K-12 Literacy Education
analytical Essay
1038 words
K-12 education is a growing topic of debate for public schools in the United States. Students are becoming—in a sense— depositories that are filled with information to be memorized and reiterated on command at someone else’s convenience (Freire, 136). This observation supports the idea that promotes a lack of critical thinking in students via the banking approach to education. This is a domination that is fueled by an “illusion of acting” that secures submission in its stead (Ferire 139). Students become the figurative ideology of the walking textbook, either knowingly or unknowingly, and conformity is allowed to persevere.
Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educationalist, describes in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” that the contents of educational materials are becoming lifeless due to the lack of teacher-student relationships (135). There is a separation of reality as teachers present the world in stationary, predictable and controllable terms (Freire 135). Students become unable to draw connections from what they are being taught to what they have personally experienced. This gap between learning and experiencing is ever increasing as the teachers continue to fill the students with futile information.
The teachers within this educational concept show superiority to students. It is a one sided relationship that fuels the arrogant mentality of the people that hold it true. Alienation the teacher’s bestow on students only justifies the teacher’s own existence (Freire 136). Students are deemed unknowledgeable and are subjugated by this conformity supporting system. Teacher’s egocentric nature discriminates the students from themselves and undermines any creativity. By not being supported for their own ideas and needing to adopt the ideas ...
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... how to convert the existing public school systems, we develop a criterion of community involvement within schools. Schools simply do not have funding to benefit all students equally within education. Therefore, more volunteer work in after-school programs, such as academic homework programs, would create the possibilities for promoted critical thinking. I was offered after-school recess and sports programs, teaching me nothing about the world as I see it in the critical sense today. Involvement of both older students and members of the community into programs with the younger would increase self-interest. It would also allow students to learn from each other so they do not simply conform to teaching standards. A greater emphasis on student involvement is what I believe would help to solve conformity issues and better prepare students for life beyond high school.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that k-12 education is a growing topic of debate for public schools in the united states. students are becoming depositories that are filled with information to be memorized and reiterated at someone else’s convenience.
- Analyzes how paulo freire, a brazilian educationalist, describes how the contents of educational materials are becoming lifeless due to the lack of teacher-student relationships.
- Analyzes how the one-sided relationship between teachers and students fuels the arrogant mentality of the people that hold it true.
- Analyzes how social justice plays a role in the public education system. it is emphasized by sam marullo and bob edwards in "from charity to justice."
- Argues that social learning fails to recognize disadvantages and inequalities between school districts, such as funding, quantity of materials, formation of ability grouping, and individual self-esteem issues.
- Opines that education is a fabric of society, the very core to our developed ways of life. the issue with education therein lies in the questions of what is the best way to teach and why hasn't there been conversions?
- Explains that alternative to public schooling is integrating students into alternative learning systems by creating personal experiences to spark individuality and creativity.
- Opines that alternative education is successful and glorious, but it cannot plausibly be made available to all. there are costs to working individualistically with students as opposed to greater masses.
- Explains that democratic schools have another alternative way of educating in public schools. the goal of democratic education is to develop theories of self-interest that allow for stronger critical thinking abilities.
- Opines that there is not one correct answer to the questions of a proper education curriculum.
- Proposes that instead of worrying about how to convert the existing public school systems, we develop a criterion of community involvement within schools.
Related
- analytical
- opinion
- explanatory
- Paulo Friere, one of the most influential and progressive thinkers during the 1900’s, states in his book the, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, that the current education system is being taught as a single narrative, which causes students to become “lifeless and terrified” (Friere 71). The narrative that Friere describes is one in which students are instructed based on the teachers wants, without the consultation of the students. For Friere, this structure teaches that reality is separate from students and is something to be taught and not experienced. In response to the limitations of the “single narrative” structure described by Friere, a liberation movement of problem-posing education has become the new ideal. In the problem-posing model, the goal is for students to experience the practice of freedom in their
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how paulo friere's pedagogy of the oppressed teaches that reality is separate from students and is something to be taught and not experienced.
- Argues that the ideal classroom would focus on the students needs, and developments, not primarily on what the teacher wants to teach.
- Argues that high schools can ensure their students' application of learning to the real world by letting them actually go and work. internships are a great way for young adults to learn about applying knowledge because they do not require expertise but simply interest.
- Argues that schools should take their students on trips to the land where they are learning the history of, as it lends a totally different perspective than learning about another culture.
- Opines that school is to prepare young adults to be contributing and productive members of society. individual thinking should be encouraged because everyone has a different voice and purpose in life.
