Assumptions Of Diversity In Schools

I do think that all of the assumptions that are outline in the readings assigned for this unit can be characterized as negative or false in our school systems. One of the major problems that I believe to be most associated with these assumptions is the fact that they do not take into the account the diversity among students. I teach primarily co-taught courses which have students with a large array of strengths and weakness compared to other courses in the school. I have low-level learners, economically disadvantaged students, high disciplinary problems, average ability students, and even students who are higher than average in their academic ability. By grouping these students based on their age and regardless of their individual strengths, …show more content…
These assumptions are what have led us to curriculum that does not take into account the multidisciplinary nature of the world. According to Eisner (2003, p. 6), we must “think outside of the box about how we select content and organize curricula for school programs” so that we may provide students with a wide variety of opportunities and allow for “understanding that otherwise would be absent”. This is how we can ultimately make the content of our courses more interesting and relevant to the lives of our students. In my environmental science course, we recently observed the differences in land use over time by viewing aerial images from Google Earth. We observed areas that were local and that students would be most familiar with. This gave them an opportunity to make a connection to the content of the course in addition to seeing how science is used in careers that are not primarily science oriented.
Additionally, these assumptions have helped to create the monster that we call standardized testing. As a country that gives “more tests to students each year than schools in any other country” (Eisner, 2003, p. 651), we are creating a system that focuses too much attention on the scores our students make on end of course testing. This attention is not only used to judge students but also the quality of school systems. …show more content…
I choose this trend because I am a firm believer that parent involvement is crucial in the success of students in school. This is not the fault of the students, but it is a factor that I believe some students exploit when they know that their parents are “too” busy to be an active participant in what their child is doing at school. Although this is an out of school issue, I do believe that the school systems can provide additional supports that could be helpful to busy parents who must work extensive hours just to provide to their family. As stated by Scherer (2007, p. 4), “to improve student performance, schools may need to look increasingly beyond the academic curriculum and offer support to children of working parents outside of normal school hours”. As a teacher that works at in a school district that is primarily low income, I see a lack of parent involvement on a regular basis. I also see where some parents are interested in participating or helping their student to succeed but ultimately are unable to do so, because of things such as