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Paradigm shifts in education : By S.PenBY: Guest | Category: Education | Post Date: 2009-07-14
The first paradigm in education that must change is the belief that all English Language Learners (ELLs) are from foreign countries. According to Walqui (2008) the majority of ELLs in American schools were born in the United States (p. 3). That is surprising to many educators. Two weeks ago, the author had the opportunity to participate in data conferences with the language arts teachers at a middle school. One teacher explained how she motivated students to learn English. -You don't want to speak like a Mexican, do you?- She would ask. The truth is that accents have nothing to do with English proficiency. This teacher told a roomful of Americans that they sounded like -Mexicans-. Not only is the label wrongfully associated with inferiority via racist sentiments and attitudes, the students were just told that it is wrong to sound like -Mexicans-, their family members are wrong. How are these students supposed to react when we tell them that their family members (parents, siblings, cousins, aunts) are inferior because they speak with an accent or speak differently? They will rebel against the establishment that produces this type of mentality. Existing Paradigms / New Paradigms The majority of English language learners are from foreign countries. The majority of English language learners are born in the United States. Theory X The next paradigm in education that must change is that students do not want to learn. This paradigm follows the beliefs of McGregor's Theory X. Educational leadership experts (Razik & Swanson, 2001 p. 163; Hersey et. al, p.48-50, 2008) claim Theory X assumes that students prefer to be directed, are not interested in responsibility; it claims there is no creativity for problem-solving in schools; and students need to be coerced into performing. These experts (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, p. 48, 2008; Razik & Swanson, p. 165, 2001) believe that if the conditions are favorable, any body can achieve success. Theory Y Scholars (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, p. 48, 2008; Razik & Swanson, p. 165, 2001) point to McGregor's Theory Y which states that students are not lazy; they can be self-directed and creative when the conditions are favorable. According to these educational leadership experts, Theory Y claims that when conditions are favorable, school work can come as fun as play, and creativity is a trait that is widely distributed among the population of our schools (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, p. 48, 2008; Razik & Swanson, p. 165, 2001). Existing Paradigm Students prefer to be directed, are not interested in responsibility; there is no creativity for problem-solving in schools; and students need to be coerced into performing. New Paradigm Students are not lazy; they can be self-directed and creative when the conditions are favorable. When conditions are favorable, school work can be as fun as play, and creativity is a trait that is widely distributed among the population of our schools. Another paradigm in need of change is that teaching should be the focus of education; instead a holistic approach to education where learning takes center stage is the method educational organizations should adopt. According to Hubbard (2008) -The traditional behavior paradigm with its emphasis on methods of teaching is being replaced by the new holistic paradigm which emphasizes the process of learning- (p. 1). Hubbard (2008) claims that holistic education -aims at drawing forth the latent capabilities and sensitivities of the soul,- as opposed to traditional education, which aims to -stuff passive young minds full of predigested information- (p. 1). Holistic education is based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion and peace. (It) aims to call forth… an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning. This is done, not through… "curriculum" that condenses the world into instructional packages, but through direct engagement with the environment. Miller (2008) Existing Paradigms Currently, there is an emphasis on teaching and curriculum in education. Students are being asked to recite and perform practiced exercises and experiments like taking multiple choice questions. New Paradigms The emphasis of education should be on student learning. Teachers should be facilitators of natural learning. The fourth paradigm in education that must change is the belief that curriculum, not information access, delivers academic success. Traditional education models mandate that strict curriculum dictate what and when content is memorized for retrieval during standardized tests. Students are then forced to work on handouts, preconceived experiments, or textbooks with the intent of preparing the students for… standardized tests? Instead students should be prepared for the demands of our modern diverse society. Existing Paradigms -Some Powers-that-Be create a Curriculum… required for all students, which presents them with… information through the medium of a teacher and… instructional materials; students are then evaluated on the basis of how much of this information they can reproduce on … standardized tests, and… how well they can use the information to perform simple, previously practiced tasks- (Lemke, 1984). New Paradigms -Individuals explore freely in large multimedia databases, matching their… needs and interests to available information; they transform and synthesize this information for particular social purposes, and the result