Description
Choose ONE of the prompts provided on the next pages (there are 5 for you to choose from), based on what you have learned in class, your educational philosophy (perspectives and ideas regarding education and teaching), and additional research, take a stand on the issue. You should clearly take a stand in favor of or against the proposed methods. Be sure to support your stance with evidence from THREE primary sources: Your textbook and two other sources. Appropriately cite your sources when referencing them in the paper and include them in a reference page at the end. Include an APA formatted Cover Page and an APA formatted Reference Page. Your paper should be AT LEAST 2 full pages, double spaced (NOT including your cover page and reference page). The font should be size 12, Times New Roman. Here’s a great resource for APA formatting: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html Great essays/papers have a strong introduction that include a thesis, or their main idea. This is where you should clearly state your stance/position/perspective. Then, support your stance in the body’s paragraphs with your educational philosophy and research from your sources. In the conclusion, summarize everything you’ve stated (New ideas should never be included in a conclusion paragraph). Use this essay to persuade me that your opinion and stance is the best choice and show me that, if I take your side with you, we have the evidence and support to demonstrate to others that we are right as well. Prompt 1: In an effort to improve the effectiveness of teachers whose students perform poorly, particularly on standardized tests, some school districts have imposed uniform curricula, pacing schedules, materials, and assignments on all teachers. An example of this would be “leveled book tubs” used by reading teachers. This groups all books by level and difficulty, and students are only able to read the books that fall in their assessed reading level. As a group, take a stand in favor of or against these types of practices of creating standardized curricula with very rigid pacing schedules. Prompt 2: There are many educators, parents, and educational policymakers who believe an important purpose of education is to sort children into ability categories by forcing them to compete for top grades. An example of this would be grading on a curve so that some students are guaranteed to fall below the pass line. The results of this leas some districts to establish different educational tracks, such as the college prep track v. vocational track. As a group take a stand in favor of or against practices that sort students into ability categories such as grading on a curve. Prompt 3: Implicit bias is something that is present in all of us, and often times difficult for us to acknowledge. Implicit bias refers to attitudes and stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious way. An example would be of a teacher making a decision about a female student’s admittance into an Astronomy club, based on the stereotypical statement, “Girls aren’t interested in technology.” Some may argue that stereotypes are rooted in truth and help create efficiency in the classroom. As a group take a stand for or against the use of bias in making decisions, and if you oppose, present one or two things teachers can do to help reduce their implicit bias. Prompt 4: The following quote was provided by a white male middle school teacher when asked about how he attempts to form relationships with students of color in his classroom. “I don’t see color, I guess you could say I’m color blind. I treat all my students the same regardless of their ethnicity.” As a group take a stand in support of the above teacher’s philosophy or opposing it and defend your stance with information based on what you have read in class and additional research on best practices in multicultural education. Prompt 5: Many educators believe that teachers are more effective, and students learn more when classrooms are more homogeneous in ability opposed to heterogeneous. When homogeneous groupings are used this in essence creates tracks for students within school districts. As a group do you believe in homogeneous or heterogeneous groupings of students within a school? Take a stand and support it with evidence from the text, class, or outside research.
