Thursday, July 26, 2012
Behavioral Development
Our readings on behavioral development certainly gave me a lot to think about! I found that this excerpt from the resource on youth in foster homes summed things up nicely:
"We have found that you can ask one set of questions and be overwhelmed
and saddened by the forces that surround youth: poverty,
homelessness, drug addiction, violence, and incarceration. You can ask another
set of questions and be outraged by the injustices they have suffered in foster
care and the violations and humiliations they endure each day. Or you can ask
a different set of questions and be inspired by their hopes and dreams, their
idiosyncratic interests, their commitments and passions, and their desire to
participate fully in society."
This gave me a great deal of hope that, with guidance and support, young people can overcome the myriad pitfalls of adolescence and go on to become stable, well-adjusted adults. I also loved this insight from Developing Adolescents, which tied in with the above quote in my mind:
"Keep in mind that risk taking does not have to be dramatic. Simply stretching beyond one's former capacities constitutes taking a risk and can satisfy many adolescents' needs for risk taking if they are encouraged to do so (a youth who is talented in art may need to be encouraged to try a new medium; a shy youth who has a facility for languages may need prompting to use his skills in the community. Finding out what talents or interests a youth might have and then challenging that youth to channel his or her energies to take risks in positive ways takes time. But it is incredibly rewarding to see a potential problem behavior become an asset for the youth and the community."
These quotes remind me to keep the focus in my thinking on what can go right, not what it seems will surely, inevitably go wrong with so many cards stacked against young people. It is overwhelming to think that, on the road of life, there are so many ways to fall into a ditch: getting pregnant at 14, contracting an STD, accidentally killing someone while driving intoxicated. As a parent, I would imagine that the fear of all these potential pitfalls could be paralyzing. But to think of this desire in young people to take risks as a natural part of their development, and to think of ways to channel it into positive outlets, allows me to flip the coin and not get too discouraged.
With that said, there are a LOT of things that could go wrong!
I found the statistical analysis informative, thorough, frightening, surprising, and helpful. It was informative and thorough in that it covered a wide range of potentially dangerous behaviors youth might be engaging in, ranging from more "innocent" risk behaviors such as not eating enough vegetables, neglecting to wear a bicycle helmet, and even tanning, to more severe risk behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use, unprotected sex, violence, bullying, suicide, and hard drugs. It was frightening and surprising in that it mentioned staggeringly young ages and often staggeringly high percentages for these behaviors. I would often find myself thinking, "So if 20.7% of students have taken prescription drugs without a prescription, presumably recreationally... then that's 1 in 5. In a class of 30 students, that could be 6 students with a pill problem." I did a great deal of this short of mental math, and while of course these figures are not going to directly carry over in that way to your particular classroom, thinking of in those terms put things in perspective for me. The statistics were helpful in that they made me aware of exactly what we as teachers are up against.
While I had some concerns that the statistical analysis in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys data could lead to stereotyping with the way it was divided by race and gender, it was also valuable to note differences and keep an eye out for risks that might be higher for certain groups. For example, girls are more likely to have been electronically bullied or to have attempted suicide, so I might want to be more alert for signs of those problems in girls. Again, I don't want to stereotype, but it is nice to know the facts.
One thing that stood out to me was that the survey of behaviors was limited to students who were in school. I couldn't help but wonder about all the students who had engaged in these behaviors to an extent that they were no longer in school. I did a little Google-ing and found this website which mentioned that 93,000 young people were incarcerated in the US -- as of 1998. This was the most recent number I could find, and I'm sure that it has increased drastically since then.
http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/category/38
Reading on this topic makes me feel dedicated to the idea of helping students make better decisions and stay in school.
I enjoyed the discussion of resilience in Developing Adolescents. As someone who engaged in plenty of high risk behavior as a young person and came from an economically disadvantaged background, I found that the resilience factor (not to pat myself on the back :)) of a "Stable, Positive Relationship With at Least One Caring Adult" resonated with me. Certain teachers I had in high school -- two in particular who come to mind -- were probably the reason that I was able to stay on a decent path and not get too sidetracked. I was reminded of why I want to teach -- to try to pass that on to someone else.
"We have found that you can ask one set of questions and be overwhelmed
and saddened by the forces that surround youth: poverty,
homelessness, drug addiction, violence, and incarceration. You can ask another
set of questions and be outraged by the injustices they have suffered in foster
care and the violations and humiliations they endure each day. Or you can ask
a different set of questions and be inspired by their hopes and dreams, their
idiosyncratic interests, their commitments and passions, and their desire to
participate fully in society."
