Thursday, January 8, 2015
Theory Developments in Education
Chapter one of the Morrow text makes some extremely interesting points and gives great insight to what we will be learning about in EDRD 390 for the entirety of the semester. I am excited for this course and learning about literacy teaching methods for my own classroom. I liked the part that discussed using play as a method for students to learn to read. Because students spend their entire lives before kindergarten learning through play, this is the best way to transition into school age learning. Additionally, I think the points that the author made about sensory learning and development go along with the idea of learning through play as well. While children play they use all of their senses any way, so using senses and play to learn at the same time makes the most sense. I also found the different theories and evolutions of them to be interesting as well. Specifically, I liked the ideas of Pestalozzi as this was the first time the need for educators was actually recognized. Since he presented this idea, education has grown a lot and improved for both students and educators. Theorists and researchers have made big discoveries on what works best in public schooling. I believe that this is really important, considering that the public school is a place for the child to develop not only individually but also societally. I also really enjoyed Froebel's build on Pestalozzi's ideas, because he believes in fostering creativity. As I mentioned before about learning with play, I think that creativity is an important part of all developmental areas in a child, and what makes them individuals. Finally, I thought the ideas about more recent changes in education were interesting as well. Particularly, I did not know much about the No Child Left Behind Act before reading this chapter, and I strongly disagree with it. If teachers needed a law to encourage them to help students read fluently by the third grade, then they should not have been teachers in the first place. Teachers should want to focus on individual children anyway, and this act should have been obsolete. However, I think this plan could have been put into play, but it could have been done better. Overall, I found a lot of interesting information in this reading, and I am very anxious to go into more depth on these ideas.
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Ramey,
ReplyDeleteAccording to your thoughts, it seems like we are on the same page with alot of things. I think it is a great idea for Kindergarten classes to be more focused on play, so that their transition to school goes much smoother. I am a strong supporter of creativity in children, and I agree with you that creativity is what makes them individuals. As educators, we are with the children all day, almost every day of the week. If we are not giving them time to express themselves, than I think we are failing at our job. We should be trying to support the next generation of brilliant thinkers. Taking away free, creative time won't assist in that. I also learned alot about the No Child Left Behind Act in this chapter that I didn't know before. Along with you, I think the plan could have been thought out a little more.
I totally agree about Kindergarten. When I was in Kindergarten in the 1970's (yes I'm that old :) , I remember doing a lot of playing, coloring, singing, being read to, and having books available for us to "read." It seems that schools have lost more than they have gained at times. For instance, we push children into reading, writing, and math earlier and earlier instead of waiting until they are ready (Rousseau). Some children are ready during Kindergarten to learn to read, but for those who aren't, it can become a nightmare. For them, they are being "told" that they are "dumb" and some give up or just learn enough to "get by." It is our job to let them know that they are not "dumb" that it just might take a bit more time for them, but that can and will succeed if they continue to work on it.
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful post! I agree with you when it comes to learning through play. Children learn so much in their early years through playing. During these early years children are figuring out their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills and through playing they can build on each of these skills. I believe our job is to foster creativity and letting our children play will nurture this creativity that children can take with them for years to come. It is interesting to me to have read this first chapter. Going into this class I thought I knew more than what I actually did. Along with what you said, I am anxious and excited to go more in depth about particular topics.
ReplyDeleteDear Ramey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your first blog post. I think the Morrow text gives great insight to what we will be learning too! I am curious as to what each week will hold for us in this class. I am also excited to learn about these theories and apply them to my classroom. As I was reading each theorist’s perspective, I imagined how I could create that same environment in my own classroom. It does make sense for children to learn through play after kindergarten because that is what they are used to and that will aid them in being comfortable with what they learn next. I thought you were right about senses and playing. They do make the most sense because they are both used with each other. I am glad that you mentioned creativity in your post. I agree that creativity has a role in determining who a child is and will become in the future. I did not know much about the No Child Left Behind Act either, but I want to look it up so I can understand it more. I completely agree with this statement you posted: “If teachers needed a law to encourage them to help students read fluently by the third grade, then they should not have been teachers in the first place.” If teachers have to be told to even do that, I do not understand why they would want to work with kids anyway. Reading is one of my passions in life and I understand how big a deal it is to teach it to students. I feel that most teachers do not understand how big of a deal it is. In the past, most teachers would just pass a child along if they could not read, but now there is IREAD- a test that tests their reading abilities. I like this test because it gives an accurate answer as to where the child is on the reading spectrum. It also gives teachers insight as to what they need to do next or what they still have to do in order for the child to read fluently. What are your thoughts on IREAD? Thank you for an enjoyable post.
Hello Ramey! I enjoyed reading your post. I agree with your thoughts on how using play as a method for students to learn to read and learn in general. I think that using play as an integration tactic into kindergarten is a great idea, but I also know that kindergarten teachers have a lot of curriculum to cover and that play cannot be the only form of learning in these classrooms. The stuff that kindergartener’s are learning is what first graders used to be learning. It is crazy the amount of information they are expected to know now. I also agree with you on how there have been a lot of discoveries on what works in public schools, but I think that things are always going to be changing and that we need to try our best to stay on top of things like technology and how the education system keeps changing. I liked that you mentions the no child left behind act and were honest about not knowing a lot about it. I disagree with you about this act though because it was a big deal at the time and brought a lot of positive attention to education. Thank you for your thoughts!
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