# Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 4/In the News/Peer Review Two

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PEER REVIEW TEMPLATE
Use this template for your peer reviews.
DIRECTIONS:
You are required to complete TWO (2) peer reviews.
Please take your time and provide effective, helpful feedback. Plan to spend 1.5 to 2 hours per review!
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Part 1 - Article Components
Learning Target(s)
Answer the following questions regarding the learning targets:
Is/are the stated learning targets actual learning targets i.e. they state what the reader should know or be able to do after reading the article? _NO_
Is/are the learning target(s) specific? _NO_
Is/are they appropriate and reasonable? (Are they too easy or too difficult for ECI 301 students?) _NO_
Is/are they observable? (You wouldn't have to look inside the readers head to know if they met this target.) _NO_
Does the article provide adequate information for readers to achieve these targets? _NO_
Please make a comment about the learning target(s). If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve them.
Comment:
THE LEARNING TARGETS ARE VERY BROAD. I'M NOT ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SURE BUT I THINK ITS HARD TO TELL HOW WELL SOMEONE IS REVIEWING SOMETHING.
Grammar and Mechanics Review
Please either paste the entire body of the article here or any sections that you feel need to be revised.
To do this:
go back to the module page for the article
select "edit this page"
highlight all the text, hit control "c" (or "copy" from the edit menu)
navigate back to your peer review page
click edit this page and paste the text into this window (use control "v" or paste from the edit menu)
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Type your comments in ALL CAPITALS or in another color so the author can easily find them.
Edgar Hernandez
Diversity: Revolving Change in America's Classrooms
Learning Target
Reader should be able to review the work of different media outlets, when it comes to diversity in the classroom. Reader will be faced with worldwide opinions and measures being taken in classrooms all over America that deal with diversity.
Diversity in the Classroom
As the nation we live in changes, so does the classrooms in which learning is taught(I WOULD CHANGE THIS TO "SO DOES THE CLASSROOMS IN WHICH WE LEARN"). Diversity is often encountered in the classroom whether it is by ethnicity, race, or gender of the students. Many of these diverse situations often encounters (ENCOUNTER) problems with stereotype (STEREOTYPES) and makes (MAKE) it that much more difficult for teachers to conduct an inclusive classroom. Reports by major newspapers such as the New York Times and media outlets like CNN and MSNBC have carried out developing stories occurring not only in Virginia but in classrooms throughout the United States and even the world which deals with diversifying classrooms.
The New York Times reported on April 22, 2009 in an article titled "Diversity in the Classroom" that due to heavy immigration of people, student demographics have changed in 17,000 counties in the United States ( New York Times, 2009). This article also states that Hispanic and Asian student enrollment in schools has increased by 5,000,000 since the 1990s. This demographic of student enrollment increase automatically makes a diverse classroom, ethnic wise and race wise. (POSSIBLE REVISION: THIS INCREASE OF STUDENT ENROLLMENT AUTOMATICALLY MAKES A DIVERSE CLASSROOM, ETHNICALLY AND RACIALLY.) Author Judith Shulman wrote a book to help teachers carry out lessons that help every student: no matter race,country of origin and/or language (Shulman, 2007). GOOD USE OF NUMBERS INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING THAT THERE WAS AN INCREASE.
Some students have more difficulties (DIFFICULTY) than others (,) if they do not understand the language. Schools throughout America have taken this immigration issue seriously by incorporating a curriculum that has mandatory English classes for non-English speakers. Foreign language education though ignored by many is becoming more of a requirement as the population of the United States increases annually. Diversified classrooms could be very beneficial for students in the long-run. Why? well (CAPITALIZE FIRST LETTER OF WELL) as the United States becomes more diverse culturally, students are faced with the fact that employment opportunities are going to be offered to that bilingual student.
In (ON) CNN, America's scapegoat for news, there was a report from a student named Marcia Hutchinson who faced stereotypes and discrimination in a British classroom, being from (OF) Jamaican decent (Hutchinson, 2009). This type of bullying could lead to the student suffering severe psychological damage and therefore teacher training should not be taken lightly. (POSSIBLY SEPARATE THIS INTO TWO DIFFERENT SENTENCES) Teachers in every classroom around the world are going through what is called "training" in order to learn how to deal with a diverse set of students, enhancing the change to have an inclusive classroom. This not only applies to classrooms in Europe this also applies to America's classrooms.
