Module 2

Concept 1: Person-First Language and Labels

Summary:

Chapter 4 of Woolfolk talks heavily about learning differences and intelligence. Learning differences in students come in many shapes and sizes. Throughout the chapter, it speaks about a few different disabilities like ADHD, communications disorder, intellectual disabilities, and a few others.  Woolfolk started of by telling the differences between disability and handicap where disability is the inability to do something specific (120), and handicap is a disadvantage in specific situations. Even though these two are different, many people put people with a disability or handicap into groups and label them. Along with the labels, many will use them as an “excuse” or an “explanation” to what someone with a disability is doing. Instead of doing this, people should stop putting labels on students and others and view them as a person who has a specific disability instead of a disabled person.

Reflection:

Prior to this class, I took Sped 216. During this class, we talked about how we should use the “person-first language” when talking or mentioning a student with a disability. Each student may have their differences but, in the end, they are all children who have their own mind and can think for themselves. They are people who can be spoken to and not have someone else speak in replace of them. On page 121 Woolfolk states, “Describing a complex person with one or tow words implies that the condition labeled is the most important aspect of the person.” The condition is just an extremely small portion of who the child or person is and shouldn’t define who they are. They all have different characteristics, hobbies, and dreams they want to pursue that makes them unique from everyone else and not just their disability. Instead, we should state the person first and not the disability. Students and people shouldn’t be called “a learning-disabled student” but say “a student with a learning disability”. It shows how they are just as important and are human like everyone else.

In my field experience, I have been helping a student who was still getting identified to see if she has a disability. During her process, I have been told that parents do not want their students to be tested because of the idea that they would be treated differently than the others. They would be taken out of class and loose some of the higher education if they were finally identified. A reason for this action and thought might be because of how others view students with disabilities. They think low of them and only see their disadvantages. In reality, if students get identified, it is an advantage. The student will receive the resources needed to increase their knowledge and learn even more. I after the student was identified, I didn’t see her as any different. She was still this active girl who enjoyed talking with friends and learning. The only difference was, she was able to have accommodations and modifications to her learning. This is how every student with a disability should be seen as. Just a person who enjoys different things, has dislikes, and a mind with an extra characteristic other may not have.

In the future, I want to implement the idea of how we should talk to those who have a disability. They should be known as a student with a specific disability and not be defined by it. When I become a teacher, I will show my students they are all important and only have an adjusted education to help them thrive and succeed. I will make sure they are not labeled with every student in my class who have a disability. None of them are the same, each are different in the ways they learn, their different disability, and what they will need.

Concept 2: Bilinguals

Summary:

In chapter 5, Woolfolk talks about bilingual and bicultural and defines it as, “mastering the knowledge necessary to communicate in two cultures as well as dealing with potential discrimination (183).” I appreciate the way she talks about students who are bilingual because of the things they might have to go through. Some might struggle in working between two languages or succeed in it. Before reading the chapter, I knew a bit about being bilingual because of my parents who needed to learn English and friends who can speak two languages to understand and succeed in school. After reading this chapter, I became more informed about what bilingual is and what students may go through learning a different language.

Reflection:

As someone who is learning how to speak Spanish to understand my family members on a different continent, I understand a bit of how difficult it could be for students to learn a second language just to understand what is going on in school. Even though this is a negative side of having to struggle in learning a language, there are positives. On page 180 it says, “bilingual children have more advanced metalinguistic understanding of how language works.” Students who learn a new language at a young age, will become better at noticing things when it comes to language and will hit milestones, in both languages, about the same time as students who only know one language. There are only advantages to being bilingual as I have seen throughout the chapter. Students who know two languages can speak to a variety of people than they would have with only one language.

While being in my field experience in a first-grade classroom. I found out that six of the students can speak, read, and write in two languages, Spanish and Arabic. These children excel just like the other students in the class and enjoy showing me their books they have in English and in Spanish or Arabic. One of the girls even boasts to me about how she always gets 10/10’s on all of her spelling tests. Even though they still have trouble writing, they are not afraid to ask for help when it comes to spelling words they don’t know. They learn more English every day and go to another teacher to help them succeed in both languages.

As a future educator, I plan on hoping to help student who are learning English as their second language. I am currently minoring in ESL and plan to learn even more Spanish while attempting to communicate with my family in it since I struggle in that area while succeeding in hearing and understanding it. Once I take the courses for this class the upcoming fall, I will learn more about how to help students who are still learning English. Even if I may not have students who are ELL, I could still use the activities, tactics, and information to help other students who are struggling in some areas. No matter what may happen, everything I learn will go to good use in the future.

Concept 3: Gender Bias in School

Summary: 

In chapter 5, it discusses about culture and diversity racially, ethnically, and through gender. It speaks about discrimination and prejudice against some groups and what should be done about it. One thing that caught my eye was the gender bias in school. Before it gets to the school, it talks about how society has shaped gender roles which are “expectations about how males and females should behave- about what is masculine and what is feminine (232).” As it goes through, differentiating what we see for toys and how each gender should act or can do, it leads to what bias are in schools for females and males. Something that was new to me after reading this chapter was how teachers favored boys over girls for the most part. On page 233 it says, “teachers have more overall interactions with boys than girls; however, this includes more negative interactions with boys but not more positive interactions.”

Reflection:

As I look forward in the text, it speaks about how male figures are seen in a ton of books that are used. Over the years, they have tried to even out the number of males and females represented in books to not be biased toward males. Girls in class are also praise for being affectionate more often while boys need to display more masculinity. Because of this idea that boys need to display masculinity, it was shown in the text that they tend to struggle in school because their needs aren’t met with smaller classrooms, more discussions, and even more male teachers. After reading this chapter, it has opened my eyes to how much more bias is through gender. I knew before how bias our society can be with having specific toys, what roles girls and boys need to take, and many children’s books. After reading, I learned that children’s books go even further to some texts that will be used in school and what the children experience with bias in school.

In elementary school, I have witness gender bias especially at recess where we only had black pavement and a couple of jump ropes, kickballs, and whatever else children brought to play outside. I always had trouble deciding if I should go play kickball with all the guys or have difficulties playing through a whole game of “house” with my other female friends. I always noticed how all the girls’ clothes were bright colors and the guys were mostly black or variations of darker colors. I saw how the recess ladies would yell mostly at the guys for playing a bit rough and would be kind to the girls and even bring a music player for us to dance to the Cha Cha Slide and allowed everyone to join.

As a future educator, I want to lean away from the gender bias that I have seen and read. I think it’s important for students to know they should have all these characteristics and not one over the other. From the research show in the chapter, I will be cautious and make sure I call on everyone in my class and not just the boys or just the girls. It is crucial for each of them to participate in any discussion or activity. With the books, I need to make sure there is an even amount of who is being represented in them. Students need to see that they can be anything they want when they get older. They need to see themselves in the books we read and content that is taught. Without this, they could lose confidence in themselves. I will need to be a role model and show that it is fine for males to show affection and care for others and that females can be a bit masculine and can play kickball or more “masculine” games outside. There shouldn’t be any bias even though at times it may be difficult to stop.