Learning Outside: The Benefits of Place Based Education

Before taking this class I never really considered that outdoor education was possible, or, for that matter, beneficial. But, after reading some articles and finding out that some schools are exclusively outdoors, I realized that having school outdoors at every school is not entirely possible. Thus, I considered how some schools could incorporate outdoor learning into their curriculum. One school, the Robert E. Willett Elementary school, located in California, has an outdoor education page listed on its site. They plan to take their fifth grade class to the Sly Park Outdoor Education camp for five days. It requires some trust and financial commitment by the parents but I think that every school should try and do something like this to better educate their students.

The trip is well-planned and coordinated by the school's staff (making sure the kids have the proper medication if needed; chaperones are fingerprinted; having a pre-trip meeting). And, most importantly, the trip is truly beneficial to the kids. The children partake in group focused activities that promote teamwork and require cooperation to succeed. Social skills are essential as the children need to communicate in an unfamiliar environment. Some children are also able to demonstrate some skills that they would not be able to display inside the classroom: working as a leader, enduring physical activity, learning about nature. Essentially, it is a way to convey that while academic education is important, environmental education should not be ignored. The children should be given experiences outside of the classroom simply because it exposes them to nature. It teaches them about the environment and it teaches them to appreciate our world. Of course, doing something like this is difficult for an urban school far away from camps like this, but I think that outdoor education should always be in the discussion about reforming our schools. It's one thing to read about the environment, but to actually feel it and experience it is far more important. If we want our children to grow up educated, to strive towards making the world a better place, it is absolutely essential to incorporate outdoor education.

Froebel and Banking

Froebel is a German philosopher who is most known for creating what we now know as Kindergarten. Before Froebel the separation between infant, child, and adult was much more broad. Yet, Froebel had a revolutionary philosophy: children could develop social, developmental, and academic skills at a young age. He "designed open-ended instructional materials called the Gifts, with complementary Occupations" (Leblanc). Essentially, Froebel believed that children could develop essential skills with the right curriculum. Utilizing toys he created activities that greatly benefitted the students that teachers could introduce to young children. Everything he taught focused on building  a child's skills in a building block manner. Children would start small and learn the basics so, when they reached the normal age for schooling they would already understand the basic fundamentals of education. Initially, his philosophies were not well-received but after his death his vision was implemented throughout the world.

Freire's banking concept of education is a critique on the education system. From his studies Freire formulated that children were basically receptors of information. The teacher dictates the intended information while the child records and memorizes said information. Froebel would certainly be against this type of schooling. He wanted to promote social activity and engaged learning; not a feeder system of information. Students, especially young children, are not meant to sit and simply record information. Thanks to Froebel's ideas, we now understand that children need to be engaged in  an active learning environment. Learning the fundamentals is, of course, essential to elementary education but how we convey that information is extremely important. Children need to be slowly introduced concepts, to interact with their fellow students and learn on their own. If they are simply told what to do and what they need to know it will hamper their creativity and strip them of understanding some fundamental and developmental skills. It is strange now to consider that used to be such a foreign concept but it is great to see that so many schools are adapting Froebel's philosophy and understanding the importance of developing a child's cognitive and social skills.

Leblanc, Miriam. "Friedrich Froebel: His life and influence on education." Community Playthings. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Educational Philosophy

The Educational Philosophy Test along with its scoring sheet is an interesting way to look at ones personal teaching philosophy. Like all questionnaire based tests, it is not completely accurate but it can be used as a tool to reflect upon your own philosophy, why you think the way you do, and why others do not suit you. Based upon my scores I am technically a Reconstructionist. In fact, the only other philosophy that I scored high on was Progressivism; however, Progressivism is a little too reliant on personal experience for my taste, even if I do believe in its focus on adaptability.

