Blog #4: Alfie Kohn Analysis

After reading Kohn’s What Does It Mean to be Well Educated?, I began to think critically on that question. There are many people who choose not to go to college, like my mother, to follow a different life path, but they are still quite educated. Until reading this book, my view on a well-educated person was different: I was under the impression that a person with a Ph.D. is far more educated than the rest of us. I became intrigued after reading the anecdote about Kohn’s wife and then I felt silly for having my notions about education.

 One of the most interesting sections is when Kohn discusses what makes us “well educated.” He focuses on the fact that we judge intelligence based on standardized test scores and the amount of education we receive. He critically examines these concepts and shows how poorly they judge our intelligence in the sense of education. He constantly brings up the idea that these methods show how well a student is at memorization and how many teachers are using a shallow approach to teaching. I agree with these statements that Kohn makes throughout his book. We are looking at education in the wrong way. A person who decides to enlist in the military after graduating high school is just as educated as a person who has a Ph.D. from Harvard, but in a different way. For example, a Calvary Scout in the US Army will be more educated in land navigation than a lawyer, but less educated in regards different law in their state. Each person is educated, but they have focused their education in a different sense. This can even be said about teachers. An elementary teacher is fairly educated in all subjects, but is not as educated as a content area teacher who has earned a degree in the secondary level of education.

This leads to another major point in Kohn’s book: the purpose of education. Over time, we have moved away from teaching to improve the knowledge of our students to teaching students how to take tests well. This can be seen clearly in a student’s junior year of high school, in which we train our students to pass the ACT or SAT. Throughout my college career, my professors (as well as various sources from my professors) have stated time and time again that standardized tests, especially the ACT, does not show a student’s intelligence clearly. Many of my professors are against using ACT test scores to allow students into SIUe, which is something Kohn is in agreement with. As Kohn stated in his book, the ACT and the SAT “is a measure of resources more than of reasoning” (Kohn 66). In regards to this statement, I wholly agree with Kohn. The ACT may ask a range of questions about a subject, but it cannot depict whether or not a student has learned the material, especially if they have test anxiety. We also run into the issue that lower income areas do not receive the same education as a middle or upper class community. This creates a natural unfairness already when it comes to test scores. A student from a lower income area who suffers from test anxiety will not do well on the test, which can harm their chances to get into college. This leads into another negative aspect of the ACT/SAT: it doesn’t contribute to diversity (67). If a student is part of a minority and from a lower income area, the likelihood of them going to college has decreased if his or her ACT scores were not high enough. Universities run into the issue of how much importance to place on those scores. Ironically, “SATs, like other standardized tests, do not further the cause of equity or excellence.” (68).

Overall, Kohn’s book raises many questions about our beliefs on what it means to be well educated. He focuses well on depicting the many factors that play into our misconceptions about a well-educated person. I agree with many of the claims he makes, such as the business aspect of education and standardized testing. As a whole, we allow many outsiders to affect not only the way we view education, but also how we teach our students. Kohn’s book taught me to look past the outside pressures of being an educator and discover a meaningful way to educate my students, especially those who do not plan to go to college right away. I believe one of the main ways to do this, especially at the high school level, is to ask my students how they view education. We, as a class, can also discuss what they think it means to be well educated. These discussions can lead me to create at least one unit that fits their beliefs and needs toward education. By doing this, I am creating a change in my students’ understanding of education and showing them how we can make their high school education meaningful, whether or not they are going to college.

Blog #2: Race and Racism Reflection

After researching information on race and racism, my perspective of people slightly changed. I found it interesting that there are still so many people who stereotype based on race. This thought was enforced when my group and I did the stereotyping activity in class. We asked our classmates to choose the person’s race based on a small description that only included names and personal information. For example, in our PowerPoint, we wrote, “A 19 year old woman has 2 children and is not married. She dropped out of high school her junior year and works part time at a local fast food restaurant. What race is she?” Many of our classmates assumed she was either white or black, but, in reality, she did not actually have a race. We tried to create descriptions that fed into our stereotypes to let everyone know that they still exist. I was shocked that we were so judgmental of people, especially when it comes their race.

