Nick Sandstrom

EDS 203-8
Reading response 1
Professor Chandler
9/25/21
Chapter 11 reading response

As I was reading section 1.3 of chapter 11, many different topics had caught my eye but

a few of the main topics include charts from other countries and the challenges of

tests/cheating. To begin, there were many charts throughout this chapter but the main one

that intrigued me was table 1.8 which was average scores of 15-year-old students on PISA

problem-solving scale for selected education systems in 2012. The education systems that were

listed were mostly out of the United States and out of the 11 countries that were listed, four of

them beat the U.S. and only three were below the U.S. average. It just shows that other

countries are more advanced when it come to teaching younger children and their progress has

shown that. This intrigued me because the test is based on real-life situations and between the

first administrations in 2006 and 2011, the average reading scores increased in some countries

including Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States. During the same time, some countries

decreased such as Sweden, Germany, and Lithuania. Next, the portion of the chapter that

talked about the challenges that kids go through in school and pressures to do well. There are

so many kids out there that are pressured to do well in school, as they should be, but

sometimes that can take a toll on a kid and when these high-stakes tests come along some kids

just can’t help pulling out their phone for an answer. A survey from the book was found and

says that almost 80 percent of teachers report that they were teaching test-taking skills to

students instead of the recommended information and that can lead to students not learning as

much as they should throughout the school year. Overall, there were many more topics from
this chapter that I could have gone over and got my attention, but those were a few that really

intrigued me!

Reading response #2 (Mirror, Microscope, and Binoculars)

Reading Response #3 (Chapter 11 reading response)

While reading chapter two and discussing it in class there were many different things

that caught my interest. One of the main points that caught my eye included the names of the

people that had made a difference in past years regarding school and the people that go to

school. One of the main names that I like was Prudence Crandall, because she established an

early boarding school in the 1800’s but she ran into a problem when an African American girl

asked to be admitted to the institution. There were many kids in the class that did not like this
as well as their parents, so they withdrew from the class. But that didn’t stop Prudence from

teaching although the citizens in the town made a petition that would make it illegal to teach

African American students. Nothing happened after that, and she didn’t leave the school and

also continued to work for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and African American

education. I enjoyed reading about her especially and thought that what she did was amazing.

Furthermore, in the past, schooling was much different and although it was mainly different for

the African American community other people were also affected by this. People that were

poor as well as women also weren’t allowed schooling in the past and that also caught my eye

because I think that was very unfair for them back then just because some people didn’t have

money or because of their gender. In conclusion, it was very interesting and cool to learn about

what education was like in the past and to read about how different education was for so many

people. I am very lucky to get the education that I have gotten in the past as well as now and in

the future!

Reading Response #4 (Expert Panel Reading Response Chapter 3)

Reading Response #5 (Chapter 4 Notes)

Reading Response #6 (Chapter 5)

To begin, I am going to write a sentence or two about each of the 6 philosophies. First, is

essentialism which is a teacher centered philosophy. Essentialism says that an educated person

in a certain culture must and should have the common knowledge of information and skills.

Second, there is behaviorism, which is also a teacher centered philosophy. Behaviorism is a

phycological theory and educational philosophy that should hold a student’s behavior based on

the environment and not the heredity. Thirdly there is positivism, which is the last teacher-

centered philosophy. Positivism limits knowledge to statements of facts based on sense

perceptions and the investigation of objective reality. Next, there is progressivism, which a

student-centered philosophy. Progressivism is an educational theory that says ideas should be

tested by experience and that learning should be rooted by questions developed by learners.

Then, there is humanism, which is also a student-centered philosophy. Humanism is also an

educational philosophy that is concerned with enhancing students to be good. Lastly, there is
constructivism, which is the last student-centered philosophy. Constructivism is the last

educational philosophy, and it emphasizes the importance of developing personal meaning

though hands-on and activity-based learning.

The one educational philosophy that resonates best with me and one that I have

experienced the most is progressivism. I chose progressivism because the motivation, teaching

style, and the classroom climate remind me of what it was like in school when I was growing up.

Reading Response #7 (Chapter 6)

As I was reading section 1.4 of chapter 6, many different topics had caught my eye but a few of

the main topics include charts from other countries and the challenges of tests/cheating. To

begin, there were many charts throughout this chapter but the main one that intrigued me was

table 1.8 which was average scores of 15-year-old students on PISA problem-solving scale for

selected education systems in 2012. The education systems that were listed were mostly out of

the United States and out of the 11 countries that were listed, four of them beat the U.S. and

only three were below the U.S. average. It just shows that other countries are more advanced

when it comes to teaching younger children and their progress has shown that. This intrigued

me because the test is based on real-life situations and between the first administrations in

2006 and 2011, the average reading scores increased in some countries including Hong Kong,

Singapore, and the United States. During the same time, some countries decreased such as

Sweden, Germany, and Lithuania. Next, the portion of the chapter that talked about the

challenges that kids go through in school and pressures to do well. There are so many kids out

there that are pressured to do well in school, as they should be, but sometimes that can take a
toll on a kid and when these high-stakes tests come along some kids just can’t help pulling out

their phone for an answer. A survey from the book was found and says that almost 80 percent

of teachers report that they were teaching test-taking skills to students instead of the

recommended information and that can lead to students not learning as much as they should

throughout the school year.

Reading Response #8 (KWLQ)