Chapter 5: Intelligence

You have now read several views about intelligence. What do you think about intelligence? Is it one trait or many? More heavily influenced by nature or nurture? A fixed capacity or a modifiable ability? Articulate your views in a paragraph of 6-8 sentences.

In my view, intelligence involves a combination of mental processes and cannot be defined as one single trait. I believe both nature and nurture have an influence on how intelligence develops, but I think that the nurturing aspects plays a much greater role. Children are born with the capability of learning (nature); however, without the proper environment and support, intelligence is not allowed to thrive, flourish, and grow (nurture). Intelligence can be modified over time. Again, it depends on the environment. The environment can have many influences on how a child's intelligence develops and also can influence what aspects of intelligence a child most often uses. Since intelligence involves many mental processes, those processes can be nourished or hindered over time.

Chapter 4: Class

For the Chapter 4 info, I read two chapter excerpts from the book Understanding Poverty. I found the first part of this reading to be very interesting. The author wrote in a way that encouraged the reader (a teacher) to think in the perspective of children who are living in poverty. The author provided many examples for the reader to put him/herself in the shoes of a child who may be struggling with the issue of moving from place to place, living with several other people (related or unrelated to them), or lack of access to resources. After creating this image, the author goes on to give specific strategies teachers can use in the classroom to support these particular students.

It appears that the author feels that possibly teachers lack the resources they need in order to support children living in poverty or that teachers are not recognizing what can be done to effectively support these children in such conditions. It was great to see these specific issues brought to light and put out on the table, because I think it is very easy for teachers to forget where their children are coming from, and I think some teachers (unconsciously) let children such as those living in poverty fall through the cracks without recognizing that they need help. While this specific chapter does not address signs for children living in poverty (although it may be obvious in some cases), I think the strategies and tips given by the author are helpful in future situations when I will be dealing with children in my classroom who come from a less than fortunate background.

One section I was surprised to read about was at the end of the first chapter excerpt titled "Great Expectations." In this short, two paragraph section the author specifically tells the reader (teacher) that they cannot allow themselves to hold students that come from poverty situations to lower standards and expect less of them when compared to their peers. It may be easy for some teachers or to make excuses for children who come from poverty situations such as, "Oh, he's had a hard life," and think that excuses like that can suffice for possibly getting out of certain situations. The author stresses that as teachers, we should expect great things from all of our students, not just students from a particular social class, culture, race, or any other defining factor. Great teachers will expect great things from their students and expect them to overcome challenges instead of letting challenges overcome them.

Chapter 3: Personal and Social Development

Personal and social development can have a major influence on both individual student learning and the learning environment as a whole. Identify a case from the CSEL guidelines*that you would like to address in your paper. Then, examine the possible developmental factors that could be influencing your target student(s) or classroom in the case study. Consider all dimensions of personal and social development, including cognitive, language, social,
emotional, and moral development. *CSEL guidelines can be found under CSEL Artifact. Cases are included at the end of the document. Choose the case that best suits your desired grade level.
Willard seems to be lagging in his social develpoment when compared to his peers. While many of his peers are most likely moving towards the Industry vs. Inferiority stage of Erikson's psychosocial stages of development, it appears that Willard is still trying to succeed in Erikson's stage 3: Intiative vs. Guilt. During this stage, children are to begin asserting control over the environment through taking initiative to plan activities, accomplish tasks, and face challenges. It seems as if Willard is relying on adults in his environment to tell him how and when routines take place and is unsure of how to act when there is not that authority there to tell him what he should be doing. It could be possible that throughout this stage, Willard has been exposed to parents or other adults that have been discouraging to his attempts to "branch out" and take control and has caused him to become overly dependent on others.

