I've written the prompt below in the form of an SAT English essay question.
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
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"There is a reason Michigan's English Language Proficiency Standards call for students to 'engage in challenging and purposeful learning that blends their experiences with content knowledge and real-world applications.' Students learn better this way. Real life is not clean. It is not clear cut. It is not safe. But it is the world our students live in and they will be required to navigate it as adults. Teachers must bring this outside world into the classroom."
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Assignment: Should teachers bring the outside world into the classroom? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this
issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your
reading, studies, experience, or observations.
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Find example essays and scoring information here.
Without teachers, people would not be able to learn the specific skills that are necessary for living in the real world. However, when teachers bring the outside world into the classroom, they introduce students to new experiences that they can utilize in real life situations. Furthermore, these introductions to the real world could expand the possibilities for students by igniting a passion for that particular topic.
ReplyDeleteDuring my middle school years, my teacher, who was also the principal of the school, was diagnosed with colon cancer. For the next couple of weeks, he would continue to come to school and tell my classmates and I what he experienced as he was being treated for his cancer. For example, he would describe to us how his chemotherapy treated his cancer and how the side effects of the treatment affected him. He even had us calculate the rate at which his portable IV injected medicine into his bloodstream. The complicated way the body worked against fighting cancer was fascinating and the fact that my beloved teacher was suffering from such a horrible disease encouraged me into exploring the medical field as a career choice. After my teacher’s death, the faculty held a school-wide event to raise money for the Colon Cancer Coalition, a foundation that raises money for the research of colon cancer. In all, the school raised one hundred dollars for the foundation, but it also gave the students an opportunity to become involved in giving back to other people and the chance to work together in order to support an important cause.
By introducing me to a real world situation (having someone I know being diagnosed with cancer), my teacher taught me not just about how horrible cancer really is, but also the importance of giving back to other people and working together to support a cause. Because of this, I now strive to help those who are suffering from the effects of cancer and empathize with those who have also been affected by cancer.
It is a painful reality that the world is hardly ever a pleasant place. Around children, this truth is even more painful, and it is instinctual to protect kids from grotesque reality. However true this remains, there comes a point in youth and in education, when a child grows up and not only can withstand, but hungers for an understanding of the complexities and nuances of life. Unless current events and issues are incorporated into the classroom, students lose the opportunity to gain a holistic understanding of the pertinence of schooling in the world which has been illuminated through school.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, children are extremely impressionable even as they enter adolescence. So it is with reason that the public is wary of government indoctrination of kids and of marginalization of minority groups. This issue has been disputed since public education was initially established. In the last century and in this, public education has struggled to define its role in society amidst issues like teaching evolution and in providing state-funded breakfast at school. Both issues struggle between providing students with education and opportunity and taking on the task of raising a nation a kids like state wards. These are problems in the convoluted existence that pertain directly to schooling itself and that will always accompany it.
While one Michigan Charter school struggles to discover the place of the teacher to involve the current issues in the classroom, I ask "what is purpose schooling if doesn't pertain to real-life circumstances and teach students how to approach making their choices and opinions about the world? "
Then, aside from schooling as an institution, there remains the dispute over teaching method itself. If schooling isolates material from current issues and events, kids will be ignorant of both because kids do not pursue knowledge of current events without prompting, nor will they be motivated to learn school material. In my history class just last week, we were learning about the coldwar and the creation of the state of Israel, but when the teacher asked who knew what was happening in Israel and Palestine right now, no one knew. My Teacher encouraged us to look into it and gave us the incentive to do so in order to understand the relationship between the U.S. and Israel over time so that we could better understand the actions of all three nations today. As the excerpt claims, also, "students learn better that way"--when relevance and usefulness of raw information is made clear.
The issue becomes, not should education involve the world outside the ivory tower, but whose task is it to teach students, and what are the limits of propriety that accompany the responsibility of teaching. The world is messy, confusing, and emotionally turbulent, and allowing that into the classroom exposes the deepest differences in students and in parents and the administration, as everyone deals with the fine lines and boundaries of the delicate task of education.
