Questions

Please choose one or two of the following questions to guide our discussion for this week.

Chapter 25

Do you believe that race, gender, disability, and social class should all be shown equally in textbooks?  Why or why not?

How do textbooks promote or keep secret different aspects of society?  For example, different social groups interacting with each other?

Chapter 26 

“A woman, like any other human being, does need to know that the mind makes mistakes; but our interviews have convinced us that every woman, regardless of age, social class, ethnicity, and academic achievement, needs to know that she is capable of intelligent thought, and she needs to know it right away” (pg. 308).  Why do women need to know this more than men?

 “Highly competent girls and women are especially likely to underestimate their abilities” (pg. 310).  Either for men or women, did you underestimate you abilities?  For example, do you feel that you truly earned a spot in the grad program and that you deserve to be here

Chapter 27

Why are teacher education programs designed the way that they are?  Why are they not “designing programs for teachers that more nearly resemble those of engineers instead of physicians and lawyers” (pg. 334)?

Chapter 28

Who should decide what school teach?  How should they decide?

"Aside from the fixed seating, I submit that the 4,000-student high school I attended years ago is not fundamentally different, structurally and organizationally, from the high schools operating today" (pg. 339)  Agree or disagree?

Chapter 30

In your opinion, why are schools resistant to change?

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