Discussion board responses for each week
4/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 1 What issues (relating to children's development) are topical at the moment - why?
At the moment I would say the issues of obesity and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds of children are quite topical.
The issue of obesity is multi-faceted, as it clearly impairs a child's physical development and also impacts on their emotional development from issues like low self-esteem, possibly also caused by teasing from other children. Obviously this also leads to problems later in life; not just with poor health but also emotional problems like depression, feelings of alienation and poor self-image. This issue also relates to parent-child relationships, as it is the parents who make dietary decions for their children early in life. If a child is overweight then it follows that the parents probably make poor dietary choices for the child (and themselves) at a time when there is plenty of evidence and awareness for this issue in society. I think this issue really boils down to poor decision making or just laziness on the parent's behalf and and also societal presures, which is why it is so topical.
The issue of cultural backgrounds relating to childhood development is also quite topical at the moment, particularly in relation to indigenous families. As it was outlined in the 'National declaration on the eduactional goals for young Australians', there is a sizeable gap between the achievements of indigenous versus non-indigenous children in school and also their situation later in life. This issue is an ugly one for most people to face and begs the question of whether the government is to blame for not supporting these families, whether schools and teachers are to blame for not accommodating indigenous student's needs, or whether the families are not supporting their children in their education. There is a similar issue with children from families of lower socio-economic backgrounds, where a gap also exists with children from higher socio-economic families. This once again brings to question the role of governments, schools, communities and families in the education of these children and what needs to change in order to close this gap.
How have these issues been changing recently?
The issue of obesity has changed in the past 20 or so years because of the much greater proportion of the population that is now overweight or obese. In more recnt times this issue has changed from one that was placed in the responsibility of the individual to one that requires some kind of community or government intervention and support, especially since it is children who are now becoming increasingly unhealthy. I think the awareness of this issue in recent times has led to more discussion on the causes, effects and solutions of obesity in children.
The issue of under achievement by indigenous children and those from lower soci-economic backgrounds has similarly changed from something that was not as well known (or at least not talked about) to something that is now clearly represented in statistics. The advent of means testing has really brought this subject to light and has also created an awareness of this divide. Similarly, the focus on this issue is now on the causes and potential solutions from larger organisations.
How are these issues influencing policy development and provision of services to children?
Both of these issues have now become a focus for eduactional policies, which are aiming at giving all children an equal experience while they are at school. Also, there are more support groups, hotlines (etc.) available to families and children in these situations, while the issues themselves are probably easier for children to talk about than they were a few years ago due to the increased awareness they now have. I think the information relating to healthy eating has definitely increased for children and the role of school canteens has also been brought to light, which has hopefully resulted in some positive changes.
What is meant by evidence-based teaching and learning?
This is the practice of teaching that results from the collection of statistical data indicating a certain level of results or achievement. This may mean teaching more about certain subjects or teaching them differently to obtain better results, or keeping things the same if student achievement is high.
4/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 2
What examples of ‘scaffolding’ can you recall from your recent learning?
Though it is not very recent, the last example of scaffolding for me would have been during year 12. When thinking back to what I knew about each subject at the beginning of the year compared to at the end I realise how much the teachers needed to accommodate my relative inexperience with each subject to begin with so that I could understand much more complex theories later in the year that allowed me to learn much more on my own. I have also used scaffolding myself when teaching others about bicycle maintenance and found it to be a successful tool to make people relise what it is they already know and how that knowledge can be applied to problem solving.
What is the ZPD? What is egocentric speech?
'ZPD' is the 'zone of proximal development', which is basically the gap between what someone is able to achieve by themselves and what they are able to achieve with the help of another person. The second person is able to question the first and make suggestions to allow the first person to learn or achieve more than would have been possible without their prescence, without moving too far ahead of what the first person already knows.
Egocentric speech is "talk for self", where children talk to themselves either about what they are doing or thinking. Piaget fist thought this to be children relating their thoughts vocally without worrying about whether anyone else could understand, indicating a difficulty to see things from another person's perspective. Vygotsky later disagreed with this view and thought egocentric speech to be a form of self guidance; using language to help them think about what they were doing or their next course of action (Berk, 2006).
