Court Seen Balky on Religous Cases

This article highlights several cases where the Supreme Court seems cautious to move forward on several cases of religion and the school system going head to head.  There are several religious-liberty groups that have asked the justices to hear appeals on around a half-dozen cases involving religious expression in the public school system.  Several of these include including religious music in holiday concerts, students distributing religious material to their classmates, and religious themed graduation speeches.  I feel strongly that religion needs to be kept at arms length from school, simply because there are so many variances in belief systems, and to acknowledge one is to the detriment of the rest.  While I feel each student has their right to some expression of their belief, it must be done in a respectful, non-proselytizing manner, yet unfortunately the very nature of many religions demand this type of approach.  I personally am not a religious person, but do find the study of religion to be very interesting, and would support a factual, equal-opportunity approach to religion in an educational fashion.  In fact I would love the opportunity to teach a class on religions of the world, if only to dispel the fantasy and mysticism that believers strive to maintain around their "faith."  But the attempts by religious groups to shove their belief system down the throats of the public school systems are simply another political battle to be waged in the name of God - which to me sounds a bit contradictory to the precepts their very faith preaches.  It is all very interesting, to say the least.

Parenting: The Key to America's Future

I completely agree with the stance of this commentary regarding the importance of parent involvement in their childrens' educations.  If there is little to no support at home, how can teachers be expected to turn a child's attitude around?  Not everything can fall on the school system's shoulders.  I do understand that socioeconomic status has a large role in this, as parents who are overworked and underpaid have little energy to be reading to children, or have less access to extra-curricular activities.  But there are many free programs available, and libraries are always a vast educational resource with little to no cost to the parents.  Since no parent wants their children to fail, teachers can play a role in encouraging and providing a support system to families in need.  Providing opportunities for good early childhood education is extremely valuable as well, as is parenting classes and parent support groups that are available through local charities, churches, and hospitals.  Sometimes the toughest battle is against ignorance, but information can be given when the effort is put out.

State Electoral Results Leave Pre-K Advocates Nervous, But Hopeful

This article focuses on the recent GOP takeover of several state governments, and the possible impact on funding for Pre-K programs.  My personal opinion is that the earlier you institute strong educational values, the better off children are in the long run, and continued funding of these programs is paramount to the future of the educational system.  With so many parents forced to work, in addition to many single parent homes, having this resource available for children is essential to their later development.  Unfortunately it seems that education is first on the chopping block for most states in fiscal crisis.  The tone of the article is hopeful, however, that funding will continue at its current level at the very least.  Iowa's Republican legislature seems to be changing their initial oppositional stance due to the level of concerns from the constituency, so perhaps the voice of the people can still make a difference. 

Framework Crafter for Student Use of Computing Devices

We spoke about the ups and downs (well, mostly ups) of using computing devices in the classroom during our Ed Tech class, so this article touches on some valid points we have previously discussed.  These tools can be extremely valuable; they allow for a connection with the students' social lives that sometimes can be difficult for teachers.  However there are pitfalls to be aware of.  The idea of having a student agreement they must sign is an important one, since they would then know the behavior that is expected and the consequences of breaking the terms set out.  It can be a difficult problem to nail down, however, if there are instances where devices need to be searched.  I can see lawsuits in the future if districts aren't very clear on their policies, and have the parents and community on board with what their idea of breaking policy is.  It will be interesting to see as technology becomes cheaper and more widespread how it effects the classroom, both in positive and negative ways.

Court Battle Over Evolution...

I found this article extremely interesting.  I vividly recall this coming to court, and was frankly appalled that it even needed to.  The attempt of religious groups to place "intelligent design" (ironic name, in my opinion) in the classroom as a theory on par with evolution is laughable at best.  Thankfully it was thrown out, and the fact that the scientific community has risen to the occasion with a new fervor to properly educate children on the intricacies of evolution is heartening.  I attended Catholic school from Kindergarten to sixth grade, and will attest to the fact that this was never once brought up as a viable theory, let alone fact.  My first exposure to any variance of Darwin's findings was in seventh grade biology, and I had a lot of catching up to do with my peers.  I shudder to think of the disadvantages brought upon students whose curriculum leaves this integral information out or barely passes over it because of the district or individual teacher's bias.  I'm sure this isn't the end of the fight on these grounds, and hopefully reason and logic continue to win out over fantasy and fiction.

"Educators Advised to Be Cautious on Facebook Profiles"

With the popularity of social networking sites (per the video "The Social Media Revolution" we watched in Ed Tech, Facebook has 500 million people registered) this article doesn't surprise me in the slightest.  I would imagine this is an obvious precaution, since everything you post can be viewed by virtually anyone, but I guess the warning still needs to be broadcast.  While it may not be fair that teachers have to remain a notch or three above the bar when it comes to discretion, this is an intelligent outlook for anyone.  Posting on Facebook (or Twitter, or any other site) is akin to shouting from a rooftop - with a megaphone that will reach across nations.  Plenty of individuals have gotten in trouble at work, with the law, and of course their personal lives with their party pics and insensitive remarks.  It is important for parents to know the people their children spend the majority of their waking hours with are intelligent, caring and above all adhere to similar moral standards.  As a parent myself, I don't disagree.

When Pedagogic Fads Trump Priorities

This article is well timed for us Aspire folks, as we have our Constructivist-Direct Instruction debate pending for next Monday in Ed Psych, and this opinion article is decidedly Direct Instruction oriented.  The author (who, by the way, is not a teacher) speaks very strongly against the "fad" of Differentiated Instruction, siting the lack of classroom based research and inefficiency feedback from educators he spoke with.  When you take pure constructivism from an extreme approach, it is certainly inefficient - teachers attempting multiple lesson plans for each classroom, chaotic assignment structure, unbalanced testing. I must apply my personal life motto to this ideal: "everything in moderation."  Sure, if you try to create lessons for each student learning type, with different worksheets and tests to boot, your life beyond the classroom ceases to exist, swamped with extra work.  But I do believe that using a constructivist, differentiated instruction approach is not only possible, but enriching when used in moderation. 
You don't need multiple plans - but you should incorporate flexible methods in your curriculum.  For example, as a science teacher, when teaching a unit on the periodic table of elements, the direct instruction approach would be to present the table, set students to memorization, then have a test.  Using the differentiated instructionalist approach, the teacher could begin with a box of varying materials, have the students organize them based on properties and qualities (oranges are round, medium sized; grapefruits are round, larger sized, etc), then present the similarities to the period table's structure.  The teacher could then have students fill in a table themselves based on the elements' properties (have them collaborate in small groups) and later compare with the actual table to see how they did.  The lesson is streamlined, but includes multiple learning types so all students' ability levels and learning styles are included. 
Differentiated Instruction is easily possible, it just requires some creativity on the teacher's part.  With the Internet as a resource, even teachers who aren't necessarily naturally creative can locate exciting activities to incorporate into their lesson plans.