Brittany DonaldsonFinal Assignment

Five issues that I deem to be of great importance in the field of education :teachers do not understand the needs of their students well enough, students do not hav eas much of a voice in the class room or with administrators, funding for public educatio nis not a good as it should be, core curriculum is "Eurocentric," and the teacher shortage .

I feel that teachers must understand and get to know their students . All studentsare different and come from different backgrounds . Each one has their unique funds o fknowledge to contribute to everyone else . Teachers need to be sympathetic towards thedifferences of the student, and celebrate them . They can do that by going out of thei rways to learn something about their students .

Students do not really have a strong voice when it come to issues in education.Students are expected to come to school and follow all the rules and procedures that ar estrictly laid out for them. It seems that a teacher's role should be an advocate for his o rher students . Teachers should be voices for their children and speak up for their needs .Often times, administrators are so busy with paper work that they often do not get achance to hear the children. Teachers can represent theft students to administrators t oensure that their voices are being heard.

Funding for public education is a big problem in the United States . I don't believ ethat public schools across America are receiving enough money in low income or povert ystricken areas . The majority of funding for public schools come from the stat egovernments and local property taxes . The more affluent schools receive more mone ybecause the property taxes are higher. As a result, these school have more resources athand. The lower income districts don't have lower property taxes so the children in th edistrict suffer as a result. The poor do not reap the benefits of an enriched educationalexperience due to lack of funds and a lack of resources .

Core curriculum in public education is too Eurocentric . A teacher's pedagogyshould be inclusive and should incorporate specific strategies to meet the needs of th estudents . One of the reasons that minority students struggle in American classrooms i snot because they are inferior but because everything is new them . Most minorities have t oadjust their ways of life to fit in with the mainstream culture . This is challenging becausethey have to learn a new language, as well as abide by American rules and customer . Oureducational system does not take into consideration the challenges that minority childre nface when first entering American classrooms. These kids are expected to just followalong and figure things out for themselves .

There is a teacher shortage in America and as a result our educational system i slacking. We need higher pay for teachers and more recognition for the hard work they putinto educating children. Teachers don't have much power or much of a voice . They areexpected to just do their jobs . There are not enough teachers because many people do no twant to work for little pay and little appreciation.

I believe that every child or person living in America has the right to a quality an dequitable education. Unfortunatly, this is not the case. We live in a world that is set up t obenefit the rich and harm the poor. Our society is too stratified. America needs new

ideologies when it comes to school polices . The more traditional system is outdated.Educational leaders need to do more lobbying for the rights of the students to ensure tha tall are getting equal educational opportunities. No child should have to go to school in adelapitated building. All children should be able to go to schools that are safe andupdated that provide many resources for learning . I do not think that federal or statepoliticians put enough time or effort in improving educations. We stick with the old waybecause it is comfortable .

I am a pessimistic when I think of education resources and funding . The moreaffluent schools are thriving because they have more resources and funding mad eavailable to them . As a result, they are able to me the NCLB requirements and receiv emore funding from the federal government. With more money, comes more resources .On the other hand, poverty stricken schools do not have the money are resources mad eavailable to them. With less money, comes less qualified teanhers and lower test scores .With out the support of the federal government, lower income school districts have muchless . I think that they way our educational funding system is set up is highly bearucrati cand unfair. It creates more stratification in society and equality in education becomesalmost non existent.

Directions forObserver Provide constructive written feedback to your team member in as many of theseareas as possible . Use your notes to participate in a group discussion with your team members. Includespecifics about what you thought went well, along with ideas for growth and improvement.

1. Preparation : (developmentally appropriate workable written lesson plans, clear objectives ,activities, and materials . )

2. Implementation: (voice, enthusiasm, appropriate dress, rapport with and among students ,pacing)

Ifs C LQLIY \Y K±

- L(dS L0vt you -

V l (Aa, V~ Oc

o ~ uio uS L

fiwith

Tit ( vo(y (nm 20-t-tt t/3. Content Knowledqe : (appears to understand academic concepts being covered )

4. Directions : (clear age appropriate directions and expectations )

\Mick it\ 91c- . & V a. ?p i

Team Member being observed :

Observer:

Lesson Conte n

Date lesson was video taped :

Grade Level : 4—1I ((fit] ' '

