27
Anna Durham ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation Spring 2015 Butler University Invitation Overview and Rationale: College Affordability

Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    2

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Anna DurhamED398 Critical Literacy Invitation

Spring 2015Butler University

Invitation Overview and Rationale: College Affordability

Page 2: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Theme: The price of college has continually increased year to year. The importance of having a college degree has heightened at the same time. College students are faced with bearing the burden of rising tuition prices in order to reap the long-term benefits of degree. Students are invited to learn about the long-term affects of tuition costs on students’ earnings. Students are invited to explore what President Obama is proposing to do to combat high tuition costs. Students are invited to explore what can be expected after graduation from college.

Essential Questions: What will you do to prepare to have the future you have always dreamt of? What is reasonable data? How is data skewed to represent to the writer’s opinion?

Four Critical Literacy Theoretical Framework Quadrants: Disrupt the Commonplace: The gateway invitation includes a video showcasing “What Could You Buy for the Price of College?” We accept that tuition prices are rising and evaluate if we think we could pay for it, but rarely do we think about how high the costs of tuition really are. This video is a way to disrupt student’s commonplace. The first invitation encourages students to think about college through economic lenses, truly considering how college affects earnings and value added over various time spans. The third invitation asks students to consider inaccuracy in the media.

Consider Multiple View Points: The second invitation asks students to explore what President Obama is proposing be done about the cost of going to college. In this invitation, students are asked to consider pros and cons of the plan and evaluate the plan with a mathematical perspective. This forces students to look at the plan from multiple perspectives and then take an educated stance on the proposition.

Focus on Sociopolitical Issues: The second invitation asks students to examine a policy currently being considered by government. They will be analyzing President Obama’s Free Community College Plan. Students are asked to think how this plan will affect the population of people who attend college. Going to college is a personal choice, but education is a largely social issue.

Take Action: The first and third invitations conclude with a prompt for students to reflect on their future goals in light of what they have learned through their studies. The first invitation asks students to consider how they can prepare for the future now, and to create a plan to ensure that their future goals are worth the decision to achieve them. The second invitation asks to student to present their new knowledge and analysis of Obama’s policy to the public. Depending on which invitation students choose, they are asked to either reflect, prepare, or share based on what they learned.

Gateway Engagement: Students will be presented with two videos. The first, titled “What Could you Buy for the Price of College” created by Buzzfeed, disrupts the commonplace for students. The second video, is a testimonial of Adam, created by College.gov expresses the alternative view, that college is worth it. The first view presents a purely economic perspective on attending college. The second presents a more intrinsic motivation for attending college. Students will then be presented with the following questions to spark a discussion about college affordability. What do you know about college? Why do people go to college? Why are tuition prices so high? Is a degree really more valuable than what I could buy with the same money? What is not obtained in college that is not measured by money? Who is making these videos? How are the videos biased based on who their authors are? Students are invited and asked share what they know about college in this discussion. I will invite the Guidance Counselor as

Page 3: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

a guest speaker to discuss college with the students. They will discuss why people go to college, what college is like, getting scholarships, what it is like to go to college as an ELL student, etc. This is focused on the AI.DS.6 standard for Algebra I.

Invitation 1: “Is Paying That Worth It?This invitation asks students to specially explore if college tuition prices are worth the investment. They will explore how college expenses affect students after graduation. The following series of questions will be available to guide students’ work

1. Imagine yourself in 5 years. (Consider the following questions: Will you go to college? What will you do after high school graduation? What college do you want to go to? What job do you want to have? )

2. Suppose you need a certificate or college degree to obtain your dream job. You are able to pay 50% of your tuition. The other 50% of tuition you pay with loans. What will be your total debt when you graduate?

3. How much will you be making in your ideal job? 4. Suppose your interest rate is 5.5%. Every year you don’t pay off your debt, your debt increases

by 5.5%. How many years will it take for you to pay off your student debt? Create a graphical representation of your findings.

5. How do your earnings 10 years after college graduation compare to those who did not go to college? Create a graphical representation of your findings.

6. Are there benefits from going to college that are not measured economically? Can these benefits be experienced if you do not attend college? How are these variables missing from your numerical analysis?

