For your new blog response, answer the following questions:
1) Jean Anyon describes a variety of schools and teaching methods. Think of the schools you attended from kindergarten through twelfth grade--which of Anyon's schools comes closest to the schools you attended? (Be specific and elaborate)
2) Which type of school would you want to send your own children to and why?
Length: 1 well-developed paragraph per question
Due: Noon on Monday, 9/14
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Joel says...
ReplyDeleteAfter reading ”From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” the middle-class school was the closest to what I attended. My teachers have always been polite and caring towards everyone. In my school, I have done several projects that required research and illustrations. Moreover, I would have to create three-dimensional projects to present to the class with my projects. My class has performed several plays for the school. I would say that the style of control was easygoing to strict as well. I would need to request permission to use the restroom or to go to the library.
I would want to send my children to the executive elite school. From the article, the teachers are said to be very polite. The children are given a lot of responsibility and taught self-control. The teachers do not give orders to the children unless the children are too noisy. The school also challenges children to think about situational events and solve problems through logic rather than producing the right answer. Also, the school system provides the children to interact and express themselves with each other more through hands-on work and discussions.
After reading ”From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” i believe the middle-class school is closest to what i attened.In language arts we learned simple grammar and simple sentence structure, we learned how to write thank you letters as well as bussiness letters.In math they showed a few different ways to solve problems and let us choose the way we like the most. with learning multiplication it was simply memorization. also we did story writing and performed plays. The teachers had good control of the class room because we were afraid of getting in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI would love for my kids to attend executive elite schools. I would want my kids to have better schooling then i did, also after reading about the elite schools it shoulds like it prepares kids better for high school and college. In the elite schools they challenge the children to think more and it stimulates there minds. I like how they made the kids talk about current world issues, i believe the elite school is where anyone would want there children to attend.
According to Jean Anyon's "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work", most of my life I attended schools that fit closest into the middle class characteristics. My teacher's were always really nice and always seemed like they cared about their students, however it did seem like they just cared more about us getting the right answer with their teachingand not necessarily learning it for the future. Our projects were never based on creativity, if we did the project and did it correct we were good to go. Some of the students that did step out of the box and got creative did get extra appraisal but never extra points. We couldn't leave until the bell dismissed us and when ever we traveled to another area on the school campus we walked in lines and quietly not to disturb other classes.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the choice I would send my children to the executive elite school. I really liked the concept where they didn't use right and wrong but students are able to challenge each other and say if they disagree or agree with their peers.
After reading Anyon's "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work", i found that the schools i went to were most like the Affluent Professional School. We were incouraged to show individuality and creativity. We got to make our own choices and write stories. I remember doing a lot of fun projects like the Egyptian projects she describes. We made masks and pyramids and authentic looking tools and letters. She describes fun language activities and i remember the teachers always being nice and helpful. I also did science experiments and watch plays by older students.
ReplyDeleteI would choose for my children to attend the affluent professional school as well because it worked for me. It was a good experience and i would trust my children in this type of school. The teachers are helpful and I learned what i needed to learn. The children are in charge a lot of the time, they get a lot of choices and a a chance to be creative. It is a good environment that isn't too strict and the students enjoy school.
Growing up, I went to three different elementary schools and each one fell loosely into a different category. I did recognize the specific techniques that were sited in this study and my first school was a working class school and obedience and conformity were encouraged grately. My second school was a middle class school where initiative and independant decision making were encouraged. I also went to another working class school, but I was in an accelerated class: similar to the classes described in the affluent professional school. In 5th grade I was in a middle class school and had 3 different teachers, but they all worked to foster creative problem solving and personal expression.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the ultimate say in the schooling of my children, I would have them attend the school of the affluent professionals. I felt that I personally was able to develope my intelect in this environment more efficiently than with the previous schooling I'd received. If my child is anything like me (god fobid) he or she will stand a better chance of succeeding in school in a similar environment.
In Anyon's article "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work", I learned that there are different levels of standard education being taught. Im most familiar with Anyons description of the working class schools. We were give specific set of directions, and we were to follow them without questioning the teacher. There were often times where i would get confused on what the teacher was trying to teach us. Most often times he would go briefly through math steps and then go off to the next step without further questioning.
ReplyDeleteIf i had children and had to choose which type of school i would want them to go to, then it would be the Affluent professional schools. I am all for being creative and being your own independent person. The student should be able to express his mind and emotions when he's being educated. To be a part of the learning experience that would stick to him for the rest of his life.
