3/7/10

So a friend of mine gave me a copy of The New York Times Magazine today. The title read, "Building a Better Teacher" with small text underneath saying "Can educators be educated about how to educate? By Elizabeth Green".

So I started to read the article and came across this:

"Among the factors that do not predict whether a teacher will succeed: a graduate school degree, a high score on the SAT, an extroverted personality, politeness, confidence, warmth, enthusiasm and having passed the teacher certification exam on the first try."

Seriously? Then what's all this schooling for?!? Wait, what are the factors that predict whether a teacher will succeed? Apparently Lemov's Taxonomy helps..."Teach like a champion: The 49 techniques that put students on the path to college". Wait, is putting them on the path to college the ultimate goal for every student? Ah, all the questions...

3/1/10

It's been 11 days since I've got my paper back from my advisor. Am I anywhere near done? No.

The two-page proposal that we've been working on has now become a "short" proposal. It's 8 pages long now. (It's supposedly suppose to be 50 to 60 or so by the time I'm done.) Right now, I'm focusing on other countries, other than the United States that have had experience with dual language education. Also, I'm looking for previous research on different program features. And of course, I need to tie this all back to the setting of the research, Japan. Oh, not to mention, I need to solidify which method of research I'll be conducting as well.

So far, I've borrowed 2 books from the library, purchased many books online, and have printed numerous articles related to my study. (I'm so lucky to have found a printer that I'm able to print from for FREE. 100 pages? No problem! LoL.)

Hopefully I will get this paper out of my hand and back to my advisor by the end of the week. Wish me luck. Oh wait...that connects to the previous post! LoL.

3/1/10

Reading my textbook from my EDCS 768: Seminar in Curriculum & Instruction Theories, and I come across this:

While girls are more likely to attribute their success to luck, boys are more likely to attribute their success to ability. As a result of these different causal attributions, boys are more likely to feel mastery and control over academic challenges, while girls are more likely to feel powerless in academic situations. (P. Campbell and J. Wirtenberg, "How Books Influence Children: What the Research Shows," Interracial Books for Children Bulletin 11, no.6 (1980):3-6.)

Reflecting on my thoughts and how I'm currently pursuing this degree, I find this oddly true. I'm not terribly smart, I think I just have perseverance and luck. So yes, I naturally think that I'm a bit powerless in academic situations...but perhaps that's just my personality too? Who knows?