When do you use private speech? Does it have a self-guiding function for you?
When I am thinking hard, especially about a complex problem or something I have just learned (or am in the process of learning) I sometimes use private speech. I find that it does help me to organise my thoughts or sometimes to simplify a problem. I find that when I am working with numbers I will especally use this to keep my thoughts on track.
Track the way self esteem changes in structure and level from early childhood to adolescence.
In early childhood, self esteem is typically quite high. Children begin to develop different categories for self-evaluation (physical, academic, etc.) and are generally optimistic about themselves and their abilities. At this stage children tend to "view all good things as going together" (Berk, 2006) but lack the ability to differentiate between the effort required to complete a task and the corresponding desired result.
When children move to middle-primary (6-10 years old) their categories for self evaluation increase in number, with many more specialized categories emerging as the child gains knowledge and experience. With this generally comes the ability to form an overall psychological picture of themselves incorporating all of these categories. Children at this age generally begin to make comparisons with themselves and others once this vision of 'self' has emerged and may lose self esteem as a result of this; viewing others as ‘better’. As children become more familiar with their personality and individual traits as well as the abilities and personalities of others a more balanced and realistic level of self esteem can emerge.
As children move to upper primary and adolescence they usually begin to find relationships with things that they are good at and continue to gain self esteem as a result. By this stage there are more categories for self evaluation being added, such as friendship, romantic appeal and eventually competence in their job. In general, the child now understands the attributes that will lead to success and the amount of effort and willingness required to achieve it.
What personal and contextual factors promote identity development?
Identity can be described as “defining who you are, what you value and the directions you choose to persue in life” (Berk, 2009). The development of an identity is obviously a long and continuous process that can be influence by a wide variety of factors. Generally speaking, ‘Identity achievement’ is the most desirable outcome, where the individual has a clear set of self developed, values, goals and ambitions. The least desirable option of ‘Identity diffusion’ is the exact opposite, where the individual has no goals or values, nor has the desire to develop these.
The personality of the individual probably has the gretaest impact on identity development, while also being a product of this same process. An individual who is positive and open minded will generally succeed in developing identity achievement through exploring many new things and eventually comitting to the values and activities that they like best. Conversely, individuals who are very narrow minded and negative in their approach to discovering truth and happiness will almost certainly struggle with their identity and may never feel that a clear identity has been reached.
Culture and society are two much larger factors that have a bearing on identity development. Issues or values that relate to a particular culture would alter the goals and ambitions of an individual, while problems like war and poverty would also shape the values and ambitions of a child. Ideally, a clear sense of one’s place in their culture would promote a positive identity, as would a free society where new pathways are easily accessible.
How important is the family and school in this process?
The influence of family and especially parents is a major factor in identity development that, if it is positive, will result in a clear and positive sense of identity for the child. A close and warm parental and family relationship gives the child a sense of security that assists them in discovering new things that are well beyond their family ties and forming their own opinions. If the family realtionship is quite negative, it follows that the child will gain very little guidance from parents and will struggle with their identity development.
Schools also play a key role here in actively showing children the knowledge required for jobs in the future, and also exposing them to the roles required of adults in the community. Learning that is a stimulating and positive experience for the individual will most likely spark interest in new things and give new perspectives on already learned topics. An exposure to the community through the school is also beneficial to give relevance to the student’s learning and to show them the roles of adults in society that they may aspire to.
Discuss how heredity and environment jointly contribute to persistent aggression?
It has been shown that children as young as two can become “emotianally negative, restless, willful and impulsive” and that these children may have reduced cognitive development (Berk, 2009). These children have early-onset aggression and they seem to inherit character traits that often lead them to become aggressive. Their impaired cognitive development can then lead to further problems and frustration later on that simply exacerbate the aggression problem. With the appropriate support and positive relationships with their parents and family, these children may well grow to be quite peaceful, or at least be able to manage their aggression, however without this they can easily become persistently aggressive.
Poor parenting can often result in the child feeling isolated and hostile, leading to poor peer relationships and more assocition with like-minded children and without intervention this can continue into a negative spiral of criminality, violence and general delinquency. Surrounding environments can also contribute to this problem, with children from poverty stricken areas or war-torn zones harbouring an inherent negativity towards life in general. Violence within a family can also be a key component to childhood aggression. It is clear, then, that aggression can be an inherent trait that can be managed but becomes much worse if the child’s environment is also conducive to aggression.
