Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Print version

Development Process
The WikiText Development Process in ECI301 at Old Dominion University Darden College of Education, Fall 2006/Spring 2007/Summer 2007/Fall 2007

This WikiText, The Social and Cultural Foundations of Education, is the combined effort of a dedicated group of professional collaborators, faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students. The course was planned over the summer of 2006 by Dr. Patrick O’Shea, Adjunct Faculty Member, who had the original idea for a WikiText, Dwight W. Allen, Eminent Scholar of Educational Reform, Peter Baker, Coordinating Graduate Assistant for ECI301 where the WikiText has been developed and used, and Douglas Allen, Associate Professor of Human Resources Development at the University of Denver.

In the fall they were joined by two other senior researchers, Kevin DePew, Assistant Professor of English, and Danny Curry-Corcoran, Director of Evaluation for the Newport News Public Schools.

The senior research team also offered an applied research course in the fall semester, paralleling the development of the WikiText. The major objective of this course was to plan a series of research initiatives to study the outcomes of this unprecedented, innovative approach to the introduction of students to the profession of teaching. Preparation of the WikiText and the evaluation of learning associated with that text comprised about one half of the total introductory course which also includes traditional lectures, both online and in a face to face format. The course materials and syllabus can be found at: http://www.odu.edu/educ/dwallen/classallen.htm.

Though the idea of WikiTexts is new, others have developed texts with the cooperation of students, often though not always graduate students. (See, for example, the developing student-written text about educational psychology, as well as the online Wikibooks version called Contemporary Educational Psychology). We decided to take a very different approach taking advantage of the large numbers of students enrolled (about 225) in this introductory class. First of all students were asked to produce a relatively brief (1,000 words) and very narrowly focused article on one of about 75 topics selected by the professional staff as representing a “typical” mix of topics for comparable courses. With about 225 students in the class, we created a “sign up page” in the WikiText which allowed as many as three students to sign up for each topic. In most cases we had two or three student-authored versions of each article.

It was not expected that they would “cover” the topic, but rather would select two to five major concepts they felt would be of value to them as teachers in training. Students were also required to write five multiple choice questions, applying the concepts their article to real life situations, and one essay question. In addition they were asked to find a “sidebar” something that would make the article more interesting – a quote, a video clip, an illustration or cartoon, a chart or graph.

The “book” was written during the first four weeks of class, and the balance of the semester was spent reading the text they had written. Each student was assigned to read and rate only one version of each article, about ten topics each week. Typically we received about 50 ratings of each article. The highest rated article by students was selected as the “official text.”  The other articles, some of which were also highly rated are shown as supplementary materials.

Foreword
This is a textbook created and edited as part of an education course, ECI 301, at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. The book's primary contributors have been undergraduate, pre-service teachers.

Our goals for this project are manifold, but I would like to take a minute to highlight some of those that we consider most important. First, we want to prove that a student-authored textbook can be of a quality equal to that of a traditional textbook. After all, it seems counter-intuitive to imagine that students could learn from a textbook that is too sophisticated for them to have written themselves. Furthermore, this text should serve as proof that, due to the vast availability of information via the Internet, traditional textbooks written by intellectual elites are no longer necessary to the same degree they were before the Information Age. Next, the process of creating this text will serve to empower pre-service teachers with knowledge of technology and other skills such as effective communication and self-/peer-editing that will serve them well when they enter the classroom later, as teachers.

If you have stumbled onto this book by mistake, we encourage you to take a few minutes and read a chapter or two. After reading, feel free to click the blue rating buttons at the bottom of each page. This will help us identify the highest- and lowest-quality sections.

Each section of each chapter of this book was researched and developed by the students. Several versions of the articles were developed by different individuals, both within the same class and over several semesters. The students evaluated their peers' articles to determine which ones were the most useful and those versions are the ones seen linked from the contents page of each chapter.

Dynamic Learning Environment

 * Why is engagement important?
 * How can we motivate students?
 * What roles do fun and joy play in the learning environment?
 * What is the role of edutainment?
 * What are various strategies that can be employed for meaningful learning?
 * How can we teach students to evaluate resources for learning?
 * How can teachers continue to educate themselves?
 * How can we promote learning from peers?

The History of American Education

 * What are the markers of the 17th Century?
 * What are the markers of the 18th Century?
 * What are the markers of the 19th Century?
 * What are the markers of the 20th Century?
 * What are the markers of the 21st Century?

Educational Change and the Future of Education

 * What is the Allen/Cosby theory of change?
 * How has the NCLB act formed visions of change?
 * What are the goals for educational change?
 * What are the desired outcomes of educational change?
 * What is the role of standards?
 * How can we train Americans to compete in a constantly changing world work force?
 * Why are all subjects are essential to be taught?
 * Why do we need health and physical education in our schools?
 * How should foreign languages be taught?
 * How can we improve early childhood education (3- and 4-year-olds) for all?
 * How can we find other ways to finance American schools?
 * How can we educate students for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship?