Kevin "the martian"
I found a lot of similarities between my elementary school and the middle-class school Anyon was describing in her article. Although not as strict as the working-class school, I did find it hard to fully understand what was being presented to me. But my teachers always seemed to be concerned if they felt I wasn't reaching my full potential. They were always so kind and welcoming when it came to giving me extra help. I remember one specific day where my teacher noticed I was falling behind; she set me aside and asked me if anything was going on at home that was keeping me from my studies. Her genuine concern really helped boost my confidence in seeking help whenever I needed it which ultimately worked to my advantage.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose a school for my son or daughter to attend it would have to be the affluent professional school. This type of school encourages the student to express one's thoughts without hesitance. The teachers help the student learn in creative ways that motivate the student to search for the answer with out having it given to them. The students are given praise for their good work, and partially harsh criticism if the teacher feels their work is not acceptable. This type of straight-forwardness will actually steer my child in the right direction.
After reading the article by Anyon it is kind of hard to pin point one of the schools to be similar to the any of the schools I attended. I feel as if i received a variation of all of them in each of my class and it mainly depended on the teacher i had and what he/she might have felt was best. If i were to choose a school for my child to attend it would be a mixture of everything, i think its just better that way. I feel like im more well round because of the mixture. it gives you a better range, so you could deal with all types of people from different backgrounds! i hope this makes sense!
ReplyDeleteIn reading the school i most related to was the middle class school. becuase as Anyon said when self-expression is requested, it is regarded the main activity or just for fun. when i use to work on social studies or english the only time we would express oursleves was through a art project we never had to analyze or really think about the topic at hand. the assigments had little to do with my interests just as Anyon showed it didnt for the middle class schools. the school i would send my child to would be affluent proffesional school becuase they care about the students actually learning and they challenge them. They ask them questions and get them involved and challenge them in the classroom. i want my child to be challenged and always have soemthing to do in class.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "From social class" I connected most with the middle working class school; because of the teachers that i can remember they were always so nice. My class and i were always doing some sort of project to express ourselves. As my classmates and i learned new things like grammar and what-not we were not really thought the why behind things. When the time comes where i would have to make the choose on what type of school that i want to send my child to it would be the middle class school. because i feel that the middle class school has just as much to offer as any other school.
ReplyDeleteThe teaching mechanisms of the schools I attended before college were most similar to those of the affluent professional schools. Ever since kindergarten I can recall how my teachers would let the students express themselves creatively. I remember making a dinosaur diorama in elementary school when we were learning about prehistoric creatures. Even in high school for my English class we were assigned to create a model of our concept of a perfect utopia when reading 1984. I would prefer to send my children to a combination of the affluent and executive elite schools. I think they'd develop as better people if they were allowed to express themselves creatively and also be able to reason properly. I think both creative and critical thinking are a very important traits to develop when attending school.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article ”From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, i would have to say that i had a middle-class school's teaching environment. Most of my teachers were very good and got my class involved. We would do things that kids liked, such as drawing and coloring a picture, to actually counting with things such as legos and blocks. Some of my teachers were very lazy and didn't care very much. They would usually just tell us to copy down some notes and tell us what to do. One actually did this and then would eat and sit on the computer for about 75% of the class period. We also had to get passes to go to the bathroom and weren't able to leave when we needed to.
ReplyDeleteIf i were to send my child to any of the schools, i would say the affluent proffesional school because i think they learn what they need to succeed in life and as a person. They are much more involved and the kids would really enjoy some of the activity's they do. The executive elite school seems like the kids wouldn't be as happy there since they are basically being taught how to lead and control people, which is a valuable skill, but shouldn't be the main priority. I want my kids to have fun and to enjoy school when they are there.
Joseph Wimmer
ReplyDelete1) I think that i was educated in a middle class school. There were definetly clocks, and bells, and there wasnt that much barking of orders. However, there was still a focus following a given set of rules to attain answers, and there really wasnt a focus on imagination, or real problem solving.
2) From the information provided by Jean Anyon, I would like my children to go to an executive elite school. I like the focus on using problem solving to get answers. Also, I like how the teachers at those schools respect the children more. Furthermore, I think that an executive elite school would increase my childs self esteem. For example, in Jean Anyons essay, when a student gave a presentation to the class and messed up the teacher would say, "When your up here you have the authority, you need to control the class. Ill back you up." I beleive that mindset is very healthy for children. As for the percieved cons to this type of school, most notably the lack of emphasis on the arts and discpline. For one, it is easy to provide arts for your children outside of school. Take them to plays, movies, enroll them in piano or dance classes, buy them books. Its pretty simple. As for discipline, i beleive it is a parents responsibility to discipline their children, not the schools. If you dont have time to discipline your child, its your fault. Not the schools.
