Persistent Pondering http://persistentpondering.posterous.com Where do social action, art, music, technology, media, pop culture, and most importantly, student needs intersect? posterous.com Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:54:00 -0700 More than a Number: Barry Lane's Musical Response to Students and High Stakes Testing http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/more-than-a-number-barry-lanes-musical-respon http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/more-than-a-number-barry-lanes-musical-respon

Wow! I have been doing so much thinking about the effects of too much emphasis on testing on students. I know. So many people have discussed it. So many more people will discuss it. But, it doesn't hurt to continue this important discourse. These important discussions coupled with action are the only way to transform education into what our students deserve.

Please listen to Barry Lane's tune. Share it. Discuss it. Keep the dreams alive.

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1385196/Photo_on_2011-07-24_at_11.26__3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wzEg0n9lkIx Janelle Bence Janelle Janelle Bence
Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:03:00 -0700 Deprogramming: How can I encourage change and reflection on gender issues in my classroom? http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/deprogramming-how-can-i-encourage-change-and http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/deprogramming-how-can-i-encourage-change-and

(Response to Romance in the Classroom: Inviting Discourse on Gender and Power

by Diane Waff)

 

I could not agree more with the need for discussing and responding to gender dynamics in the classroom. I've known for a long time about the disproportionate amount of time spent on male students due to classroom management issues. I understand how in this respect female students are losing out on attention from the teacher. This may lead to female students feeling less invested in school.

 

I also understand how the language and actions of teenage boys can make females feel harassed, inferior, objectified. I appreciated the journal-writing approach coupled with literature to open up discussion.

 

In my own classroom, we read House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The Red Clowns vignette is particularly powerful. Some students do not even catch the rape, but when they do, the reactions are mixed. I remember one discussion quite well. We were talking about why more sexual assault victims were female vs. male. One boy, we will call him J, said something to the effect of boys always wanting sex so a girl wouldn't have to rape him. I asked J questions like, "What if the person is too young to understand exactly what the abuser is doing? What if the victim doesn't understand the ramifications of being forced to have intercourse? What if the victim was your sister?" All of these questions were responded to by J with something like, "At least, he's getting some" or "It would never be against a boy's will to have sex." When I asked J if he ever thought of the abuser being male vs. female, he quickly changed his tune. He said, "That's just wrong!" I responded, "Any time someone is forced to have sex without his or her consent and any time someone is too young to fully understand everything that goes along with having sex (consensual or not), that is wrong." J continued to disagree. Everyone else in the group disagreed with J, but his persistence, his unyielding, his unwavering commitment to portraying teenage boys as being primarily motivated by sex was shocking. A girl in the group just looked at him with disdain. Some of the other boys laughed. Others looked surprised at his point of view. But, I wonder what the students took home with them that day? Do they find elements of truth in J's beliefs? Do they understand what that means to them? To their peers? Are teenage boys at the mercy of their hormones? What does that mean for other teenage boys? What about to teenage girls? Unfortunately, I only had this group for a couple of weeks, and that was one of our last sessions.

 

Then, my next wondering is how to get my female students who have been surrounded by this type of behavior their whole lives to speak against it. Currently, if a boy whistles at a girl, and I ask them not to since it is disrespectful, I do get the occasional responses from some of my female students, "Miss, he is just showing he likes her. It's a compliment." How do I combat that? How do I speak against behavior they have witnessed their whole lives from friends, brothers, and maybe, even fathers? How can I get them to see this type of behavior should not be tolerated when it may still be welcomed by friends, sisters, and maybe, even mothers?

 

I'm imagining steps like those taken by the author of this article would help. I have always found journal writing to be cathartic. I'd like to include literature and articles to boost open discussion as well. Perhaps, guest speakers could shed light on the subject.

 

Still, I wonder. I don't want to be disrespectful, yet I do not want female students to continue to feel objectified or powerless. I especially do not want male students to leave high school thinking it is okay to act as many of them do in the wider world.

 

Have any of you experienced the same sorts of reactions as I have? How did you address this behavior? What changes were you able to make, if any?

   

romance_in_the_classroomspring19951.pdf Download this file

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Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:12:00 -0800 Digital Learning Day: A Call to Action http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/digital-learning-day-a-call-to-action http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/digital-learning-day-a-call-to-action

Sitting at a district meeting yesterday, I heard more of an all too widespread and alarming discussion. “Our students aren’t interested in learning like we were.” “The kids today are distracted by gadgets. They would rather text than talk.” “Our kids don’t have a long attention span.”

All of these rumblings have a common thread. Yes, our students for the most part, are quite different than us, their educators. They are interested in technology. They do like to communicate digitally. They do multitask.

I felt so uncomfortable hearing our district leaders finding so many shortcomings in our students---especially since what these teachers were critical of can be such assets. What people were complaining about are very important skills in the 21st century.

Don’t get me wrong. I, too, have been frustrated by a student slyly texting a friend to socialize instead of completing the class project. I, too, have wondered why I constantly have to switch gears in a single class to engage students. I, too, have wondered how someone can spend hours and hours playing a game and not ten minutes on a journal assignment.

