What is Thought and Language About Anyway?

I decided to make a quick one minute video summary of what Vygotsky's book "Thought and Language" is all about.  Here's my interpretation.  Hope it is useful.

Think Before You Speak: Addressing Homosexuality and Hate Language

Invariably, at some point, a student comes up with the statement, “That’s so gay.”  That happened last week.  I cannot allow that sort of hateful language to happen in my class, so I immediately told the student that he shouldn’t say things like that, and that because I heard him say it, we’d be getting a lesson on why it isn’t appropriate.  However, as the words were coming out of my mouth, I realized I had no plan as to how to achieve that.  In past years, I pretended I didn’t hear it.  But, that’s irresponsible of me, and I am holding myself to a higher standard this year.  So, I did some research.

I found the think b4 you speak website( http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/) dedicated to providing educational materials to combat the spread of hate language. So, spending my afternoon planning time to print out the teachers guide, and the transcript for some PSA’s (that are also available in videos- show below), I planned my crusade on bullying.  I wrote “That’s so gay” in the planning space of the offending class as they left, and was pleasantly surprised by what happened as a result.  The next class that walked in commented, “Ms. B, what is that on your board?  That’s so mean, why would anyone write that?”  Needless to say, I was pleased.  I explained what happened, and the teens in that class got into an impromptu discussion about why people need to cut it out.  One jumped in and even referred to the PSA’s that I had bookmarked to show the offending class.  Other students hadn’t seen the PSA’s, I quickly put them up on my screen.  After the videos were over, the students agreed that I should definitely show those videos to the other class, because the point hits home.  Then, they assured me that they would never use language like that, and that they were glad I was going to teach that lesson.

As the next few periods came through and saw what was written on the board, I got many remarks about it.  By simply writing that phrase on the board, and answering the question about why it was there, I let all my students know that such language would not be tolerated.  I had to step in to watch another teacher’s class while he had to attend a meeting, and one of the students (who is not one of mine, but, as it is a small school, I had met before) asked me how the lesson on stopping bullying had gone.  I hadn’t taught the planned lesson yet, and already, the kids were interested and talking about it.  My conclusion:  by addressing the issue, the student body as a whole was supporting the need to tell offenders to cut it out.  It was important enough to them that it was the topic of conversation outside of the confines of my little classroom world.  I only hope that someone learned something positive in their lunchroom discussions.

I haven’t taught the planned lesson yet, because the boy who made the statement wasn’t present in class that day, but already it is making an impact.

A note: I have a family member who is homosexual that shared a link to an article (http://allthingsqueer.co.za/archives/religion/60.html)  that effectively slammed Christians who use a faith-based argument to put down the decision (or state of being, depending on who you ask) to be gay.  I have as big a problem with that as I do with my student saying something like “that’s so gay.”  In order for everyone to get along and be at peace, attacks need to stop.  Instead, both sides should be focusing on love and acceptance, or, at the very least, tolerance.  To his credit, after I told him the article offended me, he responded that he didn’t think of it as an indictment on Christian faith, but rather as a defense against an argument.  Truly, I believe he didn’t think before posting that article.  However, that’s really the problem with my student too.  I don’t think he was trying to be hateful.  I believe he just didn’t think.  The lesson today?  Think before you speak.  Think before you post.  And, think before you write.

Hilary Duff - Think Before You Speak ("That's So Gay") Official (HQ) - Click here for this week’s top video clips

Think Before You Speak-Pizza Shop - Click here for the most popular videos

Think Before You Speak-Cashiers - The funniest videos are a click away

Assessment Doesn't Have to Be a Dirty Word

The word “assessment” makes me cringe.  Perhaps my dislike of the term is because of the association with testing.  Assessment should be more than that, but, unfortunately, according to our government, that is not the case.  So, teachers across America are forced to have a negative experience with assessment, aka testing.  If the concept were more about evaluation of what students know versus what they do not know in one moment in time and under pressure, perhaps students’ needs would be better served.

