Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Presentation about high school dropouts
Next week, you will present your findings on your essential question. Most likely, the presentations will take place Tuesday or Wednesday. You will use the readings I've given you or the readings you find to answer your essential question.
Your presentation will be:
1) Your essential question.
2) Why you chose this essential question.
3) A summary of your findings.
4) Visuals (posters, multimedia) to explain your points.
5) Your final opinions/thoughts on the question.
You must turn in a dialectic journal with your findings.
You must turn in a bibliography of at least five sources. You must read and use at least five sources. They can be readings Mr. Ko has given you, or readings you've found yourself.
The goal is to come away from this more informed about the high school dropout crisis.
Your presentation will be:
1) Your essential question.
2) Why you chose this essential question.
3) A summary of your findings.
4) Visuals (posters, multimedia) to explain your points.
5) Your final opinions/thoughts on the question.
You must turn in a dialectic journal with your findings.
You must turn in a bibliography of at least five sources. You must read and use at least five sources. They can be readings Mr. Ko has given you, or readings you've found yourself.
The goal is to come away from this more informed about the high school dropout crisis.
So what are the solutions to the dropout problem?
These articles might help you find some answers, and BE MORE INFORMED!
Preventing future high school dropouts (This is a big document. Focus on Chapters 6 and 7)
10 Strategies to keep students in schools
Should we pay kids for doing well at school?
What are schools doing specifically about Latino students? Here is one answer from Houston.
Latina girls have a higher drop out rate than any other group of girls. What is it about the Hispanic culture that conflicts with education?
Is "Cyber-education" a possible answer?
The state of Washington is working on a plan to help African-American students achieve in school (Focus on Chapter 5)
What about Big Picture Learning schools? They have this thing called Learning Through Internship/Interest. And we have one in the Highline School District.
Is Middle School the Key to the Dropout Crisis?
Preventing future high school dropouts (This is a big document. Focus on Chapters 6 and 7)
10 Strategies to keep students in schools
Should we pay kids for doing well at school?
What are schools doing specifically about Latino students? Here is one answer from Houston.
Latina girls have a higher drop out rate than any other group of girls. What is it about the Hispanic culture that conflicts with education?
Is "Cyber-education" a possible answer?
The state of Washington is working on a plan to help African-American students achieve in school (Focus on Chapter 5)
What about Big Picture Learning schools? They have this thing called Learning Through Internship/Interest. And we have one in the Highline School District.
Is Middle School the Key to the Dropout Crisis?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Students of Color, Expectations and Trayvon Martin
Black, Hispanic and Native American students are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate - almost half of them every year, according to a 2006 report by the Gates Foundation titled "The Silent Epidemic." Why?
One of the answers might lie in the expectations that teachers have for students of color (versus white students).
To further examine this issue, let's look at the case of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Florida boy who was shot and killed Feb. 28 while walking home from a store. He was black. The shooter, George Zimmerman, 28, was 1/2 white and 1/2 Hispanic. Here's a good summary of the case so far:
The shooting of Trayvon Martin
After the shooting, outraged citizens have gone crazy on social media. More than a 1/2 million people have signed a petition on Change.org to demand the arrest of Mr. Zimmerman, who was released after being questioned.
It's interesting to connect this case to education since we're talking about our perceptions here. Zimmerman clearly saw Trayvon as a threat. What kinds of perceptions and expectations do we have of certain groups of people?
Here is a thought-provoking article from a guy who says,
White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin
Do you agree/disagree with the author, Mr. Skolnik?
Here's another really good article that says it's more complicated than black and white.
What do you think?
What does Trayvon Martin have to do with the high school dropout issue we are studying? Maybe there's a real connection, maybe there isn't. I'm not a social scientist and I don't claim to have the answers. But consider the facts about school discipline in this country:
Minority Students Face More Discipline, Data Shows
What should we make of this data? Why are black and Hispanic students disciplined more than their peers? When teachers enforce the rules, do you think they have different expectations for kids based on their color? Might that be a reason for high dropout rates? Or is this just an excuse?
Finally, read more about the idea of a "Color Blind" approach to education.
Is this the right idea? Should teachers then try to disregard the color and background of their students? What are the consequences?
From these readings, what can you take that might help you become MORE INFORMED about the high school dropout issue in this country?
One of the answers might lie in the expectations that teachers have for students of color (versus white students).
To further examine this issue, let's look at the case of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Florida boy who was shot and killed Feb. 28 while walking home from a store. He was black. The shooter, George Zimmerman, 28, was 1/2 white and 1/2 Hispanic. Here's a good summary of the case so far:
The shooting of Trayvon Martin
After the shooting, outraged citizens have gone crazy on social media. More than a 1/2 million people have signed a petition on Change.org to demand the arrest of Mr. Zimmerman, who was released after being questioned.
It's interesting to connect this case to education since we're talking about our perceptions here. Zimmerman clearly saw Trayvon as a threat. What kinds of perceptions and expectations do we have of certain groups of people?