16/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 3
What are the realities of teaching children in their first language – given that there might be children from 2 to 100 language groups in any one school?
The reality is: it's probably not going to happen. Given the size of most schools and the diversity in cultural backgrounds, there probably not be enough resources available - both money and teachers who can speak different languages. If there only happen to be a small number of international students in a school or if there are many that share the same background then this may be an exception.
Should all children in Australia learn to speak more than one language – like children in Singapore, Switzerland or Belgium?
Ideally, this would be a good situation but it is definitely no easy task. Having students learn a language at school is no guarantee that they will actually learn a given language (I remembered almost nothing from my Italian classes at school), though I suppose it is a step in the right direction. Learning a second language definitely depends on your exposure to that language. If students are never required to speak another language outside of school then it is unlikely they will continue their learning. However, if students have parents or family that speak another language they will be more likely to learn it.
I think Australia is different from Singapore or any European countries because we are quite isolated from other languages and will probably never need to learn another language. With this comes the question of 'which languages should be offered?'; obviously there is room for disagreement with this one. As someone who can speak two languages, I think all children should learn a second language, though the means to achieve this will not be easy.
Should all children in Australia learn to speak English fluently? Why? (or why not?)
Definitely. Without a solid grasp of English, students will grow up to struggle with their communication skills, limiting them in job prospects and creating a social divide between themselves and the majority of Australian society. Also, as English is being spoken more and more throughout the world, it would at least be a step in the right direction for students looking to travel or do business with other countries.
Why are good language skills important? What does research say about socio-economically linked language acquisition?
Good language skills are essential for easy, efficient communication with others. A good communicator will usually give the impression of being intelligent and proficient at what they do and will certainly have greater job and career prospects compared to a poor communicator. It also makes for easy integration into different friendship groups, sports teams, working groups and society in general. Berk (2006, p372) states that:
"The surrounding language environment, too, contributes to these differences...the more words caregivers use, the greater the number integrated into the child's vocabulary"
"Because low SES children experience less verbal stimulation in their homes than higher SES children, their vocabularies tend to be smaller"
As we have seen with most aspects of child development, children having a low-SES background tend to be well behing in vocal development.
Can bilingual education work? Does it work well and where? Find examples.
Bilingual education can definitely work and does work in Canada (French and English) and the Netherlands (Dutch and English). The ease with which children can learn two languages when they are taught concurrently at a young age makes this a very worthwile proposition for schools and gives the child a great skill from a young age. As well as this, Berk (2006, p389) states:
"A large body of research now shows that children who become fluent in two languages are advanced in cognitive development"
I guess this one, like the first question, comes down to the resources of the school. If there is enough money available, sufficient planning and teachers who are fluent in two languages then it is possible.
19/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 4
How would you describe your temperament as a child and later as an adolescent? Did it seem to change? Were you moody? Do you think it has remained stable, or has it changed since childhood? What factors might have influenced your temperament? (around p. 423)
As a young child, I would say I was an 'easy child'. As an adolescent I don't think I was much different, though I was quite moody during my teenage years. I would say my temperament was influenced in a positive way by having plenty of good friends, lots of different interests and a caring family. My parents and family always seemed to adopt the approach that 'you get what you're given' so I suppose I learned to cope with any changes and make the most of what I had, rather than wishing things were different or getting depressed with my situation.
What terms are used to describe social and emotional learning and development in schools?
SEL brings about terms such as: learner well-being, social-behavioural attributes, emotional intelligence, emotional learning and social relationships.
What are the key social and emotional competency areas? (see www.casel.org) for information from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning.
According to casel.org, the key competency areas are:
Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making.
What ideas, strategies and programs (to build Social and Emotional Learning) do you recall from your schooling?
I particularly remember my year 3 teacher making us to do public speaking. None of us particularly wanted to do this, however by the end of the year almost everyone in my class could communicate many times better with all types of people and with much more confidence than at the start of the year. As a result, none of us learned to fear any sort of public speaking. I also remember being part of various cricket and cycling teams where I guess there was no real intention or structure for SEL, though it certainly did occur.
