How Would I Base a Lesson on the New York Sugary Drinks Ban?

In an attempt to curtail the obesity epidemic, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City proposed a ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces in public places such as restaurants, street carts, sporting venues, and theaters. This ban would not extend to diet drinks. Our discussion of the ban in class sparked very heated conversation. There seemed to be a fairly general consensus in our class (at least with the people I talked to) that this ban will be completely ineffective. While I see that what the ban is trying to achieve is positive and important, I agree with this consensus. Several fellow MAC interns related this ban to prohibition, which was obviously a failure. People don’t like being told how to live their lives. Also, people would still be able to purchase these drinks. Large sizes would still be available in grocery stores and they could always buy more than one small drink. I would like to talk to someone who supports this ban in order to better understand his or her line of thinking. For this blog post, we have been asked to incorporate this ban into a high school lesson.  

I plan to teach biology. A discussion of the politics involved in this ban will not be particularly useful in biology class. I would, however, introduce the topic and allow students to briefly discuss their opinions. I believe, however, that a better approach to the obesity problem is nutritional education. In my opinion, the government shouldn’t just start banning all unhealthy food, but they should work on better educating the public about nutrition. I would then launch into a discussion about the effects of excessive sugar on our bodies, namely obesity. I would then link obesity to heart disease and diabetes. I would also discuss the issue of hydration. Many kids believe that they are being adequately hydrated by energy drinks and other heavily caffeinated beverages. This is a myth that needs to be dispelled. Caffeine is a diuretic, which is ultimately dehydrating. Sugar also has dehydrating effects. I would, therefore, discuss the wonderfully healthy effects of drinking water and how all of our important bodily functions that rely heavily on plain old H₂O.

One of the biggest surprises to me is the exclusion of diet drinks in the ban. There is so much discussion in popular media right now about the unhealthy and dangerous effects of artificial sweeteners. This information has gone so far as to say that regular pop is actually better for you than diet pop. I would provide the students with information that supports both sides of this argument. This is an important discussion to have with students who may think that they are making a healthy decision when opting for Diet Coke instead of a regular Coke.

Another exercise would be to compare different beverages. What are the sugar differences between pop and fruit juices? What do we have to watch out for when juice labels incorrectly say “all-natural” or “made with real fruit”? Teaching students how to be investigators when it comes to finding the healthiest food is very important. This involves teaching students how to read the nutrition facts and ingredients of the food they choose. I want my students to be knowledgeable and aware of what they are putting in their bodies.

                                           http://blog.fooducate.com/tag/sugary-soft-drinks/ 

                                          What a great lab experiment! 

At the end of the class, I would again ask the students of their opinions on the ban to see if it has changed. Is it necessary to actually prohibit people from consuming these beverages or will simple education of their dangers be sufficient? 

First Day of Education 504

            When I walked into the Whitney Auditorium on Friday morning for our first day of class I was a little apprehensive. Technology scares me. While I consider myself fairly adept at the basics of technology (I put together a mean PowerPoint presentation), I never seem to have much luck when things get more complicated. Maybe I’ve just had my computer break down on me one too many times in the middle of an important assignment. My fears were eased slightly when the first thing the professors did was hand out note cards. They made the point that technology isn’t necessary useful all the time and this made me feel better about what is to come this summer and in my future classrooms. Also, when going over the different technological applications we would be exploring this summer, I was relieved to hear words that I know. Skype, blogging, and smart phone, among others, are ideas I understand. Thankfully, by the end of class I felt excited to learn new applications that I will be able to use to enhance my lessons in future classrooms.

            We then shifted to a discussion of the Sheskey article, “Creating Learning Connections with Today’s Tech-Savvy Student.” The article begins with the story of a middle school teacher who used a digital camera to photograph his students engaging in a classroom activity and presenting these photos to the students at the end of class. The students then were able to critique their own work against the work of their classmates. This led even the most reserved students to get involved and request to re-do their projects.

This story led to a discussion of accountability. We seemed to come to a class consensus that if students know that people other than just the teacher will see their work, they will be motivated to do a better job. A fellow MAC intern made the point that this could shift the focus away from a teacher-centered classroom. Using technology allows the students to communicate with each other and use new resources to find information rather than having the teacher stand in front of them simply reciting information. I also found Sheskey’s idea of the “digital native” and “digital immigrant” interesting. I babysat for a 3-year-old who was able to find YouTube videos on my iPhone. His 15-month-old sister was able to flip through my phone’s pictures. Technology is becoming the native language for new generations and being able to incorporate this into the classroom will hopefully help engage students and make them more willing to participate. 

  

I am, however, unsure that such a focus on technology is entirely helpful. Another MAC intern said that she believed some kids would be horrified at the thought having their work seen by people other than just their teacher. Early on in my school career, I was this student. I went to a highly competitive prep school and would have been absolutely terrified to have my very intelligent peers judge my work. While I have moved past this in many ways, even the idea of posting this blog for the world to see makes me a little anxious. I believe that forcing this on certain students would overwhelm them and cause them to shut down. This fear may be further enhanced by the horrible, drastic increase in cyber bullying. A student experiencing cyber bullying may not want to share anything that will add fuel to the fire. We need to continue questioning how to best tailor our use of technology and public forums to ensure that all students are benefiting from every classroom exercise.

            I am looking forward to learning more about technology and how to use it in the classroom, while maintaining a safe and engaging learning environment.