Casta Garcia-Rosen

EDUG 897-Principles and Practices of Education

Professor Kosky
5/5/14
Growth Statement
During the semester I have learned about the principles of
education and the practices of teaching. The course was well rounded
and consisted of reading educational news articles, law cases that
shaped education policy and reform, and doing field-work that explored
the concept of special education in a real classroom setting.
In the beginning of the semester Mr. Hart and I discussed the
history of education. We focused on textbook excerpts about the early
stages of formal education from the colonial times to Horace Mann and
John Dewey. We explored how they influenced and founded public
education. I enjoyed learning about the history of education and how
over time social changes have impacted the structure of education. For
example, during the 1800s schools did not receive public support and
Horace Mann advocated for taxpayers money to fund public schools
and now taxpayers do just that. As I acquired new knowledge about
the history of education I was able to comprehend the changes that
took place and the politics and issues surrounding the current state of
education.
Another learning tool I found very useful was reading current
news articles about education that explored varying topics. One of my

favorite articles was about technology and teaching students how to

become internet literate. As a new teacher in the 21st century, this was
very useful information since students are very involved with
technology and they need guidance when it comes to gathering
reliable sources of information. I also found reading about education
and the law noteworthy. It was interesting to see how social issues can
influence the law. The cases were thought provoking and highlighted
the educational complexities embedded in society. One of my favorite
cases took place in 1969, Des Moines, Iowa. In this case students were
suspended when they peacefully protested against the Vietnam War
and the court ruled that their first amendment rights was violated.
I liked doing fieldwork and also found it very useful after learning
about the principles and practices of education. I learned from Dr.
Kosky more about the No Child Left Behind Act and disability
legislation. I was surprise to find out schools in the 1960s could reject
special education children arbitrarily and as a result many of them
received no education or limited services. I was able to analyze more in
depth about the structure of the schools and reflect on how it has
changed from the past to the present. Overall, this course was
insightful and useful at presenting valuable information that relates to
teaching. I was able to get a full scope of the history of education and
the make connections to the present.