I have finished Ch.4 but let's recap all the 16 blogs that I have written from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3. We will see but I think the main idea of this book is that students do not absorb information but take it and mold it in their own way. At the beginning we learned about how some stereotypes are not true. It is not true that males excel in math and science more than females. Also people are not just "right brain" and others "left brain" learners. Following this we learned about generalizations about learning that normally hold true. One is that people learn in spurts and plateaus. Learning is not a linear process. Piaget also had generalizations about stages that children go through. I agree with theorist that his stages are trends not concrete stages. At the beginning children focus on what is visible and in the fourth stage abstract thinking occurs for adolescents and adults where they can understand concepts such as pi and infinity. Vygotsky's theory emphasized social interaction, culture and play as ways to learn. A good example for play as a way to learn is by creating a fake restaurant situation. Children could take on adult roles such as cooking, being a restaurant manager and waiter.
(The man behind the theory, Piaget.)
Scaffolding is a great way for a child to learn because they have to challenge themselves. Remember during scaffolding a child does a task that involves a more advanced person to help them. Another great way to learn is reading, reading, reading. Where is the time to read? There is so much going on it's tough to make time fore reading. Try to read at least a small part of the day. Listening is also important but it is different for Asians and Mexicans. They believe they should simply listen and not ask a question. Bilingualism should be promoted heavily! They have the advantage of having a higher metalinguistic development. This means they are able to think about language better. There is also a difference between parenting styles. I believe that an authoritative parenting style is best in a safe neighborhood. This is where the caregiver provides a loving and supportive home, have high expectations and let the child in the decision making process. Infants who are attached to these type of parents have a higher chance to be "amiable, independent, and self-confident children".
People are socialized differently depending on their culture. Socialization is the behaviors and beliefs that are taught in a culture. As stated before, Mexican and Asians are passive listeners to authority figures while in Western society we question them with respect. Also Western society we follow instructions and work independently. Mexican students have a tendency to want to do activities in groups. Young children put a high emphasis on physical appearance. Teachers should do academic, social, and physical tasks that utilize the diversity in the classroom. At first a child will have a concrete sense of self such as believing they are athletic because they are able to play sports. Adolescents can have confusion with their sense of self when it becomes abstract because as one student said, he doesn't understand how he can be cheerful with his friends, then come home and feel anxious, and then getting frustrated and sarcastic with his parents. He wonders "Who am I?"
(The question "Who am I?" is one question that
adolescents want to know and ask.)
Unfortunately at the end of high school students have a little knowledge of their position they want to play in society. Back up to the primary school (around grades 6 and 8) and the students have already an interest in the opposite sex. Some girls think that they needed to have a boyfriend to make the transition to middle school. Students also need to be taught good social skills so there will be less bullies. These include taking turns, praising and sharing materials. What do you do if the moral law contradicts the legal law? (This cognitive step is reached around age 12 to adulthood according to Piaget.) There is more to law than just the just what the government has made. We have morals that are not taken into account. Martin Luther King jr. and Gandhi are good examples of those who follow the moral law. They used civil disobedience that provided a better change for people.
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