7. Is going to college worth the cost? Support your decision. 8. Will you decide to go to college? Why or Why not? Support your decision9. Is this different than when you started the investigation? 10. Create a multistep preparation plan to ensure that you are ready to reach your future goals.

Consider looking up scholarships as you make your plan. 11. How can you encourage another group of people to explore this same idea?

Students will develop an understanding of linear functions, will learn how to read graphs, and will be able to interpret the meaning of the slope of a line. They will learn to create graphs from data. The main standard this is addressing is AI.L.5 for Algebra I.

Invitation 2: “How Free should College Be”This invitation asks students to take a stance on a government policy based on a mathematical investigation and argument. It asks students to question if the information they found on the subject was accurate or reasonable. It asks them to research multiple perspectives in order to make a conclusion about what would be the best way to tackle college tuition prices. They will be given the following questions to guide their exploration:

1. What does President Obama say he will do to lower the cost of education?2. What are the pros and cons of Obama’s plan?3. What will this plan cost? What is included in this cost? 4. Can you recreate this cost to verify that it is accurate?5. Who is paying for this plan? Who benefits from this plan? Are these two groups of people the

same or different? Why do you think that is?

Page 4: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

6. What are various people saying about the plan? Can you mathematically support these people/the plans? Why or why not?

7. How will this plan change the demographics of universities and community colleges?8. How does this plan affect you?9. How will you share your new knowledge with the community?

Students will verify the reasonableness of the data they found through looking at potential factors of the argument and trying to recreate it. They will investigate bias in data presented from various sources. They will mathematically articulate what they found in their investigations to the public through appropriate medias. This focuses on AI.DS.6. Students will use the algebra 1 standard AI.L.7 in their mathematical analysis of the plan.

Invitation 3: “Post Graduation Reality”This invitation explores what the life of a student is like after graduation. They will explore the reality of the job market after the graduation and how a college degree will affect their position after college. They will explore several sources talking about this reality and will evaluate the reality through critical lenses. The follow questions will guide the students approach:

1. Read Alina Tugend’s article at the link here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/your-money/a-quest-to-make-college-graduates-employable.html?_r=0

2. Whose voice is being represented in this article? Whose voice is being left out?3. In what ways might the numbers in the article be used to manipulate the reader? 4. Watch this video about statistics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiaVGBEFiZs5. Reconsider question three. Did your answer change after watching the video in question four? 6. What are some potential variables in these equations that are not being expressed by the author?

Or what could be some hidden variables?7. What is the relationship between the unemployment rate, and the unemployment rate of college

graduates? 8. Who is considered unemployed? How does that affect your perception of the unemployment

rate?9. Does this affect your desire to go to college? Why or Why not? 10. What other sources of data do you see daily that might be affected by author bias? 11. Write a Journal entry describing your discovery in this investigation. Discuss with the other

students working on this project about their discoveries.12. How will you share what you have learned with a larger community?

Students will develop an understanding of bias in data as well as how unseen factors may also affect what data truly represents. This invitation is less calculatory, but it considers how numbers are presented through the media. This invitation will address AI.DS.6 for Algebra I.

Rationale: Going to college isn’t something that happens to the best and brightest, it is something that is worked towards and built up to by any student. Studying college affordability introduces students to the ideas of responsibility and planning for the future. This invitation is relevant to the students’ lives because their decisions in high school affect what their options for college and work after high school will be. This invitation will help students understand what they need to do now as they plan for and think about their futures.

Page 5: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Students will be encouraged during this invitation to explore the future. I anticipate that students will create their ideal lives and evaluate how to get to their goals. I anticipate that students will realize the economic implications of their dreams and evaluate their level of passion for what they want to do. I could see students evaluating President Obama’s plan and developing their very first research-based political argument. I could see students creating a panel, or poster, or hosting a gathering for parents and community members to present their new knowledge about the plan to the public. I could see students becoming curious about government spending in the second invitation. In the third invitation I can see students investigating social media or the nightly news with the same perspective. I can see them challenge their classmates, who are working on other invitations, with the knowledge they know about misrepresented data.

