Dear Class,
For your new blog response, read Rereading America's excerpt from Jean Anyon's Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work. (It should look very familiar since you already started reading it on the very first day of class.) Then, write a well-developed response to one of the following two questions:
1) Why do you think the problem that Anyon describes is occuring? During class today, you did a wonderful job of going beyond the surface and looking at different factors that contribute to what we see in modern education. Likewise, do your best to think of as many things as possible and to explore how different causes might interact with one another.
2) Should all schools be run like professional/elite schools? What would be the advantages of attempting to do this? What would be possible disadvantages?
Due: Before our next class meeting
Reminder: The conferences you signed up for are no longer mandatory, but you are more than welcome to stop by any of my office hours to run a thesis statement by me.
P.S. REMINDER: We're starting Life of Pi tomorrow, so please bring it to class.
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All schools should run like professional / elite schools do because to me that would help the population out as a whole. None of this one percent stuff would get the best kind of education. If everyone is treated equal and able to get an education such as this we would have so much more people that are able to think “ out side the box”. Aside from that everyone could possibly be that much better at what they do regardless of their job title. They would have that much more knowledgeable information about their field, thus having more / better improvements. These improvements can range anywhere from making something even more stronger, more reliable, or even just a faster way to get the job done.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to what I was saying about how we would have more people that are able to “think outside of the box”…. in the excerpt the writer seems to dived the different classes of people simply by the different teaching styles in which they are taught. The teachers that make the students work more independently, (make them work on the actual problem, in stead of just spoon feeding the answers) the students get more out of it by requiring them to use every possible resource, put it in terms they understand best, and then be able to solve the problem. Where as the lower classes, they are just taught the way the teacher knows, and if you can’t grasp the concept that way you are pretty much out of luck. Being able to work independently is a very good thing because that means you are able to resolve issues on your own, by doing that you are seen more as a leader. Leaders are what we need to hopefully move in a better direction as a whole. The only down side to this could possibly be to many “Mr. Know it All’s” ????
Schools should run like elite/professional schools because it obviously encourages creativity and allows them to question situations. Children's opinions are valued and that gives them a sense that what they have to say matters. The down side might be that they would probably think they are always right and have a snotty attitude.
ReplyDelete2) Positives and Negatives to "Elite Schools"
ReplyDeleteElite schools gives a child the opportunity to deeply increase his analytical intellectual ability. Hence, these schools make children learn and think at a higher level in order to work their skills. It is more heavy on curriculum and materials than pratical work which stimulates the brain more. By this being said, the advantages for this type of school include increasing analytical capability and preparing children for white collar jobs. The first advantage includes really stretching the children's capability in analytical problems. Instead of 2+2=4, they dont only answer 4 but also question how that became 4 and if there is another possible answer. Their thinking is at a higher level since they "think outside the box". They have to grasp every possibility and from that they obtain the best answer. This is important later on in their lives where complicated problems might not have just one answer but multiple ways to solve whihc is a very important life skill. The other advantage is that this higher level thinking can get them jobs that are in the tertiary sector. Meaning more "thinking" jobs than "doing" jobs which may fall in Law, Healthcare, Teaching, or Politics. This is an advantage because those jobs pay more financially than other jobs. The possible disadvantage to elite schools is that the teachers prepare the students with higher education but not for the "real world". The real world refers to the reality outside an office where one must have street smarts to survive. Elite Schools teach children to behave and study hard but in the real world there will be alot of encounters with people who aren't educated and don't behave. In those situations one must learn how to handle himself/herself or danger might come. Usually people who experience in these situations are the kids who grew up in public/working class schools. Hence, Elite School students are educated and making money ready but they might not be ready for the "real world."
There would be many advantages to society if all schools ran like professional/elite schools. People would be taught to think critically and go beyond what the obvious is. Higher class people always wonder why lower class people do not have the type of jobs or intelligence they do. It’s because it all started in kindergarten when the lower class population didn’t start teaching the way higher class schools did. Imagine a society in which all schools taught at the same, high level. There would be more doctors, scientists..people whose minds think at a critical level. Would there be more useful inventions created today? Or perhaps cures for diseases that a limited number of intelligent people are looking for? And that brings out another question.. what disadvantages can a society have because of high education? I couldn’t think of any.
ReplyDeletei feel that all schools should be ran like the elite schools it teaches and encourages children to think for themselves and develop problem solving skills. if more children graduated from schools like this our coutry would have a much healthier economy. at the same time high end jobs may be more competitive which may not help the unempolyment rate very much.
