Standard#2: Learning Differences
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
Essential Knowledge (2j, 2k)
Performance Indicators/ Essential Knowledge/ Critical Dispositions
2d. The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners' personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms.
2l. The teacher believes that all learners can achieve at high levels and persists in helping each learner reach his/her full potential
2n. The teacher makes learners feel valued and helps them learn to value each other.
Activity 3:2 Philosophy on the Big Screen
I watched the movie “Freedom Writers,” paying attention to the strategies used by the educators in the film and noting examples illustrating the major teaching philosophies described in chapter 8 of the textbook.
ARTIFACT:
Philosophy on the Big Screen
Freedom Writers
Major Educational Philosophy/ Cinematic Evidence
Essentialism At the beginning of the movie, Ms. Gruwell's approach is mostly teacher centered and essentialist. She stands in front of the class attempting to lecture on Homer's “The Odyssey,” reminds the class to be quiet when they aren't paying full attention, and moves disruptive students to different seats in the classroom. She also uses lyrics from a rap song in an attempt to teach her students about elements of poetry and writes six sentences on the chalkboard and asks her students to rewrite them correctly.
Showing that she supports the belief that students should master particular skills before moving on, the department head refuses to allow Ms. Gruwell to provide copies of “The Diary of Anne Frank” or “Romeo and Juliet” to her class because the students have low reading scores. She makes the statement, “You can't make someone want an education. The best you can do is to try to get them to obey and to learn discipline,” showing that she embraces the essentialist goal of instilling respect for authority.
Progressivism To supplement their reading of “Anne Frank,” Ms. Gruwell arranges for her class to take a weekend trip to a Holocaust museum. She introduces them to several Holocaust survivors. Later they raise enough money to bring the woman who hid Anne Frank's family over from Amsterdam to speak to the class.
Social Reconstruction At the beginning of the movie, Ms. Gruwell makes the statement “By the time you're defending a kid in the courtroom the battle is already lost...The real fighting should happen here in the classroom,” showing that she believes that the school can be an instrument for social good.
After a drive-by shooting, Ms. Gruwell attempts to learn about the lives of her students. She plays the “line game,” helping them to open up to her and also to realize that, even though they come from rival groups, they have much in common. She assigns them to write about their experiences in daily journals that will not be graded. She also assures the students that she will only read what they have written if they want her to. Eventually the class publishes their journals, hoping that their stories will make a difference for other people.
Ms. Gruwell dedicates part of a class period to allow students to “toast for change.” Each student drinks a glass of sparkling grape juice and makes a toast. She encourages them to reflect on what their goals are and how they will reach them.
Ms. Gruwell's class is successful in overcoming gang rivalry on a small scale. The students are able to move beyond their initial distrust and hatred and come to view the classroom as a home and each other as family.
REFLECTION:
1.What philosophy was most prevalent? The philosophy that I thought stood out the most was social reconstruction. It was definitely portrayed in the most positive light. Most of the examples of essentialism were portrayed either as negative or unsuccessful.
2. Why do you think the filmmaker chose to highlight this philosophy? This movie is based on a true story. The teacher and the students that it portrays overcame overwhelming odds in order to succeed. In order to accomplish what they did, they had to address many social ills. The methods used by the teacher had to bridge the social rifts existing in the classroom before any of the students could begin to succeed academically. The philosophy of social reconstruction was clearly the best choice to deal with the challenges facing these students.
3. What appealed or disappointed you about the film? The idea that the film promotes-that no student is a lost cause- is something that I feel strongly about. I love that the teacher in this film was able to successfully reach her students. However I was disturbed by the attitudes of some of the teachers that she worked with. They were perfectly comfortable with the idea that most of the students in Ms. Gruwell's class would not make it to graduation. They were willing sit back and do nothing while the students failed.
4. What did you learn about teaching and educational philosophies from this film? This film showed that the major educational philosophies can be applied in ways that are both successful and unsuccessful. Much depends on the individual teacher's attention to the needs of the students in the classroom. Within these philosophies there is not a single approach that works for every situation. Teachers have to be willing to adapt. If students are not responding positively to one method, it may be necessary to rethink the curriculum and possibly even to incorporate methods from a different philosophy.