The invitations I have created present a series of questions. These questions are to encourage students to think about various aspects of college affordability. Students are not instructed in how to investigate the questions. Students are given the freedom to explore the questions presented through their own lenses and the lenses of many other people. Students should feel comfortable connecting their explorations of these questions with what they know and what they are personally curious about.

At the end of this series of invitations, I want students to have looked realistically at their futures and made a plan to help them get there, and/or consider the cost of investment and political action, and/or to have a new perspective by which to look at all mathematics and statistics presented in the media.

Critical Pedagogy Orientation:

1. In What is Diversity Pedagogy?, by Rose Hernández Sheets, a strong emphasis is placed on allowing ELL students to make connections between their experiences and new material. This is a way for all students to access new material, but particularly students who are not fluent English speakers. Hernández-Sheets says “Acquiring new knowledge requires a connection between the child’s prior cultural knowledge and the new knowledge being taught and learned.” (Hernández Sheets, 2009). The gateway activity requires students to access their prior knowledge about going to college in order to add new knowledge and learning to their existing experiences with college. My invitations, particularly invitation one, invite students to question the social norm of going to college. EL students with varying prior experience with higher education are valued and important in these conversations.

2. These invitations encourage students to question the authors’ intent in presenting the information they did in the way that they did. McLaughlin and DeVoogd suggest that students ‘need to question text… [and]… need to know the author’s intent”. (McLaughlin & Devoogd, 2004). It is important not just to teach English Language Learners to read text, because being literate if far more than just reading words, it included taking a critical stance on readings. By teaching them these important skills that we also teach native English speakers, we are valuing them and honor them as intelligent and capable students.

3. “Experience is the best teacher. By focusing on their own experience students can claim a knowledge base from which they can speak” (Violand-Sanchez, 2006). Students who are immigrants from countries other than the United States are crucial in conversations about college affordability and whether or not students should attend college. Their input in these discussions will create a meaningful experience of engagement, new insights for non-EL students, and opportunity to expand their knowledge base. By engaging with their prior knowledge in the

Page 6: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

gateway exercise, EL students can build their knowledge about college attendance and affordability in the United States.

Standards Addressed: Mathematics Standards:AI.L.5: Represent real-world problems that can be modeled with a linear function using equations, graphs, and tables; translate fluently among these representations, and interpret the slope and intercepts.

AI.L.6: Translate among equivalent forms of equations for linear functions, including slope-intercept, point-slope, and standard. Recognize that different forms reveal more or less information about a given situation.

AI.L.7: Represent real-world problems using linear inequalities in two variables and solve such problems; interpret the solution set and determine whether it is reasonable. Solve other linear inequalities in two variables by graphing.

AI.DS.6: Understand that statistics and data are non-neutral and designed to serve a particular interest. Analyze the possibilities for whose interest

Social Studies Standards:E.4.7: Define the national debt, explain the effects of the debt on the economy, and explain how to achieve a balanced budget.

E.5.7: Explain the different types of unemployment.

Annotated Bibliography:Bidwell, Allie. "Average Student Loan Debt Approaches $30,000." US News. U.S.News & World

Report, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000

This article describes the complexity of trying to calculate student debt, provides a few estimates of college student debt, and provides a video of a particular state with high, school loan debts. The article fits with the critical literacy approach because it has it describes the complexities of college loan statistics. This article will be good for English Language Learners, because it provides the video to describe what the article is talking about.

BuzzFeedYellow. (2014). What Could You Buy For The Price of College? [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3yNEUCEKW8.

This video will be used in the Gateway. It is from a popular blogging website BuzzFeed. It disrupts the common place by exploring what students at different universities, studying various subjects and compares the cost of their tuition to purchases that are not tuition. The non-tuition purchases are huge and in that way opens the eyes of students to how much college really costs. It has no spoken word and has little written text. This will be accessible for English Language Learning students.

Page 7: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Fact Sheet. (2015, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/09/fact-sheet-white-house-unveils-america-s-college-promise-proposal-tuitio

This is the official description and fact sheet of what the Obama’s Community College Plan. This is my only sources straight from the White House. It has the perspective of the president and other government officials that put the plan together, so it will be helpful in providing multiple perspecitves. It has a high reading level. It will be helpful for invitation two.

