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Differences in Perception and Reality

The differences in perception and reality in education bring into focus the group of people in our society that are forgotten. In this article some of the differences between perception and reality will be addressed. Lets start with the definition of perception and reality. Reality is that which exists objectively and in fact (American Heritage). Perception is the awareness of directly through any of the senses (American Heritage). To put this simply reality is how things really are and perception is how we comprehend things to be. Within education both of these exist. Lets examine some realities and perceptions within education.

With the multicultural society that is found in the United States there are many teachers and students from various backgrounds. The teachers and students in America’s public institution foster the reality and perception of education. The barriers that students from low-income families are facing are affecting their educational experience. This problem referred to as the digital divide is affecting a proportion of the population that is falling further behind. This is a reality that needs to be addressed. Ethnic differences create literary and language barriers these barriers are directly related to the digital divide ( The Children’s Partnership). These barriers of literary and language are problems, but solutions are in the works. With the use of technology teachers can teach class in closed-captioned settings. This will allow students with literacy and language barriers to learn by the preferred language of choice. The perception of education then changes to allow students that were left behind because of these barriers to embrace technology and put it to use. The digital divide can be eliminated if technology is there to use. This is not always the case. Technology is not in every school to be accessed by every teacher. The process of education needs to be rethought. The idea of the National Experimental School Administration (NESA) as proposed by Dr. Allen and Dr. Cosby in their book “American Schools: The 100 Billion Dollar Challenge” is one way of approaching the digital divide problem. The creation of NESA would allow testing of various teaching styles that could show what would make education current in the 21st century. Then the barriers that were listed above would not matter and all students could have access to current technology if the NESA was successful.

Another perception of education is that the educational preparation students receive is supposed to equip them for the job market. Students are instructed to do their homework and pass the standardized tests to determine their success in life. The does not really guarantee that students will be successful or get a job. This means change in the classroom needs to happen. Teachers need to change their assumptions they have about how students learn. The assumptions that “they are willful and need correction, they are innocent and must be protected from a dangerous or vulgar society, they are empty vessels to be filled with knowledge that only adults can provide, that they are egocentric and in need of socialization, etc.” are long held perceptions (Bruner). These are perceptions about students that need to be rethought and the reality needs to be voiced and put into practice. The reality is that teachers need to stop looking at students as if they do not know anything. Teachers have a lot that could be learned from students with all the information and technology that is in our society. The days that teachers stood in the front of the classroom to give students information that they could not find anywhere else but school have passed. Teachers and students need to be joining together in the learning process. In doing this interesting and useful ways to explore technology would become a reality in preparing students for the job market.

In mentioning students as a forgotten group teachers must not be left out of this classification. Teachers that have professional development training sessions have been found to have a positive impact on students. The reality of positive impact that teachers can make occurs when teacher development meets the following: 1. it is sustained over time; 2. focuses on specific content areas or instructional strategies; 3. supports collection learning; 4. aligns with school and teacher goals; and 5. provides opportunities for teachers to practice and apply new knowledge (Hamilton). When these things become a reality for teachers their attitudes about teaching will become more of a rewarding experience. When the perception that teachers have all the training in college is changed, then can teacher development become a reality. The administration of schools that offer teacher development give the opportunity for teachers to learn from each other. Teachers would cover material that other teachers were applying and gain a comfort level and solid knowledge of what is expected of them. This would also be rewarding for the students having teachers that were excited about the material they were presenting. Teachers would also be aligned with the school goals that were set before them by the administration. The students that are taught by well prepared teachers are going to see improvement. The perception that students are getting further behind would begin to be erased. This would be replaced by the reality of quality improvement in students’ assignments and projects (Gale). This could go a long way to changing how education and teachers are viewed by society. Teacher professional development could allow the ability to lead the way into students successfully being well-educated citizens of the country. These changes will come if we dare change the way teachers are taught by altering our perceptions of how learning should occur.

This article addressed some of the components that show some of the differences in perception and reality in education. The predicament of education is that change in the way students are educated must happen. Perceptions toward education will not be changed until education itself undergoes change. New realities in education will then be acknowledged. Teachers and students could benefit, what is there to lose. The choice is to let education remain where it is or to change it so that no one will be left behind is the turning point that education faces at this time. It is up to us as teachers to decide were to go from here.

Sidebar

“Only the curious will learn and only the resolute will overcome the obstacles to learning.”

~Robert Frost

“We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.”

~The Talmud

Essay Question

Teachers have an impact on the reality of education. What changes need to be made to allow the perceptions within education to be viewed differently? List one of the things that should be changed and explain.

Multiple Choice Questions

1.	Perception is:

a.	a myth

b.	a thought process

c.	awareness directly through the senses

d.	reality

e.	b and d

2.	Reality is:

a.	how things really are

b.	something that exists objectively and in fact

c.	a perception

d.	a though process

e.	a and b

3.	The United States is a __________ society. a.	multicultural

b.	diverse

c.	educated

d.	none of the above

e.	only a and b

4.	Teachers need _________ development training. a.	one on one

b.	historical

c.	awareness

d.	professional

e.	none of the above

5.	Perception toward education will not change until education undergoes change.

a.	true

b.	false

Sources

Allen, Dr. Dwight and Dr. William H. Cosby. “American Schools: The 100 Billion Dollar Challenge”. October 2000. New York, NY.

American Heritage. Retrieved September 20, 2006, from www.answers.com

Bruner, Jerome. “The Culture of Education”. (1996). Harvard University Press.

Hamilton Project. Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job. The Education Innovator. Retrieved September 21, 2006 from, http://find.galegroup.com/proxy.lib.odu.edu

Gale, Thompson. (May 15, 2006). Teacher Quality and Development. Education USA. Retrieved September 21, 2006 from, http://find.galegroup.com/proxy.lib.odu.edu

The Children’s Partnership. Online Content for Low Income and Underserved Americans; Digital Divides New Frontier. (2000).

Multiple Choices Answers

1.	c

2.	e

3.	e

4.	d

5.	a