Teaching and Critical Pedagogy
SCHOOL
AND SOCIETY
ES 395
____________________________
FINAL
OPTION #1: The School-Based Inquiry Project
I. Rationale: This school-based inquiry project is to not only get you talking to real practitioners in the field of education, but also to get you thinking about topics for your final paper. The project will consist of three separate elements that will be required to submit for a grade.
NOTE: For this assignment, you are to submit a duplicate copy of your project electronically. You will be required to email your paper as an attachment to me at hillary.baker@wmich.edu.
The paper is to be submitted the DAY that it is due, no sooner OR later. When emailing me, make sure the TITLE OF THE PAPER is in THE SUBJECT field of the email.
I will assess the paper copy, and keep the electronic copy of your paper on file.
If I do not get an electronic copy of the assignment, you will not receive credit for the assignment and/or you risk having the grade of the paper affected considerably.
II. Process: You will need to interview TWO teachers who are currently practicing in either public or private schools -- NO administration (And, if you pick a parent or sibling, you only get ONE. The goal is to get you beyond what you might already know or be familiar with).
Your teachers must represent different levels within the educational structure - one from high school & one from elementary, for example. The point is to expose you to different views and perspectives, albeit a small sample, regarding a myriad of educational topics – topics we have or soon will be talking about in class.
NOTE: If you choose to talk to a teacher who works for a charter school and/or to a parent who home-schools, you can only talk to one. You CANNOT talk to two teachers from a charter school and/or two parents who home-school. You will also need to talk to at least one teacher from a TRADITIONAL public school. If not, expect your grade to be affected considerably.
You are to come up with a list of 15-20 questions to use during the interview. Ultimately, you will be submitting these questions as part of your assessment. The questions should be more than simple "yes" or "no" questions. The questions should be based on your readings and discussions in class, fashioned in such a way as to illicit thought-provoking responses from the interviewee(s).
As you develop your list, consider areas in educational studies that you find most interesting. For example, if you have an interest in "tracking," perhaps fashion three-four questions related to the topic, questions probing both sides of the issue and/or how the interviewee believes the problem can be solved. In a list of 15-20 questions, consider dealing with at least three to four different topics.
NOTE: Please make sure to ask permission from the teachers ahead of time, & let them know that the interviews won't be used for publication. These papers will only be read by the instructor & will not be shared in a public fashion. Assure them that they will not be part of publication or discussion inside or outside the classroom setting.
In addition, for accountability purposes, you will need to submit the teachers' names, schools, & levels they work at within that school. Without these, the paper will be considered INCOMPLETE/ZERO.
Lastly: I strongly encourage you to meet with the interviewees face to face. Doing an interview like this over the phone and/or via email simply does not produce the same results. Look for ways to make the process work for both you and your interviewee.
III. Product: You will be submitting an EIGHT page product that will include the following:
1. A 2-3 page in-depth SUMMARY of the interviews making specific references to your interview and to the interviewees.
In the SUMMARY, stick to the facts. You do not need to draw conclusions. Save deeper thoughts, observations, etc., for the reflective element of the assignment.
NOTE: Make sure to use quotes, partial quotes, and/or indirect quotes from the teachers during in the SUMMARY. Without quotes/teacher voice, the grade for the summary will be affected.
Also, take care that you do not offer the reader a "laundry-list" of ideas/quotes, etc. This needs to be written in a thoughtful manner. Avoid things like: "For question number one, I asked 'How do you feel about inclusion?' Then, they said, 'I feel bad'. Then, I asked them how they felt about . . ."
2. A 4-5 page CRITICAL REFLECTION based on these interviews, text, and the course packet. This is a narrative approach, an "I-centered" response indicating to me your feelings, observations, etc. about the interviewees and various educational topics raised during the interviews.
This is, by far, the more important part of this assignment - the part that you show what you have learned not just from the interviews, but about the class as a whole. In the CRITICAL REFLECTION you are to make observations/comments/conclusions regarding what you think you learned as a result of the entire learning experience i.e. talking to the teachers, researching your issues, etc.
When putting this part of the assignment together, more than likely you could/should be COMPARING & CONTRASTING the teachers and reflecting on how they do and do not relate, or on whether you feel they are "with it" when it comes to the big education picture and/or the issues raised during your investigation. You should pick things the teachers said/how the feel and reflect on those feelings.
As you are interviewing/writing/reflecting, consider some of the following: What did you learn specifically about teaching, these teachers, or maybe even teachers as a whole? How did you feel doing this project? Did you find the people you interviewed were "up- to-date", "realistic" or not about the topics you discussed? Did you get a sense that anyone outside of this class is concerned with these issues? If so, what about this project led you to this conclusion? Also, what specific strategies did you see these teachers use that dealt with critical issues such as tracking, or issues of multiculturalism? In your opinion, are they effective? Why/why not? Are these teachers realistic? Are they knowledgeable? What do you think they feel is the 'purpose of education' or schooling?
(Make sure that you stick to issues related to this class. For instance, there is no real need to discuss classroom management strategies, etc. I am NOT interested in how the teachers looked, whether they smiled during the interview. Stick to critical issues raised in ES 3950).