Green, John. (2012). Is College Worth It? [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_N7MAr98CI

This video by John Green describes the political and economic factors about choosing to attend college or not. He explains noneconomic factors that make college worth it. There is some concern with this source of occasional inappropriate content for some grades. It will be necessary to check if this source is appropriate for your audience. This source speaks to the social and personal benefits going to college, allowing students to access the sociopolitical quadrant of critical literacy. The video will be particularly helpful in invitation one.

Kahlenberg, R. D. (2015, April 11). The Genius of Obama’s Two-Year College Proposal. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/the-genius-of-obamas-two-year-college-proposal/384429/

This article from the Atlantic supports president Obama’s plan for community college. It speaks to the advantages of the plan on multiple different levels as well as address why some people are against the plan. While a lot of my resources are about the negative parts of Obama’s plan, this presents why the plan is good. This is a way for students to look at one of many perspectives on the plan. It will be helpful in invitation two.

Leslie, N. (2012). How Statistics Can Lie [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiaVGBEFiZs

This informational sources suggests ways in which statistics can be misinterpreted. This sources will help students understand how author’s intent can affect how information is presented. It brings a critical perspective by explore the complexity of statistics and its annotation about the influence of author’s intent affecting the reader’s beliefs.

"Obama Tiene Un Plan Para Educación Gratuita — Telemundo 47." Obama Tiene Un Plan Para Educación Gratuita — Telemundo 47. Telemundo, 9 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. http://www.telemundo47.com/noticias/Obama-tiene-un-plan-para-educacion-gratuita-288031801.html

This video translates Obama’s comments in some of his public videos about his community college plan and has a discussion in Spanish about the plan. The entire video is in Spanish. This will be beneficial for EL students whose first language is Spanish. It will be most helpful in invitation two.

Page 8: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Pence, M. R., (2014). HoosierHot50. Retrieved from https://netsolutions.dwd.in.gov/hh50/downloads/HH50_Booklet.pdf

This a booklet describes the jobs that will be needed in the future or are in demand now. It is written in simple English and goes through many jobs, giving data about each job. It will be good for students who are English Language Learners because it has few words, but it is really informative. This will help students consider what they want to do when they grow up if they have not considered it before. Its main purpose will be to provide students with information to complete their mathematical analysis.

ProCon.org (2015). Is College Education Worth It?. Retrieved from http://college-education.procon.org/

This source explores the pros and cons of going to college in many different formats including videos from multiple perspectives, graphic organizers, cartoons, and graphs. This source includes many different perspectives separately, but in one place. It also will serve ELL students well with the variety of formats. The graphics and cartoons provide an image that disrupts the common place.

Sheehy, K. (2015, January 16). Obama’s Free Community College Plan: What Students Need to Know. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/articles/2015/01/16/obamas-free-community-college-plan-what-students-need-to-know

This article explores a how Obama’s community college plan will be paid for as well as whom it will benefit. This engages with the policy to understand the sociocultural influences the policy will have on the population of college students. The article mentions that the demographics on community colleges are not the same as a public university. This article evaluates the plan by looking at what will happen to the students that it will be affecting rather than the economics of the plan. This resource will be helpful in invitation two.

Smith, C., Ricci, M. (2015, January 16). 12 Taylor Swift GIFs for You. Retrieved from http://www.speaker.gov/general/12-taylor-swift-reactions-president-obamas-free-college-idea

This sources critique’s Obama’s Community College plan through the popular GIF. Because of the few words, this source will be great for ELL learners to be able to see another perspective on the plan that is very visual. It provides another perspective on Obama’s plan. It will be helpful in invitation two.

Strauss, V. (2015, February 8). The Problem(s) with Obama’s Community College Plan — and an Alternative. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/08/the-problems-with-obamas-community-college-plan-and-an-alternative/

The author of this article poses what she considers to be wrong with Obama’s community college plan. She proposed how to expand the already Existing Pell grant to produce a better quality, cheaper result than the plan Obama is prosing. It supports a critical literacy approach because it questions Obama’s plan. It makes strides to understand Obama’s intent and the way that the plan will affect society. This article also represents an author taking action which is an important part of critical literacy. This will be helpful in invitation two.

