Are teachers still in control of their classrooms?

TRUANTS are being bribed to attend classes with prizes such as iPods, barbecue lunches and canteen vouchers. (Danks,. K, McDougal,. B, 2012).

The article ‘Schools paying iPod bribes to stop truancy’ by Bruce McDougall and Katherine danks explores the issues many schools, as well as the government are facing, that being the issue of many absentees. The numbers of absentees are rising within schools and it seems as though parents, teachers as well as government officials are running out of opinions, and resulting to rewarding students as a result of attending their compulsory attendance. It has been noted that schools are a  “commonplace for children to stay away from school for reasons that would have been unheard of 20 years ago.” (Danks,. K, Mcdougal,. B, 2012). Teachers are losing control in their classrooms and are facing a difficult time in terms of students being absent from school, to the point where text messages are being sent to parents notifying them that their child is not present at school.

Leonardo’s article ‘Handbook of Cultural Politics and Education’ stresses the notion of teachers being the authoritative leaders in class and taking control of the situation, in which the student does not have the upper hand in any given situation. That as a teacher, it is their duty to perform their daily tasks with complete control over the class. Unfortunately in which case does not occur in certain schools once it comes to absenteeism, as there are a range of factors that have influenced students taking days off in the last twenty years of which are out of teachers and schools hands. "These include staying away to celebrate their own or a sibling's birthday, being absent because they stayed up too late watching TV, going shopping for clothes, an unexpected long weekend and kids not wanting to take part in a sports day or school event." (Danks,. K, McDougal,. B, 2012).”

For freire, reconstructing authority necessitates establishing a new culture of power, one that does not mystify it as predetermined and therefore unchangeable, and is ultimately deployed in the interest of the oppressed” (Leonardo,. Z, pg.6, 2009)

Within Leonardo’s article, there is an important concept that is highlighting the importance of teachers being in control in their classrooms and schools. “Rejecting authoritarianism and vanguardism on one side but denouncing neutrality on the other, freire reconstructs authority as a form of power sharing and does not encourage teachers to pretend that they do not have charge of a room filled with either kids or adult learners.” (Leonardo,. Z, pg.6, 2009). It is important to grasp this concept as it stresses just how vital it is for teachers to stay in control, in which case even if they feel they are not in control to at least pretend in order to maintain order and discipline. Otherwise unfortunately future methods will become difficult to contain, ultimately displayed through Danks article as it depicts student rebellion and teachers struggling efforts to maintain the situation. "Recognised and celebrated students across the school who achieved excellent attendance of more than 85 per cent. A prize is drawn for each year group and winning students are presented with an iPod Shuffle.(Leonardo,. Z, pg.6, 2009)

References: 

• Leonardo (Ed.), Handbook of Cultural Politics and Education (pp1-48), 2009.
• Danks,. K, McDougal,. B, 'Schools paying ipod bribes to stop truancy', (2012)<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/schools-paying-ipod-bribes-to-stop-truancy/story-e6freuy9-1226495669106>

Technology - Good, Bad, or Ugly?

Technology has become an important aspect in everyday life, and we have seen this flourish in the education system. Students as young as five years are exposed to technology such as computer software and modern electronics, and are encouraged to learn how to use and work with them in order to assist them with school and in turn future employment. We know that technology has re-shaped the way the modern child is now perceived, and it does produce a lot of limitations and problems, but I believe that there are large benefits if technology is used properly. In saying this however, It is the role of the teacher to teach, and the role of the student to learn. If the student is distracted by the Internet during class, then they are not gaining anything by being at school. From this, It is clear that the Internet should only be used to broaden studies and research, and while in the classroom, students should shift all of their focus to the teacher.

While I was in primary school, my family did not own a computer and therefore searching for information for school assignments and projects was quite difficult for me. I had to go to the library to use the computer, borrow books, and photocopy any information that I wanted to use. This was extremely time consuming, and I do not know how I would now get through University without the Internet. Although we are exposed to vulgar and sometimes inappropriate things on the Internet, it is nevertheless one of the most useful things to date. Information can be easily accessed by typing just one word into Google. There is also a vast flow of electronic information available through online e-journals and info-pages. You can read the news, keep in contact with family that live abroad, and those that really enjoy expressing themselves out in the open, can tweet, blog, rant, or update a status. 

