Critical Review of a Psychology Research Article on Students

Mr. Rose presents many descriptive vignettes of teaching professionals in his life who have influenced him both positively and negatively and whom he has retained for emulation or distinction. These characters in his life include teachers from grammar school throughout his college experience. All have in one way or another left a considerable imprint on his recollection of school and learning.

While reading Journal 1 of The Alternative and reflecting on the assignment giving, memories of teachers flooded through my mind. I am unabashed to admit that I believed some teachers to be poor at their job, and have more than once thought that perhaps this wasn’t the correct career path for them. One such teacher was my 7th and 8th grade science teacher, who believed public shaming to be the preferable way of teaching adolescents. When a student would answer a question wrong in class he couldn’t help but laugh as well as bring it up throughout the lesson, refusing to let the student move past their mistake. He chose to

It has been seen that gifted children have different coping mechanisms, as they are likely to face different problems than their peers. This usually means them being overlooked by staff as they are not seen to need the same assistance as other students. It is often found that gifted girls may learn to hide their abilities in order to blend in with other children whereas gifted boys are usually considered immature and are unable to socialise with children their own age. These children usually have different learning methods therefore teaching staff may find it hard to work with their needs. This may lead the child to feel bored in class when the work is not differentiated to their

Special needs students with emotional, behavioural, mental, or physical disability are now often mainstreamed for at least part of their school day. Gifted children are also often in the same classroom and also need support, but a different kind (DfES 2004). This makes planning lessons that service all pupils a complex and often difficult task. The teaching is also one that could rarely be performed effectively by only one instructor (Bage, Grosvernor and Williams 1999). Hence, all three adults must work together to ensure pupils’ progress at an appropriate rate, balancing the special needs pupil’s entitlement and the needs of the broader class.

Author and speaker of the compelling article Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results, Joanne Lipman informs the public on different teaching styles and which ones have the best results. Dabbling in the careers of journaling, editing, and writing, obviously attending Yale University has given Ms. Lipman many opportunities to succeed in life in different areas. Although, having such a sheltered life as a white and privileged woman will obviously give her a different perspective of this topic. Joanne is automatically given the upperhand and is taught from an early age a different way to think about different subjects. Ms. Lipman was fortunate enough to go to a high-ranking high school in New Jersey which could have molded her thoughts about teachers and their teaching strategies. When reading parts of the article we can find examples of her knowledge on the subject, “We’re in the midst of a national wave of self recrimination over the U.S. education system” (Lipman 4) the reader acquires the sense that she is exceptionally well informed on the topic of the education system. With this comprehension of the issue, I can assume that Ms. Lipman has primarily worked in the education field. The background of an author is an immensely important quality when it comes to their works of literature. Not only does it show their point of view, but also their bias which proves to be influential to the readers. Creative and factual, Joanne spreads her point throughout the article thoroughly,

This paper will explain the reasons that I want to obtain a college degree at Columbia Southern University and how I will make that happen. It will be a difficult task to accomplish but I believe that it can be done.By putting in the work and staying motivated to accomplish this goal I will be successful.

I believe that I can pass along my own wisdom while simultaneously helping them to develop a knowledge base of their own. I believe that I can get through to students and allow them to reach new realizations. I believe that I can help them to see the process of schooling as an experience that is both interesting and enlightening. What follows is my interpretation of the teaching profession. It details the methodological and ideological frameworks that I would use to construct a learning experience that is meaningful for students.

Adams County public school system’s current program doesn’t seem to recognize any minority or poor students who could be considered gifted. Educators in this district and committee members seem to lack any motivation to include diverse learners in their program. The fact that Adams County only recognized three out of four hundred thirty-eight over a five-year span is appalling. I feel Adams County need some major changes to extend their idea of giftedness. It needs to start with intensive and in-depth teacher training along with community outreach and awareness programs to help educate parents about giftedness. For instance, parent could learn ways to better support their children and help identify their child’s areas of giftedness.

