory and experiential approach of "Rethinking our Classrooms" really work?

According to the article we read in class, participatory and experiential practices are put into place in a "rethought" classroom and integrated into the lesson plans. The benefits of this approach is that students will get first hand experience and therefore better understand the material. As a student myself I know I am a more hands on learner than a student who learns from lectures or reading. When you just hear facts read to you or when you read about them yourself, there is a factor missing, the life factor. It does not seem real to you because you cannot connect to the realities of everyday life. Participatory and experiential lessons do this though, they bring the curriculum to life and students like me understand it better. There are many ways of doing this such as role plays, projects, simulations, mock trials, experiments, and much more. According to http://www.rethinkingschools.org/about/index.shtml, the main goal of this reform is to get away from the banking concept of memorization, textbook domination, and standardized testing and bring it home for the students. Make the curriculum apply to their lives, to the real world, so that they, the students, better understand it.http://www.trainingforchange.org/direct_education is another website that advocates the direct education approach and the participatory/experiential lessons method. What they really advocate is group-centered workshops that focus on diversity.

In my opinion, participatory lessons would benefit all students because almost every learning style is compatible with this approach.

HUMANISM: Is it too religiously affiliated?

Humanism is a broad, general term used to describe a philosphy that can be boiled down to all about the human factor. There is Secular Humanism, about reason, ethics, and justice and then there is Religous Humanism which connects human need, interests, and abilities to rituals and moral beliefs. Where education is concerned though is it to close to a particular religion? According to my research, Humanism is about decision making concerning right and wrong based on the individual and the common good. In Humanist Education Philosphies, social conduct, arts, literature, liberal arts, and moral principles are the basis. Education is empowerment for individuals to take responsibility for their own actions, children should be nurtured and supported. Below is a quote that summarizes what the Humanistic approach to education is. I found it at http://www.humanistsofutah.org/1994/art2jun94.html it was written in 1994 but I still feel it is relevant.

"Humanistic education is an educational approach. Most educators who advocate humanistic education typically intend this approach to mean one or more of three things:

1. Humanistic education teaches a wide variety of skills which are needed to function in today's world--basic skills such as reading, writing and computation, as well as skills in communicating, thinking, decision-making, problem-solving and knowing oneself.
2. Humanistic education is a humane approach to education--one that helps students believe in themselves and their potential, that encourages compassion and understanding, that fosters self-respect and respect for others.
3. Humanistic education deals with basic human concerns--with the issues throughout history and today that are of concern to human beings trying to improve the quality of life--to pursue knowledge, to grow, to love, to find meaning for one's existence.

Humanistic education methods are used in public and private schools, the family, religious education, business and other settings. -Bob Green"

Humanism therefore is about encouraging the student to ask questions, to learn for their own goals not societies, and it also encourages and emphasizes community and parental involvement.

The reason I chose this particular philosophy is because it is the theory that interested me the most. I would say that before taking this class I would have considered myself an almost entirely Humanist Educator. Now I am not so sure. I still agree with alot of the aspects of this philosophy however, my ideas,thoughts,feelings, and beliefs about education are constantly changing because of new experiences and knowledge that I am learning.

links for the images: http://www-distance.syr.edu/sdlhuman.html

http://www.humanism.org.uk/education

http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=660056

Educational Metaphor

When I think of what education should be I take into consideration all of my previous notions and everything I have learned thus far in class. I think about how my thoughts, ideas, and beliefs changed the more I learned. I think education, especially for the elementary levels, should show growth, understanding, and reflect the changing nature of learning. It should be fun, bright, colorful, and attention grabbing so that the students want to learn. It needs to be simple and straight foward. Therfore I think education is like a pinwheel. Each propeller is a different aspect of education. When all the parts come together as a whole they allow the pinwheel to spin.

Spinning = success!