In terms of educational benefits, I think that the use of technology is extremely necessary in order to get through high school and University, and excel. (Yes, you can still go to the library and there is nothing wrong with the library). However, it should not be abused, and I think that student culture is so embedded in technology, and thus, the abuse of technology is what is linking new media to debates in educational politics. The average child has been redefined by technology. For example: my youth consisted of me actively riding my bike, playing with barbie dolls, and watching Playschool. Now, the average child is downloading apps, sending annoying game requests on Facebook, and surfing the net - often coming across unideal things for their age. The incorporation of laptops and ipads into the classroom have posed both benefits and limitations, on one hand they allow students to broaden their education by being able to research beyond information that is presented in class, yet on the other hand it gives students the opportunity to go on Facebook, play games, and not pay attention to what is being taught. Ultimately, it is difficult to decide whether laptops should be allowed in the classroom or not.

Technology has brought considerable change in capacity and globality for accessing and using information as well as communicating, which have both impacted on education. In the article 'Students Left to Their Own Devices' by Linda Morris, it is mentioned that Australian schools are on "the cusp of technological revolution"... and that "The pace of technological change is speeding up at exactly the time that schools are being asked to do more with less and the cost of the technological revolution is being picked up by parents and their fund-raising arms". It is clear that learning occurs beyond the classroom environment, and in the modern, and constant technological revolution that is occurring, there is a need for technology in order to remain up to date with information.

I feel that there needs to be a line drawn, between using technology and abusing technology, but as to where that line should be drawn, I am not sure. The teacher should be able to maintain authority and teach the class while having their full attention, however this is made impossible if students choose to do the wrong thing. Leonardo (2009) Drew stated that "Educators are both in authority to the extent that the state has given then a measure of power as well as an authority as they are insofar as they possess critical amounts of training, knowledge, and skills". In reading this, I recognise that it is the role of the teacher to educate the students, not the role of the internet. Thus, the Internet should only be used if necessary to broaden studies and research.

The Bullying Culture

From the beginning of school, all students have experienced someone who targets them. Chooses them to be different and then pursues them. Making it clear to peers that they are different and making sure that they are sensitive about it. Bullying is in our schooling culture, yet it is not limited to that institution it can be found in the work place or even within families. Why are we intolerant of others, what causes us to think we have a right to judge without being judged? My main idea that I plan to address in this blog is the concept of bullying culture and why it exists and how it is policed by authorities.

Tolerance is identified in Ho's (2011) article as the education and acknowledgement of the other with acceptance or at least indifference. Yet with bullying it becomes apparent that education highlights the difference in turn fuels the means for the bully to pursue a victim. Within the school environment individuals become isolated because they are deemed different, be it culturally or physically, or their temperament or beliefs. There is a distinct identification of otherness which in turn is what is identified by others. For example, a female playing sport with a co-ed class, she beats a boy she is called a man or butch or tank. Does this mean bullying is a response by the bully to defend his/her weakness? Are the boys challenging this female completing a reflex action as she has threatened their manliness? Same as bullies whom pick on culture, is it a response out of fear that this new pedagogy taking away what is comfortably theirs. When considering solutions in terms of the bullying culture, it needs to be considered the origins of the culture itself.  I cannot provide the solution, but I suggest that determine the root cause in teaching of tolerance, no yet further teaching a culture of acceptance. By this I don't mean a world of happy rainbows where everyone loves one another unconditionally, I suggest a culture supported on the basis of education of others and appropriate response. By this I mean where within the classroom there are discussion regarding difference, but also likeness and what that means for the way we interact similarly suggested in the SMH article by AAP (2007). The thought of such classes even makes me uncomfortable thinking about it. But for the to be the change in the culture the way respond needs a severe change.

