Maslow's Hierarchy

1) Can children learn in school if they are hungry or feel unsafe in their neighborhood? Take Maslow's hierarchy of needs into account when answering this question.

2)What criticisms would you offer about this hierarchy?

 

Answers

 

1. No children can't learn in school if they are hungry of feel unsafe in their neighborhood. a child can't take in and process information if their mind is already preoccupied with eating and worrying about how they are going to get home tonight in their unsafe neighborhood. A child's lower level hierarchy needs will also take priority to the factors toward the top (people must fulfill their lower level needs such as for survival, safety, followed by belonging and then self-esteem first).
2. The main criticism to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs would be that some things don't seem like they are in the right place. I feel as though some aspects are very overrated, while on the other hand other factors are extremely underrated. Also this hierarchy also might not apply to every single person, hence it isn't a universal hierarchy.

Case Study 2

Paulo Nzambi moved from his home in Angola to the United States in the fifth grade. While his English and schooling were adequate, his teacher Katie Wyant worried about his social adjustment. His quiet demeanor and soft voice were, in many ways, the opposite of his male peers. Paulo appeared hesitant when interacting with her as if he was unsure about how to behave. As the year progressed, Katie noticed he had not made any progress in adjusting to the classroom. She decided she needed to be proactive in finding a solution. (Cluster 6 / Unit 5).

         1)   In order to acquire a better understanding of Paulo and make school a more positive experience, what three types of relationships would assist Paulo as well as Miss Wyant?

       2)  What aspects of culturally relevant teaching might Katie Wyant employ to assist Paulo Nzambi in his transition to an American classroom?

 

Answers

 

1. The three types of relationships Miss Wyant should develop with Paulo to help them both out are:

• Effective home-school relationships
• Caring teacher-student relationships
• Effective peer relations

     2. Miss Wyant could play games with her students in which they get to know other classmates. this would involve each child introducing themselves to one another and interacting by telling each other personal information. Another aspect could be giving history lessons to educate all the children of their pastime. This would give Paulo an idea of how things came to be here in America while also providing the whole class new information of what took lace before their time.

Threaded Discussion (IQ Test)

1) How did taking the test make you feel? Why do you think IQ tests are so popular?
2) Do you think the test is an accurate representation of both your intelligence and of your abilities as a student?
3) Although the test that you took is most likely not the most reliable or valid test, how would you approach IQ testing with your own students?

iqtest.com

 

Answers

 

1. The IQ test I took made my brain hurt! I really had to stop and think thoroughly about each question, and at times use some extra logic to formulate an answer. I felt a little bit uncomfortable with the types of questions that were being asked, mainly because they were so random and irrelevant and I don't think I would ever think about the topics asked ever again. IQ tests are so popular because people think they are s much smarter than they really are and think they can ace any IQ test, until they take it and have no idea what the hell is going on! An IQ test can humble most people very quickly.
2. I do not at all think that the test I took is an accurate representation of my intelligence and my student abilities. I am not the best test taker to begin with, but I am knowledgeable about the information being discussed in my classes. One stupid test can't dictate my entire intelligence and how smart I really am.
3. I don't think I would ever want my students to take an IQ test, mainly because they are pointless. It doesn't seem logical at all that one test can tell you everything about your intelligence. However if I had to, I would make them answer questions similar to these so I can get a good understanding of my students viewpoints.

Hidden Biases

1) How do you think most teachers would do on the tests you took?
2) How would the context in which you teach (suburban, urban, rural, early, middle, or high school, etc.) influence your answers on this scale?
3) How do you think a teacher's hidden biases could influence students? At what point developmentally do you think teacher biases become influential to a student?

 

Seeing as how most teachers create the tests they give, I would say that mostly all of them would do exceptionally well. As the years progress, most question require more detailed and in-depth responses that shows that you clearly know the subject being discussed. However when it comes to standardized testing (MCAS, AP exams, SAT, ACT) I think teachers would be just as lost as the students are. I think it all depends on the type of test being taken. I don't think the context in which a person teaches gives them any advantage or disadvantage to their performance on a test that they most likely formed themselves. Most students care how a teacher perceives them. each student wants their teacher to see them as an intelligent, hard-working individual. I feel like teacher's hidden biases influence and encourage students to perform at their highest level and perform their very best. Not knowing how someone judges you forces you to do everything in your power to make your complexion as bright and positive as possible. I think developmentally when kids enter high school and begin to think more complexly and intellectually is when teachers' biases become most influential. Students will pursue the image of the "perfection student" in the eyes of their teachers.