This gave me a great deal of hope that, with guidance and support, young people can overcome the myriad pitfalls of adolescence and go on to become stable, well-adjusted adults. I also loved this insight from Developing Adolescents, which tied in with the above quote in my mind:
"Keep in mind that risk taking does not have to be dramatic. Simply stretching beyond one's former capacities constitutes taking a risk and can satisfy many adolescents' needs for risk taking if they are encouraged to do so (a youth who is talented in art may need to be encouraged to try a new medium; a shy youth who has a facility for languages may need prompting to use his skills in the community. Finding out what talents or interests a youth might have and then challenging that youth to channel his or her energies to take risks in positive ways takes time. But it is incredibly rewarding to see a potential problem behavior become an asset for the youth and the community."
These quotes remind me to keep the focus in my thinking on what can go right, not what it seems will surely, inevitably go wrong with so many cards stacked against young people. It is overwhelming to think that, on the road of life, there are so many ways to fall into a ditch: getting pregnant at 14, contracting an STD, accidentally killing someone while driving intoxicated. As a parent, I would imagine that the fear of all these potential pitfalls could be paralyzing. But to think of this desire in young people to take risks as a natural part of their development, and to think of ways to channel it into positive outlets, allows me to flip the coin and not get too discouraged.
With that said, there are a LOT of things that could go wrong!
I found the statistical analysis informative, thorough, frightening, surprising, and helpful. It was informative and thorough in that it covered a wide range of potentially dangerous behaviors youth might be engaging in, ranging from more "innocent" risk behaviors such as not eating enough vegetables, neglecting to wear a bicycle helmet, and even tanning, to more severe risk behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use, unprotected sex, violence, bullying, suicide, and hard drugs. It was frightening and surprising in that it mentioned staggeringly young ages and often staggeringly high percentages for these behaviors. I would often find myself thinking, "So if 20.7% of students have taken prescription drugs without a prescription, presumably recreationally... then that's 1 in 5. In a class of 30 students, that could be 6 students with a pill problem." I did a great deal of this short of mental math, and while of course these figures are not going to directly carry over in that way to your particular classroom, thinking of in those terms put things in perspective for me. The statistics were helpful in that they made me aware of exactly what we as teachers are up against.
While I had some concerns that the statistical analysis in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys data could lead to stereotyping with the way it was divided by race and gender, it was also valuable to note differences and keep an eye out for risks that might be higher for certain groups. For example, girls are more likely to have been electronically bullied or to have attempted suicide, so I might want to be more alert for signs of those problems in girls. Again, I don't want to stereotype, but it is nice to know the facts.
One thing that stood out to me was that the survey of behaviors was limited to students who were in school. I couldn't help but wonder about all the students who had engaged in these behaviors to an extent that they were no longer in school. I did a little Google-ing and found this website which mentioned that 93,000 young people were incarcerated in the US -- as of 1998. This was the most recent number I could find, and I'm sure that it has increased drastically since then.
http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/category/38
Reading on this topic makes me feel dedicated to the idea of helping students make better decisions and stay in school.
I enjoyed the discussion of resilience in Developing Adolescents. As someone who engaged in plenty of high risk behavior as a young person and came from an economically disadvantaged background, I found that the resilience factor (not to pat myself on the back :)) of a "Stable, Positive Relationship With at Least One Caring Adult" resonated with me. Certain teachers I had in high school -- two in particular who come to mind -- were probably the reason that I was able to stay on a decent path and not get too sidetracked. I was reminded of why I want to teach -- to try to pass that on to someone else.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Adolescent Social Development
This week’s readings for class gave a clear impression of just how much adolescents are changing in the social realm. Developing Adolescents highlights the shift from young people’s lives revolving around their families to revolving around their peers. When I taught students in 10th grade, it was readily apparent that their social standing with their peers had become extremely important to them. Dress, language, and attitude could all be seen as intended to help them blend in with the norms. While this is described as a healthy development, with the advice given that parents should feel it is natural for their children to become more concerned with friends and acceptance, there are also several caveats about risky behavior young people may engage in to “fit in,” with the advice given that positive adult role models are still needed to encourage good choices.
It was encouraging to see that students would be much more fixated on being accepted and more likely to conform to group norms in early adolescence, but would develop a firmer sense of self and more one-on-one relationships in later adolescence. This gave me some hope that, while many students in the 14-16 year old age range may be searching to belong and likely to engage in destructive behavior simply to avoid being teased or rejected, they are liable to develop a clearer identity and, hopefully, as an extension, a greater ability to say no in their later teen years. On the whole, it was stressed and seems quite apparent to me that young people who are uncertain about their new friendships and roles in the world definitely need an understanding, non-judgmental person with whom to speak about issues such as whether to have sex early, use drugs, etc. If there is one adult in whom a young person feels they can confide and in whose opinions they have faith, many negative outcomes such as early pregnancy, dropping out, being arrested, or contracting a sexually transmitted disease can be averted.
