The Only Race Is Human Race

No Biological Basis for Race. New data from the mapping of the human genome reveal that all humans are incredibly similar-in fact, strong we are 99.9% genetically identical. We are all members of one species, Homo sapiens. Scientists have confirmed, as they long suspected, that there is no genetic or biological basis for race.
Genetic variation between people within the same "racial" group can be greater than the variation between people of two different groups. Many people of African descent are no more similar to other Africans than they are to Caucasians. Genetic distinctions between Asians and Caucasians are less pronounced than those between groups from, for example, parts of East and West Africa.
No matter how scientists today scrutinize a person's genes, they can't determine with certainty whether an individual is from one "racial" group or another. Differences of culture and society distinguish one group from another, but these distinctions are not rooted in biology.
"Mapping the DNA sequence variation in the human genome holds the potential for promoting the fundamental unity of all humankind." —Dr. Harold P. Freeman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hVlSuuaQhs&feature=related short history of Asian Americans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN_AOVWirzo&feature=related CNN Special

What single stories are challenged? Provide specific examples of educational practices that break from single stories of achievement?

Cultural influences of dialect

How does culture influence the teaching and learning process? Cite text and additional readings. (focus- language & dialect)
End your post with a question.

You talk funny (and other opinions from the documentary "American Tongues")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vF9g37FCmk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmum-eT4hzM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqfdn8_ftYQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXGuCaApR7U

Building Community from Chaos By Linda Christensen

What are your thoughts? Identify a quote that is particular powerful? How do the readings inform your understandings?
Sharing Power and Passion- A Curriculum of Empathy- Sharing Personal Stories- Students as Activists

Adolescent Development

Middle school is a time of enormous physical change. It is also the dawn of the capacity to think conceptually, and a time of great curiosity about life, the world, and peers. Most of all, it is a time of preoccupation with self, when many young adolescents are swimming in self-doubt. At their most insecure, young people are taken from the safety of self-contained classrooms and asked to switch focus, environment, and teachers every 50-90 minutes. It is a time when young adolescents declare family to be irrelevant to what's really happening, and yet family has never been more important. In middle school, students whose bones are rapidly growing and realigning, whose proportions seem designed for anything but desks, are asked to sit all day, often without an opportunity to do what their bodies and nerves are asking for most—move!
In the Developmental Designs approach, we draw from Rudolf Dreikurs, Abraham Maslow, William Glasser, and the recent work of psychologist Edward Deci. Here are four needs that must be fulfilled if young adolescent minds and hearts are to be engaged in any learning—social or academic:
Four developmental needs
Relationship: I want to connect with others.To reduce fear and aloneness, young adolescents need to build and maintain relationships that provide safe ground upon which to make mistakes on their journey. These relationships focus on peers in a way that they never have before, but they also include powerful and reliable adult support. Young adolescents can't make it alone!
Autonomy: I want to be independent.The adolescent drive to function separate from adults is a powerful motivator. It works for school success when it drives middle level students to show that they can be given big responsibilities and freedom, but against success when it turns into rebellion. They need maps from caring adults to help them find their own way.
Competence: I want to experience success in what I do and feel like a worthwhile, significant person.Young adolescence feels like a make-or-break time for young people, a time when you have to demonstrate that you've got the right stuff or be seen as a loser. Adult scaffolding can make a crucial difference.
Fun: I want to have a good time. The need to enjoy moments of pleasure drives much adolescent behavior. Students will find their own fun during school hours (and sometimes pay a big price for it) if adults don't channel the need constructively.
Developmental Designs implementation in a school
What does a middle school look, feel, and sound like when all of these adolescent needs are taken into consideration? A school implementing Developmental Designs makes the creating of respectful, caring relationships a high priority. Every day begins with a homeroom or advisory in which students circle up to greet each other respectfully, share what's happening in their lives, and sometimes move around a bit in activities that teach important skills in a lively way. The morning meeting (we call it the Circle of Power and Respect) helps students make the transition from home to school and establishes a clear path into the learning day.

Transitions between classes are taught and practiced, as are all the routines of the school day. Nothing is taken for granted. Everything is modeled and rehearsed. The goal is the development of self-control through proactive strategies that put the emphasis on the prevention of rule-breaking. Consequences for all rule-breakers, no matter who or how small the infraction, are carefully introduced and consistently upheld. The consequences clarify the expectations, provide a chance to restore order, safety, and relationship, and maintain the dignity of the rule-breaker.
Each class the students attend uses the same language and routines to preserve a caring community. Each class has an opportunity for students to get to know each other, to do meaningful work, and to reflect on work afterwards. There is respect for the environment and materials. There is closure for students and teacher at the end of each period, and at the end of the day. Students ask and respond to open-ended questions. They have regular opportunities to help design and make choices in assignments that are meaningful to them. There is a balance in each class between teacher-directed lessons and independent and group work on skills and projects.
Like any comprehensive approach to professional growth, Developmental Designs calls for some paradigm shifts, is built on repeated practice, and thrives in a school climate of reflection and collaboration. Good relationships among adults are carefully cultivated through meeting structures and shared language, as well as through authentic, ongoing assessment of teacher practices.
Research Basis for Developmental Designs
The following categories of pedagogical research and practice create the theoretical framework for the Developmental Designs approach:
Child and Adolescent DevelopmentPiaget, Dreikurs, Glasser, Maslow, Deci, and othersSocial-emotional Learning (SEL)Vygotsky, Glasser, Goleman, Elias, Zins, Jensen, and others Engaged LearningDewey, Dweck, and others Supportive Learning Communities Senge, Bryk, and othersMulticultural UnderstandingBanks, Delpit, and others

http://www.originsonline.org/dd_index.php

The Responsive Classroom

Website Northeast Foundation for Children

"A Research-based Approach since the 1990s, the Responsive Classroom approach has been the focus of considerable research interest. Findings have associated the approach with higher student test scores, better social skills, and fewer problem behaviors. For teachers, findings show an increased sense of efficacy and more high-quality instruction."

Research on the Responsive Classroom
Approach
A 2004 study by the University of Virginia examined educational
outcomes at schools using the Responsive Classroom approach.
It found the following:
_ Children scored higher on reading and math tests.
_ Children had better social skills.
_ Teachers felt more effective and positive about teaching."

http://responsiveclassroom.org/pdf_files/rc_fact_sheet.pdf
Ten Classroom Practices:
1) Morning Meeting—
2) Rule Creation—
3) Interactive Modeling
4) Positive Teacher Language
5) Logical Consequences—
6) Guided Discovery
7) Academic Choice—increasing student
8)Classroom Organization
9) Collaborative Problem Solving—
10) Working with families

Goals, Rules & Procedures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhQLBWTP9YE&feature=related