iNQUiRY PROJECT

I'm becomming more and more confused about this inquiry project. The question that I was going to ask was "Why did physical education become part of the curriculum?" With going to all the observations and collecting data, I dont think that I am going to be able to answer that question. I believe the question that I am answering is more research based than observable. Maybe I will just use the question, "How does Democracy play a role in the educational process?" We seem to have been looking into that alot lately, and seems like it would be more observable in a school setting. If I do go with that question, seeing how schools are run and how the students and teachers interact with each other, would be what I would look for in order to answer that question.

NCLB : NARROWiNG THE CURRiCULUM

This topic is so controversial. There are many reasons why I see that they want to spend more time in math and reading. Those areas tend to be harder for students and spending more time on them might benefit them. Personally, when I took the placement test to get into community college, I did not meet the bar for the reading portion. I was put into a remedial reading class that did not count toward graduation. I thought the class was an absolute joke and passed with my eyes closed. I felt like I was in a sec0nd grade reading class. I think that spending more time in those areas seem like a good idea, but I don't believe that it should be done. Every subject should have the equal amount of time because they are all of importance.

iDEAS FOR iNQUiRY PROJECT

Since I am a physical education/health major I want to do my inquiry project on something related to that. One of the ideas that I have is: Why was physical education/health added to the curriculum? It's a question that I keep coming to over and over. It is something that I want to explore further and find out answers to that question. Another idea that I have is: Why is physical education/health a four year requirement in most high schools, rather than a science or math? Trying to think of a question to ask has been hard, but hopefully more ideas will start coming.

PARKER 250-350 WORD RESPONSE (REViSED)

“A proper curriculum for democracy requires both the study and the practice of democracy“.
-Parker
“How important is it to teach democracy in U.S. public schools?”

The quote states: “A proper curriculum for democracy requires both the study and practice of democracy” (Parker, page 6). I agree with this quote. It is important to teach the children about democracy in schools. It is what our country is run by, so we need to teach it to the kids throughout their learning process.
We were all taught the basis of our government in school. We learned about the president, vice president, House of Representatives, the Senate, etc. We learned about the different branches of government and how they are run. Schools are run like a mock government. For example, as a class, you elect a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The student body voices their opinion and the representatives try and meet the needs of the class. By doing things like this in schools, it prepares students for what they are going to encounter in the future.
We are also taught other ways of democracy throughout our education. We learn how to work together, how to cooperate with each other, and how to use teamwork. Even in the younger grades, everyone was given small jobs such as line leader, board eraser, etc. Skills like these will all help the students function when they go out into the American society. Another key concept that we learn during our school years is how to create our own opinions, form our own ideas, and how to express them.
Teaching the concepts of democracy in schools is essential. It prepares students for when they graduate and go out into the working world. From the minute they walk into the doors of pre-k or kindergarten until they graduate, we shape their minds to become American citizens. Everything around us is based on the values and morals that our country has been run on for years and years. This is why we need to instill those values into the minds of the youth.

250-350 WORD RESPONSE TO PARKER READING

“A proper curriculum for democracy requires both the study and the practice of democracy“.

-Parker

“How important is it to teach democracy in U.S. public schools?”

The quote states: “A proper curriculum for democracy requires both the study and practice of democracy” (Parker). I agree with this quote. It is important to teach the children about democracy in schools. It is what our country is run by, so we need to teach it to the kids throughout the learning process.

We were all taught the basis of our government in school. We learned about the president, vice president, House of Representatives, the Senate, etc. We learned about the different branches of government and how they are run. Schools are run like a mock government. As a class, you elect a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The student body voices their opinion and the representatives try and meet the needs of the class.

We are also taught other ways of democracy throughout our education. We learn how to work together, how to cooperate, and how to use teamwork. Even in the younger grades, everyone was given small jobs such as line leader, board eraser, etc. As a student, you were allowed to voice your opinion, and have all of the rights stated by the Bill of Rights. This all has to do with democracy.

Teaching the concepts of democracy in schools is essential. It prepares students for when they graduate and go out into the working world. Everything around us is based on the values and morals that our country has been run on for years and years and that is why we need to instill those values into the minds of the youth.

250-350 WORD RESPONSE

“An uneducated individual was an untrustworthy custodian of rights and liberties, but a properly schooled individual would recognize the bonds of obligation and principle that stabilize society and preserve freedom”. -Tyak

The question I am going to answer with this quote is, Who is uneducated? What does it mean to be uneducated? What does it mean to be educated?

When reading the Tyak piece, I was under the impression that immigrants and people who were not American citizens were the people who were uneducated. In this sense, being uneducated meant that you did not know how to live like a proper American. You were not assimilated into the culture. Uneducated people could not be trusted because the values and morals had not been instilled into them.
An educated person went to school and learned about what it was like to be a good citizen. They followed the laws, values, and morals, which they were taught in school. Being educated basically meant that you learned and understood the rights that the government had given to them. Being educated did not only mean that you can memorize names, titles, and places, it meant that you were able to present yourself in society with the same views as everyone else.
Today, I think we still follow the same principle to a degree. A lot of people are looked down upon if they have not gone to school. I don’t think that it should be this way. If a person can make it in life without going to school then good for them. We shouldn’t sit here and frown upon people who don’t obtain degrees. People know how to act and what rights and liberties they have even if they don’t go to school. People are educated without even going to school.

TYAK READING

This reading went into a lot of depth. It was confusing at times, but some points were very clear. I think the major point that we got out of it as a class was, "Should democracy be taught in schools"? I believe that it is inevitable that we do. Whether it is teaching about the actual form of government, we are teaching the principles of it. If you really think about it, democracy is part of everyday schooling. You have the right to voice your opinion in class, you work together, there is always competition, etc. We teach kids to stand up for what they believe is right and shape their minds with the correct values, morals, and beliefs, that an American citizen should have. So overall this reading went into more depth than the past readings and went into more detail than just statistics.

HODGKINSON READING

I really liked this article. It went into the demographics without too many numbers. It also told us more about how it is going to effect us in the future. I liked how we had the discussion about the inner city, urban, first ring suburbs, second ring suburbs, and rural america. It showed us how they all impact each other and it is kind of like a circle whereas you start off in the poor areas then go to wealthier and then you wind up back at poor areas on the outside. It is really sad to say that the people in the poorer areas don't have as good of an opportunity to get a thorough education. Everyone should be able to have that same chance to be everything that they could be.