Ch. 9 First Impression Post- Intelligence

--Original published at Ben's PSY105 Blog

In my experience, most teachers have always been there to support me and positively push me forward in my studies. However, there were definitely some who would seemed to be rooting against me. My work ethic and study habits were never the greatest while I was growing up. Everything seemed easy for me to do, so I never really bothered with the extra practice of homework until about my junior year of high school. Looking back, the best teachers I ever had were the ones who pushed me to work my hardest by providing challenging work which made me feel accomplished to complete it. The most memorable for me was my AP Calculus teacher in my senior year. She wouldn’t assign a long list of problems to do every night, instead she would give just a few challenging problems. For me, she was without a doubt the best teacher I’ve ever had because of how she pushed all of her students to do the best they could but didn’t punish us if we couldn’t get the problems. If she saw us putting in effort, she would always help guide us in the direction of the right answer. It made everyone in the class feel like they were working towards a meaningful learning experience.

On the flip side of this, I have also had experience with teachers who did not seem to have our future success as their best interest. The two most memorable negative experiences I have with teachers came in my 8th grade algebra class and in my AP US History class. In algebra, my teacher told me that she was disappointed that I got a 90.0 at the end of the marking period because she did not want to give me an A. As a young teenager, this experience really left a sour taste in my mouth. Knowing my teacher wanted to give me a lower grade than I had earned just because she didn’t like me felt unfair. In my AP US History class, my teacher openly told the class she didn’t like my dad, another history teacher in the school. Then she went out of her way to single me out in front of the whole class whenever I got anything wrong, no matter how many other people made the same mistakes as me.

I was lucky enough to have a strong support system around me when I was growing up, so even when I didn’t feel like my teachers were rooting for my success I had people there to push me to do my best. There are a lot of young students who aren’t lucky enough to have the same kind of support in their lives that I grew up with. If they don’t have their teachers to make them feel like there’s something worth working for, it is very easy for them to give up on learning and fall behind. Our best hope for success of the kids who don’t have the support from home is that their teachers make them feel like there’s something worth working for in school. Kids all deserve the same opportunity to learn, regardless of what they look like, what their life is like outside of school, or how much money they have.

Chapter 9 – Intelligence

--Original published at Olivia's College Blog

An instructor’s role in the classroom is very impactful on the pupil’s success and intelligence. From their method of teaching to their classroom rules, teachers control the flow of the classroom environment. Their subtle or not-so-subtle behaviors can determine a child’s intelligence. While genetics may have a role in someone’s intelligence, it is important to understand how one’s learning environment may be related to intelligence. I can relate to this topic from having 15 years in the public-school system. I don’t think it is any coincidence that my favorite instructors were the ones whose classes I excelled the most.

              This is a tricky subject, because no two students have the same requirements for an environment that will allow their intelligence to flourish. For me, I always did the best in classrooms where the teacher was outspoken, friendly, and comical. In our class, we’ve learned that learning is done most effectively when there is meaning attached to the content. I am most successful and feel most intelligent in classrooms where the teacher is lively and engaging, because it cues my semantic memory to extrapolate information from interesting lectures. In classrooms like our own psychology class, I am most comfortable which makes me feel like I am retaining more information.

              At the other end of the spectrum, I have had very poor experiences with instructors who I do not feel connected to in the classroom. The most difficulty for me comes from very dry classes that do not involve discussions, student comments, or questions. In these environments, it becomes hard to find meaning in the information that is information that is thrown my way.

              I think one far reach solution to this is having instructors take tests like the IAT that check their levels of prejudice. This is an extremely influential factor in student success. Educators that are prejudiced to any group of people, consciously or unconsciously, could single handedly determine the success of a student. Whether it is religious, gender, or race prejudice, any biases could manipulate the fair learning environment that every child deserves.

I can see how an instructor’s job is a difficult one since no two students are alike. For that reason, I think it is important for the instructor to be adaptable and open to the differences among students. For example, one could create lessons to accommodate tactile learners, visual, and auditory learners. I believe that welcoming classrooms that are accepting of differences will foster learning and intelligence. Just like employers are required to follow certain guidelines to ensure workplace fairness and safety, I think teachers should understand that their role and classroom environment is largely an indicator of student success and intelligence.