The questions that determine Reconstructionism/Critical Theory are quite interesting. For instance, even though I love literature, I believe it is worthless if we do not use it as a tool to expand our minds and enact new modes of thought. Schools do far too little work in social reform and it should be a primary aspect of education. Without a focus on change, what are we truly promoting in our schools? Traditional values are a nice thought, something to remember and understand eras, but if we emphasize "passing on tradition" our society will continue to deteriorate. Those who believe that remaining stagnant is a viable option are living in a fantasy world. We need to be able to adapt to technology, to philosophy, and to current issues. Without context we are only teaching our students a jumble of information that they can vomit out during a test, only to forget it in the future. Thus, question 25 is essential to my education philosophy. "Essential skills" is such a cop-out term, as if you could definitively create a list of things that everyone needs to be able to do. It's ludicrous. If we're not pushing our students to become better people, to consequently better society, I honestly don't see the point in education. If you wanna create automatons who all think and believe in the same manner, good for you. We will continue to spiral as a society. But, if we want to do anything worthwhile, to truly benefit our students, we have to strive towards creating a better society. Apathy is a dangerous contagion that continues to spread throughout our country and, if there isn't a push to destroy it, we will continue to be in a state of entropy.

How to Incorporate Inclusive Education

PBS has a great general overview regarding Inclusive Education. Its basic elements seem very simple in theory: each deserves the same learning opportunities in the classroom. Yet, implementing this concept into the classroom is a very difficult task. A teacher is responsible for the development of each student and each student learns in a different manner. Thus, a teacher needs to be extremely adaptable in the classroom. He or she has to know how each student learns and have the proper repertoire to incorporate it. So, how do you create an inclusive learning environment?

• Scholastic emphasizes eliminating potential distractions. Keeping your students focused can be a difficult task so Scholastic suggests a great tool: an agenda. It's a simple thing to do, and it may seem obvious, but a strict schedule can go a long way. If the students can see what they're going to do everyday they can remain on task. Also, during the beginning of each class the teacher can simply review what they're going to do before the class starts. That way, each student understands and is able to understand.
• As Wilfred Montgomery states, a diverse curriculum can go a long way. Students should be exposed to as many perspectives as possible and a variety of books, topics, and activities is an easy way to do this. Activities like group reading assignments allow students to engage with other students about various cultures in a structured environment. If the activities are planned properly the students can learn so much through simple interaction.
• Faculty Focus stresses dutiful management. Everything you do to create an inclusive classroom can be undermined if you are not managing it properly. You need to continually engage the students, assess you methods, and be able to critique them. Obviously, you are going to face some issues but as long as you are well prepared, and maintain a calm demeanor, your class will not erupt into chaos.

It's important to remember that, like teaching methods, these are just tools. Not everything you try will work in the classroom. But, as long as you are trying, assessing, and critiquing you are on the right path. Every child deserves to be taught in an inclusive environment. They deserve to learn about culture and the purpose of perspectives. Without perspective, all they are going to learn are pieces of information. The inclusive environment promotes discussion and analysis and I hope my classrooms will be able to evoke the ideal inclusive classroom.

Social Reconstruction

The most worthwhile classroom experiences involve analysis. Teaching the basic, background, information is essential but it is ultimately meaningless if the students are not thinking critically about an issue. As a future English teacher I have a great opportunity to not only teach multicultural education, but how those perspectives can affect an individual experience and society in general. But, how can a teacher constructively "challenge[s] social inequality...to reconstructure educational institutions in ways that will change society?" (McNergney 54)

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is not only a great novel, but it is a great tool for teaching multicultural education as well. It explores colonialism in 19th century Africa through through the eyes of Okonkwo, a Umofian leader. Using this novel as a base, a classroom can explore the issues of assimilation through both history and culture today. Achebe immerses you into the mind of Okonkwo, allowing you to understand the Umofian culture and the culture clash that occurs once the Christian missionaries arrive. By reading Achebe's novel, students can understand the conflict that many foreign students have to face: holding on to your own culture while you are being coerced to lose it.
For far too long American schools have relied on literature that is written by white males. Of course, these texts are important and some schools are adopting to the multicultural approach, but classic literature needs to stop being a crutch. Issues like assimilation are perhaps more important in today's culture than the concept of revenge or love. In order to change the social inequality and restructure our educational institutions, schools need to make an effort to constantly incorporate a more diverse curriculum. There are a plethora of novels that deal with more impactful issues than what most schools are teaching today. Understanding perspective, especially in literature, is what allows us to grow and develop into more socially conscious individuals. Without perspective, we are limited to ignorant views and gross prejudices. When I teach I hope to incorporate this theme into all of my lessons. A narrow perspective only breeds injustices, and hopefully, through awareness and critical thinking, our students can strive to become more thoughtful and challenge social inequality.