Within the schooling system their are many ways in which bullying is policed by teachers and other authorities. The is  the kids help line (1800 55 1800), school councillor and Personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE) classes for students to hear about bullying and the appropriate ways to deal with incidents. What are these mechanisms really saying? Yes there is a problem within our education system, yes students whom are being bullied require support. For the bully, depending on the incident it can range from a slap on the wrist to expulsion, but what does this teach, oh you're a naughty person for hurting others you don't deserve to be part of our community. What truly needs to be addressed is why do people bully?

To end this long winded blog on bullying I will sum up with 3 main ideas.
Bullying is a culture which has been developed over hundreds of years of intolerance to others.
This culture will not be changed quickly or ever truly become extinct
Drastic change in the way we respond and include acceptance within the curriculum will start the reform.

References
AAP (2011) NSW Liberals announce a school bullying plan. The Sydney Morning Herald
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-liberals-announce-school-bullying-plan-20110306-1bj95.html
AAP (2007) School bullying can be controlled: study. The Sydney Morning Herald
http://news.smh.com.au/national/school-bullying-can-be-controlled-study-20070711-n51.html
Ho,C. (2011) Respecting the Presence of other: School Micropublics and Everyday Multiculturalism, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 32:6, 603-619.  

The 'Invisible' White Race

Whites are often rendered invisible, even as they contribute to the noticing of other races, or, rather, the races of others.

When we discuss anything to do with 'race' or 'ethnicity' the immediate reaction or chain of thought relates to people of different coloured skin, unordinary dress attire or appearance, and unusual character or culture. But no one ever bothers, or thinks about white people as a race. In fact they are often ignored in society, as nowadays too much focus is placed on the problems of the various migrant groups in Australia, and thus we see a lot of media interest pointed towards subject areas regarding "Asianisation" and Islamic extremist struggles. 

The Fozdar reading, outlined some issues regarding 'whiteness', and social thought in regards to race and ethnicity. The reading concluded by suggesting that: "It is inadequate to focus only on people of 'colour' when considering issues of race. Such a focus misses the relational quality of race, and the social practices that are so central to ensuring the continuation of constructions of race as a social category". I agree with this statement, and I think that too much emphasis is placed on migrant groups, while the White race remains anonymous and invisible, yet in order for us to embrace multiculturalism, we must recognise and embrace all cultures.

In Australian history we have studied how the English came and conquered Australia, and then set up policies to keep the country populated with only 'white' people. We've studied how these policies were strengthened in order to hinder migration, and then progressively weakened after WWII because there was the fear that if Australia did not populate, it stood no chance against war and invasion. The desire to populate was still linked with the desire to fill the country with the pure 'white' race, yet clearly all hell has since broken loose as Australia is now a multicultural nation that recognises an array of cultures. Nevertheless, even in society today, although quite unconsciously, we still represent the association of whiteness with 'goodness' and darkness with 'inferiority'. There are still films made where villains are dark skinned, while heroes are fair, and fairytales told where the heroine has blonde hair, and the villain has dark hair. We contrast good from bad, and we do this by using colour. So in some ways it is safe to say that whiteness is still represented favourably. 

A common problem that we face relates to the defining, meaningful traits of what is in fact 'white'. My point here is, when did Australia stop being so 'white'? and even so, who is considered 'white', and who isn't? Can anyone eat shrimp on the barbie, and be classified as 'white'? Have a beer and watch the cricket, and be classified as 'white'? Is my Italian 1970's migrant mother, who has blonde hair, light skin, and green eyes, considered as 'white'? How do we distinguish between 'white' and not 'white'. 

The Fozdar reading refers to Dyer (1997:51) who stated that: "Some people - the Irish, Latins, Jews - are whites sometimes, and some white people are whiter than others". What makes people whiter than others? And how do we identify who is white and who isn't? What is white culture? 

Fozdar, F., Wilding, R., and Hawkins, M. (2009). Race and Ethnic Relations, chapter 10: Whiteness Studies. Oxford University Press: p. 179-195

Is Cosmopolitanism a Pipedream?