I also thought it was helpful to know that 5th grade students who have even one friend are more likely to have an easier time as adults, which makes me think as a teacher about encouraging social bonds among students. Many students are eager to socialize and don't necessarily need encouragement, but I would try to find ways to help more shy students engage with their peers.
Many of our resources for the week focused on gangs. It was disheartening to see how long and how consistently gangs have been a problem in so many areas of the country, but it was helpful to see warning signs and get an idea of which students may be particularly vulnerable to falling into gang life (i.e., those who are struggling economically and disconnected from their families, to whom the benefits of belonging to a group and getting material rewards may seem greater than the potential consequences of getting caught).
One of the statements which rang true to me was that schools may underestimate or not recognize gang involvement because they may not notice gang activity, or, if they are aware of gang presence, they may not wish to identify how severe the problem is because of the stigma their school could face as a result. This brought to mind a personal experience from when I was teaching at an inner-city high school. Some of the other teachers mentioned to me that students in my classes were involved in gangs, but the administration never told me this or gave me any indicators to look for.
One day, a student got upset during a lesson that I was giving on the Latin words for different astrological signs. He got up and angrily erased the word “Crab” from the white board (I was giving the meaning of the word/star sign “Cancer”). He said, “Don’t use the word ‘Crab’. That’s a baaaaad word.” I was somewhat bewildered. I asked him to take a seat and continued with my lesson, but I later noticed, when I collected papers, that he had gone to great lengths to rub out the word ‘Crab’ on his handout with his pencil eraser.
When I got home, I looked up the word ‘Crab’ on UrbanDictionary.com, and I was dismayed/disturbed to learn that it stood for ‘Crips Respect All Bloods’. It was an antagonistic acronym meant to put down Crip gang members. This led me to assume that my student was either affiliated with, or at the very least aspired to be affiliated with, the Crip gang. I filled out a form describing the incident and turned it in to the administration – but it was never addressed. I later became aware that the gang problem at the school was so widespread that the administration felt overwhelmed to even attempt to tackle it.
It is clear that gangs are a reality in our culture, and simply ignoring them isn’t going to make them go away. I was relieved to hear that public schools in our city do have a program called GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training), and pleased to get a visit from a speaker affiliated with GREAT who spoke candidly to us about the problem and attempts that are being made to address it.
It was encouraging to see that students would be much more fixated on being accepted and more likely to conform to group norms in early adolescence, but would develop a firmer sense of self and more one-on-one relationships in later adolescence. This gave me some hope that, while many students in the 14-16 year old age range may be searching to belong and likely to engage in destructive behavior simply to avoid being teased or rejected, they are liable to develop a clearer identity and, hopefully, as an extension, a greater ability to say no in their later teen years. On the whole, it was stressed and seems quite apparent to me that young people who are uncertain about their new friendships and roles in the world definitely need an understanding, non-judgmental person with whom to speak about issues such as whether to have sex early, use drugs, etc. If there is one adult in whom a young person feels they can confide and in whose opinions they have faith, many negative outcomes such as early pregnancy, dropping out, being arrested, or contracting a sexually transmitted disease can be averted.
I also thought it was helpful to know that 5th grade students who have even one friend are more likely to have an easier time as adults, which makes me think as a teacher about encouraging social bonds among students. Many students are eager to socialize and don't necessarily need encouragement, but I would try to find ways to help more shy students engage with their peers.
Many of our resources for the week focused on gangs. It was disheartening to see how long and how consistently gangs have been a problem in so many areas of the country, but it was helpful to see warning signs and get an idea of which students may be particularly vulnerable to falling into gang life (i.e., those who are struggling economically and disconnected from their families, to whom the benefits of belonging to a group and getting material rewards may seem greater than the potential consequences of getting caught).
One of the statements which rang true to me was that schools may underestimate or not recognize gang involvement because they may not notice gang activity, or, if they are aware of gang presence, they may not wish to identify how severe the problem is because of the stigma their school could face as a result. This brought to mind a personal experience from when I was teaching at an inner-city high school. Some of the other teachers mentioned to me that students in my classes were involved in gangs, but the administration never told me this or gave me any indicators to look for.
One day, a student got upset during a lesson that I was giving on the Latin words for different astrological signs. He got up and angrily erased the word “Crab” from the white board (I was giving the meaning of the word/star sign “Cancer”). He said, “Don’t use the word ‘Crab’. That’s a baaaaad word.” I was somewhat bewildered. I asked him to take a seat and continued with my lesson, but I later noticed, when I collected papers, that he had gone to great lengths to rub out the word ‘Crab’ on his handout with his pencil eraser.
