It’s Child’s Play

By: Grace Thornton, Jean Marie Kempster, and Emily Sternfeld

When watching children play with blocks, many adults wonder what is going on in the child’s head, and if actual learning is taking place. In the Education Digest article, “The Powerful Effect of Play in a Child’s Education,” by Miquela Rivera, the author discusses how children playing simple games are actually very important to a child’s development and learning.  Rivera also addresses the issue that there are many cultural differences between how students play, especially when there is parental involvement.

Is the School Day Too Short for Students in the United States?

By: Shannon Sweeney, Patricia Lopez, Sara Manello and Frederick Feraco

There has been much speculation regarding the school day in the United States. According to Newsday, many politicians, including President Obama, feel the average school day is not long enough for students to reach optimal levels of achievement. In recent articles, there had been much debate over shortening summer vacations, lengthening breaks throughout the school year and creating a longer overall year for students. However, is this practical for the children in the nation?

“It’s Just a Phase”: The realities of Coming Out in Middle School

By Lauren Betz, Jessica Cannella, Marielle Kaufman, and Hannah Lee.

Until recently, most gay youths who have “come out” have typically done so during High School, or have waited until their college years to expose their sexual orientation.  Sex researchers, though, are now seeing a growing trend of Middle School-aged adolescents being open to their peers and families about being gay or bisexual.  One 13-year-old student interviewed in Benoit Denizet-Lewis’ (2009) Coming Out In Middle School, named Austin from Sand Springs, Oklahoma, admits that he finally decided to come out in avoidance of living a miserably “closeted” lie for the rest of his life when he was just 11 years of age.  Despite the support shown to students like Austin, there are just as many people who would pose the question, “can an adolescent be so sure of their sexuality at this young age?”   While these students are adamant that they are gay and bisexual, just like others are sure that they are straight, the issue at hand becomes, how prepared are Middle and Junior High Schools for these openly gay/bisexual students?

Leaving The Classroom and Test Scores Improve By: Tara Powers, Taylor Saul, Alyssa Tesoriero and Amanda Zack

Is it more beneficial to teach for a test, or to teach for the knowledge of learning? Since the standards have changed in education, teachers are now focusing less on the grade level curriculum and more on the questions being asked on standardized tests.  Today, standardized tests are critically used to make decisions about a student, such as for graduation or acceptance to a school. Testing appears to override all other information and can cause damage to a student’s education. When a student is evaluated based on a set of scores, all other academic accomplishments and talents are omitted.

What… more school?? By: Ashley Antonacci, Scott Robinson, Shahira Asadi, and Tamara McAtamney

What…more school??

A recent article in Newsday discussed the issue of whether or not to extend school days and the calendar year.  This idea was promoted in the “Nation at Risk” report during the Reagan administration.  In 2009, President Obama is reconsidering the advice.  Some charter schools have a school day that lasts nearly ten hours. There are educators and school reformers who believe that extending the amount of time in class is the only way to be competitive with other nations and to meet the global challenges of the 21^st century.  They also believe that the large amount of time spent out of school during summer vacation causes students to lose much of what they learned.

Stimulants: Friend or Foe?

By Beth Stephens, Debra Ali, Jacquelyn Kildale and Diane Fiorito

Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a medical condition that is relatively common among children today. It is estimated that there are currently between 3 -7% of school-age children diagnosed with this disorder and these numbers could be rising. This disorder appears to be more prevalent in boys than in girls. Boys seem to be diagnosed with ADHD three to four times more often than girls (Kurtz, 2002). Some of the characteristic symptoms of ADHD may include concentration difficulties, short attention span and distractibility (Manuzza, 2009). These symptoms often make it difficult for these children to follow instructions, stay organized, and effectively participate in the school environment. The features of this condition can create stumbling blocks in a child’s path to learning and school achievement.

Does Physical Education Influence a Students Development and Overall Education?

 

By: Shane Flanagan

Educators, administrators and law makers very often overlook the importance of physical education to a student’s development. They are very often too concerned about proficiency tests, exams and the academic performance of their students. This article is going to highlight the importance of physical education class and how students can not only benefit physically from participation in a well organized PE program, but also benefit academically and affectively. Physical education plays a critical role in educating the whole student (Philips 2001).

Technology: A Substitute for Funding? By: Justine Balsan, Brian Bergman, Jennifer Grenville, and Lisa Pratt

Most experts agree that the earlier a child is introduced to a second language the greater the chances are that they will become proficient in it. Bilingualism is valued in a global society: in addition to developing a deeper understanding of other cultures it can provide a competitive advantage in the workforce. However, the economic downturn has forced many school districts to eliminate foreign language teachers entirely. A high-performing district in Westchester county decided to save money by eliminating its twice-weekly elementary school Spanish lessons, deciding the $175,000 per year would be better spent on other subjects. Some districts are opting to replace instructors with interactive computer programs like Rosetta Stone as a cost-cutting measure; they feel it is better than eliminating a foreign language program entirely. Many insist that you need a specially trained teacher to facilitate the proper foundation essential to success in foreign language in high school and beyond. Some parents feel that money spent on foreign language learning would best be siphoned into existing reading and writing classes to improve overall literacy scores.

Nostalgia and What We Didn’t Know

by Pamela Ayari

“Like many academics, Howard was innocent of the world. He could identify thirty different ideological trends in the social sciences, but did not really know what a software engineer was.” – from Zadie Smith’s On Beauty

In a predominately white, working-class town, circa 1992, an entire fifth grade class spent the year practicing cursive writing. In the same year, each classroom received its own Commodore 64. There were three Spanish-speaking students, one of whom spoke almost no English. The blacktop had just been refinished, topped off with a colorful United States map painted across half of it. The playground was refurbished with a new set of tires connected together to climb on attached to the splinter covered wooden structure. On short trips to the school’s library, fifth grade students worked on puppet plays and learned about becoming astronauts and zoo keepers. Students’ special activities within the school included music class, gym, art, the computer room, lunch, and the occasional visit to the school nurse. All of the fifth graders were told that their sixth grade teachers at the middle school would not accept any homework not written in cursive.  At the time, the average white, middle- and working-class parent believed that their children needed a “good” education, which meant graduating from high school in order to get a job. In 1992, we all believed that our sixth grade teachers would not accept homework in print. We all wanted to save the planet by recycling. Creativity outside of school was limited, primarily, to Cub Scouts and Brownies. We all stayed away from the small Spanish-speaking part of town.

Taking the computer out of the classroom and moving the cell phone in? Is this the future of education?

"Smart Phone"

By: Ilana Johnson, Lindsay Gerakaris, and & David Altman

For the past two decades, a hip and progressive way of teaching has been to use technology.  In the late 20^th century, technology was used when educators began incorporating computers into lessons and activities.  Now, in the 21^st century, educators are attempting to take the use of technology in the classroom to the next level.  Apparently, modernizing curriculums by integrating the use of cell phones can be beneficial to both students and teachers.  In Europe and Asia, cell phones are currently being used in the classrooms, while the US has not been as swift to adopt this method of teaching and learning.  The author of Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education, Liz Colb believes that the reason that cell phones have gained an unsavory reputation is because some students have continued to use them inappropriately.