Final Research Project

Education: Then and NowRosie Loya

English 1302Dr. Shannon Carter

Fall 2011

Research Question

How has education changed within the past 20 years?

What effect has this had on › Present teaching methods?› Discipline methods?› Classroom layout?› Learning styles?

Introduction

In the past, school was a whole other world compared to how it is now. There was no technological distractions, students were disciplined with rulers and other materials, and the list goes on and on.

What effect has this had, if any, on education today?

Methods

To investigate this, I conducted an interview with my mother in order to retrieve her experiences in another country and compare them to her experiences in the United States. I also made a visit to her classroom to take pictures and included these in my project.

Research Subject

Julia Loya Relationship: Mother Job: Teacher at Finch Elementary in McKinney

TX. My mom grew up in Mexico as a student, she

is now a teacher in the United States working within the Developmental Social Skills Class (DSSC) program which holds students with extreme behavior issues. I am comparing her experiences as the student in Mexico and the teacher in Texas.

Interview Questions

Has having discipline in school affected how you are as a teacher?

How have classroom layouts changed compared to when you where in school?

How have teaching styles changed and what are your teaching methods?

How is discipline being assessed in your classroom?

Results

“When I was a girl, our teachers felt they had the right to hit us using the same rulers they used to teach us with. It was very frustrating. It affected me at the moment but now I have the opportunity to show patience with my kids and treat them how they deserve”

Scholarly Works Cont. In “Verbal Abuse by the Teacher and Child

Adjustment From Kindergarten Through Grade 6.” by Mara Brendegen, an experiment was conducted with 399 children that were assessed over 7 years in order to examine the stability of verbal abuse by the teacher through 4th grade.

Results: “Children who are relatively well adjusted are at low risk of becoming the target of verbal abuse by the teacher. If they do, however, these children are the most vulnerable to subsequent developmental difficulties.

So What Does That Mean?

This experiment that was conducted statistically shows that since my mother was verbally abused by teachers as a child, she is more likely to become an abusive teacher. However, my mother has broken this trend and is very respected by her students and other staff members.

Results

“Children in my classroom now have the opportunity to use very advanced technology including smart boards, computers, calculators, etc. I definitely didn’t have these luxuries”

Artifacts- Picture 1

Results Cont.

“Nothing is taught the same now that I think about it. When I teach I sometimes remember the methods I used to learn the materials and it has completely changed to how these kids are being taught, for the better of course.”

Scholarly Works

In “Classroom Universals to Prevent Problem Behaviors” by Robert Trussell, essential teaching methods are discussed including: › Student question and answer sessions› Positive writing assignments› Wait time

“Further, the manner in which teachers instruct and interact with students needs to be a central component of classroom universals.”

What does this mean?

Certain teaching methods are necessary for the positive attitude in the classroom and for children to have an effective learning experience. My mother includes these teaching methods one way or another in her classroom.

Scholarly Works In the article “Literacy in Three Metaphors” of

Ethnographic Inquiries in Writing by Syliva Scribner, she includes her point of view that “Adapting literacy standards to today’s needs… would be shortsighted. During World War I, a fourth grade education was considered sufficient to render one literate…” (pg. 39)

This is one of the many proofs that how society views education is constantly changing, more education is needed as the years go by, and the way children are taught has also changed.

Results Cont.

“I’m very proud of the fact that when kids are disciplined today, they are not scared like when I was in school. It’s not so traumatic like it was for me.”

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my mother Julia Loya for participating and giving the time to be interviewed. She was a good sport and I was lucky to have had the privilege of interviewing her.

Discussion From this information, we can make

general conclusions. They consist of:› The specific teaching methods and

classroom procedures affect children’s learning. With encouraging decorations and allowing them to think for themselves, the classroom will be more positive opposed to how it used to be 20 years ago.

› If a child is verbally abused by a teacher while in school, that student is then more likely to be verbally abusive if they happen to become a teacher.

Thank You For Watching!Any Questions?