Intelligence

--Original published at WilliamsCollegeBlog

Even though genetics give way to how intelligence someone might be, the learning environment around someone is just as important. Every person you interact with has some sort of effect on you and how you are learning in that specific area. Whether being with friends, family or the classroom, trying to do homework or study can be different. Teachers always give the best advice and are the most encouraging the try your best and ask for help when needed. Every teacher has a different style of learning and their methods reflect the students. Someone who is laid back and easy-going may be the popular teacher but does not mean they are better than others. Typically, those students in the classroom are the same way as the teacher. They will not have strong study habits for that class, and it can be translated into their other classes and grades. Their intelligence is therefore hindered and not at the same level as some other student in a different class growing up. My favorite teacher to this day was my Calculus teacher who I had for three years. He just so happened to be my cross country and track coach, but he still had a positive impact on me and how I am as a student. He was always cheerful, and I never saw him upset about anything. He made me excited for class and honestly made me want to learn the material and understand what he was talking about. I can say having him made me a better student.

One change I would want to make to the school system would be giving time to for the students to have a teacher mentor who they are able to go to for advice once they get to middle school. Obviously, there are guidance counselors for that reason, but they do not have the same impact on us as teachers do. We also do not see them as often as teachers. In college we have our advisors, so something like an advisor secondary education would be help I believe for every student.

Intelligence

--Original published at Jess Principe's Blog

by: Jess Principe

The educators I have had in my schooling experience so far have had an extremely positive impact on me. Aside from the education I have received from them, the knowledge I have learned about the many valuable factors in life outside of education have come from my teachers. Things such as learning how to share or be a good friend when you are in kindergarten, to up through high school learning how to have confidence in yourself, set goals to reach in life, and be intrinsically motivated are all skills my educators helped me to find in myself. I do feel that how educators act towards their students impacts their mindsets, which then affects their actions, which affects of course their futures. Even the subtle phrases or “words of wisdom” that I have learned from my educators are sometimes the ones that have stuck with me the most throughout my life. My coaches, I consider to be as valuable as my educators as well for these same exact reasons.

I feel that one of the best things the schooling systems do and should do more of is opportunities for students to connect with their teachers. For example, we had “advisory” at both my middle school and high school, where we could select a teacher that we felt close with or trusted to always have to go to for advice, picking classes, and guidance throughout our middle school and high school years. These relationships were very valuable to me, I still talk with my advisors a lot, and my family and I consider them close family friends too. These relationships and healthy environments are vital for students to receive from their educators as they grow into adults that later pursue college and careers.

Ch 9- Intelligence

--Original published at Maddy Vingom's PSY105 Blog

Intelligence is both impacted by one’s genes and their environment. Most children spend six to eight hours each day sitting in a classroom. In these classrooms kids learn not only facts and math skills, but how to behave in certain social situations as well. Throughout school I was fortunate enough to have teachers who truly cared about my peers and me. One of my favorite teachers was my high school physics teacher, Mr. Daugherty. He was passionate about helping students learn, regardless if you were enrolled in his class or a different teacher he would gladly sit down and ensure that you understand each concept. Mr. Daugherty made class engaging though hands-on labs to explain physics concepts to his students. I think all educators should follow in his footsteps by implementing more hands-on learning and ensuring that the students are not only memorizing facts but understanding concepts. 

Mr. Daugherty made school about learning again, not simply the memorization of random information. Unfortunately, school has become a place where obtaining a good grade is more important than actually learning. The teachers are not at fault for this, they typically want what is best for their students, the school system is failing their students. Schools are often times not adequately funded teachers and other staff are underpaid, the teaching materials are out dated, and schools lack transportation for all students. These have a major impact on how well students will do in their classes, the more money a school has the more resources they will have for their students to succeed. Thankfully my parents choose to live in a wealthier school district, where many of these things were not an issue for me. 

Chapter 9 First Impression Prompts – Intelligence

Hand writing on a notebook

Here are the two prompts for this week. Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the tag “Intelligence.”

Option 1:

Many people consider intelligence to be largely determined by genetics, but there is substantial evidence that the environment and social processes play a large role as well. Since schools are a place where children try to determine how smart they really are, it is important for educators to understand the impacts of their subtle or not-so-subtle interactions with students. In your blog post, reflect on your interactions with educators throughout your school career, and discuss what changes to the school system could improve students’ performance in the classroom.

Option 2:

In 1998, the Governor of Georgia, Zell Miller, proposed spending $105,000 of the state’s budget to distribute a cassette or CD of classical music to the parents of each new child born in Georgia (see the NY Times article). Governor Miller was a staunch believer in the Mozart effect, a theory that listening to Mozart can increase intelligence. Discuss whether or not you think Governor Miller’s decision was a good one.