Date video was reviewed :0—:1Zal (OE

5 . Transitions:

Benefitsl

Running head: BENEFITS OF CULTURAL

Benefits of Cultural-Specific Learning through "Multiple Intelligence "

Brittany Donaldson

Westminster College

Benefits2

Benefits of Cultural-Specific Learning through "Multiple Intelligence"

Nieto's (2003) research indicates that equity and multiculturalism are declining in th e

class room environment . With the stringent requirements of the "No Child Left Behind Act "

coupled with a "Eurocentric pedagogy" in American classrooms, it has become difficult fo r

many children to successfully excel in academia . A core problem educators face in bridging th e

gap between minorities and the homogenous groups is a lack of understanding and resources t o

govern multicultural classroom curriculum . Because public schools are not equipped with th e

means to meet all of the demands that come with having diverse students, unintentiona l

ethnocentric curriculums are often adopted to maintain a traditional approach to learning . As a

result, minority students are struggling to keep up with the racial majority .

The challenges that minority children face when entering the classroom are many . Craig

and Beishuizen suggest that minority groups often times have difficulties adjusting to th e

mainstream culture because they would rather maintain their identity instead of assimilating int o

the new society (Craig & Beishuzien, 2002) . As a result, minorities struggle to conform to th e

social norms of the dominant culture . The unwillingness to sacrifice one's own unique heritage

to meet the demands of western educational standards can cause stress and dissatisfaction withi n

the minority groups, resulting in bum out and exhaustion, potentially contributing to their fallin g

behind the rest (Craig & Beishuizen, 2002) .

Often time educators are not to blame for the academic bridge. Traditional learnin g

environments tend to approach learning in a very static way, resulting in stagnant means to

evaluate what students have learned (Lash, 2004) Because of the inflexible nature of NCLB ,

teachers are forced to develop curriculum that will ensure success on the standardized tes t

(Fnsarelli, 2004) . However, minority students are at a disadvantage because often tests are

Benefits3

unfamiliar and foreign to them (Craig & Beishuizen, 2002) . Given the unfair disadvantages

minority students face in western education, it would be beneficial to adopt a cultural specifi c

pedagogy in the American classroom. By utilizing Howard Gardner's theories on "multipl e

intelligence" in the educational environment, culture based learning will be obtainable .

Howard Gardner and Thomas Armstrong theorized that there are eight types o f

intelligence : linguistic, logical mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal ,

intrapersonal, and naturalistic (Lash, 2004) . On a universal level, all individuals regardless o f

race and ethnicity possess a variation of the eight forms of intelligence . As a result, Lash

suggests that all learning environments should first identify the areas of intelligence in whic h

each child excels and then incorporate opportunities for children to develop strengths in each o f

the particular areas(2004) .

Once educators implement strategies utilizing Gardner's theories on intelligence, cultura l

specific pedagogy, (the ability to develop curriculum to a specific cultural behavior) can be use d

in the class room . A recent study was conducted to test cultural-specific learning on Hawaiian

elementary students . Past research indicated that Hawaiian elementary students were at a high

risks for academic failure (Latham, 1997) . According to Latham, researchers wanted to test if

children had higher success rates in school when teachers developed curriculum surrounding th e

cultural norms of the students (1997) . Experimenters divided the participants into control and

experimental groups. The control group received the "traditional approach" to learning, and th e

experimental group received instruction through "cultural-specific" teaching . Hawaiian culture

emphasizes on collaboration and group learning, so the children in the class rooms were put int o

small groups and were instructed to assist, guide, and mentor each other through out their

Benefits4

lessons . It was concluded that culture-specific learning was successful among the experimental

group. The students had raised their grades and test scores substantially (1997) .

It would be safe to assume that intelligence is not only a by product of nature but can als o

be culturally based . As the Hawaiian students demonstrated success through cultural-specific

learning, it is noteworthy that students were utilizing a form of interpersonal intelligence b y

working and communicating well in small groups . Mother study conducted on cultural specific

pedagogy yielded similar results among the Navajo school children ; however, the cultural value s

had shifted . Navajo culture puts more emphasis on independence and individuality rather the n

on group collaboration (Latham, 1997) . This is also an example of Gardner's "intrapersonal

intelligence" or the ability to learn through strong will or independent spirit (Lash, 2004) . Given

the ramifications of intelligence and culture based learning, would it be possible to assume tha t

intelligence, being a universal principle (everyone possesses it) is a cultural phenomenon? If so,

are educators ensuring that all children regardless of their ethnic backgrounds receiving the bes t

education made available to them? How can teachers assist those who need help the most ?

