Teachers, Schools, and Society by Sadker & Sadker
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1. Classroom Management pp. 53-58

What's in a name? This is an important question when it comes to classroom management. How you address your students - and how you ask them to address you - can play a significant role in setting the tone of your classroom environment. Let's find out how some educators handle this aspect of teacher/student interaction. Use the following links to find a teacher chat room, message board, newsgroup, or e-mail list, then pose one or more of the questions below.

Connected Teacher Message Board
http://www.connectedteacher.com/messageBoard/messageboard.asp

Teacher Talk
http://www.mightymedia.com/ttalk/index.asp

K12.chat.teacher (Usenet newsgroup)
news:k12.chat.teacher

Yahoo! Education Chat Rooms
http://events.yahoo.com/Net_Events/Education/Chat_Rooms/

Teachnet.com
http://www.teachnet.com/t2t/index.html

• Do you allow students to call you by your first name?
• How do you feel about students using Dr., Mr., Mrs. or Ms.? What about "sir" or "ma'am"?
• Do you address students with titles? nicknames? last names?
• Are you consistent with all students, or do gender, favoritism, or other factors play a role in how names are used?
• Do you address students by the names they request, or by ones you choose?

Write a summary of the answers you receive. What are the advantages and potential pitfalls of the various approaches? What role might grade level, age (of teacher), gender, social class, geographic area, or cultural background play in how names are used?

For an excellent collection of online resources related to classroom management, click here.

2. Larry Cuban: Why Is It So Hard to Change the Way Teachers Teach? p. 78

As you read in the boxed feature on p. 78, Larry Cuban has done extensive research to answer the question, "Why does teaching look so similar year in and year out?" As we enter the 21st century, could technology be the tool that turns classrooms into student-centered (rather than teacher-centered) environments? To read an interview with Larry Cuban regarding technology in the classroom, click here.

Summarize Cuban's views on technology in the classroom. Do you agree with him? Do you believe that technology will finally change the way teachers teach? Explain your answers.

3. Cooperative Learning pp. 73-75

Using the following links as source material, discuss cooperative learning and its potential effectiveness when applied to both homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. Why is it important to think about these issues when considering cooperative learning as a classroom strategy?

The Latest Panacea for Gifted Students: Cooperative Learning
http://www.teleport.com/~rkaltwas/tag/articles/coop.html

Cooperative Learning: Response to Diversity
http://www.cde.ca.gov/iasa/cooplrng.html

4. Project-Based Instruction pp. 75-76.

To see how educators are using the Internet to carry out project-based instruction, visit the following Web site:

NetPBL: Collaborative Project-Based Learning (at the Global Schoolhouse)
http://www.globalschoolhouse.com/pr/index.cfm

After perusing the entire NetPBL site, choose a Project Example and use it to illustrate the five characteristics of project-based instruction discussed in your textbook: learner cooperation, higher-order learning, cross-disciplinary work, artifacts and exhibits, and authentic learning (see pp. 75-76).

What do you think are the special issues teachers must consider when using the Internet for project-based instruction. What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of this approach?

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