[MCP] (no subject)

[Paul C.Gorski]

Mark,
 
I very much appreciate the challenge of teaching any 40 high school students
at once. But I do want to name two assumptions in your post: (1) that the
main purpose of the 10 students to whom you refer is to cause distractions,
and (2) that those same 10 students don't want to learn. Sometimes we need
to step back and see the larger context, such as the ways certain students
have been disenfranchised. In U.S. schools we have the tendency to pound the
heck out of certain students (the same ways the larger society pounds the
hell out of them), then blame them for their reactions to that pounding.
What is more true, institutionally speaking--that any group of students
doesn't want to learn, or that we (the systemic "we") don't want to take
seriously the task of creating schools that serve all students well? 
 
Again, I want to be clear--this isn't about placing blame on you or any
other individual teacher. But it is about helping teachers understand the
larger sociopolitical context in which we're working--that we tend to name
as "problems" the students we disenfranchise instead of naming as "problems"
the ways in which we disenfranchise them. This turns into "those students
don't want to learn." This is called deficit theory--the sort of thing Ruby
Payne pushes.
 
Paul
 
********
Paul C. Gorski
EdChange: http://www.EdChange.org <http://www.edchange.org/> 
Multicultural Pavilion: http://www.EdChange.org/multicultural
Social Justice Store: http://www.cafepress.com/edchange
Multicultural Poster Store: http://www.EdChange.org/posters
SoJust Civil Rights History: http://www.SoJust.net <http://www.sojust.net/> 
Nat. Assn. for Multicultural Education: http://www.nameorg.org
<http://www.nameorg.org/> 
Minnesota-NAME: http://www.mn-name.org <http://www.mn-name.org/> 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: mcp-bounces at edchange.org [mailto:mcp-bounces at edchange.org] On Behalf
Of mark morse
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2007 10:31 AM
To: Multicultural Pavilion's discussion group on equity, social justice,and
multicultural education.
Subject: Re: [MCP] (no subject)


Bill, 
 I understand your comment to the question I inquired about. However, I'm a
Physical Education Teacher @ the H.S level. I worked in a school that has a
Campus setting (7 different schools) housed in one building. Each school has
there own staff which makes solving problems very difficult at times. I have
a class with about 40 students, in which 10 of them are special education
students. They do not have a learning disability but severe behavior
problems. Everyday they come to class they main purpose is to cause
distractions. I feel that students of this caliber need to self contained
because they are interrupting the kids that what to learn. So, How does the
effectiveness of special education vary by which it is integrated into
general ed? Also, I feel that most schools in the city are not given the
proper resources for kids to want to come to school. In my school a lot of
after programs have been cut. I truly believe that Administration should
find a way implement more productive programs that will help our students
learn life long skills. Soon it will be more School Safety agents in the
building then students. Why does the drop-out rate vary by socio-economic
status? 
                                                     
 
Thanks,
 
Mark

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bill  <mailto:bbraun at hlthsys.com> Braun 
To: Multicultural Pavilion's discussion group on  <mailto:mcp at edchange.org>
equity, social justice,and multicultural education. 
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 9:21 PM
Subject: Re: [MCP] (no subject)

What do YOU think, Mark? What are you reading on the subject? Any papers

or books that present interesting ideas or theories to you? What does your

own research suggest to you? Have you developed a position on the issue?

Are you an advocate for that position?



What is the context for your inquiry? Are you a teacher? Journalist?
Student?



You are asking simple yes/no questions. (My answers are yes and yes.) Can

you reframe your questions as open-ended questions? Research questions are

typically (but not exclusively) "how" questions, neutrally phrased, which

themselves reflect the focus of your research.



For example, How does the effectiveness of special education vary by the

degree to which it is integrated into general education?, or How does the

drop-out rate vary by socio-economic status, and why?



If in fact you are using the list as a primary research source, at least

say so.



Bill Braun


mark wrote: 

Should special education be included with general education?
 
Does a child's socio-economic status play a role in the educational dropout
rate?
 
                                 Mark


****************************************
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Multicultural
Pavilion email discussion group. To unsubscribe or change your subscription
settings, visit:

http://edchange.org/mailman/listinfo/mcp_edchange.org

For more equity, social justice, and multicultural education resources vist:

EdChange: http://www.edchange.org
Multicultural Pavilion: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural 
Transformations Book Store: http://www.edchange.org/transformations
Nat. Assn. for Multicultural Education: http://www.nameorg.org 


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/mcp_edchange.org/attachments/20070310/0e430fe9/attachment.html