1377 wordsRead More - Critical Thinking in Kansas Schoolsopinion essayTracy: Regardless of the school district’s size, the students will undoubtedly benefit from having to think critically about almost everything they do. Currently the classrooms rely almost entirely on textbooks to provide all of the necessary answers that are written into the test. This blatant reliance on rote memorization, in my opinion, has crippled our curriculum and testing system and has deprived students of the intellectual growth they need to succeed in life after high school. Should we not educate students of the skills they will surely require in their college courses? If these students choose not to obtain a post-secondary education but instead decide to enter the independent world of work and family, do they not need these skills in thought and reason? I have yet to discover a manual containing answers to all of life’s questions in the back of the text. The National Assessment of Educational Progress “shows consistently that high school students fall short” in the areas of critical thinking and problem solving (Jasparro 86). We as educators should work to help t...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that tracy and john were interested in a notion that was sweeping the university scene — critical thinking in kansas schools.
- Opines that the reliance on rote memorization has crippled our curriculum and testing system and deprived students of intellectual growth.
- Opines that all kansas schools, including this one, incorporate critical thought into their courses to some extent.
- Argues that critical thinking is realized in some of our current curriculum, so why change it?
- Opines that the naep alleges that there is not enough critical thought and reasoning involved in education.
- Explains that kansas's schoolteachers are trying to teach something that they have never formally learned. by reforming the curriculum system, staff members can feel confident knowing that thinking techniques are being taught and applied properly.
- Opines that any increase in scores indicates that the system is not broken.
- Opines that the improvements in kansas's schools do not warrant such a costly reform. when the curriculum is adjusted, educational facilities lose significant amounts of money to implementation and other administrative costs.
- Argues that the cost to education is too great and outweighs the potential benefits of the plan.
- Explains that critical thinking classes have proven to work in san francisco, where scores showed a documented rise of an average 111 [sat] points.
- Opines that the current system is not broken and that it will be difficult to convince many members on our board of education that curriculum format needs a sizeable modification.
- Opines that as an educator, they would sacrifice the amount of material covered if it meant the material would be taught more effectively.
- Opines that if you cover fewer topics in class, students would have less experience with the broad range of material covered by the various state and national assessments.
- Opines that the school board will have to examine the idea further before taking any action in the matter. they plan to meet with the parents of a new student who recently moved to kansas.
- Summarizes tracy's persuasive points in favor of the critical thinking curriculum reform, stating that it will allow for students to grow more intellectually, fix flaws in the current system of teaching, and improve academic achievement overall.
- Cites eichhorn, roy, and jasparro, ralph. critical thinking skills key to raising sat scores.
1421 wordsRead More - The Dilemma: An Open Or Closed Pedagogyanalytical essayWith lifelong effects, teachers impact the quantity, quality, and overall enjoyment of the educational experience. Their effect dilutes itself the classroom, into present life, and even the future. In the classroom, they mold and guide youth in their lifelong quest to search for the truth and their own voice in the world. Yet their influence does not stop at the classroom door. In fact, teachers have a profound impact on morals, creativity, and even politics. "Teachers always have the power in the class," Christian Zawodniak discusses in , "I'll Have To Help More Of You Than I Want To." They hold the grades and students usually perceive them as holding the knowledge too (Zawodniak 124). But how should a teacher exercise this bestowed power? Is a forced learning environment more beneficial or is a cooperative pedagogy more productive? With diverse students and unique learning needs, it is difficult to identify one or the other as more advantageous. However, I will attempt to explore the benefits and disadvantages of both, as well as how they can be combined or compromised in a delicate balance. Although I will strive to stay neutral and merely present the options, I may also occasionally include my own personal experiences.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how teachers impact the quantity, quality, and overall enjoyment of the educational experience. their influence does not stop at the classroom door.
- Compares cheney's view that a closed classroom distorts the objective mission of education. in an open pedagogy, teachers do not shape or influence the beliefs of students.
- Opines that an open class could have negative impacts, such as students being compelled to withhold arbitrary information and remain professional.
- Analyzes how a teacher exposes his or her personal beliefs and opinions in the classroom.
- Evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of both pedagogies to determine which style is more productive and beneficial.
- Cites lazere, donald, and zawodniak, christian, in the presence of others: voices that call for a response.
1790 wordsRead More - Education in the school system is seen as one way to develop methods of understanding and basic skills. Schooling is an attempt to learn from others experiences, thus becoming a social learning environment. Students learn from others by what the others do and how others react to the action. In the essay “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading” by John Holt, personal experiences in methods of learning are explored. In a grade one class the teacher asked the children to write, However the students were afraid to write because they did not know many words. So the professor told the students
In this essay, the author
- Explains that education is a broad term in that behaviors, experiences, and environment help form our way of educating ourselves.
