After reading others blogs it sounds like this was a great presentation. I unfortunately had to miss it however for a great reason, to witness the birth of my niece! However for my hidden curriculum paper I am going to discuss gender bias in the classroom therefore it would have been very useful to have seen this presentation! Therefore, I was wondering if anyone who did the presentation could give me a little review of what was mentionned in the presentation!
From reading I have already done I believe that gender bias is quite an issue in the classroom. However, a lot of the time it is unintentional and just something we are not really aware of. For example, when we have boys and girls line up at the door separately, or we shrug things off because 'boys will be boys', we are doing these things without realizing what we are instilling in our students. I think like Eric mentionned we do pay more attention to boys often because they are 'usually' the ones who cause more problems in class. However we need to find a way to deal with that issue so that we aren't stereotyping boys or leaving the girls out because boys are drawing more attention.
From my reading there are many things we could be paying attention to such as authors of literature and what that literature is about (the dominant characters and stereotypes), asking questions and helping equally boys and girls, having them work in mixed groups, watching gendered vocabulary that we use, and having everyone do similar tasks (not having boys do competitive things and girls doing quiet individual things).
I think it is very hard not to think about stereotypes and gender differences when teaching as well as other things. All of these things have been instilled in us from school, tv, media, our friends, everywhere! It's hard not to believe that most girls like shopping and most boys like sports because that is usually true!! What we need to realize is that not everyone fits into these categories nor should there even be categories. We need to treat everyone as individuals and not as a specific gender but just as a person.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Theories of Socialization
Text - Chapter 5
Socialization is a life long learning process in which individuals develop a sense of self and acquire the knowledge, skills, values, norms, and dispositions required to fulfill social roles. Family, school, peer groups and the media affect they way you are socialized.
Mead believes the self is reflexive. The individual notes, selects, and determines the responses and actions he or she will take. Therefore the individual is interpreting, selecting and then acting. Children role-play and act out the same responses that these roles would. The child then takes on the role of the generalized other, which are the attitudes of the community as a whole. Family background and schooling influence the socialization process as primary and secondary roles.
Shutz believes the self, language and interpretations of objects and situations through the copying of social types is how socialization works. We must understand how individuals act in the context of their common sense knowledge.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory relies on biological factors to explain the development of identity, personality, and behaviour. Early childhood experiences determine adult socialization.
Piaget emphasized the development of perceptions and thought processes. Behavioural standards are the result of the child’s identification with his or her parents. Human behaviour is a mixture of biological and environmental factors.
The social learning theory focuses solely on environmental factors. The child is influenced by rewards and punishments for expected behaviour. Children also learn by imitating behaviour, beliefs and norms held by people close to them.
Teacher Expectations
Children get put into groups based on ability level, which is usually based upon standardized tests. Once students are put into a group, that’s what they believe they are. Therefore if they are in the low group they think they’re dumb and if they’re in the high group they think they’re smart. Once the groups are formed, they are usually rigid and these groups contribute to the child’s own definition of him or her self. Teachers also assess students’ character based on appearance, language ability, conformity to discipline, acceptance of academic role, general likeableness, and relations with peers.
Moral socialization is when schools instill an idealized version of society’s values. Political socialization is the role schools play in inculcating the values and norms that support the prevailing structure of society. A sense of national identity may be formed through school and the media.
The hidden curriculum is the norms, values, and dispositions that occur through students’ participation in social experiences in routine school activities. Students’ social experiences in school are important factors in analyzing the learning process.
Some argue that peer group values and behaviours might be more important in students’ behaviour than school or parental values, as subcultures develop. Popular culture may also affect school performance.
When talking about socialization I believe there are many many factors that contribute to the way a child is socialized. I believe it has a lot to do with what goes on at home in family life, as well as what happens at school and during extra curricular activities or clubs that children partake in. I also partially agree with Piaget that it has to do with environmental factors as well as biological factors.
In discussing the whole children being put into ability levels and getting stuck there, I really don't agree with that. I whole heartedly hope that teachers don't put children in groups and then leave them there forever. For one it might have been a false identification of the children's abilities. Two, every unit might be different for a student as we all have different strengths and weaknesses, especially in subjects such as math and science. And three, children do grow and also with what I just said they might start off in a unit that they are strong in but the next unit they are not therefore they shouldn't be left in the same group. We always need to be assessing the students and making sure they are being challenged and that they can also be successful.