5. How did the educational philosophies relate to different ways students learn? Because of their past experiences, the students in the movie had a problem accepting authority, especially in the form of a white teacher. Because of this, a teacher centered philosophy was almost certain to fail. However when their teacher took the time to reach out to them, to learn what she could about their lives and the challenges they faced, and to adapt the curriculum to include material that they could relate to, she helped them to develop an enthusiasm for learning that they had not experienced before.
6. What traits of the cinematic teacher might you adopt...avoid? I admire Ms. Gruwell's persistence and her creativity. Not everything that she tried was successful, but she would take a step back and try a new approach. Even though initially her class distrusted and disrespected her, she cared enough about them to learn about their lives and their cultures and to find the educational approach that worked the best for them. Although I thought that the way she handled her classroom was admirable, I would try to avoid her mistake of allowing her dedication to negatively impact her own family life. I agree with going the extra mile to help students, but this teacher failed to include her husband in what she was doing to the point that he felt alienated. In her situation I would keep my family informed and involved so that they could be supportive instead of feeling left behind.
EXPLANATION OF HOW THIS ACTIVITY MET THE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, CRITICAL DISPOSITIONS, AND/OR ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS STANDARD:
2d. Students' personal experiences play a huge role in shaping their perspective on the information that they are exposed to in the classroom. Teachers will be more successful if they incorporate their students' unique perspectives in ways that will help them to relate to what they are learning. The students in “Freedom Writers” were part of a culture and community that was unfamiliar to their teacher. She took the time to learn about what was important to them and was able to incorporate their perspective into her choices of literature for class discussion. She compared the Nazis in “The Diary of Anne Frank” to a gang and was able to draw many parallels between their actions and situations that her students were familiar with on a personal level. Because of this, they found meaning in what they were reading. Their enthusiasm for the literature that their teacher chose helped them to improve their academic performance.
2l. Just because a particular student or group of students is not progressing at the same rate or in the same academic areas as other students does not mean that they are incapable of learning. Chances are that they simply have a different way of learning. It is a teacher's responsibility to learn what students respond to positively and to use that to help them learn. This may involve adopting different teaching methods or presenting material in a different way or from different perspectives. It may involve tailoring assignments to different learning styles. The teacher in “Freedom Writers” was instructing a group of students who knew that they had been placed in “the slow class.” Rather than giving up on them or allowing them to give up on themselves, she persisted in instructing them at a higher level. She refused to believe that they could not be taught. By altering her methods to account for her students' needs she was able to inspire them to meet academic goals that had previously seemed impossible.
2n. Students should never feel like their style of learning or their culture or background make them less valuable in the eyes of their teacher or classmates. Students who feel valued will be inspired to work harder to live up to the expectations of those around them and will naturally set higher goals for themselves. Teachers need to avoid placing more importance on one learning style or culture than on others. They should encourage students to respect one another's differences and value the unique contribution that each individual brings to the classroom. The teacher in “Freedom Writers” was able to unite a class of students who were initially divided along racial lines to the point of outright hatred for each other. She did this by emphasizing their common experiences and allowing them to see each other as equals instead of as rivals. Once the class was united, with students valuing and respecting one another, the learning environment that resulted was much more effective.
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
Essential Knowledge (2j, 2k)
- 2(j)
The teacher understands that learners bring assets for learning
based on their individual experiences, abilities, talents, prior
learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as
language, culture, family, and community values.
In our class discussions about multiculturalism we talked about the importance of respecting students as individuals. No two students are exactly alike. Even those who come from similar cultures may have very different styles of learning. I answered two questions that relate to having an appreciation for the different assets of students: “I prefer teaching students with different backgrounds because. . .”I think diversity in the classroom allows for so many opportunities to enhance student appreciation for the beauty of the many cultures in the world around us. When students are able to interact with others from different backgrounds, they see first hand the many similarities that we all share as human beings. It's one thing to tell students that they should treat everyone with respect. It's another when they see their peers as examples of people who they can relate to even though they may come from different backgrounds. “Multicultural education is really important if all (or most) of my students are from one ethnic/racial background because . . .”it would be easy for them to become narrow minded, feeling that their way of life or way of doing things is "normal" and that everybody else is "weird". Later in life many of these students will probably be in situations where an awareness of and an appreciation for the multicultural nature of our country will help them to succeed. Even if they aren't, multicultural education can help to break down prejudice, or maybe even prevent it from cropping up in the first place. - 2(k)
The teacher knows how to access information about the values of
diverse cultures and communities and
how to incorporate learners’
experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
In our textbook readings we learned how generalizations may be useful in gaining some perspective on different cultures, but the most useful information will come from experience and direct interaction with various students. Teachers need to work to incorporate what they learn about their diverse students into classroom activities that will help each learner to feel comfortable and to thrive. We also learned about the importance of including multicultural perspectives in our teaching. - Critical
Dispositions (2l, 2m)
- 2(l)
The teacher believes that all learners can achieve at high levels
and persists in helping each learner reach his/her full potential.
