Monday, January 3, 2011
Rhetor's Notebook Post #2: Response to "Stress and the High School Student"
After reading the New York Times Room for Debate materials on “Stress and the High School Student,” pick the response from one of the main commentators that you think is the most interesting or compelling. Summarize the writer’s main claim and explain why you think his or her argument is persuasive. What does he or she do as a writer to convince you that this response or solution is worth acting on? (For example, what kinds of reasons or evidence does he or she provide? Or, what kind of connection to the reader does he or she create?) Post your response here as a comment before class begins on Wednesday, January 5.
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I found Harris Cooper’s debate on Stress and the High School Student to be very interesting. His research has discovered that there is a correlation between students’ success and homework up to a certain point. Depending on how old the student is there are appropriate amounts of homework that will result in the best performance from those children. Overloading a student with homework has a negative effect on students’ performance. According to the “Ten minute Rule,” students should not be given more than their grade multiplied by ten minutes worth of homework, although this is often exceeded. The whole reason parents and teachers are making students do more work is to do better in classes and be prepared for exams. When there is a negative correlation between how much homework children are doing and success educators will back off of homework to improve their test scores and parents will be happy with the peak results earned by their children.
ReplyDeleteHarris Cooper supplies readers with data that refutes the amount of homework that students are doing a night. These facts prove that the goal for every student to be the best that they can is not realistic with the current loads of homework. The results from Cooper’s research validate the concern for parents who think that their children are losing character due to how much time they spend doing homework. These parents and educators together will be more inclined to change the amount of work that students are doing if it is harming students’ productivity.
I found Clara Hemphill’s correlation between students’ pressures and economic conditions very interesting. Parents feel that they have to put overwhelming pressure on their kids for success simply for them to have a decent financial future. With the economy going the way it is, the rich are getting richer, while the rest of the population is struggling at a stagnant income.
ReplyDeleteMs. Hemphill is the senior editor at the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School. She witnesses first hand the difference in haves and have-nots in New York City’s high schools. The top schools serve the affluent students a challenging workload, with high academic expectations, preparing them for top universities. On the other hand, there are schools educating underprivileged students by using a bare-bone curriculum. She writes that these typically black and Hispanic students are expected only to achieve the minimum requirements in order to graduate high school. Parents find themselves in the difficult position of having to choose at which extreme their kids belong, struck by the fear that their child will be flipping hamburgers for the rest of their lives.
Ms. Hemphill offers an intelligent solution to the problem of overly stressed students: cap the number of AP classes, limit extracurricular activities, and stress character development.
Her personal experience with New York City schools and their economic diversity leave the reader unable to refute her proposition.
Nancy Kalish’s argument in “It Starts Before High School” is the most compelling because it highlights that academic pressure begins far before high school. Throughout a kids development their childhood is being stripped away and filled with rigorous homework assignments. The reason that extreme stress appears most commonly in high schools students is because after years and years of strenuous academics the anxiety reaches its tipping point. Her argument develops and grows and she begins to provide a solution to the issue. She proposes that students, throughout their education, should be given less homework and spend more time growing as an individual outside of the classroom. Students should also be taught proper ways to deal with stress so that less kids turn towards drugs and alcohol as a coping device.
ReplyDeleteOverall her argument is too radical for my opinion but by pointing out the extremes of certain situations it can help to prove her point. Her quote from the teacher who has a wastebasket in the room in case of vomiting due to stress, does somewhat validate her extreme stance on the position.
I find Nancy Kalish’s article, "It Starts Before High School" compelling and persuasive on an emotional and factual basis. Kalish argues that not only high school students, but also younger students, carry large amounts of stress on their shoulders. Extra amounts of homework and constant testing reduce family, sleep and relaxation time, which ultimately produces an unhealthy child. On the factual side, Kalish offers research, which proves exercise to be an important factor in brain development and stress management. Cutting time for extracurricular such as physical education and music classes in favor of more academic time has not been proven to increase our international ranking.