I also agree that student subcultures are extremely important to students. I'm not sure if my friends would trump my family in the ways of my values and beliefs but they definitely could have an effect on my behaviour. Friends are very important to students at all ages but especially as students get older. Therefore subcultures are something we need to be aware of.
Socialization is a life long learning process in which individuals develop a sense of self and acquire the knowledge, skills, values, norms, and dispositions required to fulfill social roles. Family, school, peer groups and the media affect they way you are socialized.
Mead believes the self is reflexive. The individual notes, selects, and determines the responses and actions he or she will take. Therefore the individual is interpreting, selecting and then acting. Children role-play and act out the same responses that these roles would. The child then takes on the role of the generalized other, which are the attitudes of the community as a whole. Family background and schooling influence the socialization process as primary and secondary roles.
Shutz believes the self, language and interpretations of objects and situations through the copying of social types is how socialization works. We must understand how individuals act in the context of their common sense knowledge.
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory relies on biological factors to explain the development of identity, personality, and behaviour. Early childhood experiences determine adult socialization.
Piaget emphasized the development of perceptions and thought processes. Behavioural standards are the result of the child’s identification with his or her parents. Human behaviour is a mixture of biological and environmental factors.
The social learning theory focuses solely on environmental factors. The child is influenced by rewards and punishments for expected behaviour. Children also learn by imitating behaviour, beliefs and norms held by people close to them.
Teacher Expectations
Children get put into groups based on ability level, which is usually based upon standardized tests. Once students are put into a group, that’s what they believe they are. Therefore if they are in the low group they think they’re dumb and if they’re in the high group they think they’re smart. Once the groups are formed, they are usually rigid and these groups contribute to the child’s own definition of him or her self. Teachers also assess students’ character based on appearance, language ability, conformity to discipline, acceptance of academic role, general likeableness, and relations with peers.
Moral socialization is when schools instill an idealized version of society’s values. Political socialization is the role schools play in inculcating the values and norms that support the prevailing structure of society. A sense of national identity may be formed through school and the media.
The hidden curriculum is the norms, values, and dispositions that occur through students’ participation in social experiences in routine school activities. Students’ social experiences in school are important factors in analyzing the learning process.
Some argue that peer group values and behaviours might be more important in students’ behaviour than school or parental values, as subcultures develop. Popular culture may also affect school performance.
When talking about socialization I believe there are many many factors that contribute to the way a child is socialized. I believe it has a lot to do with what goes on at home in family life, as well as what happens at school and during extra curricular activities or clubs that children partake in. I also partially agree with Piaget that it has to do with environmental factors as well as biological factors.
In discussing the whole children being put into ability levels and getting stuck there, I really don't agree with that. I whole heartedly hope that teachers don't put children in groups and then leave them there forever. For one it might have been a false identification of the children's abilities. Two, every unit might be different for a student as we all have different strengths and weaknesses, especially in subjects such as math and science. And three, children do grow and also with what I just said they might start off in a unit that they are strong in but the next unit they are not therefore they shouldn't be left in the same group. We always need to be assessing the students and making sure they are being challenged and that they can also be successful.
I also agree that student subcultures are extremely important to students. I'm not sure if my friends would trump my family in the ways of my values and beliefs but they definitely could have an effect on my behaviour. Friends are very important to students at all ages but especially as students get older. Therefore subcultures are something we need to be aware of.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Hutterite Education (& french immersion)
In looking at another classmates blog I remembered the conversation we had about this topic. Should hutterites have their own school systems and be able to just leave school after grade eight? I believe everyone is entitled to their own culture and set of beliefs. I don't believe we should take these schools away from these people. However I also don't believe the parents of these students should be allowed to take away the right of their children going to a 'regular' school or continuing onto grade 9 in a regular school system. As was mentionned these kids have a lot of potential and are just as bright as the next kid. Therefore I find it very unfortunate that most of them don't go past grade 8. I don't believe it is our decision whether or not they continue on in their schooling. However we should use our voice as much as we can. As we know one teacher can make a huge difference in someones life. We should believe in everyone and encourage them to continue on in their studies.