Some of the Barriers to Effective Education

 * How is obsolescence a barrier?
 * How is mobility a barrier?
 * How is equity a barrier?
 * How is accountability a barrier?
 * How can class size act as a barrier?

Classroom Issues

 * How do we discipline?
 * What are reward systems, and do they work?
 * Are teachers isolated?
 * How do student dynamics impact learning?
 * What is the role of motivation?
 * Can discipline be done positively?
 * How can resistance to working with others be overcome?

The Forgotten Half: Those Who Do Not Succeed in American Schools

 * Who is the curriculum designed for, and why?
 * What are the alternatives?
 * What is the Hope Factor?
 * How do we combat learned helplessness?
 * How do differences in perception and reality affect learning?

Staffing Practices

 * Are teachers interchangeable?
 * What are the positives and negatives of class size?
 * Credentialism&mdash;how has this impacted education?
 * What are the roles of paraprofessionals?
 * How can we recruit, select, and train new teachers?
 * Should teachers be allowed to unionize?

Administering the Schools

 * What is the role of the principal?
 * How should personnel be evaluated?
 * What does it mean for leadership to be ethical?
 * What are the legal issues?
 * How are schools financed?

Curriculum Development

 * What is the standards movement?
 * Can schools integrate vocational and academic learning?
 * Why is special education an issue for all teachers?
 * How do we plan lessons, and why is it important?
 * How has technology impacted instructional design?
 * What constitutes an effective instructional method?
 * Is a national curriculum needed?
 * What factors influence curriculum design?
 * What is the importance of early intervention in reading performance?

Technology in Education

 * What role does technology play?
 * How might technology revolutionize education in the future?
 * What are the pros and cons of technology in the classroom?
 * How should the Internet be integrated into the classroom?
 * Can teachers be replaced by computers?
 * Should students have the ability to use computers in the classroom?
 * Should students write their own textbooks?
 * What technology should a teacher use in the classroom?
 * How can PowerPoint presentations be used effectively?
 * What is the role of social media in instruction?

School//Community//Parental Relationships

 * Where is the school/community disconnect?
 * What are the mutual responsibilities of teachers, parents, and the community for effective schools?
 * Is there unity in diversity?
 * How can families and schools better communicate?

Multiculturalism

 * What is the global context for education?
 * How has our multicultural world changed the responsibilities of teachers?
 * How have gender issues changed our views?
 * How should we think about minorities?
 * Is being different bad?

Knowing What We Know, Knowing What They Know

 * What do we know about brain research?
 * How do people learn?
 * What role does action research play?
 * Why is feedback important?
 * How can we be encouraging?
 * Why is applied and abstract reasoning so important to the learning process?

Assessment|Assessment Practices in Education

 * What roles do assessment of performance and performance appraisal play in schools and administrations?
 * How can we develop new testing systems emphasizing such areas as creativity and knowing how to work with ideas and abstractions, and functioning on teams?
 * How can we create and monitor high performance schools?
 * What is the role of Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate in creating national standards?

Acknowledging Differences and Complexity

 * How can we encourage students and teachers to consider multiple perspectives?
 * What are the different concepts of intelligence?
 * What is lifelong learning?
 * What is service-learning?

Accountability

 * How should teachers be held accountable?
 * How should parents be held accountable?
 * How should students be held accountable?
 * How can we meet NCLB quality standards?
 * How should society respond to under-performing schools?
 * How should society reward outstanding schools and teachers?
 * How can teachers be flexible in an era of accountability?
 * What makes NCLB an enemy of quality education?
 * What makes NCLB the savior of quality education?

Choice

 * What is the case for home schooling?
 * What is the case against home schooling?
 * What is the case against vouchers?
 * What role do charter schools play in education?

Student Assessment and Feedback

 * How can we construct effective measurements, including exams?
 * What are the principles of effective assessment?
 * What are feedback skills?
 * How should group work be assessed?
 * What role should peer evaluation play in grading and course work?
 * When should qualitative or quantitative assessments be used?

Special Needs

 * How can we best teach children with disabilities?
 * How can we best teach children with autism?
 * How can we learn to understand children with ADD?
 * How can we best accommodate children with hearing impairments?

Hot Topics in Education

 * What is the ideal amount of homework to assign?
 * What are the effects of the home environment on learning?
 * Should school be held year-round?
 * Should school districts implement school uniform policies?
 * What can be done about the issue of bullying?
 * What effects do inequities in school funding have on teaching and learning?
 * What teaching styles can educators employ?