Literature Review: Journal Articles - Essay Example

Literature Review Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW Literature Review: Journal Articles in APA Style of or School Literature Review 2 The article titled “Math Needs a Makeover” which was published on October 1, 2006, and written by Jeff Weinstock can be found in T.H.E. Journal. The article’s main idea is that there needs to be a new perception of math as the subject needs a new image and it is not certain whether or not technology is able to accomplish this. There exists in the United States a stereotype that if one likes math and is good in the subject then one does not fit into society. The stigma is that if someone gets a degree that requires a high knowledge of math, than that individual is a geek or a nerd. Therefore, as Weinstock (2006) reports, “A recent technology conference laid out the grim data: 40 percent of China’s college graduates leave with engineering degrees compared to 5 percent of US grads; more US students graduate with psychology degrees than with engineering degrees.” The author discovered two completely opposite views held by poets Coleridge and Wordsworth. Coleridge believed that if one is truly sad than no external factor (nature, environment, etc.) can cheer him/her up. Wordsworth believed that if a person opens his/her mind and then external factors can lift the spirit. As we live in the age of technology, the author wonders if the addition of technology can help make math an interesting thing and change the stigma and stereotype that is linked to math. I believe this article did not contain enough information to deliver enough data and details. I think that the article could have used another paragraph or two of information regarding technology. There certainly is a negative attitude and stereotype regarding math and for those who are good at or enjoy the subject. I believe that technology (World Wide Web, computers, computer-mediated communication, etc.) has opened up many opportunities and have united the world. We now live in a more eclectic, open-minded, and accepting environment. Old stereotypes such as “geeks” being out of style and unfashionable is as obsolete as athletes/jocks being unintelligent. This is due partly to the Internet. Literature Review 3 The article titled “Responding to the Needs of At-Risk Students in Poverty” which can be found in Essays in Education, Volume 16, Summer 2006, at http://www.usca.edu/essays/ is published by the Department of Education at the University of South Carolina. The article’s main idea is that children who live in urban areas, particularly there is poverty, are at risk for failure in school and teachers should be prepared to deal with the issues that these conditions cause. The urban environment isolated from other areas, concentrated population, family instability, and poverty are extreme conditions that increase the risk of failure in school. (McKinney, Flenner, Frazier, and Abrams, 2006.) Poverty that is concentrated, as in the case of urban areas is usually linked with female-headed households, high levels of violent crime, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness. All these are factors that place children at risk for academic success. It is found that this usually does not apply to third graders or below as younger children do not interact with the community as much. Poverty also affects children’s relationships and interactions with others and this usually causes a vicious cycle of failure. It is important that teachers be knowledgeable and well prepared in order to accept the culture in which these children live, the risks they face, and how to provide nourishing environments to help students succeed. I believe the research, study, and findings from this article are accurate. I agree with the authors that at-risk children in poverty-stricken urban areas face many risk factors and that teachers should be prepared and aware of the conditions/culture in which the students live. It is crucial that teachers do study how culture, race, and power influence the education setting and provide students with an environment that is responsive to their particular needs. This provides the nurturing environment that helps students succeed academically. The article was well written, sources were credible, data and literature review was thorough. I believed the authors did a wonderful job. Literature Review 4 The article titled “Collaboration between elementary schools and community agencies to reduce violence: Can it work?” was written by Kimberly Williams and published on February, 2006. The article’s main idea is that the collaboration of schools and community agencies in reducing school violence has a small, but favourable, impact on student behaviour in school. Programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Functional Family Therapy, and SMART moves have been shown to improve class attendance, tardiness, and measures of discipline but they been found to improve academic performance based on GPA. However, these collaborations, along with others, do have a small impact on reducing school behaviour and school violence. This study provides evidence that the joining of schools and government agencies will help reduce violence in schools and communities. I believe that the interviews, data, collaboration groups, problems and issues explored, and research methods were valid and complete. Findings and conclusions, along with the abstract and all other parts of the study, were reported in a clear and supported manner. I agree that educational institutions and community agencies should collaborate as I have been involved in such groups as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and have seen successes in the lives of the children. When children belong, have their needs met, are given attention, and have a sense of self worth and belonging then there is definitely a positive impact on their behaviour. Behavioural changes do lead to less violence in communities and schools as children feel more secure and at peace with stability. Insecurity and instability leads to all kinds of negative consequences which causes a snowball effect. Literature Review 5 The article titled “Education: Misunderstood Purpose and Failed Solutions” was written by Paul A. Wagner and Lillian Benavente-McEnery. It was published in Current Issues in Education, Volume 9, 2006. The article’s main idea is that public education is used as a battleground where traditionalists argue the need for a self-expression curriculum and opponents push standardised curriculum and standardised testing. (Wagner and Benavente-McEnery, 2006.) The authors state that Martin Bicker (2003) described public education as a place where a constant cycle of argument continues between self expression at the expense of subject matter and subject matter at the expense of self expression. The debate is also over whether education should be about self esteem where an individual develops personally versus, as stated by Wagner and Benavente-McEnery, “ (a) realm of learned discourse where together and in non-exclusionary fashion, humans attempt to answer big (and perhaps some not so big) questions of physics, religion, mathematics, happiness, engineering, prudential reasoning, morality, architecture, the nature of formal and informal languages, evolution and development, love, the purpose of social systems and so on.” I believe that the argument in the article is valid and that even the debate is valid. Each of us learns in different ways. Purposes for education vary and so do learning and teaching styles. I think that both views and arguments can be correct at certain times. Education is for self expression and also for learning and answer the big questions of different subjects. As every student has his/her own learning styles so does every instructor. It is when we use public education as a battleground regarding these matters at the expense of the students (and teachers for that matter). Acceptance of individual differences should be the school of thought. This will provide for a peaceful, open- Literature Review 6 minded, and nurturing educational environment which serves the very purpose of public education—to teach and to learn. Literature Review 7 References McKinney, S.; Flenner, C.; Frazier, W.; and Abrams, L. (2006.) Responding to the Needs of At-Risk Students in Poverty. Essays in Education, Volume 16, Summer 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2006, from http://www.usca.edu/essays/vol172006/mckinney.pdf Wagner, P. and Benavente-McEnery, L. (2006). Education: Misunderstood Purpose and Failed Solutions. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 9(2). Retrieved October 16, 2006, from http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume9/number2/. Bickman, M. (2003). Weinstock, J. (October, 2006). Math Needs a Makeover. The Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2006, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/19343_1. Williams, K. (2006). Collaboration between elementary schools and community agencies to reduce violence: Can it work? Current Issues in Education, Volume 9, 2006, Number 1. [On-line], 9 (1). Retrieved October 15, 2006, from http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume9/number1/ Read More