Elliot W. Eisner: What Really Counts In Schools

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Eisner, Elliot W. What Really Counts in Schools.

This article by Elliot W. Eisner is about the argument of what really is of the utmost importance in out schools. Some say that what makes schools great is their rankings on high stakes tests, while others feel that approach is detrimental to the development of students. Eisner sides with the latter, and gives six examples of aims that are more beneficial than focusing on testing. Those aims are as follows: the process of acquiring the knowledge, asking questions and finding answers, the ability to decipher multiple forms of language, the focus on wonder and imagination and creativity, the school itself as community whose members interact and help each other, and the recognition of each …show more content…

Focusing on testing students together as one homogenous group useful only for statistics. Eisner states that we need to push for a reformation of our education system so that it is focused more on students than test scores. Where this change needs to start is within the classroom with the teachers. The legacy that we leave behind will be instrumental in making a change. More educators need to be aware of what really counts in schools.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

In this article by Paulo Freire, the fundamentally narrative character of teacher-student relationships is analyzed. Freire states that traditionally the teacher takes the role of a narrating subject while the students are patients acting merely as listening objects. He argues that the banking concept viewing the students merely as a vessel to fill with information is detrimental to the education of the student and thus is an ineffective teacher-student relationship. This type of education has the student merely memorize words and facts rather than truly understand the meaning behind them. By teaching …show more content…

Many schools are focusing on student performance on standardized testing, such as the Illinois Standards Achievement Task, or ISAT. Instead, the focus should be on building real relationships with the students, supporting them, and collaborating with the surrounding community. In order to improve a failing school, we don’t need to put more pressure on test scores. Instead, we need to take care of students outside of the classroom so that they can preform well within it. Michie talks about the benefits connecting with the parents of the students in a school corporation. Parents need to feel welcome and like a vital part of their child’s school and their education. The involvement of both parents and teachers in the school creates a strong support system for the students. Creating a fun and comfortable environment is much more conducive to the learning of students than stressing the importance of a single test. By infusing the curriculum with cultures from around the world, students are given exposure to content from around the world, leading them to become more open and accepting of others. Michie states that the pressure to have schools perform well has in fact caused the opposite due to the focus on high-stakes

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