Without teachers being able to bring the outside world into the classroom, students would never be able to gain a perspective of what the real world is like. By only learning about things that have happened in the past or things that have no connection to the important occurrences in our daily lives, learning, in some cases, can become boring. Learning about the outside world is a way that students can become inspired and may be able to discover the types of activities that interest them the most.
ReplyDeleteIt was during my sophomore year that I ended up in a marine biology class due to a scheduling error. Being very reluctant about the class at first, I slowly found myself beginning to become more and more interested in the class. The teacher, Mr. Ingram, was a man very familiar with the various dependencies that our community had on marine life and marine related issues. He taught the class focused on the local issues that affected everyone who was part of the community. For example, we learned of the pollution of the salt marshes that could be completely destroying ecosystems we rely on in the near future. The class also learned about why the fishing industry, that our city has always been so dependent on, is doing so poorly and may not be able to last. I found all the information especially interesting because my father is fisherman, and the issues we were discussing dealt directly with the problems that I may have heard him mention but never fully understood. There was so much more that I was able to take away from that class by learning about the things that directly had an impact on the lives of me and my family.
By learning about issues happening in my own community, I became much more interested in and concerned compared to the reaction I would have had if learning about marine life and marine issues happening in a different place. It was because of the alarming and influential things happening in the outside world that I learned about that that class, unexpectedly, ended up becoming my favorite of the year.
I understand the controversy over teachers bringing current events into the classroom, especially one such as the Trayvon Martin case. It is reasonable to protect young children from concepts that are above their maturity level and avoid bringing up events that they cannot handle. But, along with this decision to protect young children we must define young. If the class is old enough to be curious and ask about this event then they are old enough to learn about it and have adult conversations. As in the dispute in Michegan the children brought up a topic and the teacher took advantage of that and used it as a teaching point to relate the class to the real world. This is a skill that is rare, but necessary to achieve a complete education, and should be rewarded not punished.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of relating school to the real world is understressed in our society and should have a larger role in class. What is the point of learning anything if it cannot be related to real world scenarios? The reason for going to school is to be prepared for real life in the real world. So the isolation that many schools provide is not helping their students but instead hurting them. As well as importance, the use of real world examples is more interesting to students therefore helping them learn better. The case in michigan clearly shows that students have interest in these events and are thirsty for knowledge rather than useless lecture. it is the teachers job to prepare the students and provide them with interesting topics and events that they want to hear about.
In my own schooling experience there have been few teachers that have used current events to teach classes that I have taken. I believe it is the administration rather than the teachers at fault. But the classes that have been taught using current events have been more helpful to me and I learn the information better. My 9th grade biology teacher was able to relate topics that we learned everyday to the real world. Whether it was his own experiences or news stories he would connect concepts rather than lecture and pass information on from the book. This strategy is very effective as biology is now my favorite subject and wish to pursue a career in this field. My story is evidence that relation from topics of class to the world is the most effective way to teach a class.
I agree wholeheartedly that students should be taught from events happening in the world outside the classroom. Not giving them this sort of education isn't doing them any favors; there won't always be someone going through life with them, holding their hand and sorting out problems as the arise. It makes the individual stronger and this will open more doors for them than if they are coddled, since someone with a broader view of what the world really is will make smarter decisions when they leave school. “Real life is not clean. It is not clear cut. It is not safe.” Definitely not. If you hadn't been taught this before, I think it's something you will surely start to learn in High School whether you like it or not, so it's best to find out sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteI would however like to say that I'm not for forcing the weight of the world down on the shoulders of first graders, or any students for that matter. School is a place students should feel safe at, and there is a more than good chance that most younger children won't respond well to having the idea that the world is not always a bright and happy place drilled into their skulls. I know for a fact that when I was much younger I was blissfully unaware of almost everything horrible that went on in the world around me, and wouldn't have benefited from being taught an entire lesson on why a man shot a boy carrying a bag of skittle. It's not that I would have necessarily afraid or upset. Instead, I thing I wouldn't have been able to comprehend it entirely to be able to feel these emotions. And I'm not saying that because I think younger children aren't able to understand what happened, I'm saying that the death of another person isn't the first thing on their emotional agenda. I grew up listening to how people died on the news and learned that it happened all the time. It was more difficult to empathize with these people when there were other, more pressing issues in my daily life. Younger children have a natural barrier to the outside world. They what people call “resilient.” True, they are impressionable, but I think that applies more when the event is actually happening to them and not when what they're hearing is so distant. So when teaching “real world applications” I think it's necessary to take it slow. Teachers of younger students should start out by just mentioning important events, and gradually as they get older have their teachers bring more and more material from the world into the curriculum. I remember my first grade teacher did an exceptional job at handling 9/11. She set aside a moment in class so we could talk about it and described it as a wound that needed a band aid, but would take a long time to heal. This was one of those occasions where the enormity of the event was lost to me. I believe my exact reaction to going home, turning on the TV, and seeing the buildings on fire was, “they blew up another building.” Then I changed the channel. Like I said before, children don't normally react to sorrow as strongly if it isn't their own. We need to teach children according to what they need to know.
