Module 1: Understanding the dynamics of my classroom

CONCEPT 1: Diversity 

Summary
Right in the opening chapter, Woolfolk dives into the stats. On page 4, in quoting Erica Turner she writes: "American society and schools are more diverse and more unequal than ever." And while diversity in school may be rising, and issues of equity also on the rise, our teachers are increasingly becoming less diverse." Continuing Woolfolk points out that "even though students in classrooms are increasingly diverse in race, ethnicity, language, and economic growth level, teachers are much less diverse..." I find this alarming that our institutions do not reflect the multiple life experiences of our students. Representation is psychologically important for healthy development and "the percentage of White teachers is increasing, while the percentage of Black teachers is falling"...

Reflection
One question was always present throughout this chapter, and that was "What evidence is there that teachers make a difference?" and the Danielson Framework kind of gives us the building blocks to answer to that question with a resounding YES! Yes teachers make a difference! Which is why it is all the more concerning to me that teachers are becoming less diverse, even as mentioned, though the student body is diversifying. Why is this, and how as a white teacher myself can I rectify this, and am I a part of the problem or the solution?

I think that a good teacher is a good teacher regardless of what color they are, but it does stop and give you pause. A quick Google search will show you the power of representation for healthy cognitive development, and yet culturally here in America we struggle to diversify in almost every aspect of our public lives.

One of the questions this week in our discussions was also about religion. I question how we as public servants are serving our diverse students by pushing the same white, Christian, colonial ideas we have been since our founding? If that's what we're doing at all? While I don't think that there is anything inherently wrong with being white or Christian, I do feel that we have to be more conscious of the ways in which we may be upholding a sterilized version of humanities history and culture. Personally, as an educator, I want to act in a way that allows students to hold onto the parts of them that make them unique. I don't want to act in anyway that makes my students afraid to act and speak in ways that are culturally significant to them. So perhaps even though I am a white educator, I can combat this sterilization by allowing my students a voice. I feel this especially poignant as an arts educator, as culture and beliefs are the driving force behind master works of art. Giving my students opportunities to embrace and show off their authentic selves, only serves to reinforce my students voice, and artistic identities.

https://psychologybenefits.org/2018/05/02/black-panther-and-the-power-of-representation/

CONCEPT 2: Development 

Summary

Piaget vs Vygotsky - Image Source: writingendeavour.com

On page 61 of our text Woolfolk reviews Vygotsky's theory on Zone of Proximal Development stating that "at any given point in (human) development, a child is on the verge of solving certain problems - 'processes that have not matured at the time but are in a period of maturation'....ZPD is "the area between the child's current performance (the problems a child can solve independently without support) and the level of performance that the child could achieve with guidance...."  this is in contrast to Piaget's views and theories which often underestimated children's ability to think in complex notions, as well as ignored their cultural relationships. This raises an interesting idea about how humans evolve understanding of the world they interact with, both on a personal and cultural level. Humans are diverse and constantly learning, and it's difficult to pinpoint a perfect map of human development. As educators, it is important to recognize these differences, and tailor ourselves and our lessons towards healthy cognitive development based on each individual student. On page 64 Woolfolk details this sentiment perfectly by stating "Piaget and Vygotsky believed that the main goal of education was the development of higher mental functions, not simply filling students' memories with facts."

Reflection

It can be increasingly difficult in a world that  values test scores, or the consumption and regurgitation of facts, to fight for development of cognitive functions such as critical thinking skills. This has become all but too apparent in arts education, where funding and classes are being cut or changed into electives over core classes. However, even if indirectly, this chapter argues the importance of these things, especially in relation to the diverse student bodies in our schools today, and the ways these students learn. 

This last semester during my Novice Placement, I watched many of the art classes that were offered at this school get cut. Even as colleges are beginning to move away from looking at test scores, due to legislation such as No Child Left Behind, and Every Student Succeeds, we are still seeing schools teach to what can be measured through test based assessments. This is understandably difficult in an arts education, where development of critical thinking, and skill are the goal. These things cannot often, or easily, be measured by such means.

So what do we do? In actuality the only thing we can do is push for our institutions to remember the importance of social, cultural, and cognitive development in our classrooms. The studies are there to prove that an arts education benefits students in this matter more than just STEM classes. Students need a healthy balance of both to develop healthy cognitive habits. Students are also fully capable of complex forms of thought, and in fact recognizing this and encouraging it only serves to better their cognitive development.

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/the-importance-of-art-in-child-development

CONCEPT 3: Identity 

Summary

Promotional photo of the cast of My so Called Life

In page 80 of our text we are introduced to Urie Bronfenbrenner's biological model of development, which "recognizes that the physical and social contexts in which we develop are ecosystems because they are constantly interacting with and influencing each other." Woolfolk goes on to explain on page 86 that "children develop within their peer groups (cliques/crowds) at any age, have a set of 'rules' - how to dress, talk, style their hair, and interact with others..."within this peer culture. These social developments are instrumental to a students identity, and influence how they behave in our 
classrooms. This is expanded on with the introduction of Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development. "Erikson offers a basic framework for understanding the needs of young people in relation to the society in which they grow, learn, and later make their contributions" pg. 96. This is all summed up in the final parts of the chapter, where on page 107 Woolfolk says "as we seek our own identity and form conceptions of ourselves, we are also learning about right and wrong." Woolfolk then reviews how Lawrence Kohlberg developed and "proposed a detailed sequence of the six developing stages of moral reasoning, or judgements about right and wrong"

Reflection

During this chapter I couldn't help but think of every teen drama I had ever seen. I recently this last year went back and re-watched some of my old favorites like Degrassi, My so Called Life, Pepper Ann. All of these shows approached this subject matter through the perspective of adolescence. Then there's the films that successfully capitalized on this notion as well, like Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles , and The Heather's. It's interesting to see which ones still hold up, and which ones are lost to the times, and I encourage you to check some of them out if you haven't, and to also reflect on their relation to psychosocial development. You'll find yourself looking at the role of their teachers, and the main characters as students in a whole new and refreshing way. It's a lot of fun!

My so Called Life was especially poignant. We find out that one of the characters named Jordan can't read, and so he skips class a lot. Their English teacher quits early on in the series, and Jordan is left with a sub who, exhausted in her efforts to try and get him to join the class, and overlooking/not realizing the fact that he can't read tells Jordan's girlfriend, Angela that if he doesn't start coming to class she's going to get him expelled because "there are good kids in this school who want to learn, I don't have time for the bad ones."  

Jordan comes from a culture and a group that doesn't encourage him to do well in school, and when Angela steps in, and recognizes this fact, she helps him to enroll in  tutoring so that he can catch up and learn how to read. He just needed the extra support from someone in his life to push him toward success. I think that is also kind of the point of this and theme of the three chapters we read for class this week. We cannot miss opportunities to help our students succeed by recognizing their individual circumstances, and how they cause them to behave.

The character of Jordan, while he shouldn't have been skipping class, was also a tragic story because his teacher and the system that employed her failed him. Never should we not take time for the student who is acting up, or misbehaving, instead we should offer understanding and empathy toward the journey they are on in their lives at that moment. It's easy to get frustrated but we benefit more by recognizing that our students are also individuals, with diverse beliefs and understandings of how their worlds work.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/power-being-seen