Implications Hegemonic Assumptions Have on You as a Teacher Essay

Findings from a recent Ofsted report have shown that low-level disruption in the classroom is causing pupils to potentially lose up to one hour of learning each day, and that this may have a detrimental impact on their life chances (Ofsted, 2014). Difficulties managing behavior is a commonly reported source of stress and burnout among teachers, and is resulting in a substantial number leaving the profession within 5 years (Ford et al, 2012). Disruptive behaviour is not only stressful for teachers, but it can be unsettling for pupils, can hinder pupils enjoyment of school and can prevent pupils from fulfilling their potential (Gorard, 2010). Although there has never been a time when all pupils behaved well, all of the time (Viser, 2005), it is important that teachers have a good understanding of the challenges they may face in the classroom, and are equipped with effective strategies to help them manage classroom behaviour. After all, effective behaviour management and discipline in schools is a crucial to ensuring academic success and a positive and safe learning environment (Luisellia et al, 2005).

Critical pedagogy is a philosophy that aims to foster more than just dialogue between the educators and students. It encourages “exploration, to help students move through the process of discovery by talking with them, asking questions and generally keeping up the momentum of exploration” (Elmborg, 2002, p. 458). This then effectively resolves the issue of a stagnant pedagogy, one that does not keep up with the times and needs of the students. Additionally, critical pedagogy serves to place some, or perhaps a lot of autonomy on the students’ part, attributing the means to the realization potential to them as well as the educators. As such, the only way for the educator to come to a better understanding of their students’, as well as their own

Probably the biggest influence to children in a classroom is their teacher. A good teacher will know their pupils, their needs, what interests them and their aspirations. A successful classroom will have well planned lessons in an environment which encourages learning and does not disrupt pupils. A teacher needs to attract a lesson to pupils, making it age relevant and suited to any needs they might have, for example special educational needs. A teacher will also understand their pupils learn in different ways and this is very important to keep pupils interested in the lesson and wanting to learn. The teacher knowing their pupils different learning styles could be the success or failure to their education. A pupil who is loud will not best learn in a quiet classroom environment, they would want to be a bit more “hands on” in learning activities. The importance of these three things together; teacher, lesson plans, and learning styles will be the success or non-success of a classroom. They can together create a positive, motivated environment to influence and encourage children to

If anyone should be setting rules it’s students, teachers need to observe the way students learn and they have to help the students in what they struggle in.

This would include everything from the way desks should be arranged and the order subjects are taught, to the type of activities given to enhance a lesson.  Planning of these things will help classroom management run much more smoothly.  Finally, classroom management requires consistency, particularly with discipline.  Inconsistent teachers who discipline only half of the time it is needed, send mixed messages to that child as well as to his/her classmates.  Teachers need to remember that following through with what they said helps the child remember that their undesirable behavior will not be tolerated and that there are consequences for their actions.  Consistency is a skill that teachers should make sure they have when they step into a classroom.  Flexibility, careful planning and consistency are key components, I think, that teachers would find helpful when dealing with classroom management.

Ever since its inception, human civilization has been run by a pecking order; a small group of elitists on the top of the chain of command dictate the social norms for the remaining individuals on the antithetical end of the spectrum. Individuals with traits outside these norms are ostracized and looked down upon by the hierarchy. Cathy Davidson’s, Project Classroom Makeover, promotes the use of customization in the education system to accommodate every students’ learning habits over the current use of standardization and curriculum based teachings. On the other hand, Karen Ho’s, Biographies of Hegemony, is about how one’s environment is engineered by institutions, which in turn establish hierarchies who set standards for society. However, Son by Andrew Solomon describes how horizontal identities, traits influenced by peer groups that separate individuals from their families, are seen as abnormalities and those with such identities are on the bottom of the said hierarchy. Based on Davidson’s, Solomon’s, and Ho’s works, individualism does into question because society forces individuals to conform to the standardized norm in which they are not allowed to have unique identities.

I maintain the figure of authority during most lessons, but I also like to afford my students the ability to engage in student led groups, explorations, and discussions where they can learn from their peers. My tolerance for noise in the classroom depends heavily on what we are doing. If there is a direct teacher-led lesson occurring, classroom noise should be minimal. However, if students are actively engaged in an inquiry-based exploration with their peers, a higher noise level will be tolerated.