- Analyzes how education in the school system is seen as one way to develop methods of understanding and basic skills. students learn from others experiences, thus becoming a social learning environment.
- Narrates how they asked the child to spell any words they needed help with, and the result was surprising.
- Analyzes how students learn from each other. children learn by observing others who are doing what they would like to do. successful people are the desired resemblance.
- Analyzes how holt's essay relays to children that learning can be fun, especially reading. he concludes that many students disliked school because they felt that it was a danger.
- Argues that positive reinforcement provides the environment with advancement to education.
- Opines that a person's self-doubt makes them less attractive to learning. positive reinforcement makes one more apt to want to learn.
- Explains that many teachers still teach conditionally and old fashioned. they make redundant tests, read boring lectures, and provide little outside sources.
- Explains that some teachers provide unconventional methods, such as field trips, guest speakers, and question periods. they are in a sanctuary in the classroom.
- Opines that students must be at ease to learn, rather than a hostile environment. the school board is run by adults and concerned parents.
- Opines that teachers must make learning fun so they can attract and keep students interested. if the school board could find something everyone was interested in it would be a success.
- Opines that michael jordan lives the rich lifestyle and endorses products and makes a lot of cash. children want to acquire what jordan has done, not what ghandi did.
- Opines that learning has to provide students with a gratuity for having learned. children see no real benefit to attending school.
- Opines that recognizing a problem exists is hard to pin point, but more emphasis needs to be engaged on this topic. changing children's views on learning begins with changing their views of how and what they want to learn.
1265 wordsRead More - It's Time for Transitional Educationopinion essayTo better mold the view of education, a concerted effort should take place not to mirror one educational technique used in the world today. Instead, our educational leaders should compile facets of all of the educational techniques to once again make the United States an educated superpower. Once this transitional form of education takes hold in the country, students will no longer stand for being receptacles but will start to think on their own and argue with their teachers. Transitional education should not focus on the big life questions. Transitional education needs to focus on everyday problems and techniques used in manipulating those problems. Once this transitional educational system develops in this country, students will come out of institutions as smart people who are energized about the real world and its challenges.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the educational standards in the united states are deteriorating rapidly, and students disgrace the students from the us in every scholastic competition.
- Explains the differences between traditional and de-centered educational techniques. traditional teachers lack passion about their subjects, and they rarely incorporate visual media into their lectures.
- Explains that traditional education builds a child's base of knowledge by building upon the crude educational foundation developed at home.
- Opines that traditional education has a few drawbacks, such as the fact that it exhausts its resources quickly. the technique is finite and gives students the satisfaction of learning on their own.
- Explains that their friends and i became curious about life's questions around the tenth grade because they had started to voyage out into the world.
- Describes how they lost their passion for learning due to traditional education's segmented method. they needed an educational technique to get active with their knowledge.
- Explains that a de-centered education focuses on developing universal techniques for applying one's learned knowledge in real-world situations.
- Explains that de-centered education gives one the ability to try to answer life's real world questions through the development of techniques.
- Explains that the diverse authority of a de-centered classroom lets students get active with their knowledge. successful people in this world are active; they do not climb up the ladder of success by listening to everyone else's ideas.
- Opines that a de-centered education needs an existent base of knowledge before it can develop the benefits that i have presented.
- Explains that both traditional and de-centered educational techniques produce great benefits with minor drawbacks — a perfect education incorporates both techniques while minimizing their draw backs. the only task is to find when this transition should occur.
- Argues that a concerted effort should take place to better mold the view of education, not to mirror one educational technique used in the world today.
2100 wordsRead More - 21st Century American Education Systemanalytical essayAcross the nation, America’s 21st-century education system has abandoned the formative, democratic mission of developing competent and virtuous citizens. Instead, it has adopted a system concentrated on a acquiring a limited, career driven skillset. Therefore, it calls into question the goals of education. Is education’s purpose for instilling certain technical skills to match the necessary demand of the mounting workforce of specific fields, or is it to produce competent and virtuous citizens, engaged in political and civic life? If it is the latter, then it is through educational philosophies, such as John Dewey’s that America as a society may establish an education system that is successful in transforming students into effective and virtuous citizens. If society’s goal is to instill certain technical skills to match the necessary demand of the mounting workforce of specific fields through education, it begins to turn into a debate about social priorities rather than education techniques. Thus in assuming that education is meant to produce competent and virtuous citizens, it is through engagement in community, in attempting to connect themselves to civic and political life and taking a hands on approach that students may receive a proper and successful
In this essay, the author
- Argues that america's 21st-century education system has abandoned the formative, democratic mission of developing competent and virtuous citizens.