Case Study 1

Many beginning teachers become overwhelmed when they discover they have numerous students in their class with special needs. First year teacher Paige Morris was no exception. Of her 25 students, seven were identified as needing special education services. While Paige was certified in special education and elementary education, she felt ill-equipped to write and implement so many Individualized Education Plans. To make matters more concerning, three of her students were identified as ADHD. Miss Morris began to imagine herself trying to control a chaotic classroom without the tools she needed to succeed.

 1)   List the parts of an IEP which must be in writing, Identify the aspects of the IEP for which Paige is responsible.

2) Which parts of  each child’s program would assist Miss Morris in better understanding her students before they begin the school year.

 

Answers

 

1. The parts of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that must be in writing are as follows: 

• present levels of academic achievement and functional performance
• the progress of the child
• special education and related services along with supplementary aids and services
• program modifications or supports for school personnel
• extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children
• individual accommodations
• projected date for plan along with frequency, location, and duration of project

Paige would be responsible for the progress of the child, program modifications, individual accommodations, and the projected date, frequency, location and duration.

     2. Each child's entre program will not only give Ms. Morris a sense of what to expect throughout the year, but will also make her better prepared in terms of creating a curriculum to better fit the needs of the class as a whole. Better preparation means she can be ready for almost anything and know to stay calm and handle the situation efficiently.

Case Study 3

Haley Williams sat in Dr. Karr’s office, once again, having to explain why she could not get along with her teacher. “I don’t know why she picks on me in front of the class. All I know is that when she starts to yell at me I lose my temper. I’m not even sure what I am supposed to do! It seems like everything I do is wrong according to Ms. Kemp. I know we have talked about getting along and how that would be better for everyone, but Dr. Karr, I just don’t like her and she does not like me. Can’t I be switched to another class?

 

1)  Is Ms. Kemp doing anything that actually contributes to Haley’s poor behavior? Explain your answer.

2) What could one assume about Ms. Kemp’s reprimands if Haley’s behavior has not decreased?

 

Answers

 

1. Haley states that Ms. Kemp picks on her and yells at her in front of the entire class, so its apparent that she has some role in Haley's poor behavior, however I don't believe she is completely responsible. Haley is in control of her own actions, and even though she can be influenced by others, her actions are made by herself and no one else. Ms. Kemp does make an attempt to reach out to Haley and terminate whatever problems they had between each other, but Haley's behavior has on deteriorated even more.
2. It seems as though Ms. Kemp is doing her job correctly. The teacher is the authority in the class and it is their responsibility to assess and work out any problems that occurs within the classroom. Haley shows signs of possibly having a clinical behavioral problem. Yelling and picking on her in front of the entire class is no way to treat a student. instead Ms. Kemp should seek help or try out different methods to find a solution to the problems between her and Haley. The actions made by Ms. Kemp thus far have only hindered her chances of making things right with one of her students.

Threaded Discussion Question (Teasing and Bullying)

1. Is there a difference between teasing and bullying?
2. How can teachers determine when their intervention is necessary?
3. How can a teacher determine when a student is being bullied?
4. When should teachers report bullying to parents?

Answers

 

1. Both teasing and bullying usually involve poking fun at someone in a way that we think is funny or joking around with them. However there is a significant difference between the two. Teasing generally involves a sense of play and mutual "messing" around. Teasing will rarely, if ever, involve important personal characteristics.  Bullying is often about religion, race, appearance and is differentiated from teasing because of intention. Those who bully actually intend to do harm, whereas teasing is supposed to be a harmless game.
2. A teacher should go by instinct as far as their intervention. If they feel even the slightest hint that one of their student is being bullied or witness it, they should immediately interject and assess the situation appropriately and quickly. By breaking up the problem quickly it eliminates the chance of the situation escalating to a more severe case.
3. It is probably difficult for a teacher to determine if a student is being bullied, but some helpful hints could be in the way the child acts in the class. What is their attitude like? Who do they sit with? Do they try to purposely avoid anyone? it is the little things like that that can help a teacher in their decision of a possible bullying problem.
4. A teacher should report bullying to parents as soon as possible. By alerting the parents, teachers can allow them to talk to their children at home about the significance of bullying and how bad it is. Parent involvement with bullying is a beneficial factor in the elimination of bullying altogether.

Threaded Discussion Question (Television Families)

"Television families often portray a variety of different parenting styles. Choose a television family and classify the kinds of parents according to the styles provided in the text (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, neglectful.) Then describe the children in these families."