Just a side comment. We talked about how there is so much money in french immersion because it is government funded. Then why do we not have more french immersion schools? This is a reoccuring topic in my blogs because I am all for french immersion school. I never had the opportunity myself and I wish I had. Children learn best when they are younger therefore if there is all this money for it why not make it more available. In some areas or as the case usually is, french immersion is for 'smart' kids, and 'regular' kids aren't allowed to take it. I think everyone should have an equal opportunity. I understand that it would be very hard to teacher kids in a second language when they aren't motivated and don't care to be there and their parents just want them there. But it is our job to get them motivated and have them enjoy learning the language!!
Just a side comment. We talked about how there is so much money in french immersion because it is government funded. Then why do we not have more french immersion schools? This is a reoccuring topic in my blogs because I am all for french immersion school. I never had the opportunity myself and I wish I had. Children learn best when they are younger therefore if there is all this money for it why not make it more available. In some areas or as the case usually is, french immersion is for 'smart' kids, and 'regular' kids aren't allowed to take it. I think everyone should have an equal opportunity. I understand that it would be very hard to teacher kids in a second language when they aren't motivated and don't care to be there and their parents just want them there. But it is our job to get them motivated and have them enjoy learning the language!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Education to help the economy
I think it's absolutely ridiculous to look at the function of education solely on the basis of how it will help the economy. The idea of who cares about the kids it's only about the money is pretty stupid. I think that it's very unfortunate that faculties would get cut or subjects taken out in schools because whoever thinks that it will do nothing for the economy.
At the school where I did my PSII, the french they had there was very limited. The french program got cut way back because their music program was really developing and taking off. Who is it to say that one is more important than the other? Who can say which is better for the economy? I mean maybe someone can say something about that. But think about how many people actually make it big as musicians, and how useful being bilingual could be in todays economy, especially in Canada knowing french. I'm not trying to say that I think french is more important than music I think they are equally as important. But I don't think it was fair to cut back on the french in order to boost the music. Unfortunately this year there is now no french at that school. All year students fundraised in order to go to Quebec in February 2010 for the winter carnival, and now those students will not have that opportunity. However don't worry, the music program is doing great! I was very upset to hear about this as was the french teacher.
Also, what happens when something is greatly needed therefore we train all these people for it, and then we have too many qualified people and the jobs go down? We talked a bit about this in class with teachers and that now the program is 5 years because we had too many teachers at one point. We can't always predict the trends and what is going to happen therefore how do we decide what we need more of and what we need less of?
Another thing I thought was interesting was how there used to be a surplus of money for education. I am not looking forward to having to use my own money to buy supplies for my kids because I don't have any money to do so. This is very unfortunate that education is not getting enough money, money I believe it deserves. Without education, what would we have? Everyone is trained in some sort of way to do their job so how would we even have an economy without education?
At the school where I did my PSII, the french they had there was very limited. The french program got cut way back because their music program was really developing and taking off. Who is it to say that one is more important than the other? Who can say which is better for the economy? I mean maybe someone can say something about that. But think about how many people actually make it big as musicians, and how useful being bilingual could be in todays economy, especially in Canada knowing french. I'm not trying to say that I think french is more important than music I think they are equally as important. But I don't think it was fair to cut back on the french in order to boost the music. Unfortunately this year there is now no french at that school. All year students fundraised in order to go to Quebec in February 2010 for the winter carnival, and now those students will not have that opportunity. However don't worry, the music program is doing great! I was very upset to hear about this as was the french teacher.
Also, what happens when something is greatly needed therefore we train all these people for it, and then we have too many qualified people and the jobs go down? We talked a bit about this in class with teachers and that now the program is 5 years because we had too many teachers at one point. We can't always predict the trends and what is going to happen therefore how do we decide what we need more of and what we need less of?
