Decision Sciences
...is formulated to ensure that there is no “revolution” and that the majority of students are educated only “enough” to perform the tasks that the “corporate sector” is in need of. The whole deci- sion making process is basically a military strategy of sorts. Business executives plan strategies to gain market share, to respond to their competitors' actions, to handle relations with employees, and to make career moves. Managers in government think strategically about the likely effects of regulations at home and of diplomatic initiatives abroad. Generals at war develop strategies to deploy troops and weaponry to defeat the enemy while minimizing their own losses. Thus in terms of game theory and decision making, Proposition 227 and the implementation of policy such as “No child left behind”, the groundwork is set for the status-quo as it per- tains to the English speaking majority. As we have stated in our previous two papers, we believe that Democracy is a fallacy in terms of the educational system. State ideology has replaced even decision making powers of teachers. State imposed legislation is now the norm. The state has chosen who wins and who loses, based on this game of strategy. What is strategy in this “game theory” model of decision-making? Essentially, it is anticipating the actions of another individual and acting in ways that advance one's self-interest. Since the other person also behaves strategically, strategy includes making assumptions about what that individual believes your strategy to be. Probably the most common use of strategy occurs in basic economic transactions, such as buying and selling. However it is applied, the ultimate point of strategy is to achieve objectives. In our case of the classroom the strategy has entailed a process of “ghettoization” of the non-english speaking students to the point where they are turned into outcasts of sorts. Amilcar Antonio Barreto discusses how for the overwhelming majority of future Latino students, the college experience will take place in an English-speaking environment. This will lead to a questioning of their own “cultural identities”. Vygotsky’s view of the tool of lan- guage and cultural identity in the learning process is discarded by the “ruling elite” of the American educational system in this regard. In a sense it’s a war on culture. An unde- clared war hiding behind the realm of political and legislative bodies. Puerto Rico is in the midst of a debate that risks “cultural assimilation” if it’s absorbed by the United States. As teachers we will be forced to teach under “educational policies” that we will have to abide with and make decisions based on winning and losing students. However there can be a common ground where the teacher can have a significant “cushioning effect” on the number of losses. A teacher that is a “fundamentalist” follower of the Proposition 227” policy or any policy that advocates a Piaget styled, majority driven, average student “churn rate”, will have a detrimental effect on the minority students. On the other hand, if a teacher is aware of the students he or she is teaching, of their cultural backgrounds, of their needs to become better and quicker learners of the new language, maybe then there will not be as many losers. There must be a common ground between both the Piaget and Vygotsky theories and the teacher must try to have as many winners in his or her class as possible. As stated in our lectures, “we the teachers will have to bide our time until the next revolution comes”. The aim above all should be to get the students to think and to think about becoming winners in the game and making a difference in life. Classical game theory in terms of the “business model” talks about buyers and sellers in a world where the “price” begins at a state of “equilibrium”. Then outside influences, “the free market”, causes the price to fluctuate. Education if treated in the same manner would fluctuate in terms of the buyers and sellers of English. As stated in Barreto’s “Punto Final!”, all social, pedagogical, and political sectors are aware that learning English is necessary for economic development. Where the problem arises is when the so-called “free market” democratic model gets corrupted by an ideological fun- damentalist. ...