What ideas, strategies and programs (to build Social and Emotional Learning) are in place in the school where you are teaching?
I'll tell you when I get there!
Teachers say that they struggle to deal with “Challenging behaviours” in classrooms. Locate an education authority’s policy on behaviour management.
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/SchoolDisciplinePolicy.pdf
27/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 5
Why are there more women than men in teaching? Is this an issue for children’s development and learning?
Traditionally, women are seen as being the ones who nurture children and spend time interacting with them from an early age. Conversely, men are seen as being the authoritative figures and often the ones who have other priorities (work, sport, etc.) that do not allow them to spend as much time with children. While I don't really agree with these stereotypical roles, the existence of these preconceived ideals seems to have shaped society today and resulted in more women teaching, particularly in primary schools. I think there is some evidence also that women are more inclined to care for children and be more emotionally sensitive to them, though this is not to say that men can do the same. The appeal of higher paying jobs or jobs that involve more concrete materials (engineering, etc.) is probably another factor luring men away from teaching.
I think this is an issue for children's development, as children will only grow up to continue this gender bias if they are exposed to mainly female teachers. Ideally, being exposed to equal numbers of male and female teachers should help to negate the perception of gender roles and give the students a more open minded approach to their own future.
Recall instances of gender bias from your schooling or home contexts. Did these have any impact that you can recall, on your educational or career pathways?
I Have always lived with females (mother, partner, mother-in law, grandmother) and never males and I can't say it has had much effect. Like most 'typical' males, I still seem to have followed a practical pathway to mechanics and engineering, though all the females I have known seem to have had a natural aversion to this type of work and knowledge.
At school I found very few girls did tech studies subjects and likewise no boys did child studies and few did home economics. I think the real reason for this was to avoid being different, though it could also be that both genders were simply following their interests. I believe males and females are identical in ability but I have noticed most of my male friends persuing trades or engineering/mathematical careers, while most females I know have gone on to get jobs in natural resource management, teaching and secretarial roles, simply because this is what interests them the most.
At the moment I would say the issues of obesity and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds of children are quite topical.
The issue of obesity is multi-faceted, as it clearly impairs a child's physical development and also impacts on their emotional development from issues like low self-esteem, possibly also caused by teasing from other children. Obviously this also leads to problems later in life; not just with poor health but also emotional problems like depression, feelings of alienation and poor self-image. This issue also relates to parent-child relationships, as it is the parents who make dietary decions for their children early in life. If a child is overweight then it follows that the parents probably make poor dietary choices for the child (and themselves) at a time when there is plenty of evidence and awareness for this issue in society. I think this issue really boils down to poor decision making or just laziness on the parent's behalf and and also societal presures, which is why it is so topical.
The issue of cultural backgrounds relating to childhood development is also quite topical at the moment, particularly in relation to indigenous families. As it was outlined in the 'National declaration on the eduactional goals for young Australians', there is a sizeable gap between the achievements of indigenous versus non-indigenous children in school and also their situation later in life. This issue is an ugly one for most people to face and begs the question of whether the government is to blame for not supporting these families, whether schools and teachers are to blame for not accommodating indigenous student's needs, or whether the families are not supporting their children in their education. There is a similar issue with children from families of lower socio-economic backgrounds, where a gap also exists with children from higher socio-economic families. This once again brings to question the role of governments, schools, communities and families in the education of these children and what needs to change in order to close this gap.
How have these issues been changing recently?
The issue of obesity has changed in the past 20 or so years because of the much greater proportion of the population that is now overweight or obese. In more recnt times this issue has changed from one that was placed in the responsibility of the individual to one that requires some kind of community or government intervention and support, especially since it is children who are now becoming increasingly unhealthy. I think the awareness of this issue in recent times has led to more discussion on the causes, effects and solutions of obesity in children.
The issue of under achievement by indigenous children and those from lower soci-economic backgrounds has similarly changed from something that was not as well known (or at least not talked about) to something that is now clearly represented in statistics. The advent of means testing has really brought this subject to light and has also created an awareness of this divide. Similarly, the focus on this issue is now on the causes and potential solutions from larger organisations.