ReplyDeletePlaying more off of an emotional standpoint, the author provides an anecdote from a third grade teacher recounting situations of her students, around the age of 10, throwing up before tests because of the pressure. This anecdote points not only to the extreme pressure but also to the ridiculousness of the stress placed on even elementary aged children. Kalish not only calls out schools for this pressure, but also the parents, who share responsibility. Solutions offered by the author include classes on how to deal with stress and reinstating programs such as physical education and music in schools. Kalish believes, and fears, that if new coping methods are not taught to students in an age of competition and pressure, students may turn to unhealthy outlets such as anger and alcohol. The author concludes with the thought of the unhealthy ways to relieve stress to reach the reader on a level in which one can fully understand the possible frightening consequences of the current educational stress on American kids.
Nancy Kalish’s article “It Starts Before High School” brings attention to how elementary students are now loaded with hours of homework each night and stress levels for even young children these days is out of this world. Kalish says that a child as young as a third grader will have at least three hours of homework each night, which is both absurd and prevents children from having playtime or doing after-school activities. Standardized tests are becoming too important in the public school system and schools are putting too much pressure on these young kids to perform well. Kalish makes our stomachs churn by stating that the anxiety from taking standardized tests forces some children to throw up on their test booklets. At this point, Kalish’s question becomes, how far is too far? How long are parents and teachers going to stand around and watch these children lose their youth? Kalish advocates for someone—anyone—to take a stand and point out that adults do not handle stress well, and therefore children are no different. She sees emotional release in the ever-forgotten elementary gym and art class and hopes to begin reinstating those classes for students.
ReplyDeleteKalish is very effective at pulling the heart cords of her reader by alluding to stressed out children puking on their standardized test booklets, sleep deprived kids with no time to play, and by pointing out that parents sit back and watch the demise of their children’s youth. She demands an immediate call to action from parents, which either opens eyes or closes doors from her readers. In pointing a finger at parents, she runs the risk of angering the reader. But angry or not, parents cannot argue that burned out students lead the risk of burned out high school graduates who are less likely to go to college and more likely to do drugs. No parent wants to set up their kid for failure, which is why Kalish’s ‘call of duty’ to parents to restore their children’s childhood is effective in her article.
In response to “Stress and the High School Student”, Harris Cooper wrote “Homework’s Diminishing Returns”. This response shows his opinion on how the amount of homework students receive in high school effects their mental and physical health and how homework can be balanced so that it remains beneficial. Cooper starts off by saying that he and his colleagues have “conducted a combined analysis” of several homework studies to determine when homework is most beneficial and when it is destructive. He determines that the results “suggest that after a certain amount of homework the positive relationship (between homework and achievement) disappears and might even get negative”. I found this to be very interesting and persuasive.
ReplyDeleteHarris Cooper uses many rhetorical devices throughout his response. His ethos is his first tactic. Cooper is chairman of the department of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and is also the author of “The Battle Over Homework”, which creates a very strong ethos. Because of this he is looked at as very intelligent and credible. Cooper also incorporates many facts and credits the National PTA and the National Education Association while using some of their findings and advice to support his claim. This use of logos also increases his argument. Overall I thought this response was credible and very persuasive. I may have some biasness while reading these topics, however I still believe it was well written and backed up by research.
I found Denise Pope’s idea of changing the pace of the school day very thought provoking. She brings up the point that there is little personal interaction between the teacher and her students. Therefore there is miscommunication and confusion between a parent and their child. Ultimately this whole cycle ends up putting all the pressure on the child and causes stress and anxiety. She builds and develops a strong argument against a fast paced environment and by end of the article suggests a solution to the problem. Her solution is that we take the pressure off the students and create development through a challenging, but interesting curriculum. She also suggests providing opportunities for students to express their opinions and ideas in the classroom, which will eventually provide a better interaction between the student and teacher. Besides creating more of a voice in the class for students she then suggests to switch up the schedule and allow for different assignments such as hands on projects. Lastly, she suggests that to keep students stress levels under control it would be a great idea for teachers to have a private meeting with the student to talk about issues such personal problems, struggles with studying and most importantly how to make the situation better.
