Top Questions:
Will learning a lost art help me understand how medieval peoples lived? Will it help me have a better understanding of my own history?
Just how do I go about learning how to make armor?
Is doing this sort of thing for a living really practical?
I have to admit I'm having a bit of a time coming up with an argument here. It's not exactly my favorite topic, but I'm leaning heavily in the direction of whether or not the blacksmithing skill is really useful in todays society, or can most things that can be made by a smith at a forge be created by machines these days?
Any thoughts about this? To be honest I really enjoy working with my hands and creating something that is artful or useful and practical. The problem with this is that most things that used to be created by hand can now be made on assembly line by machines. This pushes the handmade objects more into the realm of curios and artwork than anything useful. So...if it's not practical to make it by hand anymore, what drives a person to do it?
Just as a side note, I've already been in touch with some of my armoring friends and will probably start learning the craft once I move back east this summer. I'd really like to write something more about the specifics of working with metal but I can't think of a way to make it an argument.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Exploration 1: Q3, Q4, and HeadStart Q1
Q3: This essay provides evidence from both sides of the argument, they may not be actual/proven scientific facts but they give the reader a basic idea of what the arguments are about and whats being said about the specific teaching methods. There is alot of evidence from what people have said through interviews and articles, i didnt really see any scientific data to show which program is struggling or what is the best way to teach bilingual education. I feel this is somewhat effective to get a point across, but there is to many variables to consider any of these idea's hard evidence.
Q4: Elmore's subject headings are very straight forward. They give the reader a heads up and kind of lets the reader know before hand what that paragraph will be about, that way they arent reading through it trying to figure out what the point is of that excerpt all while missing the actual content. I think they are perfect for a research essay.
---HeadStart---
Q1: Well I feel that the second essay was more effective at showing data and evidence from certian government facts like the budgets and numbers of students who are being served through this Head Start program. I liked how the second essay was more persuasive using government data (which everyone believes). The first essay could have a used a bit more hard evidence.
Q4: Elmore's subject headings are very straight forward. They give the reader a heads up and kind of lets the reader know before hand what that paragraph will be about, that way they arent reading through it trying to figure out what the point is of that excerpt all while missing the actual content. I think they are perfect for a research essay.
---HeadStart---
Q1: Well I feel that the second essay was more effective at showing data and evidence from certian government facts like the budgets and numbers of students who are being served through this Head Start program. I liked how the second essay was more persuasive using government data (which everyone believes). The first essay could have a used a bit more hard evidence.
Unit 3 Exploration 1
It was really difficult to narrow down the questions for this argumentative essay, but these are some of my ideas.
1 - The Importance of Heraldry In Defining SCA Characters.
2 - Why clothing can establish Character and Class Distinction?
3 - How do Medieval and Renaissance Re-enactments help students understand History?
4 - Is the SCA considered Historical or Theatrical Re-creationism?
Any ideas on what would be a good topic or one that you would be interested in learning more about?
1 - The Importance of Heraldry In Defining SCA Characters.
2 - Why clothing can establish Character and Class Distinction?
3 - How do Medieval and Renaissance Re-enactments help students understand History?
4 - Is the SCA considered Historical or Theatrical Re-creationism?
Any ideas on what would be a good topic or one that you would be interested in learning more about?
Response to Questions.
3 - As with any good paper reliable sources are a must. I liked how elmore used sources from not only the scholarly side of of the coin such as the researchers, but she also included the personal thoughts of the people around her like her principle. when it comes to factual evidence, word from a scientist or researcher helps to give credibility to the thought process, while the personal thoughts of the people that live in the moment help to frame the context of the argument
4 - Every good paper should have subject headings and this essay was no different. Headers help not only the reader, but the writer to group focal arguments into like fields. It also helps with the flow of the paper, so that the reader will stay interested.
HEAD START
1 - I love charts and graphs. just as with the chart on poverty, most people understand things a lot better when the can use more then one of their senses. I my self like to see written ideas expressed in a organized manner such as a chart or a graph. It also adds a more professional quality and shows that you understand what you are writing about.
4 - Every good paper should have subject headings and this essay was no different. Headers help not only the reader, but the writer to group focal arguments into like fields. It also helps with the flow of the paper, so that the reader will stay interested.
HEAD START
1 - I love charts and graphs. just as with the chart on poverty, most people understand things a lot better when the can use more then one of their senses. I my self like to see written ideas expressed in a organized manner such as a chart or a graph. It also adds a more professional quality and shows that you understand what you are writing about.
Response to Q1
In "Pursuing an Educated Mind", the most effective part for me was the first personal account. I gave the essay a human face for me and I could visualize what Maria's education experience might have been like had she been exposed to a bilingual education instead of the immersion type. This wasn't enough to convince anyone that bilingual is superior to immersion, only that it brought a human element to the essay. Instead of the general references to students or children in 3rd grade etc, we had Maria, a real person with real problems struggling to keep up. That made me pay more attention to the essay than I probably would have.