- Opines that education drives toward the goal of instilling technical skills, but there is a lack of awareness and engagement concerning political and civic life. it is urgent to implement civic-based approaches to education to help students gain the necessary skills to restore the thriving democracy america once had.
- Analyzes how mary salibrici's article, "further thoughts on civic participation in college composition classes," argues that a civic-based approach to education prepares students for "the demanding responsibilities of democratic life."
- Analyzes how ervin's ideas about cultivating the community nature of the classroom, promoting collaborative learning, and structuring opportunities for authentic civic discourse can be seen as grounded in the educational philosophy of john dewey.
- Argues that civic-based approaches to education give students the chance to take away persuasive, informative, and debate communication skills and apply them to challenges facing civic life.
635 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Literacy In Educationexplanatory essayHow do you control a population from discovering the truth about the vast atrocities that their same government purposely commits against their citizens? Simple. You keep them illiterate. Keep them from learning information unveiling the truth about how government institutions and policies are set to marginalize and discriminate against them. You refuse them the opportunities to better their lives by limiting the means of acquiring knowledge that Freire would argue would help alleviate them from systems of poverty. It would be against the interest of the oppressor(s) to educate the oppressed.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how government institutions and policies are set to marginalize and discriminate against the oppressed by keeping them illiterate and refusing them opportunities to improve their lives.
- Explains that literacy is crucial to a citizens' ability to act as positive contributors to society and to carry out rightful responsibilities.
- Explains how literacy played a pivotal role in aspiring movement of the civil rights.
- Explains that revolutionaries like fidel castro, subcommandante marcos, and the sandinista government in nicaragua have a literate population to carry out their revolutions.
- Analyzes how the 1980 nicaraguan national literacy crusade was influenced by paulo freire's pedagogy, combining syllable families to make words, and linking these to the students' world through group discussion.
- Explains that fernando cardenal viewed the literacy crusade as a process of conscientisation, which would transform the conscience of individuals into critical conscience.
- Explains why the nicaraguan government neglected its citizens of a quality education. the somoza dictatorship regimes deemed education for the masses pointless and difficult to execute.
- Explains that the crusade's collaboration between urban and rural populations had a profound impact on young people and helped them gain new understandings into the socio-economic and cultural lives of people in their country.
1031 wordsRead More - Community Based Child Servicesanalytical essayIn ‘Pedagogy of the oppressed’ the author, Paulo Freire (1970) draws distinctions between oppressed and oppressors. The lack of knowledge, awareness, and consciousness toward objective reality make the oppressed subordinate and subdued. Oppressors always take advantages of such humility of the oppressed, and dehumanize the oppressed by using various social practices. These social practices are identified in this book as different social dimensions such as: conquest, divide and rule, manipulation, cultural invasion, cooperation, organization, cultural synthesis, etc. According to Freire, such attempts of oppressors represent their distorted vocation of becoming superior human (Freire, P., 1970, p. 44).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the relationship between the book pedagogy of the oppressed and the study 'investigating innovation using a context: community based child care services.
- Analyzes how paulo freire draws distinctions between oppressed and oppressors in his book pedagogy of the oppressed.
- Explains that freire's powerful philosophical views and explanations encompass the characteristics of oppressed and oppressors in general, and emphasizes on the contribution of enlightened mind in the process of struggle for liberation from oppression.
- Opines that it is difficult to ascertain any confirmed relationship between oppressive situation and innovation occurrence.
- Explains that individual's personality is closely intertwined with oppressive situation and innovation occurrence.
- Explains that oppression is rooted in social stratification based on differences due to individuals’ quality, possession, and performance. freire agrees with the conflict perspective of sociology, but accepts it as a source for socioeconomic progress and development.
- Explains that freire encourages adult peasants to participate in problem-posing education instead of traditional education that is termed as banking concept of education.
- Analyzes how freire organized a community movement to restore human rights and social justice through his approaches to problem-posing education, which was undoubtedly an innovation.
- Analyzes the contribution of certain issues in freire's innovation, such as: personality, knowledge, experiences, motivation, etc., and socio-political and economic condition of the oppressed.
- Analyzes the similarities between the milieus of the book and the context of research. both are vulnerable to oppression and significantly potential to innovation.
- Opines that innovation, as proposed in the research, needs to be investigated focusing on the services offered by child care workers within a community environment.
- Explains that socio-psychological construct of child care workers supported by knowledge, experience and intrinsic motivation may lead to innovation, but cannot be fully free from the essence associated with oppression. problem-posing education and dialectical encounters for learning, and gaining ability to observe and think critically in order to recognize objective reality will enhance child care workers' conscientization.
