Week 2 Reading Response Disrupting Class

It was nice to see an outside educator refer to Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences within teaching. Teaching is not a one sided approach, but the way we learned definitely was. We teach in the same model we learned from our teachers, yet this is not the way we learn. We always debate over Gardner's multiple intelligences, but it seems it is never put into practice.

The Ford Model T steel die was a very interesting story. They weren't able to use the materials other companies supplied for them, so what did they do? They decided to make their own facility to compensate for the specifications needed for their production facility. To think what would happen if individual schools had the capital to duplicate such a process.

Standardization is cheap, personalization is very expensive, as was mentioned from Microsoft and the coding within the system. It is easy to create one package with a single code to function for all computers. However, it is very expensive to personal each computer to individual user specifications. This is a great metaphor for teaching also. It takes many resources to package teaching to each individual student. A lot of time and money is needed to ensure success for the student. It is so much cheaper to create a single curriculum and lesson plan for all students. If the lesson doesn't fit the specifications of the student, then too bad for the student.

I agree with the idea of temporal interdependencies, but I disagree with the justification to move students on. If students don't understand the content, and the content is necessary to accomplish later assignments and comprehension of higher level material, who does it benefit to move the student on? If a student is incapable of adding numbers, how will they ever be able to multiply? Will moving them on with their peers help them? This may be true, if there were another support system there to help those students struggling in the material. So I disagree with the idea of moving students on to the next grade level is there are no additional resources there to help them.

Every student is unique, yet only special students get the extra funding (ELL or IEP). Are some students more special than others? I understand some students need more support over others, and they deserve those additional resources. However, it is our job as educators to teach ALL students, not just the ones who can work independently and succeed or to help those with intricate disabilities. I believe not that we should take resources away from those programs, but to add more resources to those students who are overlooked the most in schools, the students who "shuffle" from class to class and skirt by school without learning.

Schools used to be based on personalized education, and as it grew standardization fell into place. It was stated that progressives encouraged the idea of an increasing classroom. However, I believe the author fell short of explaining what was meant in that statement. I want to know if the author believes that progressives wanted every student the opportunity to pursue education and that it should be open to all, or if they thought larger class sizes would be beneficial to the learning process.