Freedom vs. Domination Often times, two things which have no similarities at first sight, can actually be related through ways which are not clearly obvious. The concept of the “authority principle” and the “hegemony” of Wall Street are two such examples of this. In Cathy Davidson’s “Project Classroom Makeover”, she wrote about an experiment that was conducted at Duke University. During the course of the experiment she gave all the students a chance to think outside the box by offering them all iPods, and in doing so, asked them “to dream up learning applications for [the] cool little white device” (Davidson, 49). The experiment allowed kids to take charge of their own learning, in a way that benefited them more than traditional teaching ever

The aspects of withitness, momentum and smoothness, group alerting, overlapping, and challenge arousal are all important when trying to reduce classroom misbehavior. The teacher’s ability to know what’s going on in all parts of the classroom at all times is essential and makes the students pay attention because they never know if the teacher is watching them. The factor of momentum and smoothness is also important because the teacher needs to get lessons started promptly, smoothly, and provide transitions. Other factors such as keeping students alert, actively involve in their learning, and holding students responsible for their learning helps classroom management.

In today’s current school systems, the question of whether or not schools are correctly teaching students the right curriculum is coming up for debate. In the Article,"Teaching Critical Thinking by Marcia Clemmitt, she goes into extensive research of the U.S. Department of Education’s crisis of standardized testing. Most learning activities include standardized testing which lacks many students to express creative and critical thinking. Critical thinking is defined as the examination and evaluation of ideas, events and arguments in their contexts which introduces students to interrogate assumptions and identifying biases (Clemmitt)Pure critical thinking involves investigating a text more than just memorizing, but to apply theirself in other ways of techniques, meaning schools should stimulate more analytical methods of teaching. This would not only free students from a sheltered test culture,but will allow students to think in a deeper,more passionate way than before.

With the development of the society, education becomes a significant role in human’s lives, and people appeal to get the equal rights of education. There are too many people looking forward to justice and liberation in this world. At this time, education is a way to satisfy people’s spiritual and material demands. Gradually, eople realize the importance of education, and they believe in the changes that education brings to them. This is why people get into hegemony, which presents from the ideology and cultural aspect of the society. However, when their rights are regulated by norms, people will question whether the hegemony will help them live better. In Karen Ho’s article “Biographies of Hegemony”, she

I work in a school where silent classrooms are viewed as successful learning environments. To the outsider that looks great however, I am not sure if this culture is best for the students and staff. Before I go any further I must state that my boss is personable and wants what is best for the students and staff. Be that as it may, I often clash with his views of order and discipline. When I was hired I thought I was entering into environment of innovation and experimentation. Sadly, it's all about test scores and quiet classrooms.The last round of state testing put an enormous strain on the teachers.

Hegemony is a concept that involves uses of power. It was created by Antonio Gramsci in order to understand the difference between dominant groups in society that have power and that use “intellectual and moral leadership” in an attempt to win over the less powerful submissive groups (Storey 8). In this way, hegemony will be demonstrated in youth culture. Willard states that the cultural authority of the dominant society must be questioned as to its legitimacy in the dominant role as the authority plays an important role in its production (739). Talcott Parson (qtd. in Osgerby) says that youth in his view, established behaviours and values, often perceived by older generations as unique and different from the dominant society which

For years, prominent pedagogues have sought reform in the educational dossier. They seek a sort of liberation from the pervasive and perverted ideas that permeate our great American narrative. Specifically, Paulo Freire sought to release the shackles of indoctrination that did, and still do, drive our educational mantra and approach. This liberation is an idea that echoes the call of all progressives in the pedagogical field, however, it appears that this call has fallen on deaf ears and dampened into dissonance. As our post-industrialized society continues to use Fordist preening techniques, “Critical Thinking” is added to the list of unfulfilled promises of modern American university mission statements-- next to “Green,” “Progressive,” “Modern,” and other beautiful lies. By what mechanism can this hundred

According to this theory, critical awareness requires recognition that the social status of an individual, including educational and economic prospects and opportunities, is largely result from its race, gender, and class so the critical theorists want to raise the consciousness of these people dealing with education, knowledge, the school, and teaching and learning. Furthermore, they see the curriculum into 2 parts: the official curriculum which requires teaching subjects and specific skills, and the Hidden curriculum which imposes approved behaviors and attitudes on students through the school environment. They believe that teachers should empower themselves, because they can transform schools into democratic public spheres.