- Analyzes how paulo freire uses contradictory dialectic encounters to identify and internalize the truth required for the struggle against social unjust.
- Explains that innovation carries a contradiction between new and tradition. schumpeter refers to innovation as "creative destruction" in his book, "business cycle".
- Explains that child care services are always associated with perplexed decision making that needs to be assessed through dialectical encounters. problem solving method suggests generating contradiction.
- Analyzes how socio-political and economic scenarios have been changed significantly compared to the scenarios of more than 50 years back.
- Opines that the philosophical richness of "pedagogy of the oppressed" can strengthen any subject-matter and contribute to unearth many essential issues apparently neglected.
1840 wordsRead More - Paulo Freire and William Brickmananalytical essayPaulo Freire and his family had no option but to relocate to the countryside of Brazil due to the Crash of Wall Street in 1929 (Flanagan, 2005). Freire personally endured the effects poverty had on education at a young age while living next to impoverished peasantry (Flanagan, 2005). Freire was able to grasp how education is used as a tool by the oppressor to keep the oppressed systemically controlled, dominated, and suppressed (Flanagan, 2005). The oppressed people understood how education in conventional schooling was used by the oppressor to ensure that they lived with the understanding that they are worthless. In this conventional system Freire explained that the teachers are the narrators of knowledge and students are passive learners (Flanagan, 2005).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that brickman was concerned that comparative studies in the united states weren't considered as a valuable commodity after world war ii.
- Analyzes how freire developed his theory of the pedagogy of oppressed from a political point of view.
- Compares brickman and freire's work in education. both educators developed their work after a major world event and from experiences with poverty.
- Analyzes how paulo freire built his work based on his experience with oppression and poverty. brickman examined vocational schooling from a different viewpoint.
- Concludes that brickman's childhood experiences and his dedication greatly contributed to his success.
- Opines that silova, i., and brehm, w. c. (2010). for the love of knowledge. european education, 42(2), 17-
- Analyzes how the paper reveals the struggle each person had to overcome to advance in their research, the comparisons and differences between them.
- Explains how paulo freire and his family relocated to brazil due to the crash of wall street in 1929.
- Explains that william brickman faced diversity during the mid-1960's with science and statistics becoming the dominant tools in comparative education.
860 wordsRead More - My Philosophy of Educationopinion essayWhat you have just read are thoughts that took place in the minds of any number of students, sitting in any number of classrooms, today. In the eye of the student, the teacher is out to ultimately destroy him while all of his classmates stand idly by and watch. In reality, of course, this is not the case. A teacher's job can be very thankless and unappreciated at times, not only by the student, but by parents and the general public also. In the long-run, however, the life changing effects a teacher can have on a child's life is priceless. Through the course of this paper, my personal views on the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the overall purpose of education, teaching methods I intend to use, and the curriculum I intend to concentrate most on in
In this essay, the author
- Opines that they hate it when teachers call on them to answer questions in front of the whole class.
- Opines that a teacher's job can be very thankless and unappreciated at times, not only by the student, but by parents and the general public.
- Explains that they disagree with rousseau in his belief that a child's education should be centered around only the things he/she wants to learn.
- Agrees with the sophists in the belief that all children have the capacity to learn given the proper opportunity. proper interaction between parents and teachers ensures that everyone is working toward a common goal.
- Opines that a child's behavior is influenced by his parents' action and reactions to situations, his friends' actions to certain circumstances, and what is defined to him as being right and wrong.
- Explains that education helps shape and mold the characteristics a child already possesses in order to fashion competent, self-sufficient future citizens. education allows the child to think in new ways that he never had before.
- Disagrees with rousseau's view on matching the learning experiences of a child with the things he wants to learn.
- Opines that the ethics of teaching should be shared by all who teach, including treating children with respect, maintaining teacher/student confidentiality, and exhibiting good morals and appropriate behavior.
- Agrees with rousseau that memorization without understanding is useless. the ethics described in this paragraph apply not only to methods of teaching, but also to disciplines.
- Opines that a child should not be disciplined out of anger for something he has said or done. the purpose of discipline is to urge the child toward behaviors that are in the best interest of himself and others.
- Opines that as a teacher of elementary students, the one area they would want each and every one of their students to excel in is reading.
- Explains that without adequate reading and comprehension skills, the child will be an inadequate reader, but also inadequate writer. there are endless examples of skills that grow out of reading at an age appropriate level.
- Concludes that a child can accomplish anything if he continues to try. education is an effective way of building productive, self-sufficient citizens, methods of teaching and discipline should both be directly tied to the teacher's code of ethics.
1478 wordsRead More