promising practices

Promising Practice Conference at Rhode Island college was a good experience even though it was super hard to wake up that early. Anyways before the two workshops the lady who opened the conference with a presentation made some very interesting points that in some way connect to our class. She talked about a variety of gaps that exists in the United States that we haven’t covered in our class.  For example overdose with drugs, HIV among gay individuals, and the percentage of who gets their high diploma or not. This class has made me realize how messed up and the amount of fixing this country needs. Because these issues are higher in societies like the one I grew up in, and before this class I used to always blame the citizens who are in this situations but the truth is that the systems places a huge part on making it happen.

My first workshop was interesting but I knew most of the stuffs they talked about. I picked it because I knew a little about it but I expected to gain some more information about it. The presenter talked about the reasons why sexuality education is a good thing to have in schools. For example like it gives the students knowledge, early onset of puberty, improve communication and for the safety of the students. I feel like she gave lots of information but she rushed it which didn’t help as much because it felt like many statements with no explanations. I prefer learning of something resourceful in the way that it’s easy to understand and remember and I can always go back to but she just gave us a ton of information all at once making hard to keep up and learn.

On the other hand my second workshop was more resourceful but less of my interest. There were two presenters, which I believe they did a very good job. There were many questions asked and all of them were answered which gave me a better understanding even though I wasn’t the one asking them. The main topic of the workshop was about how in New England States there are many programs which focus on helping professionals who have health issues like alcohol and other drugs addiction.

I expected to have more connections to our topics in class but I feel like these two workshops focus on making safe places where these individuals (students & professional) can get information about problems or get treated and helped.

Empowering Education by Shor -reflection

“A curriculum that does not challenge the standard syllabus and conditions in society inform students that knowledge and the world are fixed and are fine the way they are, with no role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for change.”

            This quote really caught my attention, connecting me to many previous readings. Many things I have learned in class, I can relate to the quote for example it connects to Collier in the way that if teachers let students be themselves in the critical thinking and expressing what they think and believe it would value who they are and even their family beliefs and difference between one another. It would also create a safe place where students feel free to interact without hiding any difference from one another. While reading I kept thinking of how Dr. Bogad teaches her class and this reading is basically a description of her system of teaching. In the way we read and when we talk about it in class is thoughts and things of what we got from the reading. Most of the time there isn’t a right answer, it’s more like what we got and learn from the reading. Many times we have disagreements but that’s fine each of us is different so there will be some difference between us but we respect it.

            The type of curriculum Shor talks about its frequently used in middle class and upper level class society. Shor and Finn both talk about how a challenging curriculum of more thinking and less straightforward assignments is the better way to educate and how the lower classes societies are lacking of this system.