Another thing I thought was interesting was how there used to be a surplus of money for education. I am not looking forward to having to use my own money to buy supplies for my kids because I don't have any money to do so. This is very unfortunate that education is not getting enough money, money I believe it deserves. Without education, what would we have? Everyone is trained in some sort of way to do their job so how would we even have an economy without education?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Chapter 4
This chapter begins by talking about Freire. He discusses the desire to achieve social change and the idea of critical consciousness. He believes it is all a system of oppression and domination and that the oppressed need to use critical consciousness in order to take a look at what is going on in schools. They need to critique knowledge they are gaining in school and link it to the interests of the dominant groups. Knowledge is power and it is also socially constructed. Therefore being socially constructed, the oppressed population needs to do something about it.
Next there is a discussion about resistance and The Alternate School. “Resistance is any behaviour, passive or active, that goes beyond simply opposing one or many elements of the dominant group” (Barakett, p.91). The Alternate School is for youth subcultures who are resistant to the power structures of schools and the knowledge that is imposed upon them. When they go to the Alternate School, they must first phone themselves to get an interview. Students who go there have experienced personal and social difficulties that have interfered with their academic success such as sexual crises, assault, alcohol abuse, etc. Students and teachers are like equals at this school and they discuss what is going to be learned together. They have a lot of freedom and are able to share their opinions and thoughts with everyone. A safe environment is created and students are able to talk about their difficulties. They do volunteer work to overcome the difficulties they have faced and even get offered jobs afterwards. Students here begin to feel empowerment and have their own voice.
The feminist theory discusses the need to have a gender-inclusive curriculum. This would include writings and life experiences by women, as well as their accounts of history and analyses of the body of knowledge that is currently the content of curriculum. Feminist pedagogy focuses on social transformation, is concerned about whose interests are being served, and issues of class, race, and gender. They would like to move toward social justice.
Some anti-racist pedagogies are looked at. Critical multicultural pedagogy believes classroom practices must emphasize the sources of social injustices of racism and economic inequity. The pedagogy of whiteness looks at the unquestioned acceptance of whiteness and white privilege in the dominant group. The anti-racist black feminist pedagogy states that women of colour should be able to express their fears and concerns associated with oppression.
I believe that the Alternate School is quite an interesting concept. I like it and I don’t for a few reasons. I don’t like it because it is as if we are giving up on these students in the regular schools, or they are giving up on themselves and we are letting it happen. I think we as teachers need to be accepting of all students no matter what their background; no bias should be demonstrated because of something someone has done. Everyone should have an equal right to education. I like the idea because students who do decide to go to this alternate school are deciding they don’t want to completely give up on themselves. They are given the opportunity to discuss their personal difficulties, learn from them, and strengthen themselves by working with their difficulties in volunteer positions. I like the fact that the teachers really work with the students and try to be or do go to the same level as the student in order to not use any power over the students. It is great that these students develop a voice when they are done and can feel a sense of accomplishment, as well as attain success. These students do have to follow normal curriculum even though they also decide other things they are going to learn. They can be just as successful as students in the regular school program.
I am not a feminist but I do believe we should be aware of the male dominance that still occurs in society as well as in our school system. We should make sure that the literature we choose has an equal amount of male and female authors. We should make sure the characters in these stories do not have stereotypical roles and male dominance. We need to teach our students that males and females are equal and everyone can succeed and everyone has a voice. Things are different today than what they used to be but there is still gender bias and a strong male role in our schools.
Next there is a discussion about resistance and The Alternate School. “Resistance is any behaviour, passive or active, that goes beyond simply opposing one or many elements of the dominant group” (Barakett, p.91). The Alternate School is for youth subcultures who are resistant to the power structures of schools and the knowledge that is imposed upon them. When they go to the Alternate School, they must first phone themselves to get an interview. Students who go there have experienced personal and social difficulties that have interfered with their academic success such as sexual crises, assault, alcohol abuse, etc. Students and teachers are like equals at this school and they discuss what is going to be learned together. They have a lot of freedom and are able to share their opinions and thoughts with everyone. A safe environment is created and students are able to talk about their difficulties. They do volunteer work to overcome the difficulties they have faced and even get offered jobs afterwards. Students here begin to feel empowerment and have their own voice.
The feminist theory discusses the need to have a gender-inclusive curriculum. This would include writings and life experiences by women, as well as their accounts of history and analyses of the body of knowledge that is currently the content of curriculum. Feminist pedagogy focuses on social transformation, is concerned about whose interests are being served, and issues of class, race, and gender. They would like to move toward social justice.