How are these issues influencing policy development and provision of services to children?
Both of these issues have now become a focus for eduactional policies, which are aiming at giving all children an equal experience while they are at school. Also, there are more support groups, hotlines (etc.) available to families and children in these situations, while the issues themselves are probably easier for children to talk about than they were a few years ago due to the increased awareness they now have. I think the information relating to healthy eating has definitely increased for children and the role of school canteens has also been brought to light, which has hopefully resulted in some positive changes.
What is meant by evidence-based teaching and learning?
This is the practice of teaching that results from the collection of statistical data indicating a certain level of results or achievement. This may mean teaching more about certain subjects or teaching them differently to obtain better results, or keeping things the same if student achievement is high.
4/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 2
What examples of ‘scaffolding’ can you recall from your recent learning?
Though it is not very recent, the last example of scaffolding for me would have been during year 12. When thinking back to what I knew about each subject at the beginning of the year compared to at the end I realise how much the teachers needed to accommodate my relative inexperience with each subject to begin with so that I could understand much more complex theories later in the year that allowed me to learn much more on my own. I have also used scaffolding myself when teaching others about bicycle maintenance and found it to be a successful tool to make people relise what it is they already know and how that knowledge can be applied to problem solving.
What is the ZPD? What is egocentric speech?
'ZPD' is the 'zone of proximal development', which is basically the gap between what someone is able to achieve by themselves and what they are able to achieve with the help of another person. The second person is able to question the first and make suggestions to allow the first person to learn or achieve more than would have been possible without their prescence, without moving too far ahead of what the first person already knows.
Egocentric speech is "talk for self", where children talk to themselves either about what they are doing or thinking. Piaget fist thought this to be children relating their thoughts vocally without worrying about whether anyone else could understand, indicating a difficulty to see things from another person's perspective. Vygotsky later disagreed with this view and thought egocentric speech to be a form of self guidance; using language to help them think about what they were doing or their next course of action (Berk, 2006).
When do you use private speech? Does it have a self-guiding function for you?
When I am thinking hard, especially about a complex problem or something I have just learned (or am in the process of learning) I sometimes use private speech. I find that it does help me to organise my thoughts or sometimes to simplify a problem. I find that when I am working with numbers I will especally use this to keep my thoughts on track.
Track the way self esteem changes in structure and level from early childhood to adolescence.
In early childhood, self esteem is typically quite high. Children begin to develop different categories for self-evaluation (physical, academic, etc.) and are generally optimistic about themselves and their abilities. At this stage children tend to "view all good things as going together" (Berk, 2006) but lack the ability to differentiate between the effort required to complete a task and the corresponding desired result.
When children move to middle-primary (6-10 years old) their categories for self evaluation increase in number, with many more specialized categories emerging as the child gains knowledge and experience. With this generally comes the ability to form an overall psychological picture of themselves incorporating all of these categories. Children at this age generally begin to make comparisons with themselves and others once this vision of 'self' has emerged and may lose self esteem as a result of this; viewing others as ‘better’. As children become more familiar with their personality and individual traits as well as the abilities and personalities of others a more balanced and realistic level of self esteem can emerge.
As children move to upper primary and adolescence they usually begin to find relationships with things that they are good at and continue to gain self esteem as a result. By this stage there are more categories for self evaluation being added, such as friendship, romantic appeal and eventually competence in their job. In general, the child now understands the attributes that will lead to success and the amount of effort and willingness required to achieve it.
What personal and contextual factors promote identity development?
Identity can be described as “defining who you are, what you value and the directions you choose to persue in life” (Berk, 2009). The development of an identity is obviously a long and continuous process that can be influence by a wide variety of factors. Generally speaking, ‘Identity achievement’ is the most desirable outcome, where the individual has a clear set of self developed, values, goals and ambitions. The least desirable option of ‘Identity diffusion’ is the exact opposite, where the individual has no goals or values, nor has the desire to develop these.
The personality of the individual probably has the gretaest impact on identity development, while also being a product of this same process. An individual who is positive and open minded will generally succeed in developing identity achievement through exploring many new things and eventually comitting to the values and activities that they like best. Conversely, individuals who are very narrow minded and negative in their approach to discovering truth and happiness will almost certainly struggle with their identity and may never feel that a clear identity has been reached.
