Impact of Government Curriculum on Teaching and Learning

Impact of Government Curriculum on Teaching and Learning Governmental Control Over Curriculum and the Impact on Teachers as Skilled  Professionals Introduction Caldwell and Hayward (1998) state that the need for reform in England’s school system was realized in 1976 (p. 1). Yet, it was not until 1988 with the Education Reform Act instituted under Margaret Thatcher that a â€Å"national curriculum, national tests† and control of the schools by the government began to become a reality (Caldwell Hayward 1998, p. 1). Murnane and Steele (2007) contend that national involvement in the public schools was intended to support the learners, as well as the teachers (p. 15). However, because of the continued awareness by governments that Western educational institutions were lagging behind the accomplishments of Eastern schools, continued changes in the area of education and government’s control over it have completely altered the educational landscape (Murnane Steele 2007, p. 15). This is because of an adopted neo-liberalist policy approach that has favored markets over learners and policies over teacher effectiveness (Apple 200 1, p. 182). As a result teachers are becoming â€Å"deskilled† and incapable of maintaining their own control over their effectiveness in the classroom (Hall 2004, p. 3). As this control subsides, therefore, teachers are leaving the profession due to frustration and an inability to maintain their professional capabilities in the schools. This knowledge provides evidence that the neo-liberalist policies that have been adopted in the United Kingdom are not achieving the end results as once forecast and that there is perhaps a need to reconsider these policies in order to ensure that teachers that are the foundation of education retain the skills and knowledge that is necessary to instruct society’s children. Neo-Liberalism Apple (2001) indicates that there was once a â€Å"classical liberalism† that existed in relation to the schools and those policies related to education that impacted teachers and students (p. 182). However, Apple (2001) states that as time has progressed the classical liberalism of the state policies has been altered toward a â€Å"neo-liberalism approach† (p. 182). According to Apple (2001), it is important to understand the differences between these two types of views of education because these differences are at the core of the educational issues that schools in many countries face today (p. 182). Olssen (1996) defines classical liberalism in the schools as a method of â€Å"freeing those within the schools from state control† (p. 337). Olssen (1996), on the other hand, specifies that neo-liberalism supports the state’s role in controlling education by â€Å"creating a market†¦[that involves] the conditions, laws and institutions necessary for its operation† (p. 337). Apple (2001) argues that when an education â€Å"market† is, therefore, created it is a market that seems to suggest â€Å"individualization† (p. 182). However, the individualization of the market is subjected to the controls of the government and the policies that force parents, teachers and students to act in a certain manner, leading to the end results that the state intended from the start (Apple 2001, p. 182). This is because the actions of the entities connected to education are restrained by the boundaries set forth in the policies of the government and as those boun daries become more tightly fixed the actions of the parties are more predictable. Choice and Influence on Teachers Apple (2001) expands on this notion by examining the middle class in society (p. 182). Apple (2001) stipulates that when parents of different nations in the middle class are given the opportunity of school choice the government knows that those parents will naturally begin placing their own criteria and/or expectations on schools (p. 182). Consequently when parents are unhappy with the curriculum at one school the teachers at the school are forced to alter that curriculum in order to meet the demands of the parents or they will loose the students within that school (Apple 2001, p. 182). The loss of students within a school means the loss of government funding, the loss of jobs, the lack of teacher’s ability to provide resources and ultimately the loss of the school itself in the community. Therefore, as Apple (2001) indicates, the government policies may be suggesting that people have a greater choice; yet, what is actually occurring is a more significant control of schools th rough the ability of parents to actively use choice to influence curriculum in relation to the schools (p. 182). As parents influence how the curriculum is created, consequently, teachers are placed under greater scrutiny and are forced to expand their offerings in the classroom – even if these offerings include learning that the teacher is not knowledgeable or skilled in. Brooker (2003) contends that the manner in which parents and private entities are capable of influencing the education of students is evident in the United Kingdom with the inclusion of computer technologies in the elementary classroom (p. 261). Over the past decade there has been such a significant increase in the demand for computer technology training of young students. Yet, those schools that do not conform to this expectation are loosing students (Brooker 2003, p. 261). In general this is because parents, manufacturers and the government insists that if children are not trained in the use of computers at an early age they will not be capable of competing with their peers or those in the outside world later on (Brooker 2003, p. 261). Yet, Brooker (2003) argues that technologies in the classroom has impacted teachers negatively due to the fact that many of today’s teachers are not skilled in the use of computers and they are not capable of acquiring the knowledge needed to instruct their students adequately (p. 261). This is because, in general, many schools fail to provide teachers with new training that will support the increase in the instructional scope and teachers