            Another aspect of our presentation focused on The Un-Fair Campaign. This campaign began in Duluth, Minnesota and focuses on making people aware of white privilege (“Our Perspective,” 2011). My discovery of the campaign fascinated and disturbed me at the same time. At first, it felt like reverse racism; however, as I began to research further, I discovered that this campaign was meant to unite the different races in Duluth and to make the white population aware of their privileges (and those who do not have those privileges). I believe that this campaign will catch fire and challenge many to change their perspectives on race. At times, it is difficult to realize that I am considered to have “white privilege.”

            One aspect of my research that validated my perspective is the statistics in SIUe’s Fact Book. I am currently focusing on the racial aspects of SIUe’s undergraduate programs. I was glad to see that SIUe is fairly diverse. Although we do have more white students than any other, we are beginning to become more diverse (Vandegrift, Vaughn 2012). I think that this shows how we have developed our institution over time, even though we still have not solved all social issues.

Works Cited

No author (2011, Sept. 28). Our Perspective. Retrieved from

http://unfaircampaign.org/about-us/f-a-q/.

Vandegrift, Vaughn (2012). 2012 Edition Fact Book: Institute Research and Studies.

            Retrieved from http://www.siue.edu/factbook/.

Blog #3: Diverse Identities

Over this past summer, I visited my brother, who was studying abroad at Boğaziçi University, in Istanbul. While I was there, I met a variety of people: Turks, Kurds, Germans, Moldovans, Norwegians, the list continues. Many of the Turks and Kurds believed me to be one of the most fortunate people they met primarily because I was an American. During my three-week visit, I learned a lot about the Turkish culture, the various religions in Istanbul, and the Turkish language. I learned more from my brother’s friends in Istanbul than I have in the majority of my life, especially when it comes to privilege, the privilege of being an American.

To understand my “identity,” I must share a little about Turkey and it’s history, culture, and beliefs. Otto Turk is the founder of Turkey, and, in a sense, he is worshipped there. Many Turks are considered to be Nationalists and love their country (some would say blindly). The political party tends to determine how free the country can be. For example, if a political party is against the consumption of alcohol, they may sky rocket the prices in order to stop people from being able to buy it. Istanbul itself is considered to be more liberal; any faith is accepted in the city. Although there are more mosques than churches and synagogues, it is common to see a church next to a mosque. The main aspect I want to focus, though, is on its culture. Istanbul is the polar opposite of the United States. They relax and enjoy sit-down dinners and there is always time for tea. Compared to the United States, time is not of the essence, even when you have a scheduled meeting time. If you are late to that meeting, an explanation is needed, but no one is upset about the late arrival. Smoking is also acceptable and is considered to be normal. Although it is illegal to smoke in buildings, many stores, restaurants, bars, etc. will pay the police to avoid getting a hefty fine for breaking the law. Culturally, outsiders that do not know the Turkish language are frowned upon. Similarly to here, Turks expect you to know Turkish (even a miniscule amount helps). Many come off friendlier to you and are willing to work with you. Walking and public transportation are the most common forms of transportation. Many Turks cannot afford a car or just choose not to because public transportation is cheap. One of the main lessons I learned while I was there was to eat all of my food from my plate. It is considered to be rude to leave anything behind. Unfortunately, I offended a few people because I was unable to eat it all (“to go” boxes do not exist there). This is a short, crash course on Turkey’s culture; I could continue for quite some time on it. Hopefully, this helped you get a small perspective on what it is like there.

As a Turkish immigrant there are many obstacles I have to face. Many Americans tend to assume that I have a thick, Middle Eastern accent, I am Muslim, and I do not shower (or I am not clean enough). Although some of these stereotypes are true for some, they are not true for me. I am Muslim, but I do not wear my headscarf. I also respect all faiths and understand that many do not understand mine. At times, I get frustrated that they do not bother to listen to me about my faith; how can I break the stigma if they won’t listen? As for my accent, there is nothing I can do about that. I could say the same about your difficult American accent, but I choose to be respectful. The concept of showering baffles me. I do shower; in fact, I love to shower. It’s strange to me that Americans are fascinated with cultures that do not bathe consistently. When I first came to SIUe, my roommates seemed very skeptical of me. I am not certain if it’s my clothing, accent, or my smell. Unfortunately, my roommates have not met any Turks before, so I am their first. One of the first comments was, “Do you think she knows any English?” Obviously I do. The best way I overcame that obstacle was to explain that yes, I do know English. I explained that I struggle with it and asked for help. My roommates were extremely receptive and are teaching me slang words now. As for my faith, the best way (I have found thus far) is to be polite, ask for politeness back, and answer any questions someone may have. I have learned to try to ignore any ignorance or hurtful remarks – well to the best of my ability. Faith is not an obstacle I can overcome alone. The whole nation needs to learn more about our faith, and, maybe, then I can be freer about my faith. Cleanliness is a strange thing I must overcome. The best way to go about that is to explain my culture and the weather we have. It hasn’t been difficult to overcome that obstacle, but I do notice when people are trying to smell me. With all of these obstacles, I have learned to laugh at the silliness and not take things to heart. I rather have people ask me awkward questions than have people make incorrect assumptions about me.