ReplyDeleteOverall her argument seems very logical way to solve the stress and anxiety high school students are experiencing. However, she has not included any examples to prove her points. She has co-founded a school to bring change to families and schools but does not have any evidence from it. Although she has a great point she loses it a little bit by not having any evidence to back it up.
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ReplyDeleteOverall, I think all the arguments presented carry varying importance and value depending on either your own experience or knowledge from peers. I found Clara Hamphill’s question “What Happened to Childhood?” to be most intriguing to me. The first and last half of the article is what interested me the most. I like her comments regarding added pressures of getting into an elite school and the “individual families” imperfect response to wider economic conditions.
ReplyDeleteI would also throw in the mix a notion that still exists that suggests a cookie-cutter way of success. Many aspects about growing up from generation to generation are constantly evolving and with that, so are the things that influence learning in and out of the classroom. Children are being exposed to a lot more information because of the advancements that allow them to access it. In my opinion, this leads to a ripening of the mind in other ways than only traditional education. So allowing children to be children and finding new and innovative ways to influence their minds just might be what triggers enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
As the next in line to determine how the next generation is taught we should be testing these ideas of less is more and allow our children grow and determine the many different paths of success.
I enjoyed reading Alfie Kohn’s article “Reconsider Attitudes About Success”. This was interesting because, he makes a point of in this day and age why it is poor to place success so much higher than happiness. His argument is that parents are willing to sacrifice their children’s enjoyment of learning and developing for acceptance into a prestigious college. He goes on to infer that very few parents have the backbone to place happiness over success. Sometimes the line between happiness and success is lost to these parents and they believe they are one and the same. Kohn continues to say that in order to fix this problem it will need the help of both educators and parents. I completely agree with what he is saying. I feel that success and the name of the college you go to has been completely blown out of proportion. Some of the most successful people in the country did not attend Harvard or even an Ivy League school. Once you get to high school and beyond grades and succeeding in athletics becomes number one on the list of your life. I agree that there should be some sort of emphasis placed on working hard and achieving goals but, I do not agree that it should be all encompassing of someone’s life. There is a lot to learn from life outside of the classroom, it could be argued that these survival skills of life not learned in a classroom are more important to being successful. If someone spends all their time studying in solitude to get good grades then there will probably be a higher chance that they are a little more socially awkward and wouldn’t be able to communicate efficiently with future employers.
ReplyDelete“Homework’s Diminishing Returns” by Harris Cooper
ReplyDeleteOut of the six articles presented, Harris Cooper was the only author who provided an argument which was even remotely persuasive. He begins his article by presenting an example of an amount of time some students will spend on homework on an average night. He gives the example of five, which to a college junior seems like very little, but as a high school student, it seems essentially like the end of the world (I recall complaining about two hours).
Mr. Cooper discusses a study which he and a few colleagues performed, which analyzed the amount of homework (in time) dedicated to classes or subjects and the effectiveness of each amount of time. Mr. Cooper essentially emphasizes that it is most important for a happy medium to be reached in assigning homework for students in order to optimize each individual’s performance.
Mr. Cooper’s argument is the most persuasive for the mere fact that he presents information in a factual manner, and makes claims which are supported by various pieces of evidence (despite the fact that he does not cite each individual source). In my opinion, whenever one is speaking about improving upon a current situation, it is important to a) present a theory and b) provide evidence which supports the claim that the theory will work in practice; without both of these elements, an argument is neither persuasive nor effective.
Mr. Cooper also speaks as a true scientist, using phrases such as “suggests that homework could improve” and “research is consistent with…” Neither of these statements presents his theory as pure fact, which, scientifically speaking nothing can be fact, especially if not proven (even gravity is still considered a theory). This makes Mr. Cooper’s argument that much more compelling because he is enabling the reader to formulate an opinion for his/herself.
I found Denise Pope’s article “Change the Pace of the School Day” to be the most compelling. While the other debaters come across as alarmist with radical ideas such as eliminating homework altogether or conducting homeschooling in lieu of traditional schooling, Pope presents a plan that has already been found to be successful and appears to be much simpler to implement.