In the end: do NOT be afraid to scrutinize what these teachers are saying, thinking, doing, etc., when it comes to the critical issues/ideas raised in class. That is the point: evaluation and reflection. Also, do NOT be afraid to state opinion. Although this assignment is not a persuasive essay per se, you are certainly allowed - and expected - to present to the reader a clear idea of how you feel about the teachers, their comments, the issues raised, etc., all the while using good research and support to bloster your thoughts and observations.
To repeat: this assignment is NOT a reflective journal, nor is the main purpose to simply interview teachers about how they feel on issues raised in this class. As a whole, this assignment challenges you to craft a project that showcases not only your ability to write, but also on your ability to make critical, well-supported reflections and connections regarding the content and nature of this course.
IV. Other Requirements : Other requirements/things to note for this assignment:
- As always you will be assessed on the quality of your writing. Also, you will be expected to quote directly and indirectly from the interviewees. As the reader I want to hear their "voice" in the assignment. Everything must be typed & following usual class format (1" margins, 12-point font, double-spaced)
- Make sure to provide me with a list of your questisons.
- Again, desides referring to your interviewees you will also need to provide additional support from resources, particularly in the CRITICAL REFLECTION. In other words, draw upon ideas raised in Spring, class, and in you course packet to add depth to your reflection. The goal is to make connections: to tie this classroom and its content to the 'real world' of teaching. To do this, you must draw upon resources/support to add dimension to you conclusions and overall discussion.
- For this research project, I expect to see at least SIX to EIGHT RELEVANT SCHOLARLY RESOURCES cited in the final draft. Again, this is a research project. Look to tie your findings/thoughts to the findings/thoughts of others in the profession. Make sure to use proper citation format, and be sure to include a "Works Cited" page.
- Without additional citations, your grade can be affected. Your sources must also be varied. By this I mean that you cannot rely too heavily on just one type of resource. So, for this project: No more than TWO web sites*; at least one book; and at least one scholarly journal. I'll explain this in more detail in class.
( NOTE: the teachers you interview do NOT COUNT AS SCHOLARLY RESOURCES! Expect to do scholarly research up and beyond the interviews. If your paper reflects MINIMAL/MARGINAL RESEARCH (three or four resources?) expect your final grade to suffer considerably as this IS considered a RESEARCH assignment!)
V. Possible Topics of Discussion:
Here are some possible topics of discussion during your interview regarding some of the critical issues raised by this class:
Critical Pedagogy.
Gender & Sexism.
Homophobia/Heteronormativity/Acceptance .
Antiracism/Prejudice/Multiculturalism..
Social Stratification/Finacial Inequities/Classism.
Racial Identity/Whiteness and White Privilege.
Immigrants/Muslims & Racial Profiling.
Teenagers/Youth Rights .
Sexism in Education
Ethnocentric Education
Commericalism in Schools
Internet/E-learning
High Stakes Testing/NCLB.
Schools and School Violence
Lack of Minority Teachers.
Inequity in Education/Minorities
Here are some other issues tied to education that might be interesting to pursue:
HOME SCHOOLING
INTELLIGENCE TESTS
TRACKING/ABILITY GROUPING
INCLUSION/ MAINSTREAMING
ALL MALE/ALL FEMALE CLASSROOMS
SEGREGATION
ETHNOCENTRIC EDUCATION
ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE/BILINGUAL ED.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
PRIVATIZATION OF SCHOOLS
PARENT ROLES IN EDUCATION
COMMERCIALISM AND SCHOOLS
VOUCHERS/SCHOOL CHOICE
COMPULSORY EDUCATION/COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE
PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS/FUNDING ROLES OF GOVERNMENT/SCHOOLING
TEACHER-CENTERED EDUCATION
TEXTBOOKS CURRICULUM/DECIDING KNOWLEDGE
TEACHING SOCIAL EDUCATION/MELIORIST
ADOPTION OF NATIONAL STANDARDS
TEACHING METHODS STATE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS/MEAP
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND/EDUCATIONAL REFORM
CUTTING CURRICULUM/THE ARTS
MINORITY TEACHERS/MINIORITY KIDS
INEQUITY IN EDUCATION/MINORITIES
TEACHER TRAINING/PREPARATION PROGRAMS
"Teacher Inquiry" Assessment
What follows is a general run-down of how the assignment will be assessed:
An "excellant/extraordinary" project worthy of an "A": Overall, the writing is extremely well written; the content flows without problem by being well organized; attention to categorization of ideas obvious; the writer exhibits a sophisticated control of language, diction, voice/tone; the writing is exceptionally engaging, clear, and focused / The writer clearly illustrates critical thinking about the topic/issue by using relevant facts and information; the main ideas/opinions are stated clearly and is convincing; supporting information is abundant; appropriate and main ideas are accurate; as a whole, the writing is logical/rational; and, the writer makes specific references to source material and/or examples / Attention to presentation obvious, little to no problems at all with mechanics or grammar and conventions contribute to the effect of the presentation.
A "very good/high pass" grade of "B" means that the writer might meet the requirements, but still lacks in some of the more critical areas reflective of "A" quality work; an "adequate/satisfactory" paper receiving a "C" likely meets some of the criteria/requirements, but leaves too many questions regarding planning, content, approach, etc.; a "D" grade likely reflects considerable problems and/or poor quality of work, support, organization, planning, etc; an 'E' reflects severe problems with the assignment.
For a more detailed rubric on this assignment, click here .