Author and early childhood education expert Barbara Biles write an article about how cultural diversity first starts with each individual's cultural and self-awareness (Biles, 1994). She promotes the use of skin-colored crayons in her teaching techniques for preschool students so that they are more self-aware but most importantly, more aware of those around them. This is a process in which the child learns that people are not all the same. Some will be much more different, other will be more alike, nonetheless they need to know that just because someone is different, prejudice should come into role. (NOT RELLY SURE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING HERE. THE WAY IT IS WRITTEN NOW MAKES IT SOUND NEGATIVE.) When cultural and racial awareness is established in the classroom, it will help teachers bring up some classwork and/or (LEAVE OUT AND/OR) activities to help children "accept themselves and accept others" (Biles, 1994). This awareness will ultimately unify the classroom, but create a person who is less likely to bully others in the future.
Ultimately, teachers should always be aware that never will they (THEY WILL NEVER) conduct a classroom where each child is exactly the same to the one sitting besides them.( TO THE ONE SITTING BESIDES THEM CAN BE LEFT OUT) Since classrooms across the United States are becoming more diverse as the days pass, teachers (NEED TO) take into consideration learning new teaching techniques in order to accommodate each child's learning needs and ways. No child learns the same. Some learn my (BY) repetition, other by visualizations, others by auditory lessons (NEW SENTENCE TAKE OUT THE WORD AND) and (CAPITALIZE THE FIRST LETTER IN THESE) these techniques should be incorporated in an inclusive classroom.
Diversity is often to blame and the scapegoat to children teasing others, bullying and deep psychological issues brought upon an individual, in this case, a student. Bullying and that sort of hurtful accusations made towards others are often the center of media delight. It has been heard of in popular prime time shows like Oprah, or late night documentaries like Dateline or CNN. It is up to the teachers, the head of the classroom, to incorporate a friendly environment for all. Make sure that students get along not only between classroom walls but outside in the playground as well. America could be stronger starting by the classroom. Ehern004 (talk) 01:21, 8 June 2009 (UTC)
Side Bar:
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_activities.html
Multiple Choice:
Question 1: According to Barbara Biles, what is the age range where people develop self-awareness?
A. Teenage Years (13-19).
B. Early Primary Years (3-8).
C. Adulthood (18+).
D. Infant Years (0 months-2 years).
Question 2: Why are skin-colored crayons applied to use in preschool activities?
A. To enhance coloring skills.
B. For provide color accuracy for a drawing.
C. To raise awareness of diversity (yourself and others).
D. To prevent psychological issues when relating to yourself and others.
Question 3: Psychological issues reported on different media outlets cite bullying for the damage. What is the main reason that leads to bullying at schools?
A. Financial Status.
B. Classroom performance.
C. Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Differences.
D. All of the above.
Question 4: Media aside, what are other ways that awareness towards diversity can be raised?
A. Teachers training to become more aware of the situations in their class and taking action.
B. Write a book to document and teach others about how to deal with cultural diversity.
C. Let the situation develop and solve itself. Good or bad.
D. Nothing can be done without the help of the media.
Work Cited:
Biles, Barbara. "Activities that Promote racial and Cultural Awareness in the Classroom." Precious Children 1994.
"Diversity in the Classroom." The New York Times [New York] 22 Apr. 2009: 20-20.
Hutchinson, Marcia. "Britain: Diversity in the Classroom." The New Black Magazine 16 Mar. 2009: 1-1.
McCracken-Brown, J. 1993. "Valuing Diversity: The Primary Years". Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
Sources
For each source listed in the "References" section of the article, name the type of source (scholarly or popular) and the perspective it provides (research, expert opinion from educator, popular news source, parent organization, personal contact, etc.)
. SCHOLARLY- PERSONAL CONTACT
. POPULAR - POPULAR NEWS SOURCE
. POPULAR- POPULAR NEWS SOURCE
. SCHOLARLY- RESEARCH
List the range of publication years for all sources, e.g. 1998-2006: 1993 - 2009
Answer the following questions about the sources used in the article:
Did the author CITE at least 5 sources? __NO_____ and use at least 2 scholarly sources? __YES__
Are the citations in APA format? __YES__
Here are two examples of citations in APA format, one for a paraphrase and one for a quotation:
Constructing a title is both a science and an art, but on one fact all of the experts agree: the title must contain a colon (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, & Starr, 2007).