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Caitlinator
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Spotlight Post #3

--Original published at Chey's Blog

I decided to look at single- gender schooling instead of year round education. Before reading any of these articles my stance is that single-gender education is not a good option. I personally so not think that it gives males and females the social skills that are necessary for them to interact with each other.

The first article I read was called “The Research Spotlight on Single-Gender Education.” It essentially claimed that girls would thrive more in a single-gender school. The author of this article noted that boys are praised more often than girls for things like calling out answers in class in mixed-gender schools. I located another article called “Is Single-Gender Education Better for Students?” This article said some similar things. It noted that girls tend to do better in single-gender schools. It was also stated that girls feel more confident and treat each other better when boys are not around. It was also noted that both genders could potentially do worse socially when not interacting with each other every day in schools.

On the opposite side I located some articles against single-gender education. This particular article, “Single-Sex Schools Are a Bad Idea,” was written by a woman that attended a single-gender school. She spoke of a level of competition that was not in mixed-gender schools. She noted that every girl in her school went on a diet to try and eat less than every other girl. She said that it was very damaging to her and made all of them see the opposite gender as lower than them. I found another article called “Single-Sex Education: The Pros and Cons.” This article talked about how these schools could make you see the opposite gender as lower and that many teachers are not able to create gender-specific lessons and techniques to teach.

Overall I found that these articles did not change my opinion. I still feel that single-gender schools could be detrimental to social skills with the opposite sex. They could also cause a lot of emotional harm as well. I think too much estrogen or testosterone in one building is a bad idea in general.

http://www.nea.org/tools/17061.htm

https://www.goodcall.com/news/single-gender-education-010826

https://thetab.com/uk/student/2016/02/05/went-single-sex-school-think-theyre-bad-idea-421

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons/

Spotlight Blog #3- Intelligence

--Original published at Kaylyn's PSY105 Blog

School is a place that we all must go when we grow up in order to get the education that we need to be successful. Normally there is a fall and spring semester of school, both of which last for around four months. After the fall and spring semesters conclude, there is a two-and-a-half-month-long break. Recently there have been many debates over whether or not students benefit, or are harmed, by summer break. This has led to an investigation of year-round schooling and if it should be implemented into the public education system. There are pros and cons to both types of schooling and people are definitely sharing their opinions.

One article written in “The Edvocate”, by author Michael Lynch, spoke about the pros of year-round schooling for students. “The traditional school year, with roughly three months of vacation days every summer was first implemented when America was an agricultural society” (Lynch 1). Students would spend their summers out on the farm maintaining and harvesting crops (Lynch 1). America has now moved a bit out of farming and there are now many more opportunities for people in terms of livelihood. Since America has moved into the future, he believes that schooling should move forward too. One big factor was that students will be able to remember what they learned, instead of falling victim to forgetting information over the summer and having to play catch-up in the fall. Also, it would be easier to bridge the achievement gap for students with learning disabilities or students who have English as their second language. “Studies have found that disadvantaged students lose about 27 percent more of their learning gains in the summer months than their peers” (Lynch 1). This shows that not only do they get the problem of forgetting over the summer, but it is worse for them on top of that. The last point he made was that students will actually begin to like school. He believes that they will get closer with their teachers due to the extended amount of time they need to spend with them. Also, the students will not feel as detached from the school environment, since they will be there all year. Michael Lynch is credible in my opinion because he has written many articles on this topic, and writes on a website that is education based. He has a doctorate degree which means that he has education on the topic and will be able to provide a look into how it affects students.

Another article that is written on “Everyday Health” provides some more insight into how year-round schooling is good for students. The article did share some of the same points as in “The Edvocate” article; however, there were some more points that they added on. One of these facts includes that parents would need to find child-care for their children for the summer. This will create a financial burden on the family and it is hard to find all daycare for the summer since people like to go on vacations. Also, students would get longer breaks for traditional holidays, two or three weeks, rather than the usual three or four days (Health 10). It would only lack a two-and-a-half-month summer break for students. Also, when school starts back up after summer break, there is a large portion dedicated to reviewing material taught the previous year. With year-round schooling there would not be a need to review as much and students will be able to learn more during their time in school. It will also reduce stress on the students because teachers will not need to shove all of the projects and homework on students in order to meet deadlines. They will be able to spread homework and assignments out better with the additional time they have to teach the material (Health 15). The credibility of this source is fairly high because they talk about the health of people in society, and this article discusses mental health of students. Since they are a website based on health, it makes sense they would talk about school, which is a big source of stress for students, teachers, and parent. Even though there are pros to having year-round schooling, there are also cons that need to be taken into account.

