EDU: SS Discussion - 9/19/25 by

Expectation theory

ninatorkelson2 — 2025-09-19 14:15:18 UTC

I didn't even think of expectation theory in the way that Steph mentioned. I also had an older sibling who went through school so I think teachers already had an idea of what kind of a student I was going to be even though we were completely different.

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:16:31 UTC

An interesting study in the book talked about Rosenthal and Jacobson study. That chose students randomly and were told they would experience an intellectual growth spurt in the year and the growth did happen (teachers expectations improved=student achievements improved) and vice versa. It teaches us about the power of the teacher's attitude. The attitude of the teacher influences the attitude of the students.

ninatorkelson2 — 2025-09-19 14:20:05 UTC

Positive expectations - I think expectations can only be positive if a teacher is holding all of their students to that same expectation. If you want all of your students to succeed you have to treat them equally.

Elaina

2025-09-19 14:20:14 UTC

You can have expectations for students, but always be ready to change them to meet their needs and want they need. Do what Works best for them.

mirandarose18 — 2025-09-19 14:20:46 UTC

I think it is important to have some expectations so that students set goals for themselves. There needs to be a balance to that though, setting your expectations too unrealistically high always ends in disappointment for anyone.

Tanayah

cfpdttjb8p — 2025-09-19 14:21:06 UTC

A lot of you are speaking about expectations being held in a positive way but do you think teachers ever hold low expectations to students as well, where they don’t expect children to do as well as they do? Which one would you say is worse?

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:21:27 UTC

I believe expectations are beneficial and hold accountability like Jordan mentioned. However, it is important to grow intrinsic motivation. Creating a space where students enjoy themselves and can do things that interest them, and feel safe. Have clear and consistently communicate, affirm everyone’s contribution, and making sure that role expectations are reasonable is important part of it also.

expectations

kingstonvandonkelaar — 2025-09-19 14:21:59 UTC

Expectations can be helpful or harmful. I think it all depends on the teacher knowing the students' limits, the students knowing their own limits, and the amount of support students receive to help them meet these expectations. You can't expect a student to perform perfectly every time, or they will only focus on getting good grades and not actually learn. Plus, if you aren't giving students feedback or encouragement, then they might burn out. Also, you can't base your expectations around one event, like Nur explained with her suspension; you have to teach unconditionally.

Patrice

socialsciences6 — 2025-09-19 14:24:16 UTC

It is so important to keep adjusting your expectations as you learn more about your students throughout the year.

I think adjusting your expectations is the right way to go about this becase it allows you to gauge the students and change expectations to fit them while also pushing the students

k0894246 — 2025-09-19 14:25:28 UTC

mirandarose18 — 2025-09-19 14:26:28 UTC

I can relate to what Hannah is saying about making sure that you give encouragement to students when you have expectations for them. The absence of having that positive reinforcement can make students feel like they're failing even when they're not. It's important to build your students up and let them know when they're doing a good job.

piersonmp3 — 2025-09-19 14:26:32 UTC

Do you think social or academic expectations are more important as a teacher? What about for the students?

Also, sorry I'm so late, there was stop-go traffic for 9 miles ;_;

2025-09-19 14:27:15 UTC

I believe there can be basic expectations, like expecting students to respect and respond to each other, and then individual expectations, where teachers expect different things from each student based on their personality and skill levels

When do school rules override rights?

piersonmp3 — 2025-09-19 14:28:19 UTC

We and our students have rights to freedom of speech and expression, when do school rules and safety desires override rights?

adalynneleach — 2025-09-19 14:29:13 UTC

School rules are obviously needed but they shouldn't stop a student from expressing their culture.

Marin Irvine

marinirvine — 2025-09-19 14:30:49 UTC

Expectations are limits that you are placing on the students. It is important to double check that you are balancing goals that go above your expectation for your students in a reasonable way

Elaina

2025-09-19 14:31:08 UTC

When you are a teacher, I know there are rules in schools, but there are sometimes, as a teacher, when you disagree with them. You should find a way to meet the rules in the middle and make sure that all of your students feel welcome and that their needs are met. Not totally break break the rules.

2025-09-19 14:31:53 UTC

I believe adding cultural differences into schools is incredibly important because it introduces students and teachers to different cultures and languages, opening their minds and making them curious about different parts of the world and the different ways people live there lives. Educating about each other's differences also encourages students to celebrate others on their own instead of only during special months or days

ninatorkelson2 — 2025-09-19 14:31:59 UTC

I think limiting students' creativity and individuality in order to adhere to "school rules" is generally detrimental to the students in any case. School culture is built on the diversity of each student and their backgrounds, beliefs, and personal cultures. Limiting individuality is incredibly harmful to society in general. Students should be allowed to feel comfortable and accepted in their place of learning. If we claim to be "preparing students for the real world," how can we require them to all dress the same, etc. In their lives after school, they will come in contact with many different people from all walks of life, and I think these rules can limit their open-mindedness to learning about other cultures and ways of life.

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:32:25 UTC

This gets me thinking about Cultural Differences Theory. The academic gap can be closed if teachers' study and mediate the culture gap between school and home. An example that was in the book is the study about Polynesian culture. In this culture the older children teach the younger children rather than adults. By establishing a peer lead learning group, reading performance improved for the younger children, when they were struggling before the peer lead groups were established. This shows us how much we can teach each other.

