Final+assignment

drafts

The final paper: Structure 1 Introduction ~250 words Education does make a difference in the life of a student and it is therefore, a requirement of society in Australia to educate students in preparation for their future. This preparation for their future ensures that students can become  develop into active and successful participants in society. Is education necessary to make a difference in a child’s life? Parents send their children off to school and often view education as an investment in their child’s future. A common outlook today is that students need to acquire literacy and mathematical skills along with other competencies, with schools as the institution in society that provides this investment into a child’s future. The learning focus that educational institutions concentrate on is often dictated by governments in response to business and society’s demands to accommodate current practices and trends in the workforce. Education however, should provide more than a means for future employment. Schooling should also accommodate a child’s growth into becoming contributing members of the communities in which they reside. In this regard, this essay will investigate what should be taught in schools to generate a difference in the lives of children from all socio-economic, ethnic, cultural groups and other learning diversities. An attempt will be made to address the personal views of the stakeholders and the classroom teachers in, what and how our students are taught. Education for the social good, the development of skills for students to participate in all aspects of society and to extend develop their understanding of democracy, politics and social justice will be considered as an important focus of education today. Teaching to the diversity of learning abilities, cultural difference and the multiple intelligences will also be investigated as to how it impacts on making a difference.

 Educating students to become successful members of society is an important aspect of education today, though this can however, prove challenging for education providers (Wyn, 2007). To enable students to be able to achieve this goal, educators must first know their students and identify their specific social needs by being familiar with students’ backgrounds inclusive of family, socio-economic, cultural diversity and academic ability. Society is forever changing and in today’s global environment students require social skills that were not prevalent just two decades ago, with this in mind education needs to keep pace with these changes (Wyn, 2007). Peer pressure and the availability of illicit substances is another factor that is more prevalent especially with the new communication modes which include mobile phone technology and the ease of access to the internet through phones and internet cafes (Santor & Messervey, n.d.). Students need to be educated to be able to deal appropriately with these modes of communication for their well being, today communication is very immediate and arrangements can be made much faster for students to meet, peer pressure is greater through this instant communication and text messages can be forwarded to other friends, privacy is harder to maintain, this form of communication can be isolating if messages are received and tone is not perceived correctly. (Santor & Messervey, n.d.). Students have an unlimited amount of choices to make and often society and institutions have rigid expectations of when these decisions should be made putting pressure and creating undue stress on young students. But where do students learn to manage all of these perceived expectations that are demanded of them by their peers, family members and society?

Studies show that students that are motivated and have a sense of belonging to the classroom are able to perform better on academic tasks (Harris, 2008) but to ensure that all students can relate to these attributes an educator must ensure that their students have the social skills to accommodate this goal. Knowing one’s identity and where they belong in a social context ensures that a student feels comfortable to take risks in their learning (Ashman & Merrotsy, 2009). Creating an environment that allows for social interaction also allows students to begin to gain an insight to their personal learning and capabilities (Ashman & Merrotsy, 2009). School provides the meeting place for students from diverse backgrounds and their social skills may range from limited knowledge of how to participate in a community of peers to others that are quite adept in their social practices. As with academic skills, social skills need to be learned (Conway, 2009). There are programs that promote social skill development to assist educators in extending the attributes that will aide in enabling students to cope with school situations, and also for life beyond school, to become contributing members of society. One such program is the bounce back program which educates students on life skills and the emotions that they encounter on regular basis enabling them to cope with negative emotions that can threaten their personal well being (McGrath & Nobel, 2003). Emotions and relationships are important aspects of this program. Educating students on recognising the feelings of others and responding with empathy, learning to enjoy their positive reactions and emotions and how to engage in self-talk to assist in interpretation of situations that they may encounter (McGrath & Nobel, 2003). Students that feel connected to others or have close relationships with their family and peers, cope better with stress, as having a close friend or confidant builds a sense of self worth and confidence (McGrath & Nobel, 2003). This type of program builds resilience and coping strategies in students enabling the means to partake in and make decisions in their learning and their future.  Equipping students with social skills allows them to participate confidently not only in their personal learning but in the wider community (Wyn, 2007). The aim for students to be job ready when they leave school is not sufficient if students are not socially able to cope with the pressures that they may confront in an environment that is foreign to them. This is where the curriculum can prepare students for the politics and the issues that they normally would not encounter in their schooling lives. Creating curriculum that is authentic and relative to students backgrounds and their local community can encourage and motivate students to investigate and take a more active role in the events that occur around them (Hattam & Prosser, 2008). Students that come from disadvantaged backgrounds are given the same opportunities in this classroom as those that originate from more affluent backgrounds, making possible a sense of community that they may not have been afforded if it were left to their home environment to be the prime educator of social and community learning (Hattam & Prosser, 2008). Education can make a difference in preparing students to participate fully and productively in society through developing their social skills and personal awareness of their own well being. A teacher is faced with large class sizes and the prospect of teaching students with a diverse array of learning styles and differing intelligences. ( Ayers, 2004) suggests that to motivate students a teacher must become a student of their students. Teachers may find that by getting to know students and their backgrounds they will be able to tap into their goals and aspirations, and become familiar with the learning styles of each student. Most students will become engaged in the classroom environment when their social and physical needs have been addressed. The caring teacher, that makes a difference, looks at the whole child and wants to help them develop academically as well as socially and emotionally. How does a teacher tap into the skills and interests of each student and how are they able to determine their intellectual requirements? Teachers will vary in their response to the requirements of each student in the class and although guided by the curriculum and the various levels of input by the stakeholders with regard to what is taught a great deal in making a difference in the life of the student will depend on the teachers interpretation of how to teach to the skills and intelligence of each child. There are varied views in the literature on the issue of intelligence, Knowledge and skills. (Dweck, 2002) refers to two types of intelligence, one which is a natural intelligence where a student has a relatively high IQ and succeeds with presumably very little effort and see mistakes as failure and those that have an intelligence that they work at requiring more effort using mistakes as a tool to further learning. (Gardner, 1983) proposed that there are multiple intelligences and many educators have adopted his theories in teaching to a multitude of combinations of these intelligences. Some educators believe that these intelligences are little more than skills, however by teaching to the different skills, talents or ways of knowing of each student there will be very few that escape a positive learning experience and will be motivated to develop further knowledge acquisition. (evidence) (Sternberg, 1997) has determined three distinct forms of intelligence; the ability to think logically and rationally, thinking creatively and the ability to understand people and effectively interact on a psychological level. Regardless of the educators definition of intelligence, the teacher’s ability to engage the student through varying teaching and learning strategies and knowingly adapting the curriculum to enable student engagement will result in making a difference to the student’s school experience. Students may not view education as worthwhile, it is important to assist students to make connections with education to a positive future outcomes. When students can make this association, barriers can be broke down between students, parents, teachers and other authority figures (Gray & Hackling, 2009). Effective teachers and good quality teaching can improve results for students, from low socio-economic backgrounds (Wilson, 2009). Teachers knowing the background of their students and what issues they present to the classroom can further encourage students with meaningful lessons that students can find relevance with their own situtions.The engagement of families, teachers and local communities can serve to give meaning to education and promoting positive outcomes (see, e.g., Queensland Government Department of Education and the Arts, 2008-2011; Cairney, 2000; Boon, 2008). Engagement needs to occur on a student level and studies have found that this engagement may need to occur on different dimensions to encourage student learning (Harris L, 2008). The dimensions of engagement that need to be addressed include the behaviour, emotional and cognitive approaches, much the same as addressing students hierarchy of needs with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1970). The lack of motivation that students have due to their socio-backgrounds should be of primary interest to teachers and this can be addressed by listening to their students needs (Cook-Sather, 2009). This can guide teachers to focus on a curriculum which meets students requriements and allow students to be able to examine what education can achieve for them (Boon, H 2008) to prosper in their educational life.