Here is a thought-provoking article from a guy who says,
White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin
Do you agree/disagree with the author, Mr. Skolnik?
Here's another really good article that says it's more complicated than black and white.
What do you think?
What does Trayvon Martin have to do with the high school dropout issue we are studying? Maybe there's a real connection, maybe there isn't. I'm not a social scientist and I don't claim to have the answers. But consider the facts about school discipline in this country:
Minority Students Face More Discipline, Data Shows
What should we make of this data? Why are black and Hispanic students disciplined more than their peers? When teachers enforce the rules, do you think they have different expectations for kids based on their color? Might that be a reason for high dropout rates? Or is this just an excuse?
Finally, read more about the idea of a "Color Blind" approach to education.
Is this the right idea? Should teachers then try to disregard the color and background of their students? What are the consequences?
From these readings, what can you take that might help you become MORE INFORMED about the high school dropout issue in this country?
Friday, March 16, 2012
News of the Week assignment
1. Read this story about gun safety laws, written after a third child was shot by a gun due in large part to the carelessness of adults.
2. Go on to the comments section. Read the comments, leave a comment.
3. Email your comment to me at Michael.Ko@highlineschools.org.
2. Go on to the comments section. Read the comments, leave a comment.
3. Email your comment to me at Michael.Ko@highlineschools.org.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
OBJECTIVE: Inform yourself about the issue of high school dropouts.
Your task today is to skim through the Gates Foundation report on high school dropouts, called “The Silent Epidemic.”
Read the Executive Summary
Read "Consequences of our Nation's Low Graduation Rates" (page 2)
Read "Who is Dropping Out" (page 2-3)
At the end of the period, you will have one essential question that expresses your interest in one area of the dropout problem. For example, it could be:
Why do so many Hispanic and black students drop out of school? or
What can we do about unmotivated students? or
How can we make school more relatable/relevant to students?
Eventually, you will answer your own question. You will find readings that relate to your topic. You will read those readings. Then you will present your findings to the rest of class. The goal is to have an informed opinion about the issue of high school dropouts in the U.S.
Your task today is to skim through the Gates Foundation report on high school dropouts, called “The Silent Epidemic.”
Read the Executive Summary
Read "Consequences of our Nation's Low Graduation Rates" (page 2)
Read "Who is Dropping Out" (page 2-3)
At the end of the period, you will have one essential question that expresses your interest in one area of the dropout problem. For example, it could be:
Why do so many Hispanic and black students drop out of school? or
What can we do about unmotivated students? or
How can we make school more relatable/relevant to students?
Eventually, you will answer your own question. You will find readings that relate to your topic. You will read those readings. Then you will present your findings to the rest of class. The goal is to have an informed opinion about the issue of high school dropouts in the U.S.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Documentary Modes - Resources
Standards:
Students will analyze mass media for bias and use of persuasive tecniques and evaluate their impact (Communications GLE. 1.2.2)
Documentary Mode = The characteristics and traits that separate each of the different types of documentaries.
The ones we will be studying in class, and the styles that you will be choosing from, include:
Poetic/Avante Garde
Expository
Observational/”Fly on the Wall”
Cinema Verite/French Realism
Reflexive/Interactive
Performative
Participatory
Here are some resources for you to put together your informational sheets that you will share with the rest of your class.
You need to create a 1/4-1/2 page handout in language that you and your classmates can understand. It must include:
- a definition of your documentary mode
- characteristics, traits and elements of your documentary mode
- some examples from TV and movies that use your documentary mode
When you're done, attach it to an email and send it to michael.ko@highlineschools.org.
We will also present our work to our classmates.
Documentary Modes
Bowling for Columbine Study Guide (see page 3)
Wikipedia
Good summarization of a few more modes
Cinema Verite
More Cinema Verite
Good slideshow with definitions (scroll through to find info on expository, poetic, observational, performative, participatory, and reflexive modes)
Students will analyze mass media for bias and use of persuasive tecniques and evaluate their impact (Communications GLE. 1.2.2)
Documentary Mode = The characteristics and traits that separate each of the different types of documentaries.
The ones we will be studying in class, and the styles that you will be choosing from, include:
Poetic/Avante Garde
Expository
Observational/”Fly on the Wall”
Cinema Verite/French Realism
Reflexive/Interactive
Performative
Participatory
Here are some resources for you to put together your informational sheets that you will share with the rest of your class.
You need to create a 1/4-1/2 page handout in language that you and your classmates can understand. It must include:
- a definition of your documentary mode
- characteristics, traits and elements of your documentary mode
- some examples from TV and movies that use your documentary mode
When you're done, attach it to an email and send it to michael.ko@highlineschools.org.
We will also present our work to our classmates.
Documentary Modes
Bowling for Columbine Study Guide (see page 3)
Wikipedia
Good summarization of a few more modes
Cinema Verite
More Cinema Verite
Good slideshow with definitions (scroll through to find info on expository, poetic, observational, performative, participatory, and reflexive modes)
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