Gifted students should be provided advanced opportunities to be challenged, to experience both success and growth, to develop higher level study, creativity, and productivity. To develop their interests and talents their individual characteristics, needs, learning rates, motivations for learning, cognitive abilities, and interests must be taken into account. Differentiation can be included in the curriculum by incorporating acceleration, complexity, depth, challenge, and creativity. Students can also be given fewer tasks to master a standard, use multiple resources and higher-level skills, conduct research, develop products, make cross-disciplinary

Each school, because of government mandate, has to provide services for exceptional students. The textbook Human Diversity in Education defines exceptional students as “those eligible for special educational services” (Cushner, McClelland & Safford, 2011). There are several categories for exceptional student but they all fall under the Ability/Disability continuum. Some of the categories for exceptional students are the: intellectually gifted, specific learning disability, emotionally handicapped, hearing impaired, visually impaired, mentally handicapped, and physically handicapped. In this paper the specific type of students that will be discussed, fall under the disabled side of the continuum. As one can see from the list above there

The term twice-exceptional refers to an individual who is gifted in one area and yet suffers from a emotional, physical, sensory, learning, or developmental disability (Assouline, Foley, & Huber, 2006). The term gifted student refers to a student who has an exceptional capability (2006). Over the years there have been numerous myths about gift learners. One such myth is that these students are lazy or underachievers (2006). Another myth is that a student can be gifted and also have a learning disability (2006). This kind of thinking has led to numerous amounts of students being misclassified and not receiving the services and interventions they need (2006).

The need to reform the special education system is a topic agreed on across the board by scholars, but they do not all agree on the same aspects needing to be reformed. Baldwin, Baum, Pereles, & Hughes concentrate their research in developing a single accepted definition for twice-exceptional students. The authors created a timeline of what they consider the development of the history of twice exceptionality. The authors argue critics of Twice-Exceptional students do not accept the existence of a group of students gifted and disabled because there is not substantial proof (Baldwin, Baum, Pereles, & Hughes, 2015, p.211). The authors examine different approaches for establishing a unified solution to the gap in the education of twice-exceptional students. The premise of the author’s arguments are based on the acceptances of gifted students and disabled students, but not both combined. The revision of IDEA in 2004 began to open the door for the acceptance of the twice-exception field. “Significantly, the mention of students with disabilities who may also have gifts and talents was noted for the first time in the priorities for funding” (Baldwin, Baum, Pereles, & Hughes, 2015, p. 210). The authors use legal, educational and social lens when establishing their arguments. VanTassel-Baska’s focus is much the same as the previous authors. VanTassel-Baska examines the history of twice-exceptional students. The author suggests, “That gifted education policy is not coherent across the country, is controlled by state legislatures, and subject to annual scrutiny for continued and new funding” (VanTassel-Baska, 2018 p. 98). The author stresses the lack of coherence across the United States. The author suggests the issues surrounding twice-exceptional students are left to state level policy, therefore differ. The author further argues

Every school year teachers have to encounter students with exceptionality. According to the United States Bureau, there are 54 million individuals with a disability and only 6% of them receive special education services. In that large number, there are 32 million students who are considered as gifted or talented. Many of gifted or talented students may not receive any services. To be considered exceptional means that a child differs from the norm. They are required an individualize program of special education that fully benefits their education and needs. Gifted and talented students are defined as having extraordinary abilities in more than one area. Intellectual disabilities are required to students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, or any physical and health impairments. Children should not be labeled because of their disability. Other tend to accept different disabilities more than others. For example, a person may have more empathy to a person who is blind, rather than to those with emotional disturbances. Researchers have also proven inside of an education setting, classmates display negative attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities.

It’s not every child gifted. There are many students with intellectual disabilities. In 2013, for example, 35 percent of all students ages 3-21 with disabilities were identified as having specific learning disabilities (U.S.Department of Education ,2015). For example: Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Students with speech or language impairments; Students with emotional and behavioral disorders; Students with autism spectrum disorder; Students with sensory, physical, and health impairments.

After this Mr Braithwaite spoke to his class the next morning. He told them of his teaching intentions and what they could expect and also what he expected of them. He told them of certain courtesies which he would expect. After this Mr Braithwaite found teaching easier. In the pupils' weekly review, he had made more of an impression. The pupils wrote how they thought some of the courtesies Mr Braithwaite had implemented were stupid, but they also wrote how they were glad that he treated them like adults.