But, after years of wondering and researching and collaborating and analyzing and experimenting, I know one thing. I have more questions. I also know that our students have a cultural wealth that demands our attention and respect. Their knowledge of building and sustaining community, creating and collaborating on multimedia projects, their hunger for information. All of this makes them candidates for being exceptional students.

Then, what’s the problem? Why is the United States lagging behind other countries in education? Why are some schools now being named “drop-out factories”? Why do some teachers perceive our students as being deficient learners rather than remarkable ones?

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It’s not the fault of the teachers. It’s not the fault of the students. It’s not the parents. It’s not the media. It’s not the technology companies. It’s not the video games.

It’s the educational system in the United States. We operate in an antiquated context far removed from the realities of today’s society, its demands and its challenges. We want our students to fit into some educational paradigm that was conceived eons ago.

Well, in case you haven’t noticed, so much has happened to transform our landscape. Technology has developed. There are now so many digital advances making once impossible things everyday common occurrences. Every day, there is something new, something that ups the stakes, something that creates another challenge to our obsolete educational system. One thing, however, that is not changing, not transforming, not responding---fast enough anyway---is education.

Today’s learners are different. They learn differently from most of their teachers. All true. I get it.

When, then, do we respond to these differences? When do we take into account these inconsistencies and make systemic changes that embrace our learners and all their skills? When do we create an inclusive environment to fit their needs instead of forcing them into an educational box where they must abandon so much that is part of their culture? When will we demand an education that our students deserve, one where instead of failing, they will thrive?

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Technology is not the enemy. It is not gadgets OR lessons. It is not cell phones OR learning. It is not social networks OR accountable talk.

On the contrary, we have the opportunity to use these powerful tools and many more to truly reform our classrooms. We have a chance to show our students how much we do respect and admire their skills by stepping out of our comfort zones to learn from them.

So for today, our first National Digital Learning Day, I ask what you can do to help these changes happen and happen sooner rather than later? Each day we do not advocate for our learners, each day we do not rally around this type of reform is another day where technology leaves education further behind.

Digital. Learning. Digital + Learning. Digital Learning. 

 

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Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:52:00 -0700 Changing Education Paradigms http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/changing-education-paradigms http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/changing-education-paradigms

So what have you all been doing during this week of professional development and teacher preparation? Well, I have to say this has been the best week of PD yet. It's probably because it's all about educational reform, why it's necessary, and what needs to change. 

North Dallas High School has been awarded the TTIPS grant to transform the campus. This is a time for impact. This is a time to make a difference. This is a time where empowered educators with vision and discipline can be catalysts to reform education.

What a great time it is indeed. It's time to turn talk into action!

 

Video from KarmaTube

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Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:23:00 -0700 Questioning Magnets http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/questioning-magnets http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/questioning-magnets

I have had the pleasure of working with almost half of our incoming Freshman class this week during our campus' Early Start program. These kids were dynamite! So energetic. So enthusiastic. For the most part, they seemed to know that high school meant business.

It's amazing how quickly kids can become friends. It's fascinating how various combinations of students can really set the tone for the whole class. There were some really bright kids. You know the ones whose lights are clearly on and searching for more information. There were others who were less eager and sure of themselves, but they demonstrated great curiosity. Over all, there was a great deal of optimistic anticipation in the air.

At the end of today, the last day of the program, I learned that one of the kids was not going to attend my school. He had earned commended on all of his TAKS tests so of course, he was headed for the Science and Engineering Magnet. That was his explanation. As if to say, why would anyone who had received the highest scores on the state assessments attend a comprehensive high school? The brightest students (as decided by grades and tests) go to magnet schools in Dallas ISD. 

When I learned this, I was upset. Not just because this was a really neat kid who contributed so much to the class, but also because I realized the system was broken. How many other students were opting to go to a magnet school rather than mine? It wasn't just our school and our students who are missing the opportunity to learn side by side these highly motivated and disciplined minds. The magnet kids are missing out as well. This student told me not to worry because he loved our school. He lives really close by, and he was going to join the clubs on our campus because they don't have those types of organizations at the magnet schools. The magnet kids are missing out on activities that epitomize the high school experience: athletics, extracurriculars, working with all levels of learners.

Even the term "magnet" school suggests these campuses have programs much more attractive than comprehensive high schools. It just stinks of inequality. Is it worth sacrificing so many comprehensive campuses to have one magnet school that is the #1 public school in the country? Do the ends justify the means? What if everyone attended their home schools? What if everyone were on even ground learning in collaboration with one another? How would that transform education?

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Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:17:00 -0700 Shift Happens v5 - Iowa, Did You Know? [VIDEO] | Dangerously Irrelevant | Big Think http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/shift-happens-v5-iowa-did-you-know-video-dang http://persistentpondering.posterous.com/shift-happens-v5-iowa-did-you-know-video-dang
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Does anyone know the stats for Texas? I bet we are in worse shape than Iowa. We need to RETHINK our schools. If not, we will be left behind. Watch this.
It's not just about relationships with students. It's about having relationships with students where they want to be challenged and will rise to our expectations, the expectations of their future employers. If we fail to do this, we fail our students.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1385196/Photo_on_2011-07-24_at_11.26__3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wzEg0n9lkIx Janelle Bence Janelle Janelle Bence