Quotes from Folder 12 Readings

Quote from http://www.promiseofplace.org/what_is_pbe

“Place-based education (PBE) immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum.”

This is exactly what needs to be in our classrooms nowadays and the education students should be learning.  This is way better than teaching to the test any day!  Children can finally have fun while learning and learn through all their subject areas in a new and exciting way.  I don’t see why something like this isn’t in the classroom of every school.  Wouldn’t the test scores sky rocket if all students were learning like this?  This is as hands on as it gets for students and it sounds fantastic!

Quote from “Toward a Culturally Informed Eco-Justice Pedagogy” page 115

“An example that comes to mind is the way in which literacy has been represented in classrooms as an expression of progress, and “illiteracy” (that is, oral cultures) as backward.”

I never really thought about something like this before until I read this quote and it really is true.  Anything that isn’t “correct” English is basically shot down and looked at as “wrong” in schools today.  Is it wrong because it’s not how something would be worded or marked correct on a test?  Is it wrong because it’s not how most people view writing everyday so it’s not “normal”?  How could schools fix something like this, in a way I feel as though it’s impossible?  Literacy on dictionary.com comes up as “the ability to read and write”.  So a child that reads and writes in Spanish, but not English is deemed “illiterate”?  Clearly, that child is literate; they’re just not literate according to the United States.

Quote from “Look into the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education” page 25

“Learning is always a creative act.  We are continuously engaged in the art of making meaning and creating our world through the unique processes of human learning.”

We, as teachers and people in general, are always learning; we’re learning something new every day!  I think this is something that teachers need to remember, especially those teachers that think they know everything.  It is okay if a student asks you a question and you don’t know the answer right away, it’s even better if you have to look it up with them!  It’s a learning experience for both you and the student; it also helps show the student that you’re just like them, a student.  It will help put teacher and student on the same level, even if it’s only for a little bit.  Wouldn’t you rather learn from someone that you can see is only human or someone who acts like they know all?  It gets intimidating after a while and may even keep students from asking questions they may want to ask!

Quote from http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/Read-the-Charter.html “Earth, Our Home” paragraph

“Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe.  Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life.”

Students don’t really see much of the outdoorsy life as they did when I was a little kid, even more so when my parents were little kids; so much TV, videogames, test taking, etc.  I think lessons need to bring some of that nature back into the picture so students realize how wonderful their planet really is.  It’s important for them to learn about the world they live in vs. taking a test?  Which one is bigger and realistically more important to them? 

Quote from “A Pedagogy for Ecology” page 32

“Rather than contribute to a sense of disconnection from place by writing off the environments around our most urban schools as unsalvageable or not worth knowing, teachers can instill in children an attitude of attention to what exists of the natural world in their neighborhoods.”

Children love to talk about their families, friends, and things in their environment all the time, imagine what children would be able to write if they were able to always connect the writing to themselves.  Things that students care about, they will work hard with and produce amazing projects from.  If you had to do a presentation on rocks verses a presentation on something you’re brother/sister does that you think is really cool, which would you rather do?  Of course, those are complete opposites, but just an example.  If math, science, history, all of the subjects can have some connection to students’ lives, they will care about what they are learning more than if it has no connection at all.  This reminds me of the movie “Freedom Writers” because the students in that movie actually started to learn because they were able to express themselves and write about what they wanted to.  This also gave them a new respect/connection with their teacher.

Quote from “Look into the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education” page 26

“Understanding the depth of relationships and the significance of participation in all aspects of life are the keys to traditional American Indian education.”

I love this quote because it brings it back to traditional American Indian education and the way things used to be before all this nonsense of test taking and complications in the education system that we have today.  Teachers and students need to really get to know/understand one another to truly have a great classroom environment.  This also brings it back to nature, in a quote I used earlier where I said students need to know more about nature and the planet they live on.  The connection between teacher and students is very, very important.  I have heard stories in the past where students are called by their numbers by their teacher and I think that’s simply ridiculous.  Right there, it’s degrading to the child because the teacher doesn’t even seem I know their name!