1. What kinds of challenges do these children face? How do they deal with them?
2. What kinds of things challenge these parents? How do they respond?
3. To what extent do the children's activities and behaviors seem to result from their parenting?

The Martin Family from The Suite Life of Zach and Cody include a permissive single mother, Carey, who has a rather difficult time keeping her twin boys, Zach and Cody, under control.

1. One of the main challenges the boys constantly face is the fact that their parents are divorced and they don't get to see their dad as much as they would like to. In response to this let back, the boys constantly wander throughout the hotel in which they live in with curiosity and mischief that usually winds up getting them into trouble. I believe that their constant malicious behavior is a cry for attention, seeing as how they don't get enough from their mother.
2. The main problem Carey faces is that she is a single mother trying to raise to young males while also trying to work and also focus on her singing career. she has so many things going on in her life that she doesn't have a grip on the most important thing, her children. Its quite apparent throughout the episodes that Carey sees herself as an authoritative parent, when in reality the majority of the rules she implements are broken as soon as she turns her back. To her credit however she has created a solid support system with the other employees and staff at the hotel that help watch her boys around the clock and when she is at work.
3. Zach and Cody's malicious is a direct behavior from Carey not having constant watch and authority over them. they feel as though they can do what they want, when they want, regardless of the consequences (mainly Zach).

Jigsaw

Early Adolescence

Physical Development: Human development is divided into physical development, personal

development, social development and cognitive development. Physical development is based on

changes of the body. As a child grows older into early adolescence, all humans experience puberty.

This can change the way you feel and your physical being. Also, there are many changes in the brain

that occur that increase individuals ability to control their behavior. During adolescence the brain can

be described as “high horsepower , poor steering”. This is because during adolescence the brain is not

fully developed therefore decision making and avoiding risk is harder than it would be for adults.

Piagetian Cognitive Development: During early adolescence in the Piagetian Cognitive Development scenario, a child begins to think more complex and abstractly. The concrete operational as well as

formal operational stages (last two of Piaget’s 4 major stages) are associated with early adolescence.

at this point in his or her life, a child would be mastering logical thinking about more hands-on

problems. Adding on to this form of thinking, a child begins to discover new milestones, such as

abstract thought, metacognition, and problem-solving. Each new key skill of cognitive development

allows a child to give a more in depth thought to every problem and situation he or she encounters.

Sociocultural Perspective on Cognitive Development: Even though Vygotsky's theory may not

seem to cleanly divide into age ranges, try to apply his ideas. Are there critical aspects of his theory

that might apply more heavily to one age range? (For example,  early childhood may be limited by

language development.) Vygotsky made it a point to emphasise the importance of the social context in

which learning and the progression of any cognitive skills to take the place. Influencing peers and

adults on the child's development was a must. He pointed out that the particularities of any given

culture determine, the nature and or manner of functioning of the societal institutions that influence

how children think and learn.

Putting it in Perspective: Integrate the three areas of development to provide an example of what a

teacher would look for in this age range. How do the different aspects of teacher development interact

to help inform your understanding of progressing through this age? For a teacher with students who

are in their early adolescent stage need to realize that their is an enormous amount of change going on

physically, emotionally, and mentally. Most kids hit puberty around this stage so they are experiencing

and discovering many new things about themselves. Thankfully different aspects of teacher

development aid in a child learning development. Teachers have developed in understanding and

coping with the concept that each child learns at a different speed. By knowing this teachers are able to

construct learning plans that meets the entire class’s needs while progressing through their multiple

early adolescent developments.

Module 2 Question (Differnent Question)

"New research on education is constantly conducted to better understand learning and to improve teaching. How do you think teachers can use this research? How might teachers in classroom and researchers collaborate? Do you think teachers can also be researchers? If so, how? If not, why not?"

 

New research on education is constantly being conducted to better understand learning and improve teaching every day. Teachers can take this new information and apply it to their classrooms, students, and curriculum in order to help them and make learning as beneficial to children as possible. I believe the main way teachers and researchers could collaborate would be for the teachers to act as guinea pigs and have the researchers observe the teaching. this would be the most effective way because the researchers would be able to record first-hand what worked and what didn't. Another way teachers and researchers could work together would be for the teachers to relay to the researchers what methods worked and which ones weren't as helpful. Personally I believe teachers would make the best researchers, because they have a group of test subjects each and every day. if something isn't going as planning or something unexpected happens, a teacher could experiment with different solutions and find the formula that works best with the specific problem.