Unfortunately impoverished children are often attending “low-performing schools staffed by ill-equipped teachers” (Murnane, 2007, p. 34).
Are all the sources listed in APA format in a Reference list labeled "References"? _YES__
Here is an example of a reference written in APA format:
Bailey, J., & Barnum, P. (2001). The colon and its rise to prominence in the American circus. Journal of American Punctuation, 34(5), 2–3.
Taken together do the 5 sources represent a good balance of potential references for this topic? _YES_
Does the author consider potential bias in the sources? __YES____
Are most of the sources current (less than 5 years old)? ___HALF___
Please make a comment about the sources. If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve.
Comment:
THERE WERE ONLY FIVE SOURCES USED. HALF OF THE SOURCES WERE OLDER THAN FIVE YEARS OLD.
Multiple Choice Questions
What does each question assess: knowledge or reasoning (application of knowledge)?
Question 1 APPLICATION
Question 2 KNOWLEDGE
Question 3 KNOWLEDGE
Question 4 KNOWLEDGE
Answer the following questions about the multiple-choice questions.
Are there 4 multiple-choice questions? _YES_
Do they each have four answer choices (A-D)? _YES__
Is there a single correct (not opinion-based) answer for each question? _YES__
Do the questions assess the learning target? __NO_
Are the questions appropriate and reasonable (not too easy and not too difficult)? _YES___
Are the foils (the response options that are NOT the answer) reasonable i.e. they are not very obviously incorrect answers? _FOR THE MOST PART_
Are the response options listed in alphabetical order? _NO_
Are correct answers provided and listed BELOW all the questions? _NO_
Please make a comment about the multiple-choice questions. If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve the question/s.
Comment:
THE ANSWERS AREN'T PROVIDED. THE LAST QUESTION IT IS HARD TO TELL EXACTLY WHAT THE CORRECT ANSWER IS.
Part 2 - Ratings
LIST and EXPLAIN your rating for each of the four criteria.
Importance:
I rated this article _5_ for importance because I THOUGHT THAT ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS USED WAS VERY GOOD, AND WELL RESEARCHED.
Interest:
I rated this article _4__ on interest because I THINK THAT THIS WAS A VERY GOOD ARTICLE. ONCE YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT EXACTLY WAS BEING SAID. I ALSO GAVE IT A THREE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO SIDEBAR, ALL OF THE INFORMATION USED WAS VERY INTERESTING.
Credibility:
I rated this article _4__ for credibility because THE SOURCES AND INFORMATION THAT WAS USED WAS PUT TOGETHER WELL AND WELL RESEARCHED.
Writing skill:
I rated this article _3_ on writing because THERE WERE A LOT OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. THERE WERE ALSO EXTRA "S" WHEN THEY WEREN'T NECESSARY. IT WOULD BE A GREAT ARTICLE WITH A LITTLE PROOFREADING.Bold text
HIGHLIGHT SPECIFIC POINTS IN THE RUBRIC that apply to the article.
To do this: Highlight sections with the cursor and use the BOLD icon above OR type ''' (3 apostrophes) before and after the text you want to make bold
Wiki Article Rubric
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How important was the information presented on this topic to you as a teacher education student?
Covers key ideas crucial for future teachers to know
Based on researched information.
Highly relevant to current educational practice (*this description may be less applicable for some topics such as history of education)
Provides an excellent overview of the topic including relevant research, educational practice, laws and litigation. Includes in-depth discussion of at least a few selected key issues.
Includes ideas relevant to future teachers
Mostly based on researched information.
Applicable to today's schools
Provides a good general overview with relevant information and discussion of a few key ideas
A couple useful points; some irrelevant information
About half of the information is the author's opinion.
Some out-dated information; may not reflect current practice
Good information is included but the paper yields a partial /incomplete understanding of the topic or key issues
One useful point
A few facts but mostly the author's opinion.
Most of the information is irrelevant in today's schools.
Focused on unimportant subtopics OR overly general with few specifics. Important information is missing.
Information is not relevant to future teachers.
Information is entirely the author's opinion.
The information is obsolete.
Only irrelevant details or common knowledge. Lacks any substantive information.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How interesting was the article to read?
Sidebar includes new information that was motivating to read/view
Visuals (headings, colors, fonts, pictures, etc.) enhance the article by making it easier or more inviting to read
Multiple perspectives are considered and discussed
Mostly new information/ideas
Insightful interpretation & analysis are evident throughout the article; a clearly stated conclusion synthesizes all of the material presented.
