Jeannie Oakes & Patrick Finn

Tiffany Scoco
Dr. Corinne McKamey
FNED: 346
21 November 2018

Why Schools need to take another route

By: Jeannie Oakes

“Tracking leads to substantial differences in the day to day learning experiences students have at school. Moreover, the nature of these differences suggests that students who are placed in high ability groups have access to far richer schooling experiences than other students. This finding helps explain at least in part why it is that tracking sometimes seems to work for high ability students and not for other.”

This quote is saying that students who are placed in high ability groups have access to better teachers and they receive a better education. While students in low ability groups have access to mediocre teachers and they receive a mediocre education. This is completely unfair and I don’t think it’s right that some students get better teachers than other simply because they are in the higher ability group. This quote relates to the reading because the author is talking about how schools need to change their policies so everyone gets a fair and equal education.

“Students in the latter classes learned basic reading skills taught mostly by workbooks, kits, and easy to read stories. Learning tasks consists most often of memorizing and repeating answer back to the teacher. Since so much of importance was omitted from their curriculum, students in the low ability classes were likely to have little contact with the knowledge and skills that would allow them to move into higher classes or success if they got there.”

This quote is saying that students in higher ability groups get taught essential reading and writing skills while students in low ability groups get taught the bare minimum of how to read and write. Students in high ability groups learn modern literature, reading and library research as well as vocabulary that will help them on college essays. The main thing they learn is problem solving skills and how to be critical thinkers. While students in low ability groups learn basic reading and writing skills. They learn from workbooks, kits and easy to read stories none of which helps to make them critical thinkers or develop problem solving skills. I think this is completely unfair and if I was a parent I would be getting involved in my child’s learning. This quote relates to the reading because the author is talking about how schools need to change their policies so everyone gets a fair and equal education.

“In low ability classes, for example teachers seem to be less encouraging and more punitive, placing more emphasis on discipline and behavior and less on academic learning. Compared to teachers in high ability classes, they seem to be more concerned about getting students to follow directions, be on time and sit quietly. Students in low ability classes more often feel excluded from class activities and tend to find their classmates unfriendly. Their classes are more often interrupted by problems and arguing, while students in higher ability classes seem to be much more involved in their classwork.”

This quote is saying that students in low ability classrooms aren’t encouraged the same way students in higher ability classes are encouraged. Teachers in low ability classrooms tend to focus more on discipline and behavior while teachers in high ability classes focus on academics and listening skills. Students in high ability classrooms seem to be much more engaged in learning than students in low ability classrooms. I think this is completely ridiculous, just because a student is in the lower ability classroom doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be teaching them and encouraging them to do their best. If they are in the low ability room it just means that they need a little more help and encouragement with their schoolwork. They may need a little more time to complete assignments or a little extra help but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be teaching them important life skills. This quote relates to the reading because the author is talking about how schools need to change their policies so everyone gets a fair and equal education.

Link to reading:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0RjNSSW1ueTNfRTA/view

Literacy with an attitude

By: Patrick Finn

“The status quo is the status quo because people who have the power to make changes are comfortable with the way things are. It takes energy to make changes and the energy must come from the people who will benefit from the change. But the working class does not get powerful literacy, and powerful literacy is necessary for the struggle.”

This quote is saying that people who have the power to make changes and don’t because the people with power are fine with the way things are. It takes time and effort to change things and most people don’t bother to take the time or put in the effort. Rules can be changed for greater justice and equality of all without violence. Peaceful changes are done through strategic action, focus and discipline. These actions require powerful literacy. This quote relates to the article because the author is talking about how if we raised poor people’s level of literacy they would become apart of the rich people and no one wants that.

“There had been numerous literacy campaigns earlier in Brazil, motivated by the desire to make the poor better workers, better citizens, and better Christians. Classic reasons for literacy campaigns among the poor since the invention of the printing press.”

This quote is talking about how the rich writes pamphlets and campaigns to help make the poor better people. The pamphlets and campaigns have things like how to be a better worker, how to be a better citizen and how to be a better Christian according to the rich people. The rich have always used money as their power over people, to get people to do what they want. In this case the rich are spending their money on pamphlets and campaigns to tell the poor how to be better people. This quote relates to the article because the author is talking about how if we raised poor people’s level of literacy they would become apart of the rich people and no one wants that.

“Teachers made derogatory remarks regarding the students. A principal was reported to have said “Just do your best. If they learn to add and subtract, that’s a bonus. If not, don’t worry about it.” A second grade teacher said the children were “getting dumber every year.” Only twice did Anyon hear a teacher say please to a student in an unsarastic tone.”

This quote is saying that teachers in these schools were saying horrible things about their students. They don’t care whether or not the students learn anything and they aren’t trying very hard to teach them either. The teachers are not doing their jobs. I think this is horrifying no teacher should talk badly about their students and they definitely should not be calling them dumb or treating students badly. This quote relates to the article because the author is talking about how if we raised poor people’s level of literacy they would become apart of the rich people and no one wants that.

Link to article:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0dUUxY1lxRlN0ZTA/view 

 Talking Point:
I think we should teach all children the same no matter what their family income maybe.