When I got home, I looked up the word ‘Crab’ on UrbanDictionary.com, and I was dismayed/disturbed to learn that it stood for ‘Crips Respect All Bloods’. It was an antagonistic acronym meant to put down Crip gang members. This led me to assume that my student was either affiliated with, or at the very least aspired to be affiliated with, the Crip gang. I filled out a form describing the incident and turned it in to the administration – but it was never addressed. I later became aware that the gang problem at the school was so widespread that the administration felt overwhelmed to even attempt to tackle it.
It is clear that gangs are a reality in our culture, and simply ignoring them isn’t going to make them go away. I was relieved to hear that public schools in our city do have a program called GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training), and pleased to get a visit from a speaker affiliated with GREAT who spoke candidly to us about the problem and attempts that are being made to address it.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Cognitive and Emotional Development
This week's readings for class dealt with the cognitive and emotional development of adolescents. Our resources covered a wide range of topics, including cognitive development, moral development, self-concept, self-esteem, and specific challenges faced by groups such as immigrants and LGBT youth.
Cognitive and Moral Development
The portions pertaining to cognitive development dealt with the specific changes in how young people think, such as shifting from concrete operations to more formal operations and the ability to hypothesize and understand abstract concepts. In the chapter from Developing Adolescents, one of the most helpful resources is a side box containing "normal" behaviors in adolescents, such as arguing for the sake of arguing, being self-centered, and being overly dramatic. It is rather enlightening to know that these seemingly problematic tendencies in young people are just a manifestation of their brains becoming more sophisticated. The text advises that teachers should try to help adolescents understand how their emotions can affect their thinking, and to steer adolescents toward considering possible consequences of their actions, since adolescents are likely to be impulsive and lack maturity in their judgments.
The theory of multiple intelligences is explored along with cognitive development, suggesting that teachers should try to use a broad range of methods, in order to make academic success more likely for students who might be stronger in one area, such as bodily/kinesthetic, than another more traditional area such as verbal/linguistic or logical-mathematical. Developing Adolescents also mentions moral development, urging teachers to be aware that young people are forming their values and ideas about ethical behavior. Teachers should strive to promote prosocial behaviors such as volunteering, encourage honesty, and create a learning environment that views racism, sexism, and other biases as destructive. Teachers also need to keep an eye out for signs of learning disabilities and anxiety or depression.
As a supplement to the discussion of moral development, we read a philosophical overview and history of moral development, described as "a perennial philosophical view complemented by modern empirical research programs".
This resource defines moral development, explores ancient thought from sources such as Confucius, Aristotle, and Rousseau, and transitions into a discussion of the modern cognitive-development theories of Piaget and Kohlberg, who both saw moral development as progressing in stages. There is some attention given to the debate of whether moral development occurs naturally, with humans moving toward self-actualization and lofty ideals because this is in their genetic code and it feels good to be good, or if moral development proceeds as a result of trying to fit in to society and get ahead, which certainly made me think. Kohlberg is acknowledged as the predominant voice and father of research in modern moral development theory, but critiques of his methods are provided.
The most interesting part of this resource is the "Caring" critique provided by Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings. I agree with their ideas on an alternative to the "justice" model that can seem rigid, formulaic, and legalistic, and I found that their approach of being supporting, nurturing, and helpful resonated with me as a better alternative. I also thought it would be important to keep in mind the pedagogical implications listed in this resource, particularly the caveat that students who are still in concrete operations may be unable to follow lessons aimed at more critical thinking skills and may reject these lessons. I also liked the counter-intuitive but probably quite true observation that students with messier papers who seemed to contradict themselves might actually be showing a greater degree of learning than those with smooth rendering of ideas.
There were several other brief resources to supplement the cognitive development portion of Developing Adolescents. An article from the Lucile Packard Children's hospital goes through the common indicators of progression from simple to more complex thought in early, middle, and late adolescence. It also gives suggestions that teachers can follow to encourage positive and healthy cognitive development, such as assisting adolescents to set their own goals, stimulating them to think about the future, and offering praise for well thought out decisions. The Seven Counties Services website points out improvements in metacognition and language acquisition, and it warns about lapses in logic that result from not yet complete maturation of the frontal lobes. Also on the Seven Counties Services website is an article by Urie Bronfenbrenner that defines and describes the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem in which a child grows and develops. It seems clear that all of these systems would affect cognitive development, and emotional development as well.
An excellent excerpt from Ellen Weber's book on Using Roundtable Learning brings up the notion of "Two-Footed Questions," in which the teacher should first relate a lesson topic to students' personal lives (perhaps in order to cater to the self-centeredness that comes with this age :) ) and then bring in the larger question, which brings a sense of immediacy and meaning to the discussion. I found this excerpt helpful and will try to find ways to use this strategy in teaching Latin, which can certainly make students ask, "Why do I have to know this?" Making the subject matter personally relevant seems like a wonderful, simple way to garner more interest. Weber also discusses creating a proper tone in the classroom to nurture free expression and engage in thoughtful ways.