Points are clearly made and elaborated on with compelling examples.
Sidebar includes new information that enhances understanding of the topic
Visuals add to the article
At least two perspectives were presented
About half of the information/ideas are new
Interpretation and analysis is provided for 3-4 points in the article; a reasonable conclusion based on this information is stated
Some good points are made and explained.
Sidebar includes new information related to the topic.
Visuals are included but have minimal effect
One interesting or new perspective is presented
A couple (2-3) new ideas or pieces of information
Interpretation/ analysis is included for a few (1-2) individual sections, but there is not a conclusion that synthesizes the information presented.
Points are made but may not always be adequately supported or explained.
Sidebar repeats what is already in the article
Visuals are somewhat distracting or not included
Only the “typical” view or one biased perspective is presented.
One new idea or bit of information
Information presented with minimal analysis or interpretation; no conclusion or the conclusion is not based on the information presented
At least one clear point is made and supported.
No side bar included.
Visuals are offensive and completely detract from the content
No perspective is acknowledged.
Nothing new.
No analysis or interpretation included
No clear points are made or points appear pasted from other sources without any explanation.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How credible do you think the information is?
Required sources are properly cited and included in a reference list in APA format.
Information from diverse sources representing multiple perspectives is included. Several reputable and current sources are cited. The author acknowledges potential bias in sources where appropriate.
Author clearly identifies his own ideas, biases and opinions
Required sources are included; a couple of formatting errors
Information from a variety of sources is included. Most sources are reasonably reputable; bias is acknowledged in others.
It is clear when the author is presenting his own opinion; he doesn't try to pass if off as fact.
Required sources are included; APA format is not used or has many errors.
A variety of sources is listed but the information primarily reflects a single viewpoint. Sources are reasonable.
The author occasionally (1-2 times) states his own opinion as fact.
Only 4 sources are cited/listed in the references or only 1 scholarly source was used
Sources lack diversity OR information from divergent sources is only superficially mentioned. Some sources are untrustworthy or biased and not acknowledged as such.
Author routinely (3-4 times) states her opinion as fact, ignores own biases.
Missing two or more sources OR sources used but not cited or listed.
All sources and information reflect a single viewpoint. Most sources are untrustworthy or biased and not acknowledged as such.
The entire article is biased and opinion-based without acknowledgment of this perspective.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How well do you think this article was written?
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) align with the learning targets, assess key points, and are written according to guidelines (see R4)
Specific, appropriate and observable learning targets are stated; the content is clearly organized to help the reader achieve these goals
Captures and maintains attention throughout
All or almost all of the cited information is introduced, elaborated on and explained
Writing is organized, easy to read, and contains few to no mechanical errors.
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) align with the learning targets, and assess key points.
Specific and reasonable learning targets are stated; the content aligns with these goals
Captures attention initially and periodically throughout
Most of the cited information is discussed or explained.
The article flowed pretty well and there were just a few mechanical errors.
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) assess key points
Reasonable learning targets are stated; the content relates to these goals
Parts of the article capture attention
About half of the cited information is discussed
A few areas were hard to follow, confusing or oddly organized. There were a few distracting errors.
4 multiple-choice questions are included.
Learning targets generally related to the content are stated
At least one part of the article is interesting
Information is “pasted” together with minimal explanation.
Organization was difficult to follow, sentences were awkward and/or there were several distracting errors.
Questions are missing or not multiple-choice.
Learning target is missing or unrelated to content or is/are not actual learning targets
Nothing in the article grabs the reader's attention
Article is entirely “pasted” together from other sources.
Poor organization, sentence structure and/or grammatical errors made it very difficult to understand the content.
Part 3 - "2+2"
List TWO compliments and TWO suggestions about the article content
Hints:
Focus on the work, not the person
Describe "There is...", "I see.." rather than judge "You didn't..."
Compliments
.THE ARTICLE OVERALL WAS GOOD. I ENJOYED THE TOPIC AND THE WAY YOU LAYED IT OUT.
. GOOD USE OF INFORMATION
Suggestions
. PROOFREADING IS A MUST
. SPELLING AND GRAMMAR NEEDS TO BE CHECKED.
You can make compliments and suggestions that relate to specific areas of the paper or to the paper in general. I suggest a mixture of both. Focus on what's most important. Of course, you can also include more than two suggestions and more than two compliments. The goal is to help the author improve his/her article. :