Community Change

The second group that read "Dumbing Us Down" presented this morning in class. I really enjoyed the presentation and I think it contained the most thought provoking questions raised so far. The group’s basic theme was about the importance of community in all aspects of life. In relation to the education system, they seemed to say that our current educational system is methodically structured by standards and rewards that the students educated in this system are no longer creative and original individuals. The group did a really great job relating the content of the book to our every day lives and the lifestyles that Luther College students live. Although it was a little bit disheartening to think about becoming a teacher in such a ineffective system. I really appreciated the conversation that took place at the end of the period in which the class discussed ways to make a difference. I felt like I left the class feeling like each individual can make a difference. Maria made a really good comment. She said that as we make a change in our own lives and spread the change to our families, the change in communites will begin as relationships and involvement grow. Eventually a greater societal shift can take place. Change can’t come from a new law or adapted standards. Rather, the change first has to start with the individuals and smaller communities.

Dumbing Us Down

I really enjoyed the group presentation this morning, Dumbing Us Down (group 1). The presentation really made me want to read the book. Overall they highlighted some great points from the book. I agree with them that there are a lot of problems in the schools. But some of the issues they highlighted seem to just be a necessary part of running a classroom of 30 plus students all day. For example, the group talked about how we discourage independence and ask kids to just follow instructions and do what they’re told. An example they shared was bathroom passes and transitional times. A lot of these types of things are irrelevant to me and are just management issues that come with running a school with hundreds of children in it at a time. One thing that I did like that they addressed was the reward/punishment system used by lots of teachers. The examples and discussion started with the class was really interesting. Why do so many teachers use these systems like check marks, gold stars, “worm holes in an apple,” etc? I see lots of reasons for not using this reward system because we want to encourage students to learn because they want to learn, not just to please the teacher or get some tangible object as a reward. But what are alternatives? Obviously teachers use these systems as ways to manage classroom behavior most of the time. How can teachers be educated and presented with realistic ways of dealing with these issues in a way that doesn’t inhibit student expression and place value on insignificant things like grades? There is so much criticism of our current school system and so few ways presented to actually deal with it. I enjoy hearing the opinions of actual classroom teachers, rather than administrators and educational philosophers who have never taught full-time in a classroom. I liked the way the group concluded their presentation by telling the class that they should think of 7 realistic things that they could do as a classroom teacher to make a difference. Although it would have been nice to hear their opinions and the opinions for change from the author, I like that they encouraged the class to think of solutions and not just dwell on the fact that we have problems. I am looking forward to the second group presentation on this book.