do not have the ability to seek outside skill training and maintain their work schedule at the same time. New Teacher Training The concept of choice and control offered by the government is also being reflected in proposals by government entities associated with initial teacher training (Apple 2000, p. 1). Apple (2000) specifies that in the current educational climate what is being considered is the â€Å"deregulation† of teacher training as a means of promoting competition among institutions of higher learning (p. 1). Essentially what this causes to occur is that colleges and universities are freely allowed to choose their own approaches to teaching and teachers have the choice of training institutions that they prefer. However, as time progresses it becomes apparent to schools and the communities that support them which teachers are trained effectively and which are not (Apple 2001, p. 182). This occurs when standardized test scores are revealed from students, reflecting directly back on the teacher’s abilities to educate (Apple 2001, p. 182). As a result, when enough teachers from a particul ar institution are incapable of developing learners that can pass standardized tests that institution begins to realize a decline in enrollment (Apple 2001, p. 182). Although teachers in training are given the choice of schools to attend and colleges are given freedom in determining how those teachers are training, ultimately it is the governmental control of policies that impacts whether or not the institution of higher learning will survive and what curriculum will be used to teach teachers in society. In the neo-liberalist approach to education there is evidence that the freedoms that are being given to colleges and universities are instead tools that negatively impact teachers entering the profession, often with the new teachers being unaware that they are ultimately slated for failure before they even begin their careers. Able Students Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz (1994) stipulate that governmental control over education further impacts teachers and curriculum due to the fact that teachers and schools begin to attempt to avoid students with special needs and â€Å"seek out able children† (p. 19). This is because special needs students require a greater amount of teacher time, teacher expertise and teacher interaction with students that takes away from the teacher instructing â€Å"able† students who do not have special needs (Ball, Bowe Gewitz 1994, p. 19). In England, Ball, Bowe and Gewitz (1994) state that this intent to encourage able students enrolling in schools by teachers and administrators is directly related to the â€Å"publication of performance indicators such as examination league tables† because schools find it difficult to explain that test scores may be low due to an abundance of special needs students (Ball, Bowe Gewitz 1994, p. 19). Yet, Gerwitz, Ball and Bowe (1995) further argue that control of the curriculum and teacher performance is also related to the students of different cultures (p. 6). For example, in England it is known that African American students traditionally have difficulties in the schools because of the large segment of this population that is impoverished (p. 6). Poverty is correlated to the abilities of the students, with those in the impoverished classes historically performing less successfully on standardized tests (Gerwitz, Ball Bowe 1995, p. 6). Apple (2001), therefore, states that this causes teachers to develop curriculum that targets students who are more capable of learning and ignores those students that standardized testing was intended to support in the first place (p. 182). Fragmentation Allen and Ainley (2007) contend that as time progresses the governmental control over the curriculum in the schools is continuing to expand, impacting how teachers not only teach, but changing what is taught to students, causing a fragmentation of teacher control over their own labor (p. 1). An example of this exists within English schools as education reform is focused on vocational education for students beginning at age 14 (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1). According to Allen and Ainley (2007) the government came to the conclusion that there was a decline in students graduating from schools with marketable skills and this impacted their success after public schooling (p. 1). The issue, therefore, became less concentrated on a student’s ability to read, write and perform simple math and more on specifically training students to function in specific jobs once they have left academia (Allen Ainley, 2007, p. 1). Allen and Ainley (2007) indicate that this brings about two specific issues. First, while teachers in the United Kingdom have indicated that they do not support this policy, teacher organizations throughout the country have ignored teacher protests and called on educators to ensure that the policies are successful (Allen Ainley 2007, p 1). Second, programs for vocational training are being largely created in schools that instruct low income or impoverished students, with those students in high performing schools working with a traditional curriculum (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1). What this means is that while governmental policies are once again suggesting that there is choice in relation to education, the policies are ensuring that only those choices that support what the government deems appropriate for education will be made (Allen Ainley 2007, p. 1; Chitty 2004, p. 160). Furthermore, Murnane and Steele (2007) state that this causes teachers to be inundated with having to cope with a curriculum that is ever-changing and that they believe they no longer have control over (p. 15). As a result teachers are leaving the teaching profession in vast numbers and this is creating a greater shortage in the teacher workforce than ever before (Murnane Steele 2007, p. 15). Conclusion Duggan and Pole (1996) suggest that the dissatisfaction in the teacher workforce began to be ever apparent in the 1990s (p. 139). Hall (2004) states that this is