Bringing current events into a classroom, is definitely a controversy in most schools, but it something that should be considered important. I understand that bringing up the Treyvon case was a problem with lots of parents, but the parents have to understand that the children will learn about such things someday, whether it be in school or later in life when it is thrown into their face. It is almost safer to bring it up in a controlled classroom where options can be heard and questions can be asked.
ReplyDeleteMaturity is one things important when discussing current events. If they are not old enough to handle the information, then it should be saved for a different time when the child is more ready to absorb the information. But if the children are asking about it, like they were when the Treyvon talking incident occurred, then there should not be a problem. Having kids be active about something they care about, there should be no debate over whether that is okay or not. If there is no harm being done to the kids or the family, then there shouldn't be a problem.
I have had experiences like this is school. We learned about everyday events all the time. My teacher this year, for history, has "Today in History" events and he talks about them sometimes for the whole class. Some events about about black people and how they have triumphed in the United States, and I couldn't be happier to hear and learn about them. I remember back in 1st grade, I wrote a miniature essay about Martin Luther King and how I look up to him and want to be like him someday. My essay got printed into the Gloucester Daily Times. I wanted the world to know how special I thought this man is. Back to my history class, I love how he relates every single Today in History to something that is going on in our world today. It is not only interesting, but we are learning so many new things every day without noticing. It's a fun and creative way to learn.
I believe that it is necessary for teachers to bring the outside world into the classroom. The purpose of school is preparation for the future. Like the article says, the future will not be clean cut. There will be unexpected tragedies and dilemmas that students will be faced with, therefore they should learn about news in the real world so they can better cope when faced with it on their own. Students should be knowledgeable about events occurring in their lifetime because they will one day become the history that future students will learn about. Learning about current events is not only helpful to students, but inspiring. It motivates them to form opinions and become involved.
ReplyDeleteA sad event that went down in history during my lifetime was 9/11. This was my first real experience of integrating the outside world with school. I remember being in my first grade classroom while the teachers were panicking. The adults were huddled around the nearest TV watching in horror. At the time, I didn’t exactly understand what was happening, but as I got older every year on that date the teachers would discuss the event. If it wasn’t for them showing movies and explaining what had happened, I would not fully understand. It is important that teachers talked about it because it is very rare that a horrific event such as 9/11 happens. If students are taught why it happened and how to deal with the situation, they will be more knowledgeable about the world and the war we are currently fighting.
By learning about real life issues in school, it gave me the urge to keep updated on current events, which are always helpful to be informed on. It also helps me relate things to one another. For example, I could relate the Trayvon Martin case to 9/11 because of this prompt. Being able to relate current issues is useful because by having that knowledge of a past issue, one knows how to deal with the current situation and what they can do to help, which in this case is to sign the petition calling for Brooke Harris’ reinstatement.