Another article written on “The Edvocate”, again written by Michael Lynch, talked about the cons of year-round schooling. One major factor is that it could result in higher bills for the school system because they will need to pay for year-round air-conditioning/ heat, and other needs. “It may seem like a minor point, but an increase in utility bills for one-quarter of the year really could hurt schools’ bottom lines” (Lynch 2).  That is three additional months that they will need to power the schools, have water running, pay for food, and other aspects of running a school. Another argument presented is that students will not have any downtime to go outside and enjoy the weather. Having that break will be able to provide some aspects of healthy development for younger students (Lycnh 3). The last point mentioned is that it may cause scheduling conflicts for families when planning for child-care. People believe that it would be easier for people to find childcare for an extended break, three months, rather than elongated breaks of two or three weeks. In the summer there are camps and other places that children can go while their parents are at work. There would be a risk of not having these camps and situations occurring during two- or three-week breaks. There would be time, especially in the beginning, where there will not be these available. As stated in the previous article written by Michael Lynch, he is a credible source due to his background in education. He also has written many articles on both topics assessing both sides of the argument. Talking about the pros and cons of year-round schooling makes him more credible since he is not just arguing one side.

Another article based on the cons of year-round schooling is posted on “The Mentor”, and written by Michael Simmons. Simmons brought up the statement that some people may use their summer to work and help their family. Students who have jobs in the summer may be trying to save money to get a car, or they need to help earn money for the family (Simmons 4). This will not only affect students and families but also will affect businesses who rely on students to work over the summer. Places like ice-cream shops and other families looking for babysitters need students to work in the summertime. Also, according to some, summer programs such as camps, or activities are crucial to a student’s health. These programs take students outside and they will get vitamin D and other health benefits. Having this time off from school may reduce anxiety and depression in students by giving them time without as much stress (Simmons 5-7). Simmons is not as credible of a source as Lynch; however, he is a student who would be affected by the change in school schedules. It is interesting to look at a student’s point of view on the topic since normally students do not get a say in the outcome. Normally it is adults who would decide the outcome for the students, and students would need to just accept it. He did bring up very interesting points on the topic of year-round schooling.

I definitely agree with points from both sides of the argument on year-round schooling. In terms of cons of the argument that I agree with, one would be the financial burden placed on schools.  From my personal experience I came from a school district without a ton of money, and having to run for additional months would be a financial burden. They would probably need to cut some programs in order to offset the costs, normally arts programs, which I was very involved, in high school. The music program at my high school was almost cut multiple times, and classes like that are very important to student’s mental health. They provide less stress for most students and give them a creative outlet. Mental health is extremely important and having a break from the stress of their everyday school life is important. For the pros, I really resonate with the fact that there would be a cut back on the review time teachers need to do. I remember spending half of a semester reviewing old Spanish class material and just thinking that there has to be a better way to do it. Students are missing out on learning new material and instead are just relearning old material. Students lose out on learning more material or just learning information more in-depth. I do believe that year-round schooling would be something to consider because it will ultimately lead to a greater amount of information learned for students. I believe that there are more pros to having year-round schooling than cons.

 

Works Cited

“Benefits of All Year Round School.” Everyday Health, Ziff Davis, LLC, 15 Nov. 2017, http://www.everydayhealth.com/kids-health/benefits-all-year-round-school/.

Lynch, Matthew. “3 Reasons Not to Adopt Year-Round Schooling.” The Edvocate, 27 Oct. 2016, http://www.theedadvocate.org/3-reasons-not-to-adopt-year-round-schooling/.

Lynch, Matthew. “Top 3 Reasons the US Should Switch to Year-Round Schooling.” The Edvocate, The Edvocate, 13 Aug. 2016, http://www.theedadvocate.org/top-3-reasons-the-us-should-switch-to-year-round-schooling/.

Simmons, Micheal. “Year Round Education a Bad Idea.” The Mentor, Manhattan High School, 30 Oct. 2017, http://www.mhsmentor.com/8349/opinions/year-round-education-a-bad-idea/.

 

Spotlight 3 – Option 4

--Original published at AlyssaM

Single-Gender Education

For:

Source 1: Link here

Source 2: Link here

Against:

Source 1:  Nathan, Rebekah. My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. Penguin, 2006. pp. 90-106.

Source 2: Link here

Single-Gender Education has become a topic of the present for people to debate about. There are many pros and cons for both, which people use to strengthen their side of the debate.