ReplyDelete2.)I believe all schools should run like professional/ elite schools because it encourages children to think beyond the obvious. These types of schools encourage creativity and make students think critically about what they are taught. One advantage would be that the higher level of thinking provided to the children would provide them with higher paying jobs, like in the medical, law and business fields. The only disadvantage is that there would be too many people working in those fields mentioned above and there might not be enough jobs to fulfill them all.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, all schools should be set up like a professional or elite school. If students were pushed to study with creative thinking and real life situations then it would help make children into more successful adults. Creating decision making processes for children is important for future life settings and the earlier they learn it, the better it would be for their life in the future. I don’t think that there would be any disadvantages for schools to be either professional or elite schools.
ReplyDelete2. Yes I believe all schools should be run like professional/elite schools. The advantages would definitely be a better turn out in graduation rates, as well as college acceptance into 4 year schools. Of course this is no guarantee because every family background is different according to social class as Anyon stressed, but the interest for school in students would grow and I believe they will really learn to like school and have a desire to learn. If we were able to afford and take the time to really care for each student as individuals, I'm sure there would be many changes to not only our educational programs but our economy as well. Every student is their own individual, the way the learn, the way they teach, etc. It's true we need our individual attention, it's hard to acquire this with so many students in classroom with only one instructor. The disadvantages would have to do with high competition, maybe unaffordable schooling because it could cost a lot to have a school ran like a prestigious campus. Possibly even drop outs for people who really can't handle school, let alone a rigorous program at an elite ran school. I'm sure I could go on and on about pros and cons but for the most part, the pros do outweigh the cons. It would be a lot better if we could get the help we need when we needed it. We could be more creative and more expressive, after all, the youth are the future.
ReplyDelete#2 In my opinion, Schools should be run like elite schools because every student should be taught and rewarded that will make them the best they can be, not according to some predestined career that their social class has confined them to. All of the taught/rewarded behaviors according to social class that the passage mentioned were in fact positive ( working class rewarded for obedience, managerial class rewarded for assertiveness), and i think that all of those behaviors should be rewarded regardless, but all students in all classes should not be limited to some kind of "hidden agenda" they should be taught on an even playing field, isn't that what America is supposed to be about?! Every child is meant to have the tools to succeed and the chance to make something of themself, how can that happen if they are not being taught to their full advantage! The advantage of all schools being taught the was elite schools are, is that all of the students will be coming from the same background, and will have equal opportunity to have a high paying job, if they decide to or not. The possible disadvantages are that low paying jobs will always need workers, its possible that if students are taught to have the best careers, then when they do reach working age, they might not want to settle for a low paying working class job, even though the need for workers is still there.
ReplyDelete2.If all schools were made into an elite type school there will be insufficient fund to do so because even in the current situation funding on education has not seem to be enough. If it is possible to do so I'm sure there will be clear progress in the education in America.
ReplyDelete2) I believe all schools should be taught just like the elite schools. Its not fair to students who could handle elite style teaching to not have the opportunity because of the family they come from or because they don't have the money. Every student should have a chance or option to be able to exceed. The disadvantage is students that couldn't handle elite teaching methods may struggle and even fail.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the excerpt from Jean Anyon's Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work; I believe ALL schools should be run like professional/elite schools. Isn't that the way it should be? That sort of educational system would allowed for students to think beyond what is simply given to them. To learn to think critically and not feel like there being "dumb downed." Teachers should be nice but not too strict and give there students an actual opportunity to learn not just to copy.
ReplyDeleteI think that all schools should use the teaching method used in the elite school system. This would better prepare students for brighter futures. It would give them more opportunities to succeed in the future. It is not fair how the working class and middle class students don't receive the same education. They don't receive the same learning techniques wich deprives them the students from learning as much as they could.The students continually remain in the same social class because they continue to learn the same thing they have little chance to move up in the social ladder.
ReplyDelete2.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, all schools should definitely be ran exactly as the executive elite schools Anyon describes. I believe they have the best strategies and methods of teaching for students to get the most out of your education. It doesn't matter what social background the school's student predominantly are coming from, the criteria and teaching methods should be the same for all students to get equal opportunities. This type of inequality in today's society is basically allowing the rich to get richer and everybody else to get whatever is left. It is ridiculous to me that the people that should actually be getting the better education (lower class and middle class) are receiving the poorest of education. I thought education is suppose to be the KEY TO SUCCESS. This inequality even goes against
"The American Dream" because it deprives lower class students from getting the opportunities they need to succeed. Its quite sad.
The advantages would become very apparent. All students would have equal education and the same chances to triumph. I really do not believe there would be many disadvantages. Athough students would be receiving higher education that allows them to go into the direction of professional jobs... there will ALWAYS be the "slackers" and the kids that just don't mesh with school. So in the futures there will still probably be working class people as well as professionals. These fields will not be lacking people. It will still probably be the same.
