The concept of excellence in education is one that, on the surface, seems to be unquestionable. After all, who would not accede that students within our schools should, in fact, excel? Certainly teachers, parents, and administrators can agree on excellence as an aim to shoot for. The interpretation of the term "excellence" is, however, less obvious. How do we regard excellence? Is it the college bound student with a broad liberal arts education? Is it the student who graduates high school trained in a specific trade? Many in the field of education cannot come to an agreement on how our schools can best achieve excellence for and from our students.
One of the many authorities who have contributed a model for what schools should be is Robert L. Ebel. According to
Ebel, knowledge is the single most significant and most important goal in the education of children. In his article
"What are schools for?" Ebel answers "that schools are for learning, and that what ought to be learned mostly is useful knowledge" (3). He builds this declaration in answer to trends in education that focus upon other aspects of learning in schools. Ebel states in the beginning of his article, that he does not assume schools should be social research agencies, recreational facilities, adjustment centers, or custodial institutions. (3). While he does not deny that our nation is currently wrestling with a dreary array of social ailments, he does argue that the answer to such problems can or should lie within the jurisdiction of our schools.
In discussing education’s mission to provide useful knowledge, Ebel defines what he means by the word knowledge: "It is an integrated structure of relationships among concepts and propositions" (5). Knowledge, the way Ebel describes it is not the same as information. Ebel states that "knowledge is built out of information by thinking". Knowledge, according to Ebel, must be constructed from information by each individual learner; it cannot be looked up, or given to students by a parent or teacher. " A student must earn the right to say ‘I know’ by his own thoughtful efforts to understand" (Ebel, 5). The intellectual proficiencies many educators hope to teach are, like information, essentially useless to Ebel without a knowledge base on which to draw from.
Ebel feels that a good teacher can "motivate, direct, and assist the learning process to great advantage". Although
Ebel feels that good teachers are essential to providing a
"favorable learning environment," he puts much of the accountability for learning on the students themselves. Ebel feels that teachers are there to facilitate students in their learning, not to coerce those who are indifferent and unmotivated and do not wish to learn, against their will.
In Sonny's Blues, the narrator is self-reflecting his experiences with various family members such as his mother and his younger brother, Sonny. Sonny and the narrator are brothers with a 7 year difference between them. The narrator was disappointed with Sonny at first due to his interest in becoming a musician. He thought it was a phase he was Sonny was going through and maybe it would pass. The older brother patronized Sonny with his insincere interest in music at first until it angered Sonny and he told his brother "don't do me no favors"(82).
Social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods to understand why and how people act and behave the way they do. "To understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings" (Gordon Allport, 1985). Conformity is encouraged by social influence to conform to different social groups and ways, whereas obedience to authority in social influence is where an individual acts the way the person in authority says so. Obedience is usually done through a hierarchy of power; the people at the top do the telling at the people at the bottom do the actions. When researching conformity and obedience it is vital to compare the experiments to real
Conformity and Obedience are both in part a result of social influence. The key difference being that while obedience is following a direct instruction (usually from a figure of authority), conformity is more passive and caused by the influence of others, to comply with group norms. Deutsch and Gerard (1955), highlighted two types of conformity, “informational social influence”, and “normative social influence” (Gross, 2010, p406). The difference between the two is our reason for conforming. “Informational” is caused by people’s uncertainty about the reality of something, and perceiving information from others as fact. Whereas “normative” is the influence to conform to the expectations of others from within our reference or membership groups, through the need for acceptance or approval, even if privately you uphold a different view (Hogg & Vaughan, 2011).
It is publically agreeing with social pressures but not necessarily agreeing on the inside. People are not ordered to do something when they comply; there is only a request to do something (Doorn, Kleef, & Pligt, 2015). For example, employees may comply with a dress code at work even though deep down they believe they should be able to wear what they want. Another example would be adhering to the building policy of not smoking inside. Smokers may not like this but they do it anyway because they want to be compliant with society. Compliance is also connected to obedience. When someone complies with what society has asked them to do, they are being obedient. Any deviance away from what is considered socially acceptable is considered being non-compliant (Matlin, 2013). People in many types of situations use compliance to get what they want. Marketers, or people who try to get others to buy their products, are ones who might use it. There are several techniques used by marketers to get people to comply. One technique is the door-in-the-face technique. In this technique, marketers start by asking customers for a large commitment or request. When the customer refuses, the marketers then make a more reasonable request (Matlin, 2013). For example, a company will ask a customer to make a large or pricy purchase, like wanting him to buy a one-hundred-dollar frying pan. When the customer refuses, the marketer will then
The exact origin of Daoism is messy, there is however an important man Laozi who is said to be a follower of Confucius (Wilkinson, 251). Important concepts are yin, yang, and qi. Yin and yang are “two primal forces” (Wilkinson, 252). When the two are in balance it allows for people to live in peace (Wilkinson, 254). Qi is “the vital energy or life force” (Wilkinson, 252). Qi flows in a set path in the body and because of this has allowed acupuncture to heal the body (Wilkinson, 254). Daoism allows people
Social justice is advocating for all people to be entitled to their human rights. It is a view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, social and educational opportunities. In the United States, everyone does not have equal opportunities and are treated fairly, which leads to the different civil rights movements and reform efforts. A social justice issue that does not receive a lot of attention is that children in the U.S do not have equal educational opportunities. Typically, geographic location determines if a child would receive a high quality education. A high quality education would involve a strong vision and leadership, ambitious standards and effective teachers and principals (Stewart, 2012). Unfortunately, all
The concepts of conformity and obedience have been around since mankind first started to form communities. The social construct theory explains how groups of people came together and worked for the greater good. The individuals in these groups gave up some independence in exchange for the increased safety that groups provide. Obedience to the leaders and rules of these groups guarantees the protection. Since rules can govern behavior, these groups set up a situation where conformity due to informational influence was often a needed practice.