We learned that not all students learn the same way, and that high expectations play and important role in helping students reach their potential. It is important to include lesson plans that cater to different styles of learning and also to present material in such a way so that students can relate to and find meaning in what they are learning. I firmly believe in not giving up on a student who is struggling but instead trying different methods and finding something that they will respond to. (See also RAPS activity) - 2(m)
The teacher respects learners as individuals with differing personal
and family backgrounds and various skills, abilities, perspectives,
talents, and interests.
We learned about the importance of incorporating multicultural perspectives into the curriculum, but also discussed ways to design lessons that appeal to multiple intelligences. Taking a survey of our own intelligences and discussing the results with the rest of the class was an enlightening experience since it showed how different we all are and how our strengths affect the way we learn. It is important to vary methods of instruction so that students with strengths in all of the areas of intelligence are given equal opportunity to succeed.
Performance Indicators/ Essential Knowledge/ Critical Dispositions
2d. The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners' personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms.
2l. The teacher believes that all learners can achieve at high levels and persists in helping each learner reach his/her full potential
2n. The teacher makes learners feel valued and helps them learn to value each other.
Activity 3:2 Philosophy on the Big Screen
I watched the movie “Freedom Writers,” paying attention to the strategies used by the educators in the film and noting examples illustrating the major teaching philosophies described in chapter 8 of the textbook.
ARTIFACT:
Philosophy on the Big Screen
Freedom Writers
Major Educational Philosophy/ Cinematic Evidence
Essentialism At the beginning of the movie, Ms. Gruwell's approach is mostly teacher centered and essentialist. She stands in front of the class attempting to lecture on Homer's “The Odyssey,” reminds the class to be quiet when they aren't paying full attention, and moves disruptive students to different seats in the classroom. She also uses lyrics from a rap song in an attempt to teach her students about elements of poetry and writes six sentences on the chalkboard and asks her students to rewrite them correctly.
Showing that she supports the belief that students should master particular skills before moving on, the department head refuses to allow Ms. Gruwell to provide copies of “The Diary of Anne Frank” or “Romeo and Juliet” to her class because the students have low reading scores. She makes the statement, “You can't make someone want an education. The best you can do is to try to get them to obey and to learn discipline,” showing that she embraces the essentialist goal of instilling respect for authority.
Progressivism To supplement their reading of “Anne Frank,” Ms. Gruwell arranges for her class to take a weekend trip to a Holocaust museum. She introduces them to several Holocaust survivors. Later they raise enough money to bring the woman who hid Anne Frank's family over from Amsterdam to speak to the class.
Social Reconstruction At the beginning of the movie, Ms. Gruwell makes the statement “By the time you're defending a kid in the courtroom the battle is already lost...The real fighting should happen here in the classroom,” showing that she believes that the school can be an instrument for social good.
After a drive-by shooting, Ms. Gruwell attempts to learn about the lives of her students. She plays the “line game,” helping them to open up to her and also to realize that, even though they come from rival groups, they have much in common. She assigns them to write about their experiences in daily journals that will not be graded. She also assures the students that she will only read what they have written if they want her to. Eventually the class publishes their journals, hoping that their stories will make a difference for other people.
Ms. Gruwell dedicates part of a class period to allow students to “toast for change.” Each student drinks a glass of sparkling grape juice and makes a toast. She encourages them to reflect on what their goals are and how they will reach them.
Ms. Gruwell's class is successful in overcoming gang rivalry on a small scale. The students are able to move beyond their initial distrust and hatred and come to view the classroom as a home and each other as family.
REFLECTION:
1.What philosophy was most prevalent? The philosophy that I thought stood out the most was social reconstruction. It was definitely portrayed in the most positive light. Most of the examples of essentialism were portrayed either as negative or unsuccessful.