By incorporating multiple intelligence theory as strategy in the class room, cultural -

specific learning can be successful. Given that individuals are equipped with the ability to us e

various types of intelligence, it would be beneficial for educators to develop curriculu m

reflective of individual, minority cultural norms . This will better allow all children to use what i s

natural and comfortable to them. Following the established pattern will inspire students to thriv e

academically, socially, and creatively ; ensuring that their distinctive learning style is nurtured.

Perhaps by altering the curriculum to better fit the needs of all the students, there will be a rise i n

multiculturalism in the class room. Following a less ethnocentric approach to education, creates a

more welcoming environment for those not accustomed to the mainstream culture .

Summary 2

Summary Analysis of Home Visit s

Section One

Conducting qualitative research on the "funds of knowledge" regarding Hispani c

families in education taught me that individuals should never assume anything .

Assumption leads to bias, and bias leads to misinformation . It is through this lens that

individuals react and respond to their environmental surroundings and often create world s

of misunderstanding and miscommunication .

Because we live in a society of ethnic and culturally diversity, it is imperative t o

take a moment to understand the lives of those unlike our own- since their lives impact

the world in which we live. I had the pleasure to meet Annie* who is a Hispanic, stay-at-

home mother, raising three daughters . I learned strength from her- she is a strong woman

who values her life in America and is grateful to be living in a country that has allowe d

her so many opportunities for herself and her family. Interviewing Annie, I learned about

her family history, her day-to day practices, and her attitudes towards education . Evelyn

* 13, Annie's daughter was also involved in our discussions, and through both of them I

was able to gain an understanding an appreciation for their strong and unique cultura l

history.

Annie came to America from Mexico City when she was eighteen years old . She

was born one of seven children, and she lost her Dad when she was five years old .

Growing up without him was difficult because she had to learn at a very early age that

she was no longer allowed to be a child. She, her brothers, and sister had to help take car e

of the family . Her mother was a seamstress and would sew 1,500 dresses a week, work i n

which Annie had to assist.

Summary 3

Annie's experiences in Mexico City have shaped the person she is today and ho w

she runs her family . Annie told us that she never had toys growing up. She always had to

work very hard and never really got very much in return for it . As an adult, she values al l

of her personal belongings and takes very good care of the things that she has . She told us

that it is very important that her kids take care of their toys and she gets very angry whe n

they break . She knows that toys are a luxury and she wants her daughters to understand

the values of taking good care of their possessions .

Everything that Annie has today she feels that she owes to her family. When

Annie came to the United States, she immediately got working- and everything she made ,

she gave to her mother . She said that she felt like she needed to take care of her and pay

her back for all the times that her Mom took are of her . Now that she is married, she does

not work but she still takes her Mom places and tries to take care of her in other ways .

Family is a big part of Annie's life and even though she does not see some of he r

relatives, she corresponds with them through telephone and letters . Her husband is fro m

Peru, and when they can afford it, she encourages him to visit his mother .

Annie has a deep appreciation for her cultural heritage, but ironically enough, sh e

also enjoys the American culture as well . It appears that during Holidays, her family

celebrates their native traditions, but their day to day lives consist of engaging in th e

American culture. One thing that we asked Annie was what she and her family did on a

typical weekend . She told us that she likes to go grocery shopping at Wal-Mart becaus e

she likes their clearance section and their roll back prices. She also told us that she and

her family go out to dinner once a week and they usually went to Burger King or Chuck-

a-Rama .

Summary 4

On Holidays and special occasions, her family celebrates in their traditional way .

Most of their celebrations are centered on their religious practices . For instance, Easter i s

a very serious holiday for her family . She said "we are Catholic, and we do not believe

that Easter is a celebration for kids ." They also have strict dietary guidelines as well . In

recognition for Lent, her family does not eat meat for 40 days (only on Fridays) or for a

week before Easter .