Page 9: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Tugend, A. (2013, June 28). What It Takes to Make New College Graduates Employable. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/articles/2015/01/16/obamas-free-community-college-plan-what-students-need-to-know

This source disrupts the commonplace by saying that college grads are not yet employable, that colleges aren’t doing their job. The article is partly a testimonial about a student graduation and his parents. The article discusses that students that recently graduate from college are still in need of significant training and other professional development before becoming employed. This article introduces the idea of the ‘skills gap’. It will me most helpful in invitation three.

"University Language Services." Costo De La Educación Universitaria En Los Estados Unidos. University Language Services, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

http://es.universitylanguage.com/guides/which-university-is-right-for-you/how-much-will-a-us-college-education-cost/

This website describes some costs of attending college that are easily left out. It is a helpful website that has various articles all in Spanish about attending college. This will be helpful especially for students who have not spent many years in the United States. This source represents a critical literacy approach because it considers what is missing from information typically presented about paying for college. It seeks to more fully acknowledge the complexity of college tuition.

Videos from College.gov. (2010). Why Go: Adam? [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2yiCsbDFnU&list=PL09E1DBFD793CF646&index=1

This source is a college student, Adam, speaking for 19 seconds about why he went to college. This source portrays the elements of college that are not economical as positive life experiences. It is a motivational video. This video a different perspective than many of the sources I have present about the practically of paying for college. It considers the purpose and meaning of college outside of the economics of the experience. It will be used in the Gateway to contrast the BuzzFeed video.

Page 10: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

College AffordabilityThis week, we will be exploring what it costs to go to college, its value, and what is being done to make it cheaper.

1. What do you know about going to college? Who do you know that has been to college? Did they like it?

2. Why do people go to college? Why do people choose not to go to college?3. What do you think tuition to a four-year institution will cost per year? 4. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3yNEUCEKW85. What is your reaction to that video?6. Why are tuition prices so high?7. Is a degree really more valuable than what I could buy with the same money?8. What this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=q2yiCsbDFnU&list=PL09E1DBFD793CF646&index=19. What is your reaction to that video?10. What is not obtained in college that is not measured by money?11. Who is making these videos? How are the videos biased based on who their authors are?

We invite guidance counselor, Mrs. Smith to come speak with us about college. Please discuss with your neighbor your plan after graduation and your biggest fear about that plan. Brainstorm one or more questions to ask Mrs. Smith about life after high school graduation.

Page 11: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

http://www.maxperformance.us/tag/college/

Is Paying That Worth it?According to College Board, the average college student at a private university pays about $31,000 dollars per year. At an instate public school the average student pays about $9,100. You are invited to explore how these costs are affecting college students’ futures. The following series of

questions should guide your exploration. Please feel free to work in teams or with a partner to research and explore this topic!

12. Imagine yourself in 5 years. (Consider the following questions: Will you go to college? What will you do after high school graduation? What college do you want to go to? What job do you want to have? )

13. Suppose you need a certificate or college degree to obtain your dream job. You are able to pay 50% of your tuition. The other 50% of tuition you pay with loans. What will be your total debt when you graduate?

14. How much will you be making in your ideal job? 15. Suppose your interest rate is 5.5%. Every year you don’t pay off your debt, your debt

increases by 5.5%. How many years will it take for you to pay off your student debt? Create a graphical representation of your findings.

16. How do your earnings 10 years after college graduation compare to those who did not go to college? Create a graphical representation of your findings.

17. Are there benefits from going to college that are not measured economically? Can these benefits be experienced if you do not attend college? How are these variables missing from your numerical analysis?

18. Is going to college worth the cost? Support your decision. 19. Will you decide to go to college? Why or Why not? Support your decision20. Is this different than when you started the investigation? 21. Create a multistep preparation plan to ensure that you are ready to reach your future

goals. Consider looking up scholarships as you make your plan. 22. How can you encourage another group of people to explore this same idea?

Resources: You are highly encouraged to explore other resources as well.

