Reflection 8

The waves of educational reform was to help shape and improve the educational world. Diversity, economical factors ,and other differences caused changes to a more modern education. The reform for modern education occurred began to 1983. The first wave lasted until 1986, the reasoning for the first wave was to increase teacher qualifications and high school graduation requirements. They wanted more advancement. Besides, teacher qualifications and higher requirements, they wanted standardized testing and curriculum. Though modern education was forming, the second wave in 1986 was continue a better improved education. Parental involvement was one improvement that was necessary. Students needed parents to be aware of their school work in order for them to be successful. As technology was advancing, having the use of technology was implemented in the school system. Having another resource like technology helps students get more involved. The third wave educational reform has occurred in the 1990`s and 2000`s. The changes during those two decades have increased with more improvement and progress. The child left no behind was in place to help the quality of education, improve test scores, and funding. For example, the major change was that all students from 3rd -8th grade had to standardized tested in math and reading. The schools had to have more qualified teachers with masters degrees and experience. I believe the last wave has been very dominant because many things to improve education has been implemented. In Florida, the FCAT is an mandatory factor to graduate from high school. The test`s purpose is to measures a student`s basic reading and math skills. From the FCAT test, schools are benefited by receiving more funding and a school grade. Schools push and pressure students to be prepared to take the test. Many levels to graduate from high school are require to meet. I agree with the standardized testing because to reach education success, one most go through many testing and plenty of studying.

Reflection 7

Ancient civilizations knew that education was necessary from a young age. One educational approach was homeschooling in Egypt was beneficial to the children and families. The children would learn more about their future occupation by imitating their families. They learned more about life skills, such as, honesty, making fair decisions and obedience. Education with homeschooling was following their parent’s footsteps, girls would learn how to run a household and poor children from farmer families would learn the skills to run a farm. There was no length of how long school lasted, but during the year writing, reading, and arithmetic was included. Mesopotamia had the same teachings with focusing on life skills with the children. Although life skills were common, they expanded more than just writing and reading, they focuses on higher learning. Medicine, law and science were expanded subjects .Scribes and priests were as close to be labeled with higher education. They felt scribes and priests are very intellectual. There way of actual learning was repeating, memorizing, and copying information. Apprenticeship was an approach of education used as well to help children learn skills for a profession. Though, apprenticeship was not a school, boys would learn craftsman work and along with tradesman would learn skills. The purpose for apprenticeship was very broad and needed more for boys because they had to learn skills to build property and other items. Temple schools in Egypt was another approach of education was that use. Spiritual teachings and practices were taught in temples. In Mesopotamia, temple schools were a great approach to education. They learned multiple things such as arithmetic, measurements, and writing children who needed to master the language of cuneiform would attend temple schools. Writing benefited them keep records of their property. The three approaches have expanded into today`s world of education. The purpose of education has not changed, but now and days its more organized and detailed.

Quiz 3

Reflection 5

Initiation and Rites of passage are defined to show a person`s advancement in his or her life. Most rites of passage are significant when the person is young. Teaching and learning have a role in initiations and rites of passage. The motive for an initiation is for the person to grow mentally and physically. By learning and teaching, people can acquire the knowledge to live a strong and wholesome life. Rites of passage displays the change in social status a person can attain.
Learning and teaching share the feeling of transformation with a rite of passage ceremony. Every year in a classroom, a person grows and matures. The same purposes people go through initiations are common with education. For example, the reasons why teachers go into the education field is because of their beliefs and hope for student success. While initiations are used in every person`s life because they have their belief that it is necessary for a person to go through a rite of passage to progress. Learning benefits a person to form their identity and as well as learning, rites of passage certainly help create a sense of being.
Rites of passage and learning go hand and hand to help create a person`s character. For example, Graduation is a major rite of passage to a world full of possibilities and without the knowledge gained from a classroom and teachers, the rite of passage will have not been accomplished. Initiations and rites of passage help promote a person`s strong will about life. Learning and teachings are what helped traditions and beliefs pass down from generations to generations. Since people have learned from initiations, it has made it possible to acquire the meaning and purpose to make initiations important.