Education plays a serious role in Annie's life. She expects her children to do wel l

in school and pushes them towards success . She first got involved with the Guadalupe

Center when she was pregnant with her first child . All three girls have been in the

program since they were infants . What she likes most about the Guadalupe Center is the

home visits. She said "I like that they come to my house to check my babies and make

sure everything is well . I like that they come one day a week and tell you good things . I

can practice it and make time for my children. I do not have to think about it, I just do it . "

Both of Annie's school age children are doing very well . Evelyn* 13, has recently

been awarded a $5000 scholarship for academic excellence . Both girls are above their

reading levels and read very fast . Annie believes that getting an education is the girls '

number one priority . She pushes them very hard to excel and she is strict when it comes

to their social lives . Annie states, "I want my girls to pay attention to their studies . Not

other things ."

One of Annie's strongest beliefs is that she wants her girls to be bilingual . Annie

learned to speak mostly through watching cartoons. She said that it was easy to learn that

way and that it was funny. She is the only one who speaks English in her house beside s

Evelyn. She wants her children to be bilingual because she said that it creates more

Summary 5

opportunities for them in the future. She does not want her children to lose their Spanish

speaking abilities because she has seen what language barriers have done in man y

families. She said that it is okay for her kids to speak English with their teachers, but a t

the house, they need to speak in Spanish only .

Section Two

The process of visiting families and interviewing family members wa s

surprisingly very intimidating. At first, going into the process was a challenge . I was

nervous because I felt like I could possibly be intruding in this person's life . Here I was : a

student from a prestigious university, coming into a stranger's home to ask them persona l

questions about their lives . Not only that, but I am Caucasian, and my family to study i s

Hispanic . I did not want them to feel like I was signaling them out or that they were jus t

some random experiment just because we were different from each other . After our first

visit with Moria, I felt a little better. Annie was warm and inviting and appeared to b e

glad that we were there learning about her family.

Our first interview with Annie was amazing . She opened up to us and shared so

many of her unique life experiences . She had so much to say about her family history an d

every story she told us was so fascinating . I really could not believe that she was being s o

open and willing to tell us all about her self, especially since we were still kind of

strangers. The last two interviews were the same. She gave as so much wonderful

information about her day to day life and her family traditions and went into great detai l

about how much she values education.

Collaborating with peers was a very informative and resourceful process . Getting

together and identifying the themes that we saw as a group helped me to see some

Summary 6

similarities and differences with in our families . I especially liked the power poin t

presentations because I liked hearing about everyone's' experiences . It was helpful to

listen to my group members talk about some of the things that they found in thei r

interviews . There were a few things that I had missed and I was able to go back and

incorporate their thoughts into my notes .

Formalizing the analyses of my visits was pretty simple . I made it a point during

my interviews to ask strong, well-prepared and thought-through questions, and take goo d

detailed notes listening to her responses . Most of the questions that I asked I had written

down, but there were several times were I would ask questions based on some of th e

answers that I was receiving . If I was not getting enough detail from Annie's answers, I

would ask her to elaborate . When I put all of my information together for my data

analysis assignment, my in depth-notes made it easy to write down all of the things that I

had learned. It was also easier to seek out and notice themes that way .

Section Three

One of the biggest ways that gathering "funds of knowledge" has impacted m y

thinking and understanding is that all families have their own unique funds of knowledge .

One thing that I have really had to learn from this entire process is to not assign

stereotypes . What may be true to one individual may not apply to an entire group. One of

the things that I noticed while going over our research with the class was that we all had

similar themes . Some of them were even the same . However, each person had a different

example or story on how that theme applied to their particular group . No story was ever

the same, each was unique. This made me realize that you cannot ever assume anything

about anybody or any group of people .

Summary 7

When I start teaching one of the things that I need to realize is that every child i s

unique. Each child has a cultural history and identity . What I can do as an educator is

understand my students and their contributions to the classroom . My pedagogy should

incorporate an understanding of diversity and my curriculum should be centered toward s

accepting differences .

I appreciate the research that I have done for this class and have truly developed a

lasting friendship with the family that I have met with. This project has changed my life

as well as my thinking and I cannot wait to implement some of what I have learned into

my own classroom .