Programs are put in place by schools to support students to find work and assist students to attain a place in the workforce (Hughes, Bailey & Mechur, 2001; Hughes & Karp, 2004; Lamb & McKenzie, 2001) beyond the classroom to internships so students can make informed decisions about their future. Hughes and Karp (2004) support the view that education needs to give students the strategies and knowledge to plan for their future. This approach to education may make a difference in a student’s life as they may connect the relevance of education to a definable purpose. Students who come from areas of high unemployment may lack the knowledge of how to participate in the labour force. Curriculum that has been designed to equip students to experience work based practice can prove to be beneficial to allowing students to relate education to their future. Work based learning is also beneficial to students as they are participating in their own learning and can connect relevance to the curriculum (Hughes & Karp, 2004). Brown (2010) believes that some students opt out of education as a means of gaining access to the labour force. A balance of the curriculum must be offered so students can understand that education is a means of furthering their knowledge and gaining more options for their future. Students in the middle years and higher levels of secondary education partake in work experience by going out into the community and joining the workforce in a chosen interest field, usually for a two week period. Students are given an opportunity to evaluate if the careers they are contemplating are as they imagined they would be and serves as a guide as to what subjects they should choose to achieve their goals. Another program that some schools offer is inviting people from the community to come to the school and talk about their careers and why they have chosen that pathway and the manner in that they were able to achieve this. Education is the means for providing for society’s workforce and can guide students on their future career choices ensuring that students are given an opportunity to better themselves and become successful members of their community.

Conclusion* incorporate all themes *Teachers personal views on intelligence and learning skills impact on their teaching strategies and how they impart a valuable education that makes a difference Ayers, W., 2004. Teaching toward freedom: Moral commitment and ethical action in the classroom (italics). Boston, MAS: Beacon Press. Retrieved September 7, 2010 Cianciolo, A.T & Sternberg, R. J. (2004). Intelligence: A brief history. Carlton, Victoria: Blackwell Publishing.
 * all themes make a difference to a students life
 * schools are an institution primarily to educate and make a difference with a curriculum content in mind to achieve results that benefit stakeholders (students, parents, society, workforce, personal learning) and allow students to grow academically and socially

Brown, B. (2010). Social hostility and the “dropout” syndrome: L eadership assisting youths‟ re-entry into school? [Electronic version]. //Educational// //Review. //(//62//). 53-67.  Harris, L R. (2008). A phenomenographic investigation of teacher conceptions of  student engagement in learning. [Electronic version]. //Australian Educational// //Researcher //. (//35//) 57-79.  Hughes, K. Bailey, T. & Mechur, M. (2001). //School-to-Work: Making a// //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">d ifference in e ducation //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">. Research report. Institute on Education and the <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Economy Teachers College, Columbia University. <span style="color: #403838; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Hughes, K. & Merchur Karp, M. (2004). //School-based// //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">career development: a // //<span style="color: #403838; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">synthesis of the literature. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Institute on Education and the Economy Teachers <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">College: Columbia University. <span style="color: #403838; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Lamb, S. & Mckenzie, P. (2001) Patterns of success and failure on the transition <span style="color: #403838; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">from school to work in Australia. (//LSAY Research Report Number 18//)

<span style="background: white; display: block; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt 36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -36pt;"> Ashman, A. & Merrotsy, P. (2009). Education for inclusion and diversity. In A.Ashman & J. Elkins (Eds.). //Diversity and educational environments.// (57-92) Frenchs Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Education Australia. <span style="display: block; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -36pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">McGrath, H & Noble, T. (2003). //Bounce back.// Frenchs Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Education Australia.