The main idea I will keep with me from my readings on cognitive development is that students are eager to use their newly-developing higher thinking skills, and that I should incorporate chances for them to experiment with debate, symbolism, and humor whenever possible.
Emotional Development and Group Differences
The portion of Developing Adolescents on emotional development discusses identity, emotional intelligence, and group differences in emotional development (such as gender differences, ethnic diversity, and Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual youth). There is another helpful side box that gives tips for talking with adolescents, and there is an emphasis on being able to listen without judgment, which seems crucial to me in dealing with this age group. Across the board, providing a nonthreatening, open ear seems like a critical way to connect with students who are in such formative years and may find it challenging to even identify their emotions, let alone trust an adult enough to open up about feelings.
Many of the supplemental resources pertaining to emotional development discuss self-concept and self-esteem. It is clear that, during adolescence, students are both discovering their identity, in thinking about their strengths and weaknesses, and also deciding (perhaps constantly evaluating and re-evaluating) how they feel about themselves.
While I certainly agree with the Seven Counties Services resource which affirms that "You have a right to feel good about yourself," I truly believe more in the sentiment of what is said in articles by Carl Pickhardt and Maureen Manning, i.e., that self-esteem is built by doing esteemable acts. The cognitive development resources mention that volunteering is a way to help students develop morally, and it seems that volunteering and similar activities, where students have a reason to feel good about themselves, being they are doing things to be proud of, seems wise. Ironically, if adolescents take actions that help them get out of self, they may grow to feel better about themselves
Pickhardt observes that self-esteem, while important, is independent of morality and also independent of outcome, meaning that having a high opinion of oneself does not necessarily lead to being a good person or succeeding. Manning says that schools should look to improve the specific skills with which students are struggling rather than seeking to increase self-esteem across the board. For example, if a student is being aggressive, instead of trying to help that student feel better about him or herself, one should see if there is another issue that should be addressed first, such as a learning disability, and teach better coping skills -- it seems a no brainer to me that praising for bad behavior will only reinforce it.
As a rule of thumb, Pickhardt's statement that you should "define yourself broadly and evaluate yourself kindly and most of the time you will appreciate the value, and enjoy the company, of who and how you are" seems like a good guideline. It also seems that many adolescents would struggle with being able to do this, as they tend to base their self-esteem largely on physical appearance, and then on talents such as being good at sports or making perfect grades, which can create an easily crushed sense of self-esteem. I liked Manning's suggestion of encouraging students to look at their improvement over time instead of focusing on how their peers are doing.
The big idea I got from all the resources was that a sense of safety and security are key. For students to develop emotionally, their homes, relationships, and communities need to be supportive. Since adolescence is already a stressful time, deficiencies in safety in the family, school, or larger environment are sure to cause problems.
Daniel Goleman's article on Emotional Intelligence was another valuable resource. It was of great interest to me that schools which focused on promoting emotional intelligence had greater academic success, which might seem contradictory at first, when it could seem that more time spent on teaching these skills would take time away from the content area lessons. However, Goleman makes a strong case that getting students to learn to identify and manage their emotions can have a huge impact on how well they are able to cooperate with others, manage stress, and have more self-awareness -- which would in turn make it easier to focus and succeed on schoolwork. His case that higher emotional intelligence "pays off not just in improved behavior but in measurable academic achievement" resonates with me.
My absolute favorite resources were the National Association of Social Workers Immigration Policy Toolkit and All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families. I read these voraciously and often with great anger as I saw the blatant inequalities and injustices these children faced. I already felt very deeply about these issues, but seeing how grave the situation is laid out in black and white was quite emotional! It makes a lot of sense that children with these roadblocks and setbacks would have a much harder time developing a positive self-concept and feeling secure and safe.
I was discouraged to see how much of the legislation in our country has discriminated against immigrants and LGBT families. To think that many children were ripped away from their parents in immigration raids and that many LGBT children are denied death benefits if their parent passes away makes me want to find a way to change this system. I was grateful to read enough specific statistics and instances of how inequality exists and manifest to feel as if I understood the problem better, could be more sympathetic, and would be extremely motivated to try to work with these young people to promote higher self-esteem.
The last resource on multiculturalism ties in well with the previous two, suggesting that we must "elevate and celebrate diverse ethnic backgrounds" in order to promote the healthy emotional development of all youth.
Links:
Cognitive and Emotional Development, p. 11-20
Moral Development
What is Cognitive Development?