After briefly discussing the issue of whether or not the real world should be incorporated into learning, many thoughts came to my mind. Now in most cases i think that this is a great idea. I feel that most students, myself included, we do not always relate to what we are learning. However, I think students are highly educated of the outside world they live in, and can really build confidence in a student to be able to use their knowledge. I say this knowing that many students feel when you give a student a chance to show an adult or peers what they know, it makes them feel appreciated or for that moment proud of themselves. Allowing students to bring the inside world into the classroom is a bonus, but what adds to the positive effect is the sharing among students. Class discussions allows the students to teach others as well as learn things from their peers. Although I believe in this, I also feel as though in some cases, school is a relief from the outside world. Because of this, I think the students should be able to choose whether or not their worlds should mix with the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought I had, was to allow teachers to take history and make it a reality for their
students. What I mean by this, is to take a past occurrence that someone may not relate to out of a textbook, and reenact it with the students. I remember being in 4th grade, when the touchy subject of segregation was first being introduced. As fourth graders, you can’t imagine what this would be like. Our teacher decided to split our class up into a minority and majority group. One day half of the class would be superior, and the next day it would switch. My best friend happened to be in the opposite group. Me, not thinking, went and started to pick flowers outside at recess with her, well she happened to take the lesson a little too seriously and ran away from me. I cried for a good 3 hours. After I calmed down I began to realize what even a fraction of segregation was like. This lesson is a vivid memory that I can reflect on, and these types of lessons are ones that can only benefit students, whether it be fourth or twelfth grade.
Teachers should not only be allowed to bring the outside world into the classroom, bring it in should almost be a curriculum requirement. Bringing the outside world into the classroom provides very important context for the students. And more often than not, teachers already try to do this. In every math book I have ever had to use, the writers try very hard to show that the content of the lesson has some sort of applicable use outside of the classroom. I do not often agree that I will use certain concepts ever again, but the book wants to show me that someone once did, or that if I really wanted to, I could, because I have been given the information and ability from my teacher. Science books are also keen to show that their subject matter is used outside of the classroom. It will tell you about the chemicals in medicines, the physics or flying, or tell you how one scientific process is responsible for a product many people cannot live without.
ReplyDeleteI think that this should also be applied to bringing in important news content into the classroom. If a subject comes up that is controversial, the topic should be approached even –handedly by the instructor, with the teacher giving as much information that is useful or appropriate for whatever age group they are teaching. This kind of process will help the children progress into helpful and intelligent citizens who can critically think about topics placed before them. And this drags into a larger problem; the fact is our education is just based on trying to get us to the next difficulty and trying to make us remember things for tests and for trying to get us to remember facts, which does nothing to make us wiser. That is why teachers should definitely be allowed to bring the outside world into the classroom, because children will learn more about how to act as a contributing person to society from real world stories and events then they will from Shakespeare.
"Should" is not a strong enough word in this case. It is imperative that teachers bring the outside world into the classroom. What are children being prepared for? What would be the use in thirteen years of schooling without any preparation for what will they will be met with when they graduate, let alone the skills that are necessary throughout school in dealing with day to day living. It is incredibly important to reveal the applications of learning beyond the classroom, this is where young people find the desire to learn. Teaching real world events and truths in an age appropriate, comprehensive way will inspire a passion for learning, as well as create people who are fired up about the world they live in, and who are ready to enact change. Even more than creating good students, we are creating a future generation who legitimately cares about what goes on around them . People not knowing about genocide in Rwanda, or events like those surrounding Trayvon Martin have a limited scope of information to make thoughtful informed opinions about the world in which they live. I both agree and disagree with Matt, I agree that children will learn about how to contribute to society from real world stories, but I disagree that this is more important than Shakespeare. It is through the lens of the real world that Shakespeare becomes relevant.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, today's society is as bad as it has ever been and continues to get worse. The concept of bringing the outside world into the classroom is highly appropriate. Students need to be aware of how the world works and of the people who surround them. Children can no longer continue to believe that he world is a harmless place because in reality it is the complete opposite.
ReplyDeleteSchool is meant to prepare students for their future for the rest of their lives. If teachers did not inform the students of the events that are happening outside the classroom everyday; worldwide, then how can they be prepared to face the real world?
In my own experience, I remember in 5th grade; when I thought I was invincible, we were taught about the bombing of the Sunday School in Montgomery, Alabama, and the bus boycott which involved Rosa Parks. I remember watching African American kids being hosed by the firemen. I was surprised seeing these events and that's when I realized that there were bad things happening all over the world and I started to approach life cautiously.
The Trayvon Martin case was particularly a great idea to teach the students about; especially in a school whose goal for students is to "engage in challenging and purposeful learning that blends their experiences with content knowledge and real-world applications." The teaching of the issue has resulted in the children wanting to participate in helping the cause.