1. ProCon.org (2015). Is College Education Worth It?. Retrieved from http://college-education.procon.org/

2. Bidwell, Allie. "Average Student Loan Debt Approaches $30,000." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000

3. Pence, M. R., (2014). HoosierHot50. Retrieved from https://netsolutions.dwd.in.gov/hh50/downloads/HH50_Booklet.pdf

Page 12: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

http://www.nhmagazine.com/September-2013/The-Student-Debt-Problem-and-College-Costs-in-New-Hampshire/

Page 13: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

https://

www.juniorachievement.org/documents/20009/20652/Teens-and-personal-finance-survey-2013.pdf/e4f6c2f0-0f94-4666-8a7f-b87ecba367ed

http://www.columbiaheartbeat.com/index.php/mizzou/824-042114

Page 14: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

How Free Should College Be?President Obama is proposing a plan that would allow some students to be eligible for “free community college”. You are invited the check out President Obama’s plan, explore what others are saying about it, and take a mathematical stance on the issue. The follow questions should guide your explorations. Please feel free to explore this political issue with a team or with a partner!

10. What does President Obama say he will do to lower the cost of education?11. What are the pros and cons of Obama’s plan?12. What will this plan cost? What is included in this cost? 13. Can you recreate this cost to verify that it is accurate?14. Who is paying for this plan? Who benefits from this plan? Are these two groups of

people the same or different? Why do you think that is?15. What are various people saying about the plan? Can you mathematically support these

people/the plans? Why or why not?16. How will this plan change the demographics of universities and community colleges?17. How does this plan affect you?18. How will you share your new knowledge with the community?

Resources: You are highly encouraged to explore other sources as well.

1. Strauss, V. (2015, February 8). The Problem(s) with Obama’s Community College Plan — and an Alternative. Retrieved from

Page 15: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/08/the-problems-with-obamas-community-college-plan-and-an-alternative/

2. Kahlenberg, R. D. (2015, April 11). The Genius of Obama’s Two-Year College Proposal. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/the-genius-of-obamas-two-year-college-proposal/384429/

3. Smith, C., Ricci, M. (2015, January 16). 12 Taylor Swift GIFs for You. Retrieved from http://www.speaker.gov/general/12-taylor-swift-reactions-president-obamas-free-college-idea

4. Fact Sheet. (2015, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/09/fact-sheet-white-house-unveils-america-s-college-promise-proposal-tuitio

5. Sheehy, K. (2015, January 16). Obama’s Free Community College Plan: What Students Need to Know. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/articles/2015/01/16/obamas-free-community-college-plan-what-students-need-to-know

Post Graduation RealityMany people go to college so that they can get a good job. Does a college

degree increase your odds for getting a good job? You are invited to explore reality for students following graduation. The following questions should guide your investigation. Please feel free to work in a team or with a partner!

13. Read Alina Tugend’s article at the link here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/your-money/a-quest-to-make-college-graduates-employable.html?_r=0

14. Whose voice is being represented in this article? Whose voice is being left out?15. In what ways might the numbers in the article be used to manipulate the reader? 16. Watch this video about statistics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiaVGBEFiZs17. Reconsider question three. Did your answer change after watching the video in question

four? 18. What are some potential variables in these equations that are not being expressed by the

author? Or what could be some hidden variables?19. What is the relationship between the unemployment rate, and the unemployment rate of

college graduates? 20. Who is considered unemployed? How does that affect your perception of the

unemployment rate?21. Does this affect your desire to go to college? Why or Why not?

Page 16: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

22. What other sources of data do you see daily that might be affected by author bias? 23. Write a Journal entry describing your discovery in this investigation. Discuss with the

other students working on this project about their discoveries.24. How will you share what you have learned with a larger community?

Resources: You are highly encouraged to look up other resources as well.

1. ProCon.org (2015). Is College Education Worth It?. Retrieved from http://college-education.procon.org/

Page 17: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-what-awaits-2014-grads-working-world-infographic.asp

Page 18: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College
Page 19: Theme: - adurhamblog.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewAnna Durham. ED398 Critical Literacy Invitation. Spring 2015. Butler University. Invitation Overview and Rationale: College

Running Head: INVITATION OVERVIEW AND RATIONALE