What state assessment is: a picture of what a set of students do not know at a specified point in time about a subject whose required standards may or may not be represented.  Students come in to a bare room, cleaned and stripped to reduce the chance of cheating, and sit in rows spaced to prevent wandering eyes.  Of course, the implication is that we do not trust the students, so they are already uncomfortable.  If they look up and accidently allow their gaze to linger too long on another student, they may be subject to severe punishment.  Since the room has all posters ripped down, and any writing on the walls removed, it looks lifeless and dull, as intellectually unstimulating as possible.  Absolute silence is the rule, and no movement of any kind is allowed. They must fill out the test in standard number two pencil, not allowing any stray smudge marks to give inaccurate results.  Essays should be completed only within the lines of a box, and absolutely must follow a standard format for ease of grading in a rubric.  No creativity allowed.

But creativity is what drives our American economy.  People make their living on innovation, ideas, and implementation.  So the assessment, in my opinion, doesn’t match what the desired skill is.  Instead, we are preparing students for an industrial society then throwing them into a pool of creativity that they just don’t know how to handle.  It is unfair to our students. 

Some states, like Washington and Tennessee, offer alternate portfolio evaluations to those students who have significant disabilities and it is specified on their IEP (Individualized Education Plan).  Why can’t it work to give all students the option to elect a portfolio evaluation?  All year, students could work on fulfilling a specified list of objectives, and be required to turn them in.  Teachers could receive specialized training (like we do for TELPAS) to evaluate these portfolios according to a state-provided rubric.  That way, students still have the ability to be in lower-pressure situations, have the time they need to do well, and even give them some room to be a bit more creative.  At the same time, states can keep students on a plan that fulfills state mandated standards, guaranteeing an attempt at continuity across campuses. 

There are already some schools that operate with this portfolio system.  When I was a pre-service teacher in New York in 2003, I took a field trip to observe at an alternative school in Rochester, NY.  It is called The School Without Walls.  At the School Without Walls, students take classes that are about a topic rather than a subject.  For instance, there is one class called Crime Scene Investigation.  The class reads novels about crime scene investigation, practices forensic science, meets with local law enforcement agents, and writes up a case.  The topic goes beyond what is able to be studied in a traditional classroom setting, and the kids are excited about it.  The students who sign up for this course have some interest in pursuing a career related to Crime Scene Investigation, so it is real and worthwhile to them. 

School Without Walls doesn’t just explore topics within the confines of the classroom.  They also meet as a whole school to read a shared text about a broader topic.  For instance, they may read a novel about Self-Discovery, as it is one of their broader topics.  As a school, they meet to discuss problems that may arise in the school, and relate it back to the reading that they do. 

To complete the year, students must turn in a portfolio that shows their growth throughout the year. It includes writing samples, lab reports, mathematical projects, etc.  A committee of teachers, administrators, and board members meets to evaluate the portfolios.  Additionally, to graduate, the student must complete a senior project.  For instance, one girl designed a building using computer software.  She worked with an engineer to complete her plan, getting real world experience.  Real world experience is what our current system is lacking, and this school is brilliant at integrating it into the curriculum.

New York isn’t the only state with a school like this.  Washington D.C. has its own School Without Walls that is Presidential Blue Ribbon Award Recipient.  They have a 99.5% graduation rate and a 100% placement rate of graduates into college (SWW 2011).  Compare that to the national average of only 70.1% graduating and only 36.2% of 18-24 year olds being enrolled in college (NCHEMS 2009), and it is clear that the normal system just doesn’t work as well as the alternative.  So, why is it the standard? 

Internationally, we are suffering too.  According to the NCHEMS organization, out of a surveyed 11 countries, the United States has the lowest amount of 25-34 year olds (39.2%) with college degrees.  The world is leaving us behind.  Perhaps part of the reason that we haven’t changed is because the older generation knows that they used to be the leader in the education scene.  But, what worked for them will not continue to work.  Times have changed, more technology has been introduced, and the children are growing up in an entirely different world.  It’s time to wake up and make an adaptive change.

Assessment should be about a combination of informal and formal data collected over time.  It should be about using the data collected as a means to help students achieve better.  It should be about preparing students for their next step in life, whether that means college or the work force.  What it should NOT be about is funding, which is currently the unfortunate truth.  My hope is that policy-makers will consult teachers who live in the trenches, and students who deal with the pressure of evaluations, in order to make a positive change to help our country get back on track to being number one.

Works Cited

NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymakers and Analysis.  (2009). Obtained on September 4, 2011 at http://www.higheredinfo.org/

School Without Walls. (2011). Obtained on September 4, 2011 at http://www.swwhs.org/

School Without Walls. (2009). Obtained on September 4, 2011 at http://www.schoolwithoutwalls.org/