2. Why do you think the filmmaker chose to highlight this philosophy? This movie is based on a true story. The teacher and the students that it portrays overcame overwhelming odds in order to succeed. In order to accomplish what they did, they had to address many social ills. The methods used by the teacher had to bridge the social rifts existing in the classroom before any of the students could begin to succeed academically. The philosophy of social reconstruction was clearly the best choice to deal with the challenges facing these students.
3. What appealed or disappointed you about the film? The idea that the film promotes-that no student is a lost cause- is something that I feel strongly about. I love that the teacher in this film was able to successfully reach her students. However I was disturbed by the attitudes of some of the teachers that she worked with. They were perfectly comfortable with the idea that most of the students in Ms. Gruwell's class would not make it to graduation. They were willing sit back and do nothing while the students failed.
4. What did you learn about teaching and educational philosophies from this film? This film showed that the major educational philosophies can be applied in ways that are both successful and unsuccessful. Much depends on the individual teacher's attention to the needs of the students in the classroom. Within these philosophies there is not a single approach that works for every situation. Teachers have to be willing to adapt. If students are not responding positively to one method, it may be necessary to rethink the curriculum and possibly even to incorporate methods from a different philosophy.
5. How did the educational philosophies relate to different ways students learn? Because of their past experiences, the students in the movie had a problem accepting authority, especially in the form of a white teacher. Because of this, a teacher centered philosophy was almost certain to fail. However when their teacher took the time to reach out to them, to learn what she could about their lives and the challenges they faced, and to adapt the curriculum to include material that they could relate to, she helped them to develop an enthusiasm for learning that they had not experienced before.
6. What traits of the cinematic teacher might you adopt...avoid? I admire Ms. Gruwell's persistence and her creativity. Not everything that she tried was successful, but she would take a step back and try a new approach. Even though initially her class distrusted and disrespected her, she cared enough about them to learn about their lives and their cultures and to find the educational approach that worked the best for them. Although I thought that the way she handled her classroom was admirable, I would try to avoid her mistake of allowing her dedication to negatively impact her own family life. I agree with going the extra mile to help students, but this teacher failed to include her husband in what she was doing to the point that he felt alienated. In her situation I would keep my family informed and involved so that they could be supportive instead of feeling left behind.
EXPLANATION OF HOW THIS ACTIVITY MET THE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, CRITICAL DISPOSITIONS, AND/OR ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS STANDARD:
2d. Students' personal experiences play a huge role in shaping their perspective on the information that they are exposed to in the classroom. Teachers will be more successful if they incorporate their students' unique perspectives in ways that will help them to relate to what they are learning. The students in “Freedom Writers” were part of a culture and community that was unfamiliar to their teacher. She took the time to learn about what was important to them and was able to incorporate their perspective into her choices of literature for class discussion. She compared the Nazis in “The Diary of Anne Frank” to a gang and was able to draw many parallels between their actions and situations that her students were familiar with on a personal level. Because of this, they found meaning in what they were reading. Their enthusiasm for the literature that their teacher chose helped them to improve their academic performance.
2l. Just because a particular student or group of students is not progressing at the same rate or in the same academic areas as other students does not mean that they are incapable of learning. Chances are that they simply have a different way of learning. It is a teacher's responsibility to learn what students respond to positively and to use that to help them learn. This may involve adopting different teaching methods or presenting material in a different way or from different perspectives. It may involve tailoring assignments to different learning styles. The teacher in “Freedom Writers” was instructing a group of students who knew that they had been placed in “the slow class.” Rather than giving up on them or allowing them to give up on themselves, she persisted in instructing them at a higher level. She refused to believe that they could not be taught. By altering her methods to account for her students' needs she was able to inspire them to meet academic goals that had previously seemed impossible.
2n. Students should never feel like their style of learning or their culture or background make them less valuable in the eyes of their teacher or classmates. Students who feel valued will be inspired to work harder to live up to the expectations of those around them and will naturally set higher goals for themselves. Teachers need to avoid placing more importance on one learning style or culture than on others. They should encourage students to respect one another's differences and value the unique contribution that each individual brings to the classroom. The teacher in “Freedom Writers” was able to unite a class of students who were initially divided along racial lines to the point of outright hatred for each other. She did this by emphasizing their common experiences and allowing them to see each other as equals instead of as rivals. Once the class was united, with students valuing and respecting one another, the learning environment that resulted was much more effective.