Student Life in School and Home

1. Student Life in School and Home Chapter 3 in Sadker and Zittleman

2. Rules, Rituals, & Routines • What does a school day look like from a teacher’s perspective? • Planning • Accountability • Bureacracy • Excitement about Lessons • Concern for Individual students • Distractions

3. What does a school day look like from a student’s perspective? • Routines • Sitting • Listening • Activity • Social Connections • Distractions • Desire to succeed • Boredom

4. I sat silently in classrooms… • 10% of the time • 75% of the time • Almost never • 50% of the time

5. Socialization – How Important is it in American Schools? • Should concern us minimally • It is a positive contribution to society • Distracts us from learning • Is part of democracy • Some combination of the above

6. Delay and Social Distraction • Causes? • Responses? • Socio-cultural approaches • Scaffolding • Constructivism • Authenticity

7. Approaches to the Clock • Traditional 7-8 period day • Block Scheduling • Modular Scheduling • Home-schooling

8. Which schedule did you experience in middle school / high school • Blocks • Modular / rotation • Traditional • Home schooled

9. Gatekeeping • Structures and authority / power dynamics put teacher in this role. Teacher is active, students are passive. • How can a teacher make ‘gatekeeping’ less of the day? • How can schools limit this tendency?

10. Types of Grouping in Schools • Heterogeneous • Homogeneous • Tracking • Detracking • Inclusion • Mainstreaming • Ability Grouping

11. Socio-cultural Factors • De Facto grouping • Includes de facto segregation • Social construction of gender • Includes the ‘gender wall’

12. Socio-cultural Factors • Societal Attitudes • Racism • Classism • Status

13. In my school…. • Race was a major concern • Race was a minor concern • Race was hardly a question • #1) and I experienced racist behavior

14. My high school included groups with fairly rigid identities and boundaries • For Sure • Not so much • I was ok with it • Adults ignored it • Some combination of these

15. Families, the Economy and Schools • Stereotypical versions of the ideal family (aka as the Cleavers) are not always the case: • Children are the poorest group in U.S. • Intact ‘traditional’ families are less than 6% of American households • 1 in 5 children are in single household families

16. “Your Job doesn’t include dealing with their family life….” • When is this not the case? • What is pedagogically the reality? • What is philosophically the hope? • When or where do you draw the line?

17. Which of these were you most aware of in your school district? • Homelessness • Sexuality and teen pregnancy • AIDS / HIV • Dropouts • Substance Use • Teen suicide

18. My School addressed gender and sexual identity… • Well… with sensitivity and student involvement • Avoided these issues • Made a mess of these issues • These issues don’t belong in schools

19. Homework? • Too Much • None • Not enough to prepare for college • Busywork • Crucial for learning

20. Schools As Affective Institutions • Schools, while institutions, are about people (children) • Research suggests the importance of affect to learning • Advising • Student Organizations • Assets Theory (Search Institute)