I believe that it would be for the best to make all schools adopt similar resources and philosophies on education like those of elite schools.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the elite school with a different curriculum was a means to maintain social inequality and the preservation of the privileged status. If all schools adopted the same educational plan like elite schools have, equality will be established. Everyone would have similar education therefore have an equal chance to compete for opportunities reserved on for elite students.
Since the elite education program focuses on developing analytical and intellectual skills everyone will have the same preparation that will help them prepare for life challenges and tackle problems facing them and society as a whole.
Some may fear that doing so will create only leader and not enough people to do anything else, I would like to look at it just like the evolution theory, not all will acquire the same level of analytical skill but there will be general improvement on how people handle situations because their level of thought will be sharpened more than it is currently. Also the fact that all started on the same level it will be other forces forcing the students not to compete as opposed to the intentional refusal to educate students fairly.
In my opinion all schools all across the nation should be taught the same way weather its the elite program or not. the nation should come up with one specific way of teaching k through 12 , but i must say that there should be consequences. even though all students should be given the same type of schooling but depending on there behavior grades and attitude. they should be relocated to a school that fits them best. for example if a student fails at being a good student grades wise and has an attitude that shows not caring much for school then give him what he deserves, a school that doesn't care much for him/her. its basically all in the attitude and mentality of a human if he wants to succeed in life if he doesn't care much for school then so be it but its best to relocate them so they wont be in the way of people who care.
ReplyDeletethe students that meet the elite school requirements should remain in that school and become successful people in life.the negative consequences of this would be what i stated earlier there will be students who just don't care and should be relocated.
I agree fifty-fifty that schools should be running elite/professional schools. Of course elite schools will make every student succeed in life. It is not fair for those who aren't good academically and have no money for these kinds of schools. The downside is that there would be too much competition and people having a high end job. There would be no more people working in a low end job.
ReplyDelete#2) Depending on the current social state, the population/society should decided whether or not the city's schools can first off, afford to be an elite or professional school. One major problem would be if the school was turned into a private institution without a general consensus, especially in an area where most families would not be able to afford such a commodity. One major disadvantage to make schools private or "elite" would be forcing those with little or no money to struggle to get into school, making it seem that education is reserved for only those in a higher class. But if the conditions were right and many students could attend a private/elite institution, these students would probably receive great attention plus an education which otherwise would not have been as great as if you were placed in a regular or second rate school. However, I believe education should be an equal opportunity for everyone and restricting it to those who can afford it is simply unfair and unjust.
ReplyDelete#2
ReplyDeleteIdeally, all schools should be run like professional/elite schools. Above all, it's fulfilling for all individuals to live a life as a 'thinker'. In majority of situations, a group of creative thinkers is likely to prevail when pitted against a group with one supposedly exceptional leader. The real world demands it too. All manner of professional organizations and colleges increasingly sought those who are able to perform critical and creative tasks.
Then you have to wonder why working-class schools are being taught the way the author's investigation revealed (notwithstanding only two schools were researched). The last sentence in paragraph 47 gives an indication of popular sentiment that children from such background have less self control and therefore difficult to manage. There may or may not be some truth to this. Regardless, all children can be taught in a critical way the very moment they step into public education. It is not too late to gently introduce it from kindergarten age. To analyze and question is always more painstaking mentally compared to learning by rote. It would be 'disadvantageous' to suddenly introduce critical reasoning to a group of high school seniors who have been rote learning their entire lives. Earlier the better, otherwise the nation will be doing a disservice to certain sections of children according to social class.
#2
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe that all schools should be run like professional/elite school. There are more advantages that can come out of students and teachers if all schools were ran in this matter. With being ran in such a way, schools can overcome many of the worries that schools have now a days, such as attendence, grades, and behavior. Being ran professionally, students can be prepared for their near future, and on top of that students can actually be motivated to do well in school. Many schools usually, have a hard time managing students to do better in school, but if it was ran in an elite way, students will be more positive and take education seriously. I think that students take advantage of education, especially k-12. School for them is a must, a force. So then, the take education for granted, and just go because they have to, but don't learn anything because there are not enough strictness in the school. So, if schools were ran more efficently, and properly, students will learn to do better in school, and after time, they will get used to being organized and care more. More however, I don't think it's always the students fault. Teachers also have to be willing to take their time to give students the idea that education can be fun, and can be learned. Most teacher give up on students way too easily, or just don't have the time. I think teachers should take their time appropriately on each and every student, and come up with a scheme that lures students into education.