The Maturing Adolescent Brain
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Two-Footed Questions
Emotional Development
Self-Esteem
Sense of Identity & Self-Esteem
Self-Concept & Self-Esteem
Emotional Intelligence
Immigration Policy Toolkit
LGBT youth
Multiculturalism
Cognitive and Moral Development
The portions pertaining to cognitive development dealt with the specific changes in how young people think, such as shifting from concrete operations to more formal operations and the ability to hypothesize and understand abstract concepts. In the chapter from Developing Adolescents, one of the most helpful resources is a side box containing "normal" behaviors in adolescents, such as arguing for the sake of arguing, being self-centered, and being overly dramatic. It is rather enlightening to know that these seemingly problematic tendencies in young people are just a manifestation of their brains becoming more sophisticated. The text advises that teachers should try to help adolescents understand how their emotions can affect their thinking, and to steer adolescents toward considering possible consequences of their actions, since adolescents are likely to be impulsive and lack maturity in their judgments.
The theory of multiple intelligences is explored along with cognitive development, suggesting that teachers should try to use a broad range of methods, in order to make academic success more likely for students who might be stronger in one area, such as bodily/kinesthetic, than another more traditional area such as verbal/linguistic or logical-mathematical. Developing Adolescents also mentions moral development, urging teachers to be aware that young people are forming their values and ideas about ethical behavior. Teachers should strive to promote prosocial behaviors such as volunteering, encourage honesty, and create a learning environment that views racism, sexism, and other biases as destructive. Teachers also need to keep an eye out for signs of learning disabilities and anxiety or depression.
As a supplement to the discussion of moral development, we read a philosophical overview and history of moral development, described as "a perennial philosophical view complemented by modern empirical research programs".
This resource defines moral development, explores ancient thought from sources such as Confucius, Aristotle, and Rousseau, and transitions into a discussion of the modern cognitive-development theories of Piaget and Kohlberg, who both saw moral development as progressing in stages. There is some attention given to the debate of whether moral development occurs naturally, with humans moving toward self-actualization and lofty ideals because this is in their genetic code and it feels good to be good, or if moral development proceeds as a result of trying to fit in to society and get ahead, which certainly made me think. Kohlberg is acknowledged as the predominant voice and father of research in modern moral development theory, but critiques of his methods are provided.
The most interesting part of this resource is the "Caring" critique provided by Carol Gilligan and Nel Noddings. I agree with their ideas on an alternative to the "justice" model that can seem rigid, formulaic, and legalistic, and I found that their approach of being supporting, nurturing, and helpful resonated with me as a better alternative. I also thought it would be important to keep in mind the pedagogical implications listed in this resource, particularly the caveat that students who are still in concrete operations may be unable to follow lessons aimed at more critical thinking skills and may reject these lessons. I also liked the counter-intuitive but probably quite true observation that students with messier papers who seemed to contradict themselves might actually be showing a greater degree of learning than those with smooth rendering of ideas.
There were several other brief resources to supplement the cognitive development portion of Developing Adolescents. An article from the Lucile Packard Children's hospital goes through the common indicators of progression from simple to more complex thought in early, middle, and late adolescence. It also gives suggestions that teachers can follow to encourage positive and healthy cognitive development, such as assisting adolescents to set their own goals, stimulating them to think about the future, and offering praise for well thought out decisions. The Seven Counties Services website points out improvements in metacognition and language acquisition, and it warns about lapses in logic that result from not yet complete maturation of the frontal lobes. Also on the Seven Counties Services website is an article by Urie Bronfenbrenner that defines and describes the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem in which a child grows and develops. It seems clear that all of these systems would affect cognitive development, and emotional development as well.
An excellent excerpt from Ellen Weber's book on Using Roundtable Learning brings up the notion of "Two-Footed Questions," in which the teacher should first relate a lesson topic to students' personal lives (perhaps in order to cater to the self-centeredness that comes with this age :) ) and then bring in the larger question, which brings a sense of immediacy and meaning to the discussion. I found this excerpt helpful and will try to find ways to use this strategy in teaching Latin, which can certainly make students ask, "Why do I have to know this?" Making the subject matter personally relevant seems like a wonderful, simple way to garner more interest. Weber also discusses creating a proper tone in the classroom to nurture free expression and engage in thoughtful ways.
The main idea I will keep with me from my readings on cognitive development is that students are eager to use their newly-developing higher thinking skills, and that I should incorporate chances for them to experiment with debate, symbolism, and humor whenever possible.
Emotional Development and Group Differences
The portion of Developing Adolescents on emotional development discusses identity, emotional intelligence, and group differences in emotional development (such as gender differences, ethnic diversity, and Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual youth). There is another helpful side box that gives tips for talking with adolescents, and there is an emphasis on being able to listen without judgment, which seems crucial to me in dealing with this age group. Across the board, providing a nonthreatening, open ear seems like a critical way to connect with students who are in such formative years and may find it challenging to even identify their emotions, let alone trust an adult enough to open up about feelings.