Culture and society are two much larger factors that have a bearing on identity development. Issues or values that relate to a particular culture would alter the goals and ambitions of an individual, while problems like war and poverty would also shape the values and ambitions of a child. Ideally, a clear sense of one’s place in their culture would promote a positive identity, as would a free society where new pathways are easily accessible.
How important is the family and school in this process?
The influence of family and especially parents is a major factor in identity development that, if it is positive, will result in a clear and positive sense of identity for the child. A close and warm parental and family relationship gives the child a sense of security that assists them in discovering new things that are well beyond their family ties and forming their own opinions. If the family realtionship is quite negative, it follows that the child will gain very little guidance from parents and will struggle with their identity development.
Schools also play a key role here in actively showing children the knowledge required for jobs in the future, and also exposing them to the roles required of adults in the community. Learning that is a stimulating and positive experience for the individual will most likely spark interest in new things and give new perspectives on already learned topics. An exposure to the community through the school is also beneficial to give relevance to the student’s learning and to show them the roles of adults in society that they may aspire to.
Discuss how heredity and environment jointly contribute to persistent aggression?
It has been shown that children as young as two can become “emotianally negative, restless, willful and impulsive” and that these children may have reduced cognitive development (Berk, 2009). These children have early-onset aggression and they seem to inherit character traits that often lead them to become aggressive. Their impaired cognitive development can then lead to further problems and frustration later on that simply exacerbate the aggression problem. With the appropriate support and positive relationships with their parents and family, these children may well grow to be quite peaceful, or at least be able to manage their aggression, however without this they can easily become persistently aggressive.
Poor parenting can often result in the child feeling isolated and hostile, leading to poor peer relationships and more assocition with like-minded children and without intervention this can continue into a negative spiral of criminality, violence and general delinquency. Surrounding environments can also contribute to this problem, with children from poverty stricken areas or war-torn zones harbouring an inherent negativity towards life in general. Violence within a family can also be a key component to childhood aggression. It is clear, then, that aggression can be an inherent trait that can be managed but becomes much worse if the child’s environment is also conducive to aggression.
16/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 3
What are the realities of teaching children in their first language – given that there might be children from 2 to 100 language groups in any one school?
The reality is: it's probably not going to happen. Given the size of most schools and the diversity in cultural backgrounds, there probably not be enough resources available - both money and teachers who can speak different languages. If there only happen to be a small number of international students in a school or if there are many that share the same background then this may be an exception.
Should all children in Australia learn to speak more than one language – like children in Singapore, Switzerland or Belgium?
Ideally, this would be a good situation but it is definitely no easy task. Having students learn a language at school is no guarantee that they will actually learn a given language (I remembered almost nothing from my Italian classes at school), though I suppose it is a step in the right direction. Learning a second language definitely depends on your exposure to that language. If students are never required to speak another language outside of school then it is unlikely they will continue their learning. However, if students have parents or family that speak another language they will be more likely to learn it.
I think Australia is different from Singapore or any European countries because we are quite isolated from other languages and will probably never need to learn another language. With this comes the question of 'which languages should be offered?'; obviously there is room for disagreement with this one. As someone who can speak two languages, I think all children should learn a second language, though the means to achieve this will not be easy.
Should all children in Australia learn to speak English fluently? Why? (or why not?)
Definitely. Without a solid grasp of English, students will grow up to struggle with their communication skills, limiting them in job prospects and creating a social divide between themselves and the majority of Australian society. Also, as English is being spoken more and more throughout the world, it would at least be a step in the right direction for students looking to travel or do business with other countries.
Why are good language skills important? What does research say about socio-economically linked language acquisition?
Good language skills are essential for easy, efficient communication with others. A good communicator will usually give the impression of being intelligent and proficient at what they do and will certainly have greater job and career prospects compared to a poor communicator. It also makes for easy integration into different friendship groups, sports teams, working groups and society in general. Berk (2006, p372) states that:
"The surrounding language environment, too, contributes to these differences...the more words caregivers use, the greater the number integrated into the child's vocabulary"
"Because low SES children experience less verbal stimulation in their homes than higher SES children, their vocabularies tend to be smaller"
As we have seen with most aspects of child development, children having a low-SES background tend to be well behing in vocal development.