Some anti-racist pedagogies are looked at. Critical multicultural pedagogy believes classroom practices must emphasize the sources of social injustices of racism and economic inequity. The pedagogy of whiteness looks at the unquestioned acceptance of whiteness and white privilege in the dominant group. The anti-racist black feminist pedagogy states that women of colour should be able to express their fears and concerns associated with oppression.
I believe that the Alternate School is quite an interesting concept. I like it and I don’t for a few reasons. I don’t like it because it is as if we are giving up on these students in the regular schools, or they are giving up on themselves and we are letting it happen. I think we as teachers need to be accepting of all students no matter what their background; no bias should be demonstrated because of something someone has done. Everyone should have an equal right to education. I like the idea because students who do decide to go to this alternate school are deciding they don’t want to completely give up on themselves. They are given the opportunity to discuss their personal difficulties, learn from them, and strengthen themselves by working with their difficulties in volunteer positions. I like the fact that the teachers really work with the students and try to be or do go to the same level as the student in order to not use any power over the students. It is great that these students develop a voice when they are done and can feel a sense of accomplishment, as well as attain success. These students do have to follow normal curriculum even though they also decide other things they are going to learn. They can be just as successful as students in the regular school program.
I am not a feminist but I do believe we should be aware of the male dominance that still occurs in society as well as in our school system. We should make sure that the literature we choose has an equal amount of male and female authors. We should make sure the characters in these stories do not have stereotypical roles and male dominance. We need to teach our students that males and females are equal and everyone can succeed and everyone has a voice. Things are different today than what they used to be but there is still gender bias and a strong male role in our schools.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
I'm going to have to say that I think both types of research are necessary. I don't think you would get all the pertinent information you need from a study by just going one way or the other. As we discussed the pros and cons of each, in using the two I think we would be able to eliminate a few of the cons.
If I had the time, money, and talent to do an ethnographic study, I think that would be tons of fun. Being a language major, I would love to do some sort of study of France teens vs Quebec teens to see what their experiences are like as well as their views about french and english. I think it would be very interesting because in my experience thus far with french people I believe there might be quite a difference. However the difference might be greater in adults than in teens. It would definitely be an experience.
I think the idea of becoming a prisoner in jail to study murderers and things like that is rather interesting. However I would never want to do something like that myself. That takes a ridiculous amount of commitment and seriously putting your life on hold and potentially in danger.
Quantitative research is also very powerful as data can tell us many things. If I were to do an ethnographic study of french teens, I could also use quantitative measures to see what the 'subjects' think or have to say about english people and the other french people.
All in all I don't think one is better than the other and I think both are necessary.
If I had the time, money, and talent to do an ethnographic study, I think that would be tons of fun. Being a language major, I would love to do some sort of study of France teens vs Quebec teens to see what their experiences are like as well as their views about french and english. I think it would be very interesting because in my experience thus far with french people I believe there might be quite a difference. However the difference might be greater in adults than in teens. It would definitely be an experience.
I think the idea of becoming a prisoner in jail to study murderers and things like that is rather interesting. However I would never want to do something like that myself. That takes a ridiculous amount of commitment and seriously putting your life on hold and potentially in danger.
Quantitative research is also very powerful as data can tell us many things. If I were to do an ethnographic study of french teens, I could also use quantitative measures to see what the 'subjects' think or have to say about english people and the other french people.
All in all I don't think one is better than the other and I think both are necessary.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Organization of Teaching and Learning (Text pg. 57-78)
This chapter discusses how schools are formal organizations, which is an interaction which people’s behaviour is directed towards specific goals, with divisions of labour, clearly defined relationships among other things. Schools are also bureaucracies which is similar in nature. There is a fuss going on about schools being too bureaucratic which in turn trying to fix it is only going to make things worse. Free schools, home schools and open structured schools are discussed. Free schools are falling short, home schooling is doing fairly well as it seems those students are where they need to be, and open structured schools seem to be having classroom management issues as everyone is all over the place and there aren’t clear laid out rules.
