101.002.Chapter2Syntheses

Below are our class synthesized answers to the following questions from Chapter 2 of the textbook:

//**How racially and ethnically diverse are our schools?**//

//**How does SES affect students?**//

The book Joy of Teaching by Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn and Donna M. Gollnick write schools are categorized into three socioeconomic classes: low income class, middle class, and upper middle class. Low income students are less likely to graduate from high school or further their education after high school. Most low income students are African Americans and Latino Americans that live in cities or rural areas. Middle class income students are expected to finish high school and some sort of training after high school. Upper middle class students are given more opportunities in school because of their family's wealth. Therefore, these students are expected to attend college and become more successful.

//**How does gender influence students?**//

__The Joy of Teaching__ written by Hall et al., discusses how gender influences students in today’s schools. Even though there is no intelligence difference between sexes, the male gender tends to be inclined towards mathematics and science while females are inclined towards language based learning. Boys and girls learn differently; girls are more likely to be inductive learners while boys are more likely to be deductive learners making it important for teachers to keep in mind different techniques of teaching for both genders. Gender also brings with it different stereotypes for both sexes including the new stresses put on women’s shoulders to be both feminine and part of the work force while men are stereotyped to be emotionally stable and stoic. It is important for teachers in modern day schools to understand the effect cultural and peer pressure have on specific genders.

Chapter two of __The Joy of Teaching__ by Hall, Quinn and Gollnick, states that gender stereotypes are involved in the development of a child. The physical development between these two sexes varies in rate, along with the diversity of an individual's mental capacity that cannot be tested. As males and females begin to learn, the left and right hemispheres mature differently. Inspite of their differences it is commonly seen that not every person falls into the category of gender intelligence. Whatever the case, teachers must accept the student's cultural view of social being. In certain situations, teachers must ignore the world's stereotypes to introduce an interesting topic.

//**What should teachers know about English language learners?**// First and foremost teachers should know that throughout their teaching career they are more then likely going to have English language learning students, and they need to prepare for this. Most of English language learning students are immigrants from different countries. These students are going to need a little more guidance then others depending on how fluent their English is. Some children of immigrants go to school here knowing no English and others are very fluent. It is also important to note that as a student raised in another country they will have different strengths and weaknesses, so you may have a much younger or older student in your class and this has no bearing on his/her intelligence. Some schools that have large numbers of immigrant students have special programs to help them learn English

//**What are the religions of students?**// Gene Hall, Linda Quinn, and Donna Gollnick created the book //The Joy of Teaching;// in this book, in Chapter 2, "Today's Students," the authors explain to new teachers the diversity teachers need to be accepting within their classrooms. The authors give an explanation of the religions a teacher would come across within their classroom. Hall, Quinn, and Gollnick write that while 86% of people say that they are in a religion, only 44% actually attend their religious meeting. The authors use anecdotal evidence to support the idea that teachers must expose children to the existence of different religious systems, as well as the absence thereof. The authors warn teachers that rules can be discriminative against certain religions without the teacher's realization; the authors give the example that most schools have a rule against wearing headwear which discriminates against Muslim women and Jewish men. Lastly, Hall, Quinn, and Gollnick request that teachers be courteous to student's religious holidays, even ones that prevent the students from coming to school.

//**How are students with disabilities integrating schools?**// According to the authors of the classroom text, students with disabilities are entering schools with a wide range of educational or physical problems. The students attend the general education class as much as possible, and may require special education personnel with them. Special education teachers and educational technicians may team teach with the core teacher along with providing support for students (along with assisting any other student that needs help) in the room. Teachers, as part of the administration, will observe a child in a classroom setting that requires additional help in learning to potential. In a teacher's recommendation for services past the general education classroom, the authors urge the correct information to be reported. As such, a teacher must take into consideration reasons beyond what is observed.