Many of the supplemental resources pertaining to emotional development discuss self-concept and self-esteem. It is clear that, during adolescence, students are both discovering their identity, in thinking about their strengths and weaknesses, and also deciding (perhaps constantly evaluating and re-evaluating) how they feel about themselves.
While I certainly agree with the Seven Counties Services resource which affirms that "You have a right to feel good about yourself," I truly believe more in the sentiment of what is said in articles by Carl Pickhardt and Maureen Manning, i.e., that self-esteem is built by doing esteemable acts. The cognitive development resources mention that volunteering is a way to help students develop morally, and it seems that volunteering and similar activities, where students have a reason to feel good about themselves, being they are doing things to be proud of, seems wise. Ironically, if adolescents take actions that help them get out of self, they may grow to feel better about themselves
Pickhardt observes that self-esteem, while important, is independent of morality and also independent of outcome, meaning that having a high opinion of oneself does not necessarily lead to being a good person or succeeding. Manning says that schools should look to improve the specific skills with which students are struggling rather than seeking to increase self-esteem across the board. For example, if a student is being aggressive, instead of trying to help that student feel better about him or herself, one should see if there is another issue that should be addressed first, such as a learning disability, and teach better coping skills -- it seems a no brainer to me that praising for bad behavior will only reinforce it.
As a rule of thumb, Pickhardt's statement that you should "define yourself broadly and evaluate yourself kindly and most of the time you will appreciate the value, and enjoy the company, of who and how you are" seems like a good guideline. It also seems that many adolescents would struggle with being able to do this, as they tend to base their self-esteem largely on physical appearance, and then on talents such as being good at sports or making perfect grades, which can create an easily crushed sense of self-esteem. I liked Manning's suggestion of encouraging students to look at their improvement over time instead of focusing on how their peers are doing.
The big idea I got from all the resources was that a sense of safety and security are key. For students to develop emotionally, their homes, relationships, and communities need to be supportive. Since adolescence is already a stressful time, deficiencies in safety in the family, school, or larger environment are sure to cause problems.
Daniel Goleman's article on Emotional Intelligence was another valuable resource. It was of great interest to me that schools which focused on promoting emotional intelligence had greater academic success, which might seem contradictory at first, when it could seem that more time spent on teaching these skills would take time away from the content area lessons. However, Goleman makes a strong case that getting students to learn to identify and manage their emotions can have a huge impact on how well they are able to cooperate with others, manage stress, and have more self-awareness -- which would in turn make it easier to focus and succeed on schoolwork. His case that higher emotional intelligence "pays off not just in improved behavior but in measurable academic achievement" resonates with me.
My absolute favorite resources were the National Association of Social Workers Immigration Policy Toolkit and All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families. I read these voraciously and often with great anger as I saw the blatant inequalities and injustices these children faced. I already felt very deeply about these issues, but seeing how grave the situation is laid out in black and white was quite emotional! It makes a lot of sense that children with these roadblocks and setbacks would have a much harder time developing a positive self-concept and feeling secure and safe.
I was discouraged to see how much of the legislation in our country has discriminated against immigrants and LGBT families. To think that many children were ripped away from their parents in immigration raids and that many LGBT children are denied death benefits if their parent passes away makes me want to find a way to change this system. I was grateful to read enough specific statistics and instances of how inequality exists and manifest to feel as if I understood the problem better, could be more sympathetic, and would be extremely motivated to try to work with these young people to promote higher self-esteem.
The last resource on multiculturalism ties in well with the previous two, suggesting that we must "elevate and celebrate diverse ethnic backgrounds" in order to promote the healthy emotional development of all youth.
Links:
Cognitive and Emotional Development, p. 11-20
Moral Development
What is Cognitive Development?
The Maturing Adolescent Brain
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Two-Footed Questions
Emotional Development
Self-Esteem
Sense of Identity & Self-Esteem
Self-Concept & Self-Esteem
Emotional Intelligence
Immigration Policy Toolkit
LGBT youth
Multiculturalism
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Physical Development
This set of readings provided a great deal of helpful
information about the physical changes adolescents are undergoing and many of
the challenges they face socially and emotionally as a result of those
changes. Some of the facts presented
seemed somewhat obvious, such as the phases of puberty and associated behaviors
such as masturbation, but several valuable insights were given as to how
teachers or other professionals who work with adolescents could have more
sensitivity and awareness of the struggles these young people are experiencing.
I especially appreciated the treatment of body image and ex-gay ministries, as
it resonated with me that these would be major hurdles for adolescents feeling
insecure about their appearance or sexual orientation. The support of a kind,
emphatic adult could make a huge difference in these areas.