UNSW has a large International Student Population

Reading Rizvi’s Chapter on ‘Education and Its Cosmopolitan Possibilities’, there is certainly a direct correlation between some of the points Rizvi raises and University. Like my previous blog which referred to education for minorities within Indonesia, this blog will try to look at how tertiary education is used as a way to create a divide within developing nations and how Australia is actively involved in creating this divide. Rizvi writes that ‘Both Britain and France invested heavily in creating educational systems in the countries they colonized’ (Rizvi, 103-104). This was done for the sole purpose of promoting the benefits and powers of the controlling country and establishing loyalty. As Rizvi writes, ‘knowledge was constructed in a particular way which portrayed the native as simple and inferior’ (Rizvi, 104). After reading my previous blog you might ask whether or not these attitudes still exist in the developing world. However this is really going against what Rizvi is trying to put out. Rizvi it seems supports what she refers to as the ancient Greek mode of thinking of ‘citizens of the world’ or ‘those who considered humankind as more important than their own state or native land’ (Rizvi, 105). With a globally connected world where ‘the volume and speed of intercultural exchange has increased at an unprecedented rate’ Rizvi commented that ‘never before has there been a greater need of intercultural understanding and communication’ (Rizvi, 114). The question now is are Universities the place where this happens or are they actually a method that harks back to the historical colonizer using its system to show strength over the ‘inferior other’. In an article in The Sydney Morning Herald on October 15^th 2012, Michael Short makes mention that tertiary education is ‘Australia’s third biggest export earner’ and is being ‘driven by... an abundant middle class... pronounced in China and India.’ Along with this is the competition worldwide for these foreign students with Short commenting that ‘foreign competitors are experimenting with... courses for a fraction of the price charged by Australian institutions’ and ‘ brands as strong as Harvard [and] Stanford... are starting to offer accredited and assessed courses online’  in order to get a piece of the Asian pie. The language used by this article, ‘competitors, institutions, competition’, makes me slightly uncomfortable because it highlights how Universities, including ours, perhaps aren’t seeing foreigners as a way to promote Rizvi’s idea of cosmopolitanism but rather as a way to fill their own coffers. So essentially is the ideal of cosmopolitanism getting lost through our participation in a market economy? Are International students now just a commodity?

 

References:

Rizvi, F. (2008). Education and Its Cosmopolitan Possibilities. In B. Lingard, J.Nixon & S. Ranson (Eds.), Transforming Learning in Schools and Communities: The Remaking of Education for a Cosmopolitan Society (pp. 101-116). London: Continuum

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/the-stakes-get-higher-for-tertiary-education-20121014-27kr3.html (15th October, 2012) 

How far can we push the topic of sex in schools?

Sex education has been a topic causing uproar for many years, proving not only an issue for educators in Sydney but schools all over the world. Sex education has been monitored and influenced from a range of different factors, from parents, teachers and the government all in which in some way or another, have their own judgement on when they believe it is suitable to teach and what to teach in schools. In the article Culture and education by Wadham, Pudsey & Boyd it speaks about what culture is and how it affects ones judgement and values in life. Further the article by Denise Ryan’s ‘Teachers urged to address porn factor’ depicts the need for broadening the topic and discussion of sex in schools, in order to keep up with the current issues that teenagers and students are facing.

Ryan’s article speaks of the dangers many teenagers are facing daily as a result of the lack of education being provided in schools. Statistics have proven that sex is actually getting more violent and especially towards women, due to many men replicating what they have seen on phonography sites. This has led to many women being harmed and scarred from such events as they have only had the basic information provided to them in school. ''Every young person we interviewed told us that pornography is a significant part of youth culture and particularly of young men's lives … and at the same time the pornography has become harder, rougher, more hard-core,''. (Ryan,. D, 2012) Ryan goes on to say in her article that schools have taught her about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, although fail to educate upon the current issues arising. The reason behind this is many parents are already uncomfortable with the topic of sex education, let alone the topic of pornography and education upon it in schools. Wadham provides insight into this concept as the article outlines “culture provides meanings and reference points via which we can make sense of our selves, the world around us, and how we fit into that world. Culture provides us with classification systems through which we lean to interpret the world in particular ways”( Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). In which case culture proves to be the fueling drive and influence behind parents making certain decisions that are affecting their children’s education.