Reflection 6

The development of writing was extremely vital to the great civilizations. Writing did not start with words and letters. The history of writing goes back to the B.C years when symbols and pictures were in practice. When the invention of writing began in Sumeria, the pictogram tokens were used to label farming good and were continued to use as memory aids and recordkeeping.
Writing provided the early civilization`s communities of hunters and gatherers to have documentation of their properties, such as, farms, food, and terrain. As times were getting to complicated to rely on memory, writing played it`s role. As the Sumerians had pictures written into clay blocks it transformed into symbols and to verbal elements. Cuneiform was known as pictures that were wedge shaped carving writing on a clay tablet. Pictograms and ideograms helped civilizations to create sound syllabus and symbols with meanings. Writing served many of the similar purposes in each great civilization. Writing provided documented events, stories, and traditions. Writing provided the people of the civilizations with recorded laws and rights. For example, in the 16th century, writing was becoming another way to document religious implications. As well as written laws, many of the trading people in the civilizations were able to keep track of their goods and business, such as, the Chinese civilizations having writing to create trade routes.
From the beginning of the history of writing, it has been an important element in life. Communication and other people skills would not have evolved without writing. The same purpose of writing from many years ago has carried on to the modern years of this world.

Quiz 1

Biography and Purpose

My name is Marilyn Lopez. I was born in Miami on August 29, 1990. I’m nineteen years old and in my sophomore year in Miami Dade College. My major is Elementary education, I love kids. I have been working with kids since my high school years. I was in the Early Childhood Education program for four years. I completed over 200 community service hours at an Elementary school. I like kids so much, I work at an after school program from grades kindergarten to fifth. I see myself accomplishing all my goals. I’ am school oriented; I have a 3.68 GPA and take five classes a semester. I’ am blessed I have my scholarship to help pay my classes. My motto is “Go hard or go home”, I always tell myself and kids that I work with that effort is the bridge that takes you to your goal. Therefore, since I practice that motto, I’ am graduating from Miami Dade this spring semester with honors. I can’t be any more thrill to transfer and start at FIU. In fall 2010, I start the Bachelors program in the College of Education. I’m very strong and independent. My parents support me the best way they can. It has been a rough year, my mom is unemployed and my dad recently had a stroke on Thanksgiving Day. I strive ten times harder because of them. Besides my hardwork and family issues, I do like to have fun. I’ m very proud and happy owner of a 2009 Honda Fit. My car is my pride and joy. I love to go to the beach, Miami weather is the best weather in the country. Shopping is a habit for me. I love the mall and going out to eat. I even like to tutor my little cousin. I have been in a relationship of three years. We both go to school and are finishing up together. Although I don’t see myself settling down yet, I would like to have a family and be married in my late 20`s, my boyfriend and I work hard for our future. The big goal for the decade is to be an elementary school teacher.

Reflection 4

The Human species has evolved over millions of years. The phylogenetic tree of the human species displays the species connection towards each other. There’s some species that are unknown if they have any correlations to the early human species. The tree helps me understand how the species are related, such as the Homo heidelbergensis has resulted in homo neanderthalensis to Homo sapiens.
Hominid refers to the members of the human family. The hominid species carries on from apes to humans. Fossils have helped scientists classify each human species. The fossils help identify each species from the skull to jawbones to brain size. One important and astonishing discovery was “Lucy” from the species called the Australopithicus afarensis. She was found in 1974, she proved that there was evidence of human species history. Her pelvis and hips displayed that she walked upright and not as a chimpanzee. Lucy made scientists discover more findings of the hominid evolution.
The article, African eve, describes Africa being the motherland of the human evolution. Scientists found the fossils of the Homo habilis which are associated with tools. The Homo erectus that was discovered in Africa showed they had a large skull with a big brain and walked in an upright position. About 600,000 years ago, the modern species of Homo sapiens was found in Africa. After the breakthrough of DNA, it has showed that the human species has been living in Africa longer than any other continent. This concludes that all of us humans have come from Africa. Since I was never educated about human evolution, my beliefs towards humans have formed. I never knew or would think that humans originated in Africa. The different species that have resulted in Homo sapiens showed all the transformations humans went through. Lucy `s discovery displayed an important finding in human ancestry.