McNergney, Robert F., Joanne M. McNergney. "Eduation: The Practice and Professional Teaching". Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2009. Print.

Columbus Day?

Most of us have been taught that fairy tale Columbus story and it has been stuck in our minds ever since. Of course, or at least I hope, we have all felt that shock when we realize how falsified the story actually is. Sure, it is a catchy tale but it is quite shocking to realize that we are still teaching our children this story.

As a Caucasian, it is sometimes sickening to comprehend what my ancestors have done. We tricked, killed, and manipulated purely for the sake of ignorance---and, that ignorance is still very apparent today. Thus, we owe it to our children to tell them the real story, not the one that makes Europeans look like pure-minded explorers. We were fearful and reactionary and, consequently, we lumped them into a singular group and created stereotypes. As June Sark Heinrich states: "There were no 'Indians' before the Europeans came to America". In fact, there are hardly any left today and we all know why: "We suffered the excesses of 'civilization' such as murder, pillage, rape..." (Harjo). If we, as Americans, have the gall to make Columbus Day a national holiday---for discovering something that already exists---we at least should give them the best version of the truth. That we raped and eradicated Native Americans, that we pillaged their land and animals, and that we do our best to forget all of the horrors that we committed. We teach our children about the holocaust at a young age; there is no reason to sugarcoat the atrocities our ancestors committed. Therefore, I have an alternative proposal. We should not commemorate this day for Columbus; instead, we should honor our Native Americans and celebrate their traditions and culture. Thus, our children can learn why we should have this holiday, become more cultured, and ultimately develop into better people.

Why Teach?

Teaching can be a difficult, underpaid, and time-consuming profession. Yet, why do so many people do it? Beth Lewis' post "Top Seven Reasons To Become A Teacher" offers some basic explanations as to why so many pursue the profession. As she explicitly states in her opening "Teaching is more than just a job. It's a calling. It's an ever-surprising mix of grueling hard work and ecstatic successes, both big and small." For me, the small successes seem much more important than the larger ones. Not every teacher is going to have some miraculous breakthrough with a struggling child, even if we all hope to do so. Instead, the small successes that happen everyday seem to make everything worthwhile. Now, I have never taught children in a classroom setting but I have worked with children before and it is true that there is nothing better than connecting with a child. Specifically, the moment when your instruction finally clicks with your student. But, that is not why I want to teach.
I have always been fascinated with perspective, especially when it comes to literature. Sure, I can dive into scholarly journals that analyze various theories but I always learn more when I interact with people. I want to see things from every angle, discuss opinions with other students, and analyze the work in a cooperative manner. Most adults see things in a solidified context: they have their own world views and they analyze everything through these notions. Children, on the other hand, are oftentimes unaware of the frameworks of their own thinking. They may see things in a simplified manner, but they are able to analyze material in completely unexpected ways. Initially, they ask "What" questions but after proper instruction they start asking "Why" questions. This is essentially why I want to teach. I want to be able to push my students in this direction. I want them to be able to understand the basic guidelines and always take it one step further. The root answer is never interesting or worthwhile; but, when you want to know "Why" and dive deeper you can learn so much. I do not want my students to be drones who memorize material; I want them to have a rudimentary understanding and then analyze it further. We need more thinkers in our society, more people who are willing to question and analyze. Thus, as a future teacher, I hope I am able to properly instruct my students and get them to constantly explore and analyze everything. This, above all else, is why I want to be a teacher.