of their work is then evaluated by themselves and others according to a variety of functionally based criteria- (Lemke, 1984). Finally, the fifth paradigm of education that must change states that ELLs must be taught and must learn in their first language. When this happens, content can be memorized; however the task of language acquisition is passed on to middle and high schools. Secondary school teachers excel at content mastery not language acquisition, and elementary teachers excel at language mastery. Eventually, these students will take the ACT or SAT or other form of higher education assessment and these tests will be in English. State mandated tests must be taken and passed in English in order to graduate. Additionally, under the current system, the demand for qualified teachers cannot be met. Echeverria, et al. (2004) write, -Although NCLB calls for highly qualified teachers in every core academic classroom by 2006, the supply of certified ESL and bilingual teachers is too small for the demand- (p. 7). Existing Paradigms English language learners should be taught content in their first language, later they can just translate all that knowledge into English. New Paradigms English language learners should be taught content in English using strategies for second language acquisition. Conclusion Teachers cannot be forced to do anything. These paradigms must change and the people in the front lines of this shift are teachers. Educational leaders must motivate, influence, train, and most importantly, let teachers learn and make mistakes; that is the best way to learn, and that is precisely what educators should expect from students. Survey Instrument The instrument introduced here will assess the beliefs, experiences, and practices of the teachers who teach English language learners at a particular school. A safe, open, forgiving environment is necessary in order to involve the student in the learning process. This instrument will also communicate the paradigms in place at the particular school. These are paradigms that must change. The aim of the instrument is to identify paradigms in place and work toward a shift in beliefs, experiences, and practices. 1 Strongly Disagree 2 Disagree 3 Neutral 4 Agree 5 Strongly Agree Statement Rating Teacher Perceptions of Teaching Environment 1. In my experience English language learners are students from other countries. 1 2 3 4 5 2. In my experience, students at this school are generally motivated and eager to learn. 1 2 3 4 5 3. In my experience, teaching methods are more important than learning practices in the process of content mastery. 1 2 3 4 5 4. I feel comfortable teaching English language learners. 1 2 3 4 5 5. I consider language acquisition challenges of English language learners when I prepare lesson plans. 1 2 3 4 5 6. In my experience, students are passive and must be forced to do their work. 1 2 3 4 5 7. Good curriculum is more important than available resources to successful learning. 1 2 3 4 5 Number 1 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a wrong paradigm is in place. Number 2 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a correct paradigm is in place. Number 3 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a wrong paradigm is in place. Number 4 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a correct paradigm is in place. Number 5 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a correct paradigm is in place. Number 6 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a wrong paradigm is in place. Number 7 - A higher average of the entire campus represents a wrong paradigm is in place. References Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., Short, D. (2004). Making content comprehensible for English language learners: The SIOP model. Boston: Pearson Education. Green R.L. (2005). Practicing the art of leadership: A problem based approach to implementing the ISLCC standards. (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. H., & Johnson, D. E. (2008). Management of organizational behavior: Leading human resources. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Hubbard, M. (2008). A new teaching paradigm: Introduction. -Holistic Education for the Responsibility of Freedom as Self-empowerment: A scientific rationale-. Retrieved Dec 2, 2008 from Lemke, J. L. (March, 1994). The coming paradigm wars in education: Curriculum vs information access. Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference, the John Marshall Law School, Chicago. Retrieved Dec 2, 2008 from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2008). Retrieved Dec 2, 2008 from Miller, R. (2008). Holistic education column: Articles and chapters. -Holistic Education: A brief introduction-. Retrieved Dec. 2, 2008 from Razik, T. A., Swanson, A. D. (2001). Fundamental concepts of educational leadership. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Walqui, A. (Fall, 2008). -EL Expertise: Not just for specialists anymore-. R & D Alert: Timely knowledge for education and human development. 10:1. San Fransisco. WestEd. Article Source: http://www.saching.com About Author / Additional Info: Additional Articles: * Success of a Good Relationship * Extra-marital affairs among girls and ways to prevent them. * The Pros and Cons of Indian Boarding schools - Education in India. * The choice of subjects in education * Benefits of Drinking Tea - Why people drink Tea? Does this article violate or infringe on your copyright ? It is a violation of our terms for authors to submit content which they did not write and claim it as their own. 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