Reflection 3

During my elementary and secondary years in school, my schools had a diverse amount of people in each class. I attended schools in Miami where many people from different religions, backgrounds, and languages surrounded me.
When I look back at those years, my teachers would embrace that our class was multicultural. My teachers would embrace multicultural education by the additive approach. The approach used was broad and basic but helped us better understand and build our multicultural knowledge. Since most of the students in my class had differences, my teachers would use that to their advantage. For example, in my fifth grade class when it was the month of December, my teacher, Ms. Hernandez used our holiday celebrations to share with the class. The month of December was separated into a week of Hanukah, a week of Christmas, and a week of Kwanzaa. The Jewish students would share some words and traditions with the class, such as lighting the menorah for eight nights. The Christian and catholic students and the rest of the class would participate in making ornaments and decorating the Christmas tree. The African Americans who celebrated Kwanzaa would learn the seven guiding principles.
Most of my teachers would follow the same route when educating us on multicultural curriculum. I feel that the additive approach is generic and should be taught until the third grade because although, the themes about black history, holocaust, and women`s month have made a knowledgeable impact in my education life, my teachers could have used a different and more profound approach for me and other students to learn from. The social action approach challenges students not only to learn the meaning of issues and themes, but it gets them involve. The approach promotes students to engage in activities that helps understand the subject that’s being taught to them. For example, the topic of eliminating racism can have students develop ways to reduce racism in the world. If the approach was applied in my classroom, I know I would have begun to create my own thoughts and perceptive on diverse subjects sooner. The Social action approach is a push for students to create their independent thinking.

Blog Comments

Coyote: From the looks of the inkblot, its an evil image. I see horns and slanted eyes,the mouth is open. The poem describes and supports my opinion that the image is some type of sinful beast.

Bat: In the image, I can clearly see a grey bat in the background. The big black image resembles a bat`s wings,but I don' t see the body of a bat. The poem describes the creature well, but I still don't see the big image resembling a bat.

Two gnomes dance the celebratory hopaky :Gnomes have red pointy hats. I see both of them facing forward and there body at an angle. They are reaching for there hands. Without seeing there faces, I can see happiness and celebrating. The poem describes what I see.

Reflection 2

Paradigms can be described as a point of view or a perspective. Paradigms help us create theories within ourselves, the way we as people view cultures, behaviors, and attitudes vary. The process of culture, behavior, and man`s ways of thinking was developed by paradigms shift. Paradigms shift is a transformation that changes one way of thinking to another.
The human`s revolution of inventions have and continue to change the we think, learn and see the world. The article`s position shows that inventions were a significant part in the human evolution. From millions years ago, human`s weapons were made for hunting. Humans learned that they needed to hunt for food so that they can become stronger and have clothes. Language as well was becoming more than hooting, it was a way of communication. Homo erectus was the first species to control fire. Fire was a change in there way of thinking and learned that fire can be used not only for food, but for warmth and even a way to bring man together. Increased domestication was occurring with women being home with the children and the men finding food. Men knew that being the man of the “house” was needed to protect his family. One of the biggest shifts was agriculture and farming that evolved. The creation of villages with vegetables and cattle became needed for the agricultural system. The advancement of communication helped man improve memory and the ability to actually make ideas and thoughts, the shift resulted in writing. Writing was a life changing shift because it gave human`s opportunity to write there history and share there thoughts at that time. Another invention that shifted human`s world of thinking was transportation. Horses and even the development of wheels gave the thought of transportation into use.
As the world continues to advance with cell phones, stem cell, internet, and other life changing inventions, it creates changes in our behavior, culture and attitudes. I believe the outlook of the world from the human`s eyes will continue metamorphosing as more inventions keep advancing.

Reflection 1

In the colonial times, becoming a teacher was no where near challenging or as demanding as it is today. Most teachers were not prepared with the fundamentals and skills to undertake a classroom. Chapter one states that the early field of education included teenagers with hardly any college education. The evolution of teacher preparation program started when the Normal school was created in 1823. The school provided two year programs filled with training, skills, and teaching methods. Though, the occupation of being a teacher was not respected, by the twentieth century it was starting to gain acceptance. As the demand for educated teachers were rising, more college and universities were increasing teaching programs. In 1980, the efforts to modify education were to have teachers gain higher standards and improve their professionalism. For example, some colleges expanded their programs from three to five years. In present time, two popular teacher preparation programs that are in universities and colleges are called Traditional and Alternative programs. The Alternative teacher preparation program could be called a minor in education. The program consists of college graduates that are knowledgeable in a subject and want to teach it in a classroom. The program provides them the fundamentals and skills that are needed in a classroom. Most college graduates take a summer course and then begin teaching in the upcoming school year. The alternative program called Teach for America provides teachers to educate in poor and under supplied schools. Many college students were motivated to take part in the program. The controversial issue was that most college graduates were not prepared for a difficult inner city classroom. The students as well as the teachers were not going to benefit as much. By extending more training and preparation, it can help run the program successfully in the future. There are other preparation programs emerging to help future teachers gain perspective of what to expect in a real classroom. The development of teacher preparation programs from colonial through present time has advanced and better trained teachers for the future.