1.The description for the affluent professional school reminds me a lot of elementary school. I attended school in Garden Grove before I moved to Anaheim in the 6th grade. In Garden Grove we did similar activities like the ones described in the essay. For example, I studied about Egypt and one of the projects we did was the hieroglyphics letters. We also exchanged them with classmates and deciphered what had been written by using a chart the matched symbols to letters of the alphabet. I remember my teachers at this school where nice and encouraging. They motivated us to think about and understand the concepts that where being taught to us. Once I started school in Anaheim I noticed a difference in the teaching methods. My teacher gave us step by step instructions to everything we did in and out of class. The teacher was patient and would answer questions so the students understood how to do something, but it was always more about getting the right answer rather than knowing how to solve a problem. Math tests, for example, where always timed and had problems for which answers could easily be memorized. Junior high and high school was a mix of both middle-class and affluent professional. It depended on the teacher and the subject being taught.
ReplyDelete2.I would send my children to a school like the executive elite school because I think it teaches more of the skills that are necessary in college as well as in the real world. I also like this type of school because the children are encouraged to be more informed about social problems; these days kids lack this type of real information. They are more interested in what there favorite celebrity is doing, rather then how the budget cuts are going to affect there education because schools will have to lay off teachers, have less supplies/materials, and crowd classrooms.
After reading through all the different types of schools Jean Anyon describes in her article i would say that the schools I attended fell between the working class and middle class. The reason I say this is because most of the time we were pushed to find the right answer to certain problems but i did have a select few teachers who were just worried about whether or not i followed their steps. I also remember having a little room for creativity but not to the extent that I would have like to have had. Some of my classrooms did not provide the students with a clock and when I would ask I would get a response such as "its not imprortant" or "you will know what time it is when the bell rings".
ReplyDeleteIf I could choose the type of school that I would like to send my children to I would most likely have to go with Executive Elite because I feel that this type of school, based on what I read offers the most to students. It prepares students better for the real world. They get a chance to take responsibilty and lead other students. It gives children better self-esteem and it makes them challenge themselves a bit further. This school feels like it would provide the students with more freedom and enjoyment.
The middle-class school description reminded me of my education experience. It was mostly about finding the correct answer. There was a lot of answering the questions and then checking in the back to see if it was right. We used the textbook every day. The teachers did not discipline very heavily unless someone was very out of line. Most of the teachers were nice but did not seem overly driven to challenge us as students. There were never creative projects to do or things that made us think out of the box. It seems to relate to the book because i grew up in several middle class neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteI would want a combination of the Affluent Proffesional School.I liked how the proffesional school studied ancient societies. They found a way to relate ancient cultures to modern ones by writing in hieroglyphics. They also studied things that are going on right now. I think it is important for kids to study things from history as well as understanding what is happening today. they do not rely on textbooks and instead learn how to do and say things with the help of their teacher. The teacher's way of discipline is interesting because he/she reminds them of what they should be doing instead of reprimanding them of something they are not doing. The children also seem to navigate how fast they go through the coursework. If the children are not ready to move on they will continue to work on what they have. This is important to me because i want my kids to fully understand something before they do anything else. I think the Affluent Proffesional School has the most characteristics that help children develop
Of the schools that Jean Anyon describes in her article, the one I believe that I would fall into would probably be the middle class school. However, we were expected to combine creativity in our work so it wasn't as bad as what Jean Anyon claims it to be. The teacher was like a dictator though, especially in elementary since she was always right and we had to follow and not ask questions. I don't believe it such an awful way to be taught though. But if I had a choice to send my children to one of the choices given, I would choose the Affluent Professional School beacause of how much creativiy is stressed in the teacher's curriculum.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Jean Anyon's article, i feel like i can relate to more then one type of school. The schools i went to seemed to be a mixture of the middle class and affluent schools. Depending one the class and the teacher i had i was challeneged in different ways. Some of my teachers like to push their students and challenge them, while others just gave us the minimum work required. There were times when we had to do things a certain way the teacher asked and then there were times when we were able to use our own creativity to figure things out.
ReplyDeleteI would want to send my child to an affluent school because i think its important to be able to express your ideas. the structure of the school seems to work and it seems like kids would enjoy it. it is important to learn in a creative manner.