Caring I

Running Head : ETHIC OF CARE

Ethic of Care

Brittany Donaldson

Westminster College

Caring 2

Ethic of Care

Caring teachers should always believe in their students, always encourage them t o

be critical thinkers, and always be accessible to them when they need the extra help .

Looking back, I think about the days of my early adolescence and remember how muc h

turmoil my life was in at the time . My mother and father had recently divorced and my

father had remarried a woman who did not much care for my brother and me . After he

remarried, he moved out of the country and left my mother to tend to us . My mother

scraped by on what she could to support us but being an alcoholic and dating abusive

men, she was not what I would call "maternal ." At that time in my life, I felt lost .

Previously, when my parents were together and our lives were pretty stable, I wa s

a good student. I was on the honor roll every six weeks, and I had many interests ,

especially in choir and drama. After my father left, I started to give up. I quit caring

about school, I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and life was just one big party.

It was not until I moved in with my aunt and uncle during my junior and senior year o f

high school that things really started to turn around for me . My aunt owns and operates a

Montessori School in Sugar Land, Texas and has been an educator for many years .

Without her guidance, I would have never made it to be were I am today . She always

believed in me when nobody else did. She always challenged me to think critically, an d

she was always available to help me when I needed the extra help .The attributes that my

aunt possesses epitomize the role of a caring teacher, and someday, I would like to tak e

those same characteristics into the classroom when I start my teaching career .

One of the main qualities teachers should posses is the capacity to believe in thei r

students . Teachers should go into classrooms everyday and know the background of their

Caring 3

children . They should take the time to really understand each child and thei r

frycircumstances . If teachers sense that their student is giving up, then it is there

responsibility to make sure that they do everything in their power to keep them from

failing. When I felt like giving up and I simply did not care anymore, my aunt wa s

always there to motivate me to do better . She would tell me all the time that she believed

in me, and she would always take the time to listen when I needed someone to talk t o

about the problems that I was facing. Like my aunt, caring teachers should never give up

on their students even if they know that their students already have .

Another important role that caring teachers should have is the ability to get his o r

her students to become critical thinkers . These teachers challenges students to expand

their knowledge and look at various perspectives . I remember my sixth grade Englis h

teacher who would always teach controversial subject matter. One thing that I still

remember about her was that no matter how uncomfortable we all became about certai n

topics, she would keep going . For instance, she did a whole six week session on Worl d

War II . She would show pictures of Jewish concentration camps and read hor rific

accounts of genocide to us until we could not take it anymore . Once I asked her why

teaching this material was so important to her, and I remember her telling me that it wa s

not, that it was important to us to "know." I have always remembered her for it, and in

my everyday life I always strive to step out of my own level of knowledge and evaluat e

what is out in the world and how it affects us. A caring teacher should always get his o r

her students to think critically of what is told to them and always scrutinize th e

information that is being recieved . To me, the ability to learn how to become a critica l

thinker is a gift.

Caring 4

Another value of caring teachers is the ability to be accessible to their students a t

all times to ensure that their students understand the material that is being covered . When

I was struggling in my French class during my sophomore year, I remember how m y

aunt would sit down and help me with my French homework every night . She would

spend most of her evening tutoring me and making sure that I understood the content . I

knew that she probably had other things she would rather be doing, but she sacrifice d

them to help me. Caring teachers should sacrifice their free time to help the students wh o

are struggling to keep up . However, this is only necessary when the student really want s

the help .

Most critics would argue that caring teachers are individuals who are efficient i n

making sure that their students are prepared to go on to the next grade level or to graduat e

from high school . I have had many teachers in my past who wanted to see their students

succeed and go on to bigger and better things, but often times it seemed like certai n

teachers took their students' success and gave themselves credit for it even if they did not

deserve it . Many times I would have indifferent teachers, teachers that wanted to see me

go forward so they could scratch me off their lists as if to say "thank heavens I am don e

with that one ." It was those teachers to whom I was deliberately a pain . When teachers

got to know me individually, I noticed that they loved their profession , so I woul d

reciprocate with my eagerness to learn .

In conclusion, caring teachers should possess many qualities . However, the most

important qualities are to believe in their students, challenge them to think, and to always

be available to teach no matter what . My aunt never gave up on me, and I would lik e

someday to pay that forward to another wayward student .