May 4, 2015 - 21:48
Sarah Friesen-Johnson
May 5, 2015
EDUC 266, P. Cohen
Reflection
This class has expanded and informed my thinking about the field of education in more ways than one. I’ve appreciated it for it’s in depth focus on the American school system and I’ve enjoyed learning all the different angles within that subject. Most importantly, this course has allowed me to think critically about education and the work done on education more than any other classes.
My participation in class has been reflective of my learning needs. I have always enjoyed large class discussions, not because I feel the need to talk during them, but because it’s one of the times in which I feel I do the most learning. Listening to others process material is extremely beneficial to me and not having the pressure of talking makes me absorb thoughts on a different level. Therefore, though my participation in large class discussions has not always been vocal, I am always engaged. This semester I did contribute more than I would have in any other class. There were times, especially in regards to the TFA reading when I felt there were points being left out of the discussion. That’s when I felt it to be important that I speak up, but otherwise I enjoy letting other people have the floor so I can learn from them.
In contrast, I have been very vocal in small group discussions. Though I often have a difficult time speaking up in large groups, the conversational nature of small groups is very effective for my engagement. I love small groups and I think that is where my participation is most apparent. I have really enjoyed having back and forths with my peers about their thinking and getting a deeper understanding of the problem both through hearing other’s perspectives and hearing their thoughts on my perspectives. I think I frequently emerge as a leader in these groups in that I want to make sure everyone’s voice is heard on the subject, so I feel the need to facilitate and make sure everyone has put in their two cents and no one person is completely dominating the conversation.
The readings for this course were informative in that they both built on my prior knowledge and expanded it. I appreciated many of the texts and particularly enjoyed Being Down, The Trouble with Black Boys, Tough Fronts, Improbably Scholars, Building Racial and Cultural Competence in the Classroom and Teach for America and the Struggle for Urban School Reform. These texts helped me understand education at multiple levels from student to teacher to administration to policy.
I was particularly struck by considerations of what teachers need and ways in which teacher education needs to be improved. The examples of great teachers in Improbable Scholars and Tough Fronts were especially helpful in this. However, in these text it seems to be luck that creates a great teacher. I didn’t feel there was enough stress on the education of teachers. That’s why I enjoyed the Teach for America text. Though it had a limited focus, it helped me consider what is necessary in teacher education and the ways in which we are failing our school system by using unprepared and under qualified teachers.
I also enjoyed considering, through these readings, the role of culture in schools. Building Racial and Cultural Competence in the Classroom was quite informative in this sense. Having taken English Language Learners in US Schools, I felt prepared to tackle problems of introducing multiple cultures into the classroom. But, since taking that class, I have felt frustrated by others’ lack of understanding of this problem and I had a hard time explaining why a culturally relevant classroom is so important to education. This text, however, gave me a clearer vision of the issue and helped me to create a coherent understanding of the topic in that it spoke positively and clearly while at the same time remaining critical and practical.
Throughout the class, I was struck time and time again with how little cooperation there way among the different levels of education as well as the different parties of education. There seems to be a lack of communication about education and what works in general and one thing this class helped me realize is that there is no one right way to approach education and one thing can work in a context that wouldn’t be effective in another. But, I still believe there should be better communication between contexts in order to promote cooperation instead of the current climate of conflict that seems to me to be ever present in these discussions.
I benefited quite a bit from the postings. It was a nice space to bring my thoughts together before coming to class. Having a space to reflect on the readings was helpful to me and I enjoyed hearing what others said as well. I especially appreciated the way the postings created a bridge between class and the readings. It made the course content seem more relevant to our discussions.