Canada’s French Immersion Movement began with some parents in Montreal wanting their children to be bilingual. They started up a kindergarten of their own and after 16 years of remaining officially experimental, French immersion schools were all over in Canada and now thousands of students are enrolled in French immersion schools or programs. These schools contain two streams, a regular English taught stream and a French immersion stream. It is still unsure after all these years whether or not relations between French and English speakers have improved. There seems to be tension even between each set of teachers in an immersion school.
Different policies, roles of teachers and principals are discussed as well as different debates going on in teacher education which include whether or not the teacher knows enough about their subject matter and if they know a set of teaching methods. The chapter concludes with two approaches to teaching. The first is the transmission model. This model says that learning is an objective process, with only minor variations from one student to another, as well as the fact that all the students in one class can be taught the same material at the same pace and be tested in the same way. The second model is the constructivist model. This model sees teaching as socially situated, child centred, and developed through classroom social interactions. The teaching emphasis is on discussion, collaboration, and negotiation. The cultural capital of all children is acknowledged.
I would first like to comment on the French Immersion Movement. Being a French major, I am all for French immersion schools. I think they are a great idea and I think they should be absolutely everywhere in the country. I would have loved to have the opportunity to begin to learn French in school when I was 5 years old. That is the best time to learn another language therefore why aren’t we all starting there? I don’t like the fact that relations aren’t any better even after there are so many more bilingual Canadians now than there used to be. While studying in Quebec City for four months, I found most people to be very nice. However I did not like the fact that when they could tell you were English, they would begin speaking to you in English, even if your French was obviously better than their English. They should be very happy and proud that so many others have the desire and the determination to learn their language. I hope that in the future there are more immersion schools and that the relations between the French speaking and English speaking Canadians become better.
Reading the description about the transmission model kind of made me upset. I’m happy to know that most people use the new constructivist model, which is the way things should be. We learn so much about differentiated instruction, different methods and strategies of teaching, and how important it is to know each and every student. I hope that all of the new teachers don’t even consider using the transmission model and have more sense than to think that every student is going to be the same, can move at the same pace, and can learn in the exact same manner as every other student. That sounds absolutely ridiculous to me!
Canada’s French Immersion Movement began with some parents in Montreal wanting their children to be bilingual. They started up a kindergarten of their own and after 16 years of remaining officially experimental, French immersion schools were all over in Canada and now thousands of students are enrolled in French immersion schools or programs. These schools contain two streams, a regular English taught stream and a French immersion stream. It is still unsure after all these years whether or not relations between French and English speakers have improved. There seems to be tension even between each set of teachers in an immersion school.
Different policies, roles of teachers and principals are discussed as well as different debates going on in teacher education which include whether or not the teacher knows enough about their subject matter and if they know a set of teaching methods. The chapter concludes with two approaches to teaching. The first is the transmission model. This model says that learning is an objective process, with only minor variations from one student to another, as well as the fact that all the students in one class can be taught the same material at the same pace and be tested in the same way. The second model is the constructivist model. This model sees teaching as socially situated, child centred, and developed through classroom social interactions. The teaching emphasis is on discussion, collaboration, and negotiation. The cultural capital of all children is acknowledged.
I would first like to comment on the French Immersion Movement. Being a French major, I am all for French immersion schools. I think they are a great idea and I think they should be absolutely everywhere in the country. I would have loved to have the opportunity to begin to learn French in school when I was 5 years old. That is the best time to learn another language therefore why aren’t we all starting there? I don’t like the fact that relations aren’t any better even after there are so many more bilingual Canadians now than there used to be. While studying in Quebec City for four months, I found most people to be very nice. However I did not like the fact that when they could tell you were English, they would begin speaking to you in English, even if your French was obviously better than their English. They should be very happy and proud that so many others have the desire and the determination to learn their language. I hope that in the future there are more immersion schools and that the relations between the French speaking and English speaking Canadians become better.