People that are for it, find four key advantages at least in source one. First, they believe single-gendered environments creates a more relaxed area. Their reasons is that girls for instance will not feel pressure to impress the boys, which will make them more open to stating their opinions. Second, fewer cliques seem to be formed because of the third reason, the elimination of gender stereotypes. The fourth is the curriculum can be more focused on the strengths of boys and girls and their learning styles, as compared to accommodating both.

The second source list similar benefits for having single-gendered classrooms. One, girls get along better because they are not competing to get the best boy in the class. All dating is forced to happen cross-schools, which leaves the troubles behind and places the focus on academics. In an all girls school, it encourages independence and leadership for the girls. Also it is said girls talk less and participate less with males in the room and that boys lead most discussions.

On the flip side, the novel My Freshman Year disagrees. The author believes girls do speak less, but not because of the presence of boys. She feels it is the discussion that is wrong and it needs to be more open and not seem so closed, so the girls want to partake in it. She says classrooms need diversity so the students can learn to their fullest from the other gender’s perspective. If they cannot learn to work with the opposite gender in school, they will not be prepared for working or even life when it comes to dealing with the opposite.

Similarly, the last source declares it promotes bad social skills and that is true as noted above with no learning how to interact with the opposing gender. It also promotes sexism just like when in history they made the terrible mistake of separating whites and colored. That did not end well and surely this separation would be just as drastically bad for the individuals. The source also argues there are some laws his segregation would violate and so it is a matter far more than opinion. Having diversity also boosts experiences during school, notable because of the different learning styles between boys and girls. Boys and girls learn from each other and it is a part of growing.

I agree, diversity in the classroom is very important. Whether or not the students like having the opposite gender in the class, it does on the long run result in better. Being forced (basically) to interact with the other, the students learn how to manage social skills across genders, which will dramatically help them in life, especially in the work force and in marriage. With each having unique learning techniques, they learn how to blend their talents and strengths to work with others weak aspects. It gives them a better understanding of the world around them and how everything falls into place.

Spotlight #3

--Original published at jennacampanellipsych

I chose to research single sex education because I recently saw a presentation on this topic in my education class and both my brother and sister went to single sex schools. First, the advantages. One of the most predominate advantages is an environmental that isn’t focused around impressing others, making it more relaxed and focused on learning. This is due to girls and boys not worrying or focusing on impressing each other or not wanting to participate incase they got embarrassed in front of each other. With singe sex, they can have more open and honest conversations in class. Another advantage is no gender stereotypes. This pretty much means that boys and girls will be free to do what they are interested without worrying about being judged by the other sex, so they will be free to do activities or subjects that have a stereotype of the other gender doing it. In a single sex school anyone can do anything they are interested in with no worries about being embarrassed. Single sex schools have also been seen to specifically have great benefits for girls. According to one of the sources I found, CRC Health, almost 90% of girls in co-ed high schools are affected by some form of sexual harassment. Girls could feel safer in a single sex school during the important time of change in their life. A study was also done of 270,000 students that found when boys and girls were attending single sex schools they performed significantly higher on standardized tests. Now onto the disadvantages. On of the biggest disadvantages is that it does not prepare kids for the real world. Being at a single sex school may cause poor social skills with the other sex because they have had not had opportunities to work together or collaborate. This may make life after school harder when they have to talk and interact with the other sex every day in an office or higher education. Going along with this, by not having both genders in one classroom, students will not have another perspective while talking about issues and questions. Getting to see the perspective of others can help while learning things in class and they will have more experiences if there were both genders in class discussions. Single sex schools can also create gender stereotypes according to Care’s website. This could be due to the only time students are seeing the other sex could be at formal events, when genders are dressing up to impress each other. So in their minds, this could lead to stereotypes and unrealistic expectations. This one is a bit of a reach to me, but I could see how it would happen. In conclusion, I think single sex education could work for some and not work for others- it all depends how you learn and what makes you feel most comfortable. Students learn best when they feel safe, so it depends on each person individually to make that decision for themselves. For me, I originally wanted to go to a single sex high school but changed my mind, and looking back I am happy I went to a co-ed school. I think for some single sex works very well but I liked having friendships with both genders and that interaction everyday.

Sources:

https://www.care.com/c/stories/5373/single-sex-schools-the-pros-and-cons/en-gb/

https://education.seattlepi.com/disadvantages-schools-segregated-sex-2074.html

https://www.crchealth.com/youth-programs/advantages-single-sex-schools/

https://www.thoughtco.com/advantages-of-single-sex-schools-2774613