101.0003Chapter2Syntheses

How racially and ethnically diverse are our schools? Seth D. Reid P. In the "Joy of Teaching" (Hall, Quinn, Gollnick) an important factor about today's students is brought up. America’s public schools systems include a wide range of different background and heritages. When you walk into a classroom today, you could be looking at a number of different races and ethnicity such as Native Americans, Alaskans, Asian Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Latino-Americans and Non-Hispanic. Studies estimate that only 65-70 % of students are Caucasian and that percentage is dropping every year. Teachers need to be more prepared then ever to be able to help multiple races and ethnicities in multiple ways. With such a wide range of different heritages in the classroom, Hall feels it is important for a teacher to understand each and every heritage and treat it as if it were their own. By doing so, it will be much easier to bring a classroom together.

What are the Religions of the Students? Caleb F. Hilary T. In the Joy of Teaching Quinn and Gollnick state that 86% of the U.S population can indentify with a religion. Students are heavily influenced by the religion of their choice; it can affect almost every aspect of their lives from day to day conversations to what they wear that day. There are many different religions like Christianity, which happens to be the largest group, Islam, Mormon, Judaism, and other Non-Christian groups, such as atheism. Since there is such a diversity of religion, teachers need to be able to adapt and respect all of the student’s beliefs and views in order to show respect in the classroom. In doing so, the teacher has to be careful not to push their views onto their students as they teach. Along with that teachers need to understand that their students may be out of class or wear certain garments that pertain to their beliefs.

Sam Dunton Amanda Heath Bre Peters Emily Higgins

In //The Joy of Teaching,// Hall, Quinn, and Gollnick discuss the differences in learning styles and stereotypes present in the classroom between the two genders. Girls favor the left side of their brains, making them stronger at reading and writing, while boys favor the right side of their brains, making them stronger in math and science. Boys are deductive learners and girls are inductive learners. The two genders also have to overcome stereotypes that can present in the classroom. Boys are expected to be masculine, athletic and leaders and can be bullied if they are not. Girls are trying to “develop balance between their femininity and their participation in the masculine world”( Joys of Teaching, 69). It is the teacher’s job to encourage all students to do well in their academics and to make the class learning-friendly for all students regardless of characteristic that are not typically seen within a specific gender.

Kalib Moore Mike LaFreniere Nichole Berry How does socio-economic status (SES) affect students?

Hall is arguing that students are being separated into three different social groups based on their family’s income. These classes are Low-income, Middle, and Upper-Middle or Upper class. He is saying that depending on what social class you fall into, will affect how well your education is. Students who are part of a Low-income family generally cannot afford to participate in extra curricular activities and summer programs, thus affecting the outcome of their education. The Middle-income class students have more opportunities in school due to their income, and have better attitudes towards school and are willing to put the effort into getting good grades. The Upper class of students has many more opportunities than the other classes. They are able to afford getting a better education, like attending private school, fine arts schools, and receive special tutoring help to improve their education. They will also be the students who will be most prepared for College financially and on an education basis. The more money your family has as an income, the more likely you will receive a better education and get more opportunities.

Mike Foley Bryan Sherman Reggie Clark In the Joy of Teaching, Hall, Quinn and Gollnick state that children with disabilities are being placed in regular classes with kids that don’t have disabilities. Since 1995 the number of students with disabilities has been steadily increasing. Children with disabilities receive accommodations to help them get the same education as everyone else. Teachers write IEP’s (individual education programs) to help disabled students learn at a different rate than others. Parents as well have to be actively involved in their child’s life to help them succeed.

 The Role of Gender in Education Nathan Schultz, Frank Makuch, Brittany Blackman, Tyler Farrington

“The Joy of Teaching”, written by Gene Hall, Linda Quinn, and Donna Gollinick, explains the typical differences between male and female students after the age of 8. Male students, using the right hemisphere of their brain, tend to use deductive reasoning, which starts with the general and narrows to the specific, while females, utilizing the left hemisphere of their brain, tend to use inductive reasoning, which starts with the specific and broadens to the general. Males are likely to be better learners when they can be more active in the classroom, while females usually work better within the confines of a group. Teachers must understand these differences in the classroom, but must not base their complete understanding of a student on stereotypes. Stereotyped students may feel pressured to live up to that stereotype, and modify their actions accordingly. Teachers are expected to provide a positive learning environment, fostering acceptance and understanding.