The first truly valuable insight I encountered was on the
very first page of the Introduction to Developing
Adolescents. The author noted that there are many popular conceptions and
negative stereotypes of teenagers, and that these must be overcome in order to
reach young people and be a positive force in their lives. It would be easy to
look at all the problems associated with this phase of development and write
off the teenage years as a horrible, turbulent time, but holding such dark
perceptions of teenagers is only going to perpetuate the issues. I was reminded
that I must be careful not to get discouraged and assume the worst about
adolescents. Though they can be difficult at times, I do agree with the survey
statement mentioned in the Introduction that “almost all teenagers can get back
on track”. This section reminded me of
why I want to be a teacher – to act as a counter balance to all of the
negativity and chaos in which teenagers can be mired. It was encouraging to
read that, even if teenagers push adults away, even repeatedly, a part of them
does still want and need guidance.
As Developing
Adolescents continues to explore the specific physical changes occurring,
it becomes clear why adolescents would be so volatile and prone to risk-taking
behavior. With such a storm of hormones raging, it makes perfect sense that
this time of people’s lives can feel overwhelming. I was surprised to read the
statistics that 6.7% of White girls and 27.2% of African American girls were
presenting signs of puberty as early as age 7. This brings to mind the
importance of informing children about what to expect when puberty begins and
preparing them to handle what lies ahead, which would perhaps be more of the
parents’ responsibility than a teacher, but is necessary nonetheless. It was
also helpful to read about the pitfalls that may exist for early maturing girls
and late maturing boys, in order to be mindful of this as a teacher.
It was shocking to read the statistics on obesity – and Developing Adolescents seems to be using
numbers that are approximately 12 years old, so I can only assume that the
figures are more staggering now. This
makes me want to work in the school where I end up teaching not only to educate
students on my content area, but on healthy eating habits and exercise whenever
possible, and to rally for better choices in school cafeterias and clubs that
involve physical activity. It upsetting
to read how many girls suffer from eating disorders as a result of our
culture’s glorification of being thin, when puberty by its nature demands
weight gain. It was also enlightening to read that boys can suffer from this
disordered thinking about their bodies just as much as girls. I appreciated the
list of strategies in Developing
Adolescents to protect adolescents from becoming overly obsessed with their
appearance by promoting the acceptance of a broad range of appearances,
focusing on academic, artistic, or athletic accomplishments to bolster
self-esteem in a different way, and so on. In the article titled “A Guy’s Guide
to Body Image,” I found it a bit tricky to understand the seemingly conflicting
approaches they were suggesting, between accepting your body exactly as it is,
on the one hand, and starting a strength training program in order to change
your body, on the other hand, but it seems that a middle road where one strives
to love himself in spite of imperfections while improving what he is able to is
logical.
The reading on “Sexual Orientation Development” was the
most interesting to me. I was extremely glad to read just how many mental
health organizations agree that homosexuality is not a mental illness and that
attempts should not be made to ‘correct’ young people’s orientation. I
wholeheartedly agree that efforts to paint homosexuality as sinful would only
increase the discrimination, harassment, and fear that lesbian, gay, and
bisexual students already experience. As a teacher, I would be willing to
sponsor a gay-straight alliance, and I was glad to be reminded by this article
of the importance of having a tolerant, accepting school environment. The legal
side of this issue, namely the protections granted by the Bill of Rights, make
it clear that a public school has no right to treat gay, lesbian, or bisexual
students differently – as this is my personal conviction, I was pleased to see
that it is supported by the Constitution.
“Recognizing Healthy and Unhealthy Sexual Development in
Children” was also a good resource. It seems that this might be more pertinent
to parents, who would perhaps be more privy to their children’s sexual
behavior, but these behaviors can certainly come up in schools as well. It is
beneficial for teachers to know what is “normal” at various ages. While norms can vary, it is definitely nice
to have a list of red flag behaviors. Considering that teachers are required to
report any incidences of suspected child abuse, it would be critical to know
warning signs that a child may be “sexually reactive” from having been exposed
to sexual activity, perhaps by an adult. It would also be crucial to note any
instances of aggression or forcefulness in young people making who are making
other young people comply with sexual behavior. At the same time, knowing that
it is normal and healthy for teenagers to talk about crushes, begin
experimenting, and have romantic relationships makes it seems that one should
not overreact or shame young people for having these feelings.
Last but not least, the website on behaviors associated
with puberty in both genders was helpful in that it shows moodiness,
clumsiness, and a desire to sleep are all natural. If I am able to remember as
an educator that my students may be exhibiting certain troublesome behaviors
that irritate me because their biology is doing precisely what it’s supposed to
be doing, then perhaps I can be a little more patient and understanding. I
found it enlightening that the emotional and physical are intertwined and
cannot be separated. Since acne is part of the process of puberty, and acne can
affect self-esteem, it follows that what is going on with the body will most
certainly affect the mind. I must be able to see teenagers as a “package deal,”
as mentioned in Developing Adolescents.
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