Wednesday, June 6, 2012

What Works? Chapter 3 & 4


Chapter 3
1. Mindwork: Discover What You Know

Leading Questions:
What I know?  I know my personal education experience:  Traditional, predominately white, middle-class public school. 
Did I do well in this learning environment?   I would say I did.  My high school especially gave a lot of freedom to its students in the hopes that they would rise to the occasion.  I worked well with more freedom in this way. 
How can a teacher teach at a school with a completely different demographic of students that she experienced in their own personal education?
Should there be a different approach to education depending on type of school? (Public, private, rural, alternative, etc.)
What should the goals be?  Different Goals?
Also do boys and girls learn differently?

Broad Research Question:
How can teachers understand students learning today in the 21st century as opposed to the 20th century?
            Things to consider:
            Web 2.0
            New technology – Digital Generation
            Increase in Bullying – more/different types of venues like the Internet
            Community
             New set of aptitudes and abilities

Sub-Questions:
How does a middle school student view art?  Is it an extension of their education or is it a hobby or is it apart of their identity?
What is education for?  What is art education for?
What is it intentionally or unintentionally doing?  What are its effects?
Who is it for?  Everyone?
What do the students from different types of schools have in common? How do they differ?
How do art students perform in other classes?

What sources or contacts would I go to in order to find out more?
            Documentarians
            Professors
            Perhaps a partner to work with me on the project – collaboration
            Middle School Teachers in different types of schools
            Students within these schools
           
2.  Mindwork: Try a Google-ography

Transforming Education for the 21st Century: New Pedagogies That Help All Students Attain Sophisticated Learning Outcomes
Study by Harvard University
“As this study documents, the 21st century seems quite different than the 20th in the capabilities people need for work, citizenship, and self-actualization”
           

Comparing 20th and 21st Century Education Programs
Table Image comparing the Paradigms

The Power of Project Learning
Promotes project based learning as opposed to the skill and drill model that dominates a large part of education

While I could find articles and responses to a Part 1 of my question:  How to teach in the 21st century, I couldn’t find many results discussing the different teaching approaches for the different types of schools.  Perhaps I need to change that part to something more specific or change the terms/wording.

Key terms:
Self-actualization
Paradigms
Project-based learning

3.  Mindwork: Shape Your Working Bibliography
After reviewing my bibliography and sources, I’m wondering if I might just pick one type of school and delve into that type of school and type of student that attends that school more specifically.  I want the content to be rich and detailed, perhaps not spread out amongst several different schools, but rather defining what educational approach works best at one specific school? 
With that said, I really like the idea of comparing and contrasting the different types –public, private, rural, alternative.  I’m not sure entirely where I want to go with that though. 
Most of my sources are articles and websites.  I’d like to get different materials such as curriculum units (since that is a large part of the topic), books, first hand accounts, documentaries, etc.
I’m not sure where to go next.  I wish I could have found more material on comparing/contrasting different school types so that I can begin to draw connections and form more research questions. 
I think I need to talk to my professors for guidance on where to take my question.


Chapter 4
1. Mindwork: Explore the Emic and the Etic
This research would call for more of an etic stance.  I would be observing the different art students in their own classrooms, their own environments, hopefully their own communities and homes, etc.   I wouldn’t want my being there to be an actual presence or variable on the student’s responses and behavior.  I feel as though I would want to focus on just the student and not on the teacher or the parents, but only focus on the effects and the mark left on the student by those unseen aspects within my documentation.  

2.  Mindwork: Use the Three Questions for Analysis
I don’t feel like I have enough evidence to discuss what surprises, intrigues, and disturbs me quite yet.  Ideally, my research would be in the form of film documentation and my evidence would be the students and their behaviors, actions, and responses to their education process. 

3.  Mindwork:  State Your Ethics

[date]
[student/parent/guardian’s name and address]

Dear [student/parent/guardian’s name]

I am in the process of visualizing and actualizing a documentary entitled [working title of the documentary] that will seek to investigate the similarities and differences between assorted types of schools within the Columbia, Missouri area.  The project will focus on teaching style, curriculum, and class projects within a Middle School art class as well as the life of an individual from each school.  These schools will include [insert schools].   I hope to follow and film these [4] students not only within the art classroom, but also outside of school and in their homes.  We would appreciate your permission to include [student’s name] in this project to represent a student who attends [school’s name/type of school].  This could also include other forms of media and excerpts of the material for possible use for advertising, publicity, and promotional purposes. 

[Provide a brief description of why the student is specifically valuable to the project]

Two copies of this request are enclosed.  Please sign both copies and return one to me, keeping the other one for your files.  Thank you for your consideration.

I (we) grant permission for [student’s name] to participate and be featured in [working title of the book].


______________________________________
Signature of student (or parent/guardian of student under age 18)


____________________________
Date

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