In "Who deserves a Head Start", I really felt like it was an emotional plea for some reason. While I personally agree that the Head Start program is a good thing, I don't particularly care for reading something that seems to rely on emotion instead of fact. Under the "Why children should not be served" section there was a bit of back and forth between the proponents and critics of this program. Where the critics believe the program should be eliminated because while it may show and initial benefit, these gains "do not last and that by the eighth grade (and certainly high school) the performance of children who completed one year Head Start programs is not much better than that of children who did not." Later on in the piece proponents stated "that Head Start is designed to give disadvantaged children a boost that allows Head Start children to compete with children from more fortunate homes."
One thing that did work well and really caught my attention was on the last page where it talked about who these critics are that want to end the program. "Some may argue that preschool had no lasting effects, yet numerous studies disprove this. In addition, many of these critics that are arguing for the elimination of Head Start are the parents who are sending their own children to preschool. Why should only the privileged be able to benefit from preschool?" This last part rings pretty true with me as I've always been a strong believer in the group is stronger than the individual. I ask myself which I'd rather see, 100 exceptionally gifted children, or 100,000 well rounded and educated children. The answer is simple for me. I'll take the 100,000 every time.
In "Who deserves a Head Start", I really felt like it was an emotional plea for some reason. While I personally agree that the Head Start program is a good thing, I don't particularly care for reading something that seems to rely on emotion instead of fact. Under the "Why children should not be served" section there was a bit of back and forth between the proponents and critics of this program. Where the critics believe the program should be eliminated because while it may show and initial benefit, these gains "do not last and that by the eighth grade (and certainly high school) the performance of children who completed one year Head Start programs is not much better than that of children who did not." Later on in the piece proponents stated "that Head Start is designed to give disadvantaged children a boost that allows Head Start children to compete with children from more fortunate homes."
One thing that did work well and really caught my attention was on the last page where it talked about who these critics are that want to end the program. "Some may argue that preschool had no lasting effects, yet numerous studies disprove this. In addition, many of these critics that are arguing for the elimination of Head Start are the parents who are sending their own children to preschool. Why should only the privileged be able to benefit from preschool?" This last part rings pretty true with me as I've always been a strong believer in the group is stronger than the individual. I ask myself which I'd rather see, 100 exceptionally gifted children, or 100,000 well rounded and educated children. The answer is simple for me. I'll take the 100,000 every time.
Exploration 1 - Response to Q4
The section headings looked to be designed to start out giving a broad overview of the subject starting with the personal account, then moving on to the history and types of programs. The essay seemed to get more specific as it went on until it reached the effectiveness and suggestions part.
Overall I felt that the headings did a good job of introducing the subject as a broad topic then narrowed and focused it for me to the debate over which type might be more effective and what could be changed to help the youngsters caught in the middle.
Overall I felt that the headings did a good job of introducing the subject as a broad topic then narrowed and focused it for me to the debate over which type might be more effective and what could be changed to help the youngsters caught in the middle.
Exploration 1 - Response to Q3
Q3 - It started off with the story about Maria, and the difficulties she had in class because she didn't understand english. While this probably isn't hard evidence, it shows and classic example of how a non-english speaking student struggles when suddenly thrust into a situation where only english is being spoken. It talked about how she spent very little time in class and was always off in her ESL classes and the like.
The author presented a little background history on the bi-lingual education which helped to set the stage, at least for me, as to why these types of programs might be considered necessary.
She then presented the types of programs that are available and this set the stage for the next section which I think is the heart of the matter: Which is the more effective program? Bilingual, or immersion?
The best evidence I saw was the section about the effectiveness of these two programs and why they are so varied. The author mentioned some statistics which leaned heavily toward immersion by saying that reading and math scores of California elementary students showed a big increase at a school which used the English immersion technique.
Overall I didn't find one kind of evidence that persuaded me more than another. While some programs may seem to be more effective than another, this can be due to outside factors which the author mentions, such as the teacher's proficiency in both languages, student comprehension, and use of both languages at home as well as in class.
The author presented a little background history on the bi-lingual education which helped to set the stage, at least for me, as to why these types of programs might be considered necessary.
She then presented the types of programs that are available and this set the stage for the next section which I think is the heart of the matter: Which is the more effective program? Bilingual, or immersion?
The best evidence I saw was the section about the effectiveness of these two programs and why they are so varied. The author mentioned some statistics which leaned heavily toward immersion by saying that reading and math scores of California elementary students showed a big increase at a school which used the English immersion technique.
Overall I didn't find one kind of evidence that persuaded me more than another. While some programs may seem to be more effective than another, this can be due to outside factors which the author mentions, such as the teacher's proficiency in both languages, student comprehension, and use of both languages at home as well as in class.
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