Group Differences Forum

I think the group differences forum has been interesting and has sparked a lot of conversation. I enjoyed hearing people's opinions on different topics. One thing I learned from the discussion is boys tend to be given more attention than girls in school, which caused some good discussion. Also, I learned that there is talk about a program that requires your child to be in school and do well in order to receive welfare  There were great points on both sides of the argument and it is a really tricky situation. The gender and disabilities group was not as interesting because I believe many of us have already learned so much about building self-concept and self-efficacy in our students with special needs. There was no really great discussion over this topic, but rather everyone stating facts from our special education classes, and nothing that lead to debate. I would have like to see more on this topic. I would suggest taking this article out. Since I am unaware of the other articles, I would not necessarily say take out the topic.

I learned many things that could help me in my classroom such as to pay attention to boys and girls and be aware of any biases I may have. I also learned I need to understand where families in poverty are coming from and how I can best serve them and help their child succeed. I also need to be aware of my misconceptions of different groups because there are many parents who are trying but still fall within the poverty line. Like we discussed, most parents really do want their child to succeed. Last, I learned that it is important for teachers to be prepared to teach ELL students and to be equipped with the proper skills. These students are going to be in every classroom at all different levels, and since not all schools can hire ELL teachers, each general education teacher needs to be prepared.

Overall, this forum was enlightening and covered many different issues. Many topics I had discussed before, while other conversations brought a new perspective.