Check out tables 3.1 (p. 75), 3.2 (p. 83) and 3.3 (p. 91) with particular attention to the age ranges you are interested in teaching. Identify your personal favorite ways that an educator can promote a child’s sense of self, perspective taking, and moral reasoning skills.
For sense of self, I looked at the grade level 3-5, and my favorite strategy I would use in my classroom is to focus the student's attention on improvement over time rather than what happens in the present. I think it is important to help students see how they could improve certain skills over time rather than what is going on in the moment. Through this, I think that also it would be a good time to teach long-term goals and how to help students achieve those goals.
For perspective taking, I chose to focus on grade level K-2. I really liked the strategy that involves asking children questions about thoughts and feelings while reading a book. Not only does it incorporate literacy, but children can relate to how the characters in the book feel in very concrete ways. Since at this age many children are reading or having read to them picture books, they can use visual clues to determine what the character(s) might be feeling. These same visual clues can be used in everyday life. I would probably ask my students to think about how they would feel if they were in a particular character's shoes in order to gain a different perspective. This would promote the children to take on a different view of the situation and think more in depth about their own feelings.
Again, for moral reasoning, I looked at grade 3-5. My favorite strategy here is "Talk about how having rules enables classrooms and groups to run more smoothly." Rules have this sort of negative connotation attached to them and you are not supposed to break them or you will be in trouble. I think now it is important to focus on why we have rules in place and to get children to understand that the rules aren't there to slow them down but to make each workspace enjoyable. It is important to stress the reason for rules and that they are safety measures for all students as well as teachers. (Teachers should follow the rules too!) As far as "punishment" for "breaking the rules" I think that there should not be such a thing. I saw a video the other day where the teacher used a "Refill Station" (a chair where students went to regain composure, think about good actions, etc) in place of a time out chair or in place of a privilege taken away. I think this is a good idea because it gives the children a time to reflect and allows them to think about how they can improve.

Chapter 3 Song

"Don't Let Me Get Me" - Pink

 

Never win first place, I don't support the team
I can't take direction, and my socks are never
clean
Teachers dated me, my parents hated me I was always in a fight cuz I can't do nothin'
right
Everyday I fight a war against the mirror
I can't take the person starin' back at me
I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

I wanna be somebody else, yeah
LA told me, "You'll be a pop star,
All you have to change is everything you are." Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears
She's so pretty, that just ain't me

Doctor, doctor won't you please prescribe
somethin
A day in the life of someone else?
Cuz I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

Doctor, doctor won't you please prescribe
somethin
A day in the life of someone else?
Don't let me get me

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

 

 

2. Page 73 - 74

 

3. This song reminded me of Erikson's psychosocial stage identity vs. role confusion. In this stage, adolescents struggle with finding who they are and essentially "try on" all these different identities to find the one that fits them the best. In this stage, adolescents integrate their perceptions about themselves into a more multifacted sense of self.

 

4. This song in it entirety relates to Erikson's fifth stage, but I believe the highlighted parts strongly exemplify the stage teens are going through. The artist of this song is singing about how she perceives herself in comparison with how others see her too. She realizes that who she is is not widely accepted and seems to be expressing a feeling of neglect from her peers or the world. She describes herself as not being the type of person that supports (what I think, sports) teams and she does not win at anything. She sings about how she is compared to a pop star- Britney Spears and her view that she, herself, is not pretty and does not live up to the same standard. She was even told by high-up, record artists that she had to change who she was to make it in the business. Repeatedly in the song she states that she "wants to be somebody else" and she is "her own worst enemy." I think this song gives an example of how teens take on temporary identities to discover who they are, and the artist has figured out that her current identity is not working for her in her best interest.

 

5. In my future classroom, I do not believe I will be working with an age group that is beginning to develop such harsh negative views about themselves and really comparing themselves to their peers in such a harsh way. However, I do think that even at a young age children can begin to develop a sort of negative view about who they are through what other people say about them. If the child is exposed to generally negative comments about their abilities, I think it is possible for that child to just take on that role (ex: if the kid is always being told he is lazy). To apply this knowledge, I would start off the year in the right direction. I would make explicit to my children that actions such as bullying or demeaning another person's ability will not be accepted and that we treat everyone with equal, mutual respect. If I were to encounter this child mid-year, I would do what I could to bring out the positive in the child and help that child as well as the other students see the positive. i would help that child build on what they do best to maintain a positive self perception. 

Chapter 2

One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean

Piaget. After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach. The other most cited theory of human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-aged students than Piaget. Given these two influential theorists’ ideas on cognitive development, how might you accommodate students who are not yet working at the level of their peers?

I will be working with very young children, most likely Kindergarten of first grade. These students would be somewhere in the Preoperational stage of cognitive development according to Piaget. However, as stated in the chapter, children do not always move through these cognitive stages exactly how Piaget imagined. There are several cultural, as well as individual, factors that contribute to the cognitive development of children. While I agree with the gist of each stage and how children's knowledge develops in this sort of sequential order (you need to learn one thing before learning the next), I do not fully agree with the time frame in which that happens. To help children who are not on the same level as their peers, I might employ both theories of learning and pair lower-level learners with average or higher-level learners. Both theorists suggest that learners construct knowledge and understanding, and Vygotsky says that people work together to construct meaning from events. With this in mind, those lower-level students who are working with a child of average or a higher-level may begin to develop their thinking in the way their counterpart peer is thinking. That is possible, however, if the higher-level student is able to effectively communicate their own thinking to their partner. Along with this, one effective practice for all students to learn is the ability to explain their reasoning. Those lower-level students may be struggling with explaining their reasoning for a particular answer, but those who function at a higher level may be able to "model" effectively how to explain their thinking. 

Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

I agree with all the strategies listed for K-2. I think one of the most important strategies to use when developing linguistic skills in very young children is the strategy of asking children to construct narratives. Not only do children tell a story (ex: What did you do last weekend? Tell me about what you did when you went home yesterday), while working on their linguistic skills, they are also working on sequential order skills (first, next, last). I have always felt that this was an important strategy to use when talking to children, because they are learning to construct stories without even realizing it. To them it is just a conversation with another person. Another important strategy I think I would use in my classroom is giving corrective feedback when it appears that students are using words incorrectly. I would correct students in a very subtle way, and make sure that they know and understand how their word was incorrectly used. Of course, I would give the students the correct word(s) to use and explain why. 

Chapter 10: Social Cognitive

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling?

In a preschool classroom, I believe many of the children learn through modeling. This is one of the prime-times to teach skills and activities through modeling, because children will be more apt to adjust their learning. One skill children could learn through modeling in the preschool classroom (depending on how that school functions) could be skills on how to properly serve food to oneself, and how to properly use a fork, spoon, or knife. Obviously, as the teacher, I would serve the food to myself by taking one serving of each item. I may or may not show discretion between items I like and items I don't when serving myself, but I might after "trying" each item. While eating, I would model the correct way to use my utensils; for example, not banging it on the table or plate, using the utensil to pick up food, keeping my utensil at my own plate, etc. For the very first lunch, and probably for several days, I would make my action explicit and verbally explain to the children what I am doing and why. One example might be if I were spreading jelly on a biscuit. I would explain the steps I take to transfer the jelly from the package to the biscuit and how to smooth it across the biscuit in an even layer. The main goal of all this modeling during a meal will be beneficial to teaching children skills to be self sufficient.

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?
In the case of Willard, self-regulation would be the best solution for keeping under control his wandering behavior. Self-regulation in Willard's case should take the form of a simple checklist since he is in Kindergarten. Possibly this checklist uses a series of symbols rather than words, so that Willard knows which task he has accomplished. Since Willard likes to ask when it will be time to go outside, I would make for him a daily calender that he can keep at his desk. I would most likely make this a type of device where Willard can use dry erase markers, so the same checklist could be used everyday. On this list will be pictures of our daily routine. After each routine, Willard could mark it off as completed. He could then visually see when it is playtime, instead of constantly asking the teacher. To keep Willard on task, I might create some sort of checklist that reaps a small award. I may give Willard 5 stars to start the day off with, and each time he gets out of his seat, he loses a star. However, each day his stars can be totaled to reach a goal - which will also need to have some sort of visual representation for Willard. Once he reaches his goal, he can receive something special  (lunch with the teacher, extra free time, etc.) They will be goals do not resort to candy or really special treats of that sort. 

This is a checklist I found that is really for the teacher to send home at the end of each week (as a disclaimer, I do not agree with this checklist) but it is a general illustration of what type of list I might introduce to Willard with the side note if the adaptations i mentioned earlier. We may have to work on one behavior at a time (since he is so young). Hopefully, eventually Willard will learn to regulate his behavior without a checklist and will stay on task with his activities. 

Barb Rentenbach Seminar

This post is coming out a little late, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the seminar I attended with Barb Rentenbach. I would not call this experience to be a "life-changing event," but I would say that I left with a different perspective and outlook. I was skeptical of the seminar prior to attending and I was very unsure of what to expect. 

I was amazed with Barb's cognitive abilities. We watched a video clip of Barb's friends reading excerpts from her book I Might Be You. Later on in the seminar, some of the students attending were asked to read different excerpts from her book. Barb's linguistic ability exceeded any linguistic abilities that I have ever come in contact with. It is amazing to put this into perspective considering her developmental abilities. 

After attending this seminar, I think it is important as teachers to make sure we do not discredit any student because of any abilities or disabilities. It is also to important to respect students for who they are and to join them on their level. To create the most effective and supportive relationship, it is imperative to understand our students and adapt to their needs.