Talking Points #10

"School funding is another political dimension of education, because more money has always been invested in the education of upper-class children and elite collegians than has been spent on students from lower-income homes and in community colleges."

This point for the article reminded me of the article we read by Anyon about the four different types of schools, and how their respective students were taught. Anyon argues that the richer schools and students have access to more expensive and informative materials, and that it is hindering students who come from families and communities with less money. Shor obviously agrees with Anyon in regards to this.

"In classrooms where participation is meager, the low performance of students is routinely misjudged as low achievement. Bur the actual cognitive levels of students are hard to measure in teacher-centered classrooms where students participate minimally. An accurate picture of what students know and can do is possible only when students really want to perform at their best."

I found this quote really interesting. If a teacher doesn't believe that their class is smart or doubts the level of intelligence that a student has, that student will certainly not go out of their way to have their ideas criticized by that teacher. In a learning environment, it's important to be encouraging. Like Dr. Bogad said in class one time, it's better to tell a student that they see and appreciate their thought process, rather than just tell a student they gave an incorrect answer.

"Students study their own culture and that of the other students different from them. They undertake a cross-cultural study of the other groups in the community-white, Black, Hispanic, Asian-and all students learn English and Spanish. Further, this curriculum is thematic rather than fact-driven."

I just picked this quote because I thought it was a really unique way to look at things. You can learn as much as you want about a certain group or culture, but you will never have the same history or experience that they have had. However, learning about it is still important so that you can be educated and informed about cultures and groups other than your own.