an issue that has increased over time because of policies such as â€Å"the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies in primary school and the Key Stage 3 Strategy in secondary schools†, as well as the inclusion of technologies and standardized testing that â€Å"constricts teachers† and their capabilities throughout the curriculum (p. 3). According to Hall (2004) the types of control connected to the schools and the deskilling of teachers are endless (p. 8; Appendix 1). Consequently there is an increased teacher workload, decreased teacher satisfaction and a reduction in the number of teachers that want to or are capable of instructing students in the manner in which government and/or society demands. For the future of education in the Western world this could mean that the attempt by government to regulate education and create more successful outcomes for students in England has the opposite effect, as is indicated by Hall (2004, p. 3). The research indicates that the original intent of education to create students that were capable of being productive citizens after their educational careers ended became extremely complex when it was realized that Western students did not achieve at the same rate as Eastern students. Therefore, a neo-liberalist policy toward education by the government was adopted, suggesting that choice was available to parents, teachers and students and that a greater freedom in education would exist. Yet, the research also demonstrates that the idea of choice was restricted by the policies related to education that were adopted by the government and that these policies minimalized the choices that actually existed. Moreover, these neo-liberalist policies became so intricately woven within education that the choices made by those connected to education could be predicted and manipulated with ease. For teachers this has meant that they are overworked, under-trained and unprepared for the demands o f the modern educational system and given few options as to how they can overcome these issues. This knowledge provides serious implications for the educational system because as teachers continue to become frustrated due to their increasing deskilled status they are leaving the teaching workforce. This knowledge provides evidence that the neo-liberalist policies that have been adopted in the United Kingdom are not achieving the end results as once forecast and that there is perhaps a need to reconsider these policies in order to ensure that teachers that are the foundation of education retain the skills and knowledge that is necessary to instruct society’s children. Appendix 1 (Hall 2004, p. 8). 1. Regulated market control: metaphors of the market and consumer demand are imposed upon schools; success and profits go to those who best meet consumer demand. Teachers’ work is evaluated in terms of measured outputs set against cost. Competition is the key element in relations between schools. (Ball, 1994) 2. Technical control: this is embodied in structures rather than people – in, for example, notionally ‘teacher proof’ teaching materials and text books, and in specified competences (Apple, 1988, 1996) 3. Bureaucratic control: hierarchical power is embedded in the social and organisational structure of institutions – jobs are differently divided and defined, have different salaries, and supervision, evaluation and promotion arrangements. The potential for establishing a career operates as a control mechanism. 4. Corporate control: the focus of the institution is on economic rather than social good. A competitive ethos prevails. Managers focus on economic goals. The head teacher is perceived more as a line manager than as a first among professional equals. 5. Ideological control: hegemonic beliefs – for example, that a good teacher has certain characteristics – become part of the dominant ideology within schools. These ideas and beliefs are reinforced in pre-service and in-service training. Certain conceptions of teachers’ work become naturalised – for example, a move away from child-centred discourse to market based discourse. 6. Disciplinary power: Foucault (1977) shows how, by means of the technologies of power – hierarchical observation, normalising judgment and examination –individuals are ‘disciplined’ into ways of understanding their work. Minor procedures and routines are specified (times, dress, expected responses) in ways that become anonymous and functional within a school; teachers and others within the school regulate their own behaviours to meet these expectations. Smyth describes this as a ‘triumph of technique over questions of purpose’ Bibliography Allen, M. and Ainley, P. (2007) Education make you fick, innit? London: Tufnell Press. Apple, M. (2000). Power, meaning, and identity. New York: Peter Lang. Apple, M. (2001). Markets, standards, teaching and teacher education. Journal of  Teacher Education. 52(3): 182-207. Ball, S., Bowe, R., Gewirtz, S. (1994). Market forces and parental choice. In S. Tomlinson (Ed.), Educational reform and its consequences (pp. 13-25). London: IPPR/Rivers Oram Press. Brooker, L. (2003). Integrating new technologies in the UK classroom. Childhood  Education. 79(5): 261-289. Caldwell, B., and Hayward, D. (1998). The future of schools: Lessons from the reform  of public education. London: Falmer Press. Chitty, C. (2004). Education policy in Britain. London: Palgrave. Duggan, R., and Pole, C. (1996). Reshaping education in the 1990s. New York:  Routledge. Gewirtz, S., Ball, S., Bowe, R. (1995). Markets, choice, and equity in education.  Philadelphia: Open University Press. Hall. C. (2004). Theorizing changes in teacher’s work. Canadian Journal of Education  Administration and Policy. Retrieved January 1, 2009, from http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/pdf_files/hall.pdf Murnane, R., and Steele, J. (2007). What is the problem? The challenge of providing  effective teacher for all children. The Future of Children. 17(1): 15-35. Olssen, M. (1996). In defense of the welfare state and of publicly provided education.  Journal of Education Policy. 11: 337-362.