2025-09-19 14:33:10 UTC

Studies show that school uniforms improve student behavior and test scores

Tanayah

cfpdttjb8p — 2025-09-19 14:36:11 UTC

There’s a difference between expression and distraction. Students should be able to express themselves and have freedom to be who they are without being told it’s distracting or being scared to do so.

Marin Irvine

marinirvine — 2025-09-19 14:36:24 UTC

I feel like throughout my education I've seen female students be punished for wearing "inappropriate" clothing in the name that they were being a "distraction"

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:37:36 UTC

In the article Equity in Schools Begins With Changing Mindsets it talks about how it is important to build a strong/healthy teacher student relationshiop as well. It mentioned that "Qualitative interviews reveal students’ preferences for teachers who respect them (i.e., don’t yell, pronounce their names properly), trust them, and don’t police minor behaviors" I feel like this also important when talking about respecting student's cultures and expressing themselves.

Patrice

socialsciences6 — 2025-09-19 14:39:05 UTC

I disagree, I think unconscious bias is real, but it should not be an excuse for remaining biased.

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:40:17 UTC

When someone is not willing to be more open minded and learn more about other cultures then unconscious bias becomes more relevant and starts at home. It takes time to unlearn those things if you are willing to.

Tanayah

cfpdttjb8p — 2025-09-19 14:40:26 UTC

I COMPLETELY agree with Nur. Acting like diversity and culture isn’t a thing in schools is not okay. We need to acknowledge that all students do go through different things and that there are stereotypes in this world.

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:42:37 UTC

In the article Who Do You Call On? Rooting Out Implicit Bias has a study about how a teacher was unconsciously looking, communicating, and calling on students on the right side of the classroom more than the left. Leading students on the left feeling unseen and not important. The teacher didn't even realize he was doing that until another teacher sat in on a few of his classes and observed what was happening

ninatorkelson2 — 2025-09-19 14:43:34 UTC

I think no matter how curious and willing you are to learn about other cultures and be better, unconscious bias is still present. Oftentimes we cannot control it, but for many of us, the way we've been brought up and the society we live in tends to prioritize learning about cultures that are our own. Something I find interesting is that most schools teach US History and "World" History but any other area of history is taught as an elective. Even then, our current administration is trying to limit what we learn about our nation's history of racism. If we don't learn about the bias of our ancestors, it becomes harder and harder to learn how to prevent them in the present.

mirandarose18 — 2025-09-19 14:44:22 UTC

What would you do in your own classroom to make sure that you are accounting for differences in culture between students? How would you make students feel comfortable to express themselves?

2025-09-19 14:45:15 UTC

I believe NOT believing you have any unconscious bias is dangerous because it keeps you close minded, and unwilling to learn, denying that you don't hold any biases when someone brings it to your attention can limit your understanding of others and prevent you from growing

Elaina

2025-09-19 14:46:09 UTC

I agree with Ian when you become a teacher no matter what you teach set a rule in your class to repect students and and who they are. Teach students that everybody can be differnt and have their own personalities.

piersonmp3 — 2025-09-19 14:47:05 UTC

Sometimes that unconscious bias is pretty conscious.

kunderwood018 — 2025-09-19 14:47:06 UTC

I totally agree with what Aaron said about the small scale unconscious bias!

2025-09-19 14:47:20 UTC

As someone who's been taken out of class in front of everyone to change my tank top and then having to come back with the ugliest t-shirt found from the lost and found was incredibly humiliating and I agree girls being punished for wearing "revealing" clothing is a big issue in schools

mirandarose18 — 2025-09-19 14:48:35 UTC

Aaron makes a good point that we always have unconscious bias all around us. What's important is acknowledging that and reminding ourselves to keep an open mind.

Patrice

socialsciences6 — 2025-09-19 14:48:59 UTC

Teachers have a responsibility to NOT do what Alyssa is talking about. That are teachers that are not working on their biases.

I think the men in this class can and should answer this question. It could help you work and think through your own biases

pieperstence — 2025-09-19 14:50:59 UTC

LEGALIZE SHORT SHORTS.

piersonmp3 — 2025-09-19 14:51:24 UTC

mirandarose18 — 2025-09-19 14:51:39 UTC

Back in middle school I tried to help my friend complete her art assignments to avoid failing the class. When she talked to the teacher about her grades the teacher told her she was, "fighting a losing battle." She didn't go back to class and failed it. I think if that teacher had gave her more positive reinforcement and hadn't expected her to fail before she even started she would've done better and maybe even passed the class. Teachers should be helping students believe in themselves.

Tanayah

cfpdttjb8p — 2025-09-19 14:53:22 UTC

Did you boys really get distracted by our shoulders, or was that taught to you? Genuinely curious.

ninatorkelson2 — 2025-09-19 14:54:32 UTC

Most dress codes are dehumanizing especially for female-presenting students. Many dress codes are outdated and enforce the idea that women are objects, and reinforces the harmful ideology that if a woman is wearing something "inappropriate," it somehow explains inappropriate behavior from male students.