“That means not just teaching young people about the biology of sex, but also teaching them about the personal, emotional, societal and cultural forces which shape the way in which they choose to conduct their lives. Armed with this understanding, young people can make far more considered 

decisions.”( Braeken,. D, 2012)

Ultimately there is a danger in not educating students upon sex in which Ryan explores in her article, “''Pornography is now our most prominent sex educator,'' she says. ''And while Victoria has good sex education relative to other states, it varies in quality. Some schools do fantastically and others don't, but even those that do it well face a significant challenge because of the mainstreaming of hard-core pornography.'' (Ryan,. D, 2012). Right now issues within schools is that they are unable to educate upon the current issues they are facing in the subject of sex education, with the dangers of students seeking information else where such as pornography sites. Ryan’s plea for an awakening upon this serious notion and its importance is clearly stated in the article as “school-based pornography education might sound controversial, but argues that young people urgently need help to critique pornography's representations of gender and sex, and to help them distinguish between what they see and reality.”

References:

• ·         Braeken ,. D, ‘Sex education: we should teach young people about more than the mechanics’, The Guardian, (2012 )
• ·         Ryan,. D, ‘Teachers urged to address porn factor’, Sydney Morning Herald, February 13, 2012<http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/teachers-urged-to-address-porn-factor-20120211-1svr0.html>
• ·         Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney: Pearson  Education.

The Culture of Trinity Catholic College: My Personal Reflection

The high school I attended was trinity catholic college in Auburn, it was a catholic school located in the western suburbs. Within my schools the students’ nationalities ranged from European, Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Sudanese and many more. My schools motto was truth, courage and community. Ultimately that’s exactly what it was, a community of individuals from different backgrounds unifying together in one school working towards the same goal whilst sharing some of their cultural aspects. Christina Ho explores the concept of multiculturalism as well as analysing the term micro publics within her article ‘Respecting the presence of others: School Micropublics and everyday multicurlaism’ which will ultimately provide an insight and highlight key situations that occurred in my high school in terms of culture and education.

My experience within high school was one that has had a positive effect upon me, as a result of my interaction with various other nationalities I have been able to acquire the skills needed to effectively communicate within such a multicultural country. Further as a result of being faced with individuals who shared different values, religions, languages and customs I did not experience a culture shock once I attended university. I have ultimately been able to negotiate with other cultures and view them within society as a norm. Christina Ho highlights this notion in her article as she states “To reiterate, a ‘micropublic’ is a space where engagement and negotiation across cultures are unavoidable, as individuals from diverse cultures find themselves having to share a common social space” (Ho,. C.Pg 605). This proved true with my experience in high school as ultimately I did have to share a social space with other cultures in which engagement occurred every single day. I think it is important to note that one of the highest levels of cross cultural interaction I was subject to was in fact with my teachers. My teachers were from all different backgrounds, and I would have to respect as well as understand certain methods of teachings and ways they would perform tasks as a result of their cultural influence.

“As Amin notes, schools can be ideal Micropublics as they throw together people from diverse backgrounds, compelling them to engage in the everyday negotiations of sharing a social space.”(Ho,. C.Pg 605).

Although there were a number of cultures present within my high school, fortunately I was never subjected to any racism or bullying as a result of my Middle Eastern background. Rather other cultures were quite tolerant of my own, trying my traditional foods, listening to some Arabic music and even down to playing the traditional drum. Unfortunately this was not the case for all cultures as ultimately some were confronted with racist remarks such as the Chinese being stereotyped in my school as always being smart. Therefore placing stress upon the Chinese students as they felt they had a standard they had to live up to, unfortunately as a result of the stereotypes. Therefore I am thankful for the experience I had dealing with other cultures in high school, down to the point that even though there are some cases in which individuals are left scarred from it due to bullying, mine provided me with life skills and tolerance towards others cultures.

Reference:

•  ‘Respecting the Presence of Others: School Micropublics and Everyday Multiculturalism’ in Journal of Intercultural Studies, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 603-619.