Dick as Tragic Hero in Fitzgeralds Tender is the Night Essays

Dick as Tragic Hero in Tender is the Night      Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night tells the story of an American psychiatrist Dick Diver and his wealthy, schizophrenic wife Nicole. We follow the deterioration of the seemingly wonderful, happy marriage of the stylish couple presented in the first book, to the finalizing divorce of the newly empowered and relatively stable Nicole and the somewhat broken, yet content Dick. Dick’s fall from grace is not entirely surprising considering the weaknesses of his character and the choices he makes throughout the novel. Portrayed throughout the beginning of the book in a very positive light as a wonderful entertainer and the epitome of social grace, Dick’s character is not as strong, nor as pure as it first appears. However, Dick is not an entirely bad person. It is actually some of the more positive aspects of his personality that, in combination with the negative aspects, lead to his eventual downfall.    Book I of the novel introduces Dick as the jester on the beach and a gracious host. He seems to enjoy a great respect from the people around him. The positive light cast on Dick at the beginning makes it likely that Dick Diver will ultimately become the â€Å"hero† of the novel, which is an idea that deserves consideration throughout the novel. But, at the end of Book I, the reader is still not certain of the identity of the main character.   â€Å"It is entirely plausible at that point in the novel to guess that Tender is the Night is actually the story of the young actress Rosemary†( LaHood, 27). The majority of the first book revolves around Rosemary and our perspectives of the characters are somewhat stinted by her impressions of them. It is upon her rather idealized impression of... ...the happy, stable and more independent life that she had been missing.    Works Cited and Consulted: Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Judith S. Baughman. Reader's Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Tender is the Night. New York, NY: Scriber, 1933 Grenberg, Bruce L. "Fitzgerald's 'Figured Curtain': Personality and History in Tender Is the Night." In Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, ed. Milton R. Stern. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986. LaHood, Marvin J., ed. Tender Is the Night: Essays in Criticism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1969. Stern, Milton R. Tender Is the Night: The Broken Universe. New York: Twayne, 1994. Stern, Milton R., ed. Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. Boston: Hall, 1986.

Hills like White Elephants Essay

In â€Å"Hills like White Elephants,† Jig describes the hills from a distance like white elephants. That description signifies that, for Jig, her pregnancy is something that is precious while a burden at the same time. In order to understand the situation of Jig, it is important to note that white elephants are considered to be sacred and symbolize justice in Southeast Asian monarchies. On the other hand, these elephants come with a costly price in terms of its upkeep or maintaining its health. White elephants are oftentimes given as precious gifts for royal members of the family since they are the ones who are capable of taking care of the costly needs of the elephant. But for the average individual, being given a white elephant means having to take care of a burden that is supposed to be treated as a precious gift. Apparently, the hills in the story symbolize the pregnancy of Jig and the description of the hills as white elephants suggest that her pregnancy is both a precious gift and a burden. On the part of Jig’s American male companion, the fact that he wants Jig to have an abortion suggests that he sees her pregnancy as a burden. Moreover, the railroad tracks in the story’s setting suggest a dividing line between two distinct landscapes—a barren and dry land on one side and a green landscape on the other. Jig’s attention is focused on the landscape while the American is having a conversation with her, suggesting that she is concerned between choosing which side to take—a happy life with her child or a barren life with her American companion but without her baby—while the American is busy convincing her to let go of the baby. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† the setting used by the author, William Faulkner, is the fictitious post-war town of Jefferson. In the town, women are not allowed to walk the streets without wearing an apron, thereby suggesting that there is a form of discrimination against women. However, Emily Grierson can opt not to follow the rule because she came from an influential family. In fact, there was even a time when she was given the privilege of not having to pay taxes. Thus, the society’s perception towards Emily by that time was that she was a woman of distinct position. She was someone who is not like the average woman in town as she is capable of doing things that the average women in town cannot afford to do. Moreover, the setting of the house of Emily in the story reveals something about her character. The house is considered to be once a majestic edifice in the town only that it has turned into â€Å"an eyesore among eyesores (287)† later in the story. The reason behind this is that the house was no longer well taken good care of even though Emily has employed a man—both the her gardener and her cook—to look after the house. The time when the townsfolk have noticed the searing stench emanating from Emily’s house all the more gave the house an ugly reputation. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the stench came from the decaying body of Homer, Emily’s lover, who was laid in one of the house’s beds as it rotted for years. Apparently, it is also revealed that Emily had been sleeping with the corpse of Homer all the time when the stench lingered around the house. It symbolizes the decay of the personality of Emily, perhaps dying with the death of Homer. The setting of the house clearly represents the decaying personality of Emily and the predicaments which caused her grief and despair. Victoria Battistelli, (A Rose for Emily) I agree that Emily is an old woman and that she should not have died in that decrepit house. However, I think it was Emily’s decision to stay inside that house until her dying days for one reason—her lover, Homer, is there in one of the bedrooms. Interestingly, it was Homer’s stench—for his dead body was decaying all the time that it was there—that roused the interest of the rest of the people in town although they were not aware it was Homer’s. More importantly, there are evidences in the story which suggest that Emily slept with the corpse of Homer: the lock of hair beside Homer’s body and the shape of the pillow that appear to suggest that somebody’s head was on top of it. These things, among others, indicate that Emily chose to stay inside the house and even sleep with Homer’s corpse. Sadly, though, she did not have to put herself in that position. Apparently, her strong emotions for Homer caused her to withstand the putrid scent of his corpse and stay inside the house. Do you know of other indicators that Emily was willing to stay inside the house even though it was reeking of bad smell? Debbie Wong, (Hills like White Elephants) I definitely agree that Jig was thinking of her pregnancy as she was concerned as to whether she should follow the suggestion of her American companion or to follow her desire to keep the baby for herself. It seems that Jig was weighing the odds for each side of the coin, so to speak, although she gave-in eventually to the demands of her American companion. Her pregnancy is truly a white elephant—a burden and a gift, a burden for her American companion and a gift for Jig. Are there any indicators in the story that says something about Jig’s pregnancy as a burden for herself, or that she was tempted to give-up her baby before finally deciding to do so?

50 Debate Topics for High School

Debates tend to instantly engage students, but they can also sharpen their research and public speaking skills. No matter your reasons for using them, having debates in your classroom is a sure way to get your students thinking and talking. You may require your students to research topics before debating them or even prepare speeches to state their point of view. Learning how to productively debate will improve your students communication skills as they practice speaking and listening. These skills will serve them in college and the diverse career world beyond.   Debate Topics The following 50 debate topics  can be used in high school or advanced middle school classrooms. They are organized by genre and some can be modified for use in different subjects. Each item is listed in the form of a question to propose to your students that has at least two points of view. 1:53 Watch Now: Ideas for Great Classroom Debate Topics Science and Technology Should human cloning be banned?Should renewable forms of energy be subsidized by the government?Should the U.S. government fund a space mission to Mars?Should social media comments be protected by free speech?Should parents be allowed to choose their babys gender?Should animal testing be banned?Should the U.S. government provide internet service to every citizen?Are video games too violent for children?Should the manufacturing of nuclear weapons be permitted? Laws and Politics Is it ever appropriate for the government to restrict freedom of speech?Is democracy the best form of government?Should citizens who do not vote be fined?Is the right to bear arms a necessary constitutional amendment today?Should the legal voting/driving/drinking age be lowered or raised?Should a border fence be constructed between the U.S. and Mexico?Should America give foreign aid to other countries?Should drone attacks against specific targets be used for modern warfare?Should affirmative action be abolished?Should the  death penalty  be abolished?Should microaggressions be punishable by law?Should the cruel treatment of animals be illegal? Social Justice Should partial-birth abortion be illegal?Should all parents be required to attend parenting classes before having a child?Should parents be required to vaccinate their children?Should mixed martial arts be banned?Should celebrities be required to be positive role models?Should people be fined for not recycling?Are progressive tax rates just?Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?Should marijuana use be considered a crime? Education Should every student be required to take a performing arts course?Should homework be banned?Should school uniforms be required?Is year-round education is a good idea?Should physical education be required of all high school students?Should all students be required to perform community service?Should schools block YouTube?Should students be able to leave school grounds for lunch?Are single-sex schools better for student learning and mental health?Should schools punish cyberbullying that occurs outside of school?Should teachers not be allowed to contact students through social media?Should public prayer be allowed in schools?Should high-stakes state testing be abolished?Should poetry units be removed from the curriculum?Is History (or another subject) actually an important subject in school?Should schools be allowed to track students by academic level?Should students be required to pass algebra to graduate?Should students be graded on their handwriting?Should all students be required to co-op?Should the theory of creation be taught in schools?