Nursing is a process of care related to human life experiences and has a long heritage as a caring profession. In the nineteenth century, Florence Nightingale, conveyed a belief that caring for the sick is grounded on the understanding of each individual and his or her environment (McEwen & Wills, 2014). Caring has always been contemplated as a fundamental aspect of nursing. The human caring theory developed by Watson in the late 1970s states that the objective of nursing is to help persons achieve a higher level of harmony within the mind–body–spirit through transpersonal caring driven by caritas processes (McEwen & Wills, 2014). Swanson’s defined caring as a “nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one feels a
Academic excellence in a middle grades school is much more than the ability to deliver test scores that are above state average. Academic excellence is the ability to excel in all dimensions of curriculum, instruction, and assessment and the ability to "challenge all students to use their minds well" (National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, 2016). A middle grades school establishes academic excellence through a curriculum aligned with high academic standards and college and work expectations (Manning & Bucher, 2012). The instruction should be based on appropriate grade-level standards, while using a balance of formative assessment and summative assessment (AMLE, 2010). The Schools to Watch rubric that is used in determining what
There are several different factors that play into why someone conforms. Group size is a large part of why a person will conform, while other factors are informative and normative. The Sherif and Asch studies demonstrate that people conform for two very different reasons: informative and normative (Kassin, Fien, & Markus, 2011 p. 257). Think about a big game, football, baseball, soccer. A group stands up and starts yelling defense, then others join in, soon the entire section is yelling defense. Everyone that joined in was influenced by the group of people that stood up. When there is more than one person doing something there is higher possibilities that people with conform to what that group of people is doing. Going to the bathroom, if all the toilets are taken, a line forms, this a social norm and people conform to standing in a line. Informative influence is when people want to be right because the rest of the group agreed on it, this is them wanting to make a correct judgment on a topic. This is why when a crime happens the police want to separate the witnesses before they begin talking with others, once they talk to another witness their interpretation of the event get skewed because of the informational influence from the other. Normative influence is a person wanting to feel they are normal in a group. The person does not want to be wrong so they agree with the rest. This fear of being
Growing up in Oakland, California, in a low-income family, I was aware that the road to college would not be easy. As soon as my family and I get home, we lock our doors, close our shades, and do not go out after seven in the evening. We have followed this routine ever since I was two years old. Having grown up in this environment has inspired me to go to college and to achieve a better life. My parents who are immigrants from Mexico, did not graduate from high school. No one in my family has ever gone to college, which is why higher education is such an important thing for me. It symbolizes much more than just an education; it symbolizes a new
Education is inevitable. It is all around us because we can learn from virtually anything. When you are cooking, dancing, talking or any other activity you have actually had to learn several things to be able to do them. In the educational perspective, I am a pragmatist and I tend to follow after Dewey's footsteps. The concept of Pragmatism is one that developed in the 20th century. My philosophy is based on the idea that learning should involve real-life situations. Learning becomes more concrete to a student when they apply it to real-life situations, as where learning things that do not connect to them has more of an abstract sense. Personally, I would have to agree with Dewey when he said, "I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living." (Dewey 22) Education is a process of living. I want children to learn to be able to think for themselves and be problem solvers that will be able to use these skills in real life situations. My philosophy can be explained throughout the definition of a pragmatist, how I would relate it into practice in the curriculum and ……
When I was younger, all my friends wanted to be teachers. So, I decided at a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher too. As the years went on, I got more serious about actually being a teacher. Many people in my family have been teachers and I always thought it was something I would enjoy. Through being a junior leader in 4-H, I have had the opportunity to work with many young children. Every year at 4-H camp, I come home with a new little brother or sister. When I first wanted to be a teacher, I didn’t really think about what kind of teacher I wanted to be. Through many years of deliberation, deep thought, and exploring my options, I have narrowed down my profession to elementary education. I think that by being an elementary education teacher I will be living a fulfilling and worthwhile life. I feel that I can make a difference and help shape the lives of our youth.
What is curriculum and what is my personal experience with curriculum as a student and as an educator? I would define curriculum as the content and material that is to be covered in a particular course as well as the assessment methods and activities used to ensure student learning and progress. As a teacher in NJ, much of the focus of curriculum has shifted to assessment techniques. The idea is to have data that supports student growth in your course now mandated by the state and coined the term student growth objectives or SGO’s. As a student I remember good and bad curriculum in both high school and college. As an educator I have been fortunate enough to write 4 different curriculum guides in various science content areas since 2006 so I have firsthand experience in curriculum writing and revisions. While I understand the basic intricacies of curriculum I hope to gain a much better understanding of how to improve curriculum to create the best possible learning environment and experience for my students with hopes of one day taking a role such as a supervisor or principal.
... generally accepted that a teacher’s main role is to facilitate learning rather than to be the source of all knowledge” (p.2).