Reading the description about the transmission model kind of made me upset. I’m happy to know that most people use the new constructivist model, which is the way things should be. We learn so much about differentiated instruction, different methods and strategies of teaching, and how important it is to know each and every student. I hope that all of the new teachers don’t even consider using the transmission model and have more sense than to think that every student is going to be the same, can move at the same pace, and can learn in the exact same manner as every other student. That sounds absolutely ridiculous to me!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Perceptions vs. Reality
Ok to start off, I now must say, every time I do a blog I do it first in microsoft word and copy it into here. Today I forgot to do that. I pretty much finished writing my entry when I remembered. So instead of saving it on here, I was going to copy and paste it into microsoft word. However in that process I some how deleted and now I have to start again. Therefore, I am now not in the best mood and might not put the same amount of effort in as the first time :)
In looking at a classmates blog about the diagram we saw about what the perceptions are of hazards and what the reality is, I decided I wanted to comment on it as well. It as very surprising at the enormous difference between what is reality and what the perception is.
Some of things that surprised me:
People are very worried about terrorist attacks when the real chance of it happening is very small. Everyone is still worried about something that happened 9 years ago and feels like they need to stress over the hypothetical situation that it could happen again.
People are not very worried about cancer when it is a very big deal in our society today. Everything seems to cause cancer and there is cancer awareness everywhere. It seems as though once a week or once a month you hear about something else that causes cancer. What was brought to my awareness this summer however I was already somewhat aware, that tanning beds cause cancer! Big surprise!! So instead of walking around worrying about terrorist attacks, we should really be worried about all the cancer that is surrounding us today.
Some of things that surprised me:
People are very worried about terrorist attacks when the real chance of it happening is very small. Everyone is still worried about something that happened 9 years ago and feels like they need to stress over the hypothetical situation that it could happen again.
People are not very worried about cancer when it is a very big deal in our society today. Everything seems to cause cancer and there is cancer awareness everywhere. It seems as though once a week or once a month you hear about something else that causes cancer. What was brought to my awareness this summer however I was already somewhat aware, that tanning beds cause cancer! Big surprise!! So instead of walking around worrying about terrorist attacks, we should really be worried about all the cancer that is surrounding us today.
Plane crashes are another thing people are worried about when the hazard is very low. What people should really be worried about are car accidents. We drive cars or are passengers in cars almost everyday. We have to worry about what we are doing, pedestrians, other drivers, wild life, falling rocks, and anything else that can cause an accident. All of these hazards aren’t there when you are flying a plane. It is not very often you hear about a plane crashing. However we hear about car accidents every day. I don’t understand the logic behind what people are worrying about. It seems to me that people get stuck worrying about the huge things that only happen once every 10 years, instead of worrying about the things that affect us every day.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Ethnomethodology
I somewhat agree with symbolic interactionists in that everything is based on symbols we have created. The example given in class was about the invisible border that separates Canada from the United States. There is no physical line showing that one country is separated from the other. And yet, if you ‘cross’ that line, the rules change. What about money? It is simply pieces of paper or pieces of metal that allow you to purchase things. Who decided that it has the power to do such things? It is simply another symbol that we have created.
I also partially agree with one of the ideas of ethnomethodologists which is that people’s understandings are what drives their behaviour. If your understanding is that a green light means go, you are going to drive through the light when it’s a green. Chances are a symbolic interactionist would say you would drive through that green light because it’s a symbol that we have created. I would go in the middle and say that yes maybe it’s a symbol we have created but the understanding of that symbol is what allows you to follow through with the action. If you don’t understand the basics of golf, it is likely you won’t want to play or you will get angry when you do play because you aren’t very good. If you are having a conversation with a person, and you believe they are mad at you, you will behave according to that. Maybe they aren’t mad at you but because of your understanding of the situation, that is how you choose to react. I would say that is a pretty good methodology. It might not work for all situations or behaviours that we have, but it fits in certain places.
I also partially agree with one of the ideas of ethnomethodologists which is that people’s understandings are what drives their behaviour. If your understanding is that a green light means go, you are going to drive through the light when it’s a green. Chances are a symbolic interactionist would say you would drive through that green light because it’s a symbol that we have created. I would go in the middle and say that yes maybe it’s a symbol we have created but the understanding of that symbol is what allows you to follow through with the action. If you don’t understand the basics of golf, it is likely you won’t want to play or you will get angry when you do play because you aren’t very good. If you are having a conversation with a person, and you believe they are mad at you, you will behave according to that. Maybe they aren’t mad at you but because of your understanding of the situation, that is how you choose to react. I would say that is a pretty good methodology. It might not work for all situations or behaviours that we have, but it fits in certain places.
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