ReplyDeletePope proposes changes to the scheduling of the school day to emphasize what’s working in our school system while reducing the stress students face. One unique change she suggests is to create Advisory Periods where students of all ages would have the opportunity to meet one-on-one on with their teacher on a regular basis to discuss academic issues as well as social and personal problems that can contribute to a student’s stress. This revolutionary idea is based upon the tested and proven notion that increased interaction between teacher and student increases a student’s success. Beyond simply offering students meetings with their teacher, Pope is in support of exercises that “promote coping strategies and social skills.” The Advisory Periods and stress-reduction exercises also create a nice break in the school day. These in combination with later start times and block period scheduling have a significant positive impact on the pace of the school day, Pope says. Furthermore, Pope advocates for projects, performances and writing tasks to be offered as an alternative to the more stressful traditional testing that students face today.
Besides her down to earth proposals, what stuck me most about Pope are her resume and the fact that she has already found success in implementing her ideas. This builds strong ethos. As a senior lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education she is well versed in education and founded Challenge Success – a project that aims to “facilitate changes in families and schools.” Through Challenge Success, many of her ideas have already been proven in the academic setting through partnerships with numerous schools. It’s clear that change is needed in our school system and Pope seems to be on the right track.
Alfie Kohn’s response presented in Reconsider Attitudes About Success was interesting due to its idea of reconsidering how success should be showcased to students and changing school policies to better fit the needs of student while eliminating common problems. He argues that what schools and parents have been teaching students are that all other students are their obstacles, and that awards and recognition are the only ways that a student has a chance for competing in higher education. Kohn also argues that gratuitous amounts of homework do not contribute to the education of students and takes away time that could be spent on better activities.
ReplyDeleteIn response, many higher education facilities are no longer requiring standardized test scores to cut back on destructive competition. Grade schools are also getting rid of the traditional letter grades and replacing them with assessments that are more helpful and true to students. Alfie Kohn argues that the entire system of competition and success must be torn down and reorganized so that it becomes more of a healthy environment than the destructive competition it is now.
From my own perspective, I find that the definition of success does need to be reconsidered as it has become a destructive device. I do find that many of these proposed ideas for change are slightly wishful, as students will be pressed to compete against their peers in order for awards, scholarships, and various honors. Parents will do the same in pressing their children to compete; as Erich Fromm said, “Few parents have the courage and independence to care more for their children’s happiness than for their success.”
In response to "Stress and the High School Student," Nancy Kalish presents several compelling arguments in "It Starts Before High School." Kalish claims that the pressures exerted on students starts as early as first grade, where young students crumble under the stress of taking standardized tests and doing several hours of homework every night. According to Kalish, this causes students who graduate high school to feel burned out and reluctant to further their education. Kalish makes a connection to the reader by giving imagery such as anxious elementary students throwing up on their test booklets. Her solution? Kalish proposes cutting back on homework and more physical education; for which she presents research showing the correlation between physical education and reduced stress, as well as functioning as a key component in brain development. Furthermore, she suggests teaching kids how to cope with stress in productive ways (i.e. proper nutrition, meditation and exercise) from an early age in hopes of preventing students from turning to drugs and alcohol. Kalish's argument is interesting, but moreover compelling as she presents a logical approach to the problem of "Stress and the High School Student."
ReplyDeleteI found Denise Pope debate on stress and the high school student to be very interesting and also to relate to me. Her research discover the students that go to the teachers for help in the class and personal problems have a lot less stress. I can relate to this debate. I try to get help from all my professors and only a few really help me. When a instructor helps me my stress level goes way down in that class. In the class that the instructor does not help me my stress level goes up in that class. The stressed out students have no interest in learning the information. The student I more interested in the grad that they receive. The stressed out student memorizes the material instead of retaining the information. They memorize the information and after the test or after the class is over the information is lost. The less stressed students are less likely to cheat and are more likely to retain the information. Schools have changed their ways to help with students stress levels. The schools set up tutors, later start times and more breaks. The schools also have moved exams before vacation instead of after. They also eliminate midterm exams and summer homework.
ReplyDelete