Can bilingual education work? Does it work well and where? Find examples.
Bilingual education can definitely work and does work in Canada (French and English) and the Netherlands (Dutch and English). The ease with which children can learn two languages when they are taught concurrently at a young age makes this a very worthwile proposition for schools and gives the child a great skill from a young age. As well as this, Berk (2006, p389) states:
"A large body of research now shows that children who become fluent in two languages are advanced in cognitive development"
I guess this one, like the first question, comes down to the resources of the school. If there is enough money available, sufficient planning and teachers who are fluent in two languages then it is possible.
19/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 4
How would you describe your temperament as a child and later as an adolescent? Did it seem to change? Were you moody? Do you think it has remained stable, or has it changed since childhood? What factors might have influenced your temperament? (around p. 423)
As a young child, I would say I was an 'easy child'. As an adolescent I don't think I was much different, though I was quite moody during my teenage years. I would say my temperament was influenced in a positive way by having plenty of good friends, lots of different interests and a caring family. My parents and family always seemed to adopt the approach that 'you get what you're given' so I suppose I learned to cope with any changes and make the most of what I had, rather than wishing things were different or getting depressed with my situation.
What terms are used to describe social and emotional learning and development in schools?
SEL brings about terms such as: learner well-being, social-behavioural attributes, emotional intelligence, emotional learning and social relationships.
What are the key social and emotional competency areas? (see www.casel.org) for information from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning.
According to casel.org, the key competency areas are:
Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making.
What ideas, strategies and programs (to build Social and Emotional Learning) do you recall from your schooling?
I particularly remember my year 3 teacher making us to do public speaking. None of us particularly wanted to do this, however by the end of the year almost everyone in my class could communicate many times better with all types of people and with much more confidence than at the start of the year. As a result, none of us learned to fear any sort of public speaking. I also remember being part of various cricket and cycling teams where I guess there was no real intention or structure for SEL, though it certainly did occur.
What ideas, strategies and programs (to build Social and Emotional Learning) are in place in the school where you are teaching?
I'll tell you when I get there!
Teachers say that they struggle to deal with “Challenging behaviours” in classrooms. Locate an education authority’s policy on behaviour management.
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/SchoolDisciplinePolicy.pdf
27/3/2012 - my discussion board responses for week 5
Why are there more women than men in teaching? Is this an issue for children’s development and learning?
Traditionally, women are seen as being the ones who nurture children and spend time interacting with them from an early age. Conversely, men are seen as being the authoritative figures and often the ones who have other priorities (work, sport, etc.) that do not allow them to spend as much time with children. While I don't really agree with these stereotypical roles, the existence of these preconceived ideals seems to have shaped society today and resulted in more women teaching, particularly in primary schools. I think there is some evidence also that women are more inclined to care for children and be more emotionally sensitive to them, though this is not to say that men can do the same. The appeal of higher paying jobs or jobs that involve more concrete materials (engineering, etc.) is probably another factor luring men away from teaching.
I think this is an issue for children's development, as children will only grow up to continue this gender bias if they are exposed to mainly female teachers. Ideally, being exposed to equal numbers of male and female teachers should help to negate the perception of gender roles and give the students a more open minded approach to their own future.
Recall instances of gender bias from your schooling or home contexts. Did these have any impact that you can recall, on your educational or career pathways?
I Have always lived with females (mother, partner, mother-in law, grandmother) and never males and I can't say it has had much effect. Like most 'typical' males, I still seem to have followed a practical pathway to mechanics and engineering, though all the females I have known seem to have had a natural aversion to this type of work and knowledge.
At school I found very few girls did tech studies subjects and likewise no boys did child studies and few did home economics. I think the real reason for this was to avoid being different, though it could also be that both genders were simply following their interests. I believe males and females are identical in ability but I have noticed most of my male friends persuing trades or engineering/mathematical careers, while most females I know have gone on to get jobs in natural resource management, teaching and secretarial roles, simply because this is what interests them the most.