Blog #1: Educational Philosophy

Growing up in public schools taught me that standardized tests are by far more important than understanding the key concepts of each subject. While I was enrolled in high school, I believed that teachers only focused on teaching student the various ways to pass the standardized tests. I did not realize that teachers have Common Core Standards they must follow for the subjects they teach. I also did not realize that teachers have the expectations from higher-level educators (and the government) to aid their students in passing standardized tests.

If I had known the various tasks and expectations behind my teachers’ motives as a student, I would have reacted positively towards their teaching structures. Because I would not have truly understood my teachers’ explanation the Common Core or their obligations, my educational experience could not have improved by much. One major improvement would have been a better explanation of the work we were doing in class. Although teachers need to follow the Common Core, they should explain the reasons behind some of their lessons to maintain student interest and appreciation.

As a future teacher, I believe that it is important to give the “why bother with this” explanation to my students. It creates a balanced atmosphere in the classroom and creates an open atmosphere. This is extremely important in my classroom because I will be teaching some controversial texts. If my students are not receptive to the texts I teach, I cannot expect them to be receptive to round-table discussions about the readings. It will also create a rift between my students and myself. I also believe that I must keep an innovative classroom. This requires me to blend technology with my lessons, as well as discovering new ways to battle the use of technology in and outside of the classroom. By accepting the changes from my first year teaching until the moment I retire, I will be able to maintain a dynamic relationship with my students and hold their interest in literature.

Creating a student-centered classroom is also an important aspect of my educational pedagogy. By creating a classroom atmosphere that welcomes independent thought and insight, I am giving my students a different learning experience in the English arts. For example, to incorporate my students’ insight into the course material, they will have the opportunity to create a unit plan that focuses around the texts, authors, or themes that they would like to cover. This plan will also give them the opportunity to lead class discussion and openly participate in the class activities they create for the unit.

Establishing a classroom that keeps literature interesting by combining old and new texts is also a major aspect of my educational pedagogy. For example, there would be a unit focused solely on one theme, like violence in literature. I would use old texts, like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and a newer text, like The Hunger Games, and create a unit focused around the theme of violence between the two texts. The intention is for my students to begin to connect various themes, as well as realize how literary themes have stayed the same even though the language has changed. By combining old and new texts, students will receive a vast range of genres and an archive of texts they enjoy.

            In comparison to the philosophies we discussed in class, I feel that I combine the philosophies of Essentialism, Progressivism, and loosely Perennialism, rather than focusing on only one practice. I feel that my philosophy relates to Essentialism because I know that I must use to Common Core throughout my curriculum. These standards were created to “...aim to provide clear, consistent academic benchmarks with “fewer, clearer and higher” academic standards for essential learning and skills. The standards were developed while considering the standards of top performing countries and the strengths of current state standards” (http://www.isbe.net/common_core). These standards combine the concepts of outcome and content standards within the Illinois education system. They focus not only on “how well a student must do,” but also on “what students will be taught” (Kohn, 2004, p. 47). It also follows the belief that students must understand the key important facts of the subject before going into the deeper and more subjective course material. The Essential philosophy also shares the belief that change is okay and must be accepted into the educational pedagogy. In regards to Progressivism, I believe that we share a similar belief that the classroom should be more student-centered. This is an important aspect because it gives students to opportunity to learn through experience rather than theory alone. It also creates the possibility for students to explore school subjects outside of the classroom. I believe that my teaching philosophy loosely compares to Perrenialism because the Perrenialist philosophers solely focus on the Western culture and believe that their ideas are everlasting. This perspective is not only close-minded, but it also excludes other cultures that may relate to my students. I believe that my philosophy still connects loosely to Perrenialism because I will be teaching many Western texts and focusing on those texts during my educational career.

Kohn, A (2004). What does it mean to be well educated? Boston: Beacon press books.