I found chapter 5 and 6 of Wagner's text to be the most interesting and the most informative of all the chapters. Chapter 5 discusses the issues with motivation of the students. He discusses that students have low motivation, low engagement, high multitasking, high dependence on internet/social media, and low work ethics. Discussing with teachers, Wagner hears that the students do not do the homework, and are disengaged in class, offering a difficult teaching situation. Job markets complain that the students are not prepared for the real world and have low work ethic and skills crucial to a good working environment. The teachers were mentioned as being the ones to blame. I have a problem with this argument. Yes I have seen how many teachers give students low assignments and reward students with good grades, even if the work is mediocre. However, I think that the teachers are stuck in a conundrum. Districts put a lot of pressure on teachers to have high performing students, with high grades. They emphasize high test results, which forces teachers to teach the test. The districts also push the teachers to teach only certain curriculum, hurting the teachers freedom for creativity and engagement opportunities. Teachers may be pushing students through with grades they don't deserve, however, they have reason to. They could potentially lose their jobs!
For chapter 6, I would love to work at High Tech High. This is actually a school that i have learned about previously, and have been interested in for a while. I did observations at the high school for the math and humanities classes for my Edu 350 class. I loved the atmosphere, and how the students were engaged through project based learning. Reading about the philosophies and the students reactions solidified my feelings for this school. the students are pushed to their potentials and are truly engaged in learning. This is how it should be.
For chapter 6, I would love to work at High Tech High. This is actually a school that i have learned about previously, and have been interested in for a while. I did observations at the high school for the math and humanities classes for my Edu 350 class. I loved the atmosphere, and how the students were engaged through project based learning. Reading about the philosophies and the students reactions solidified my feelings for this school. the students are pushed to their potentials and are truly engaged in learning. This is how it should be.