Philosophy of Children

Since our topic this week was philosophy for children, I thought it would be relevant to go over the philosophy of children. The philosophy of children (SEP) first attempts to define what children are. In our reading this week, Piaget's theories were used as one of the arguments against philosophy in the elementary classroom. Yet, Piaget classifies children as what they are not able to do rather than what they are capable of doing. This negative outlook and classification of "deficit conception" puts up a barrier of what they may be capable of. The second way to examine the philosophy of children is to understand their cognitive development. Theories clash from famous developmental psychologists like Chomsky, Skinner, and Vygotsky when it comes to the development of language. Chomsky feels that we have a "LAD" (Language acquisition device) or seed language because children all over the world learn language in the same steps and at the same ages. Skinner believes that we learn language from the reinforcement we receive from others. And Vygotsky agrues that social interaction as well as culture plays a role. Yet the formation of concepts for the most part do not follow skinners theory, the use of "prototypes" as a tool for concepts has been shown as a way to form concepts (SEP). In neuroscience it has been shown that children actually have more neural pathways than adults do. This suggests that they are more able to form concepts. The third aspect that is examined is the theory of moral development. Rousseau and Kolberg have differing moral stages of development which could aid the argument for philosophy in the pre-college classroom. Rousseau suggests that there are five stages of moral development: 1. infancy (birth-2); 2. the age of sensation (3 to 12); 3. the age of ideas(13 to puberty); 4.The age of sentiment (puberty to 20) and 5. The age of marriage and social responsibility (21 and on) (SEP). According to Rousseau's theory children do not fully understand morals until they are 13. Kolberg has a different approach to determine one's moral stage. He believes that there are six stages yet most adults do not reach the sixth or sometimes even the fifth stage. In my high school psychology class we used this model to determine everyone's moral level. The scenario was that your wife (or husband) has cancer and you can not afford the drug to save their life, what do you do? It was not whether you decided to steal the drug or not that determined your moral level, but your reasoning for why. This model can be used in children's classrooms to determine each child's initial level of moral development. When children are young they do not fully understand right from wrong (and that is why they are not treated as adults, government wise). Yet, instead of them figuring it out as they go along why not have philosophical conversations in the classroom about what is right and wrong and why things are wrong and right. Having philosophical conversations of this nature may even lower crime rate. This article went into five other aspects of the philosophy of children concerning: children's rights, childhood agency, the goods of children and more. To wrap it all up, understanding how children learn helps adults understand how to explain things to their level of understanding. Of course children are not going to understand lots of big words and college level writting, but anything even philosophical concepts can be understood by children. We first need to grasp where they are initially, and then explain the concepts simply, starting with the easiest to understand. Using a protype helps, the children must hear an example or senerio of the concept and where it is used to fully understand. Question: How else does understanding the philosophy of childhood and psychological development help teachers?

Re: Brittany 4/14/11

Brittany asked, "Should philosophy be required for all educators?"

I personally think that education classes should be required not only for educators but for everyone. Yet, educators should take these courses especially, because it allows one to see things in a completly different way. Learning logic helps you become a better arguer, and evaluate things you read in every day life. In addition, it teaches you to reevaluate opinions of yours and others and determine if they are sound or not sound. Philosophy in general questions the things that otherwise people just accept, like unfair treatment to people of different races, gender inequality, and many other cultural norms. If it wasn't for people questioning the ethicacy of many problems the world would be in a detrimental state. I may not think that math and science teachers need philosophy but history and English teachers should definitely take philosophy courses. History teachers should be well informed on the "history of ideas" portion of philosophy because well that has a great impact on history. English teachers should be informed in the realm of philosophy because of it's creative and literature based nature is almost inseparable from philosophy.

Question: What can philosophy teach us?

Traits to Success

In the article by Bowles and Gintis they also talk about the traits that are "correlated" with success in school and the work place. The traits they mention that are penalized in the classroom are: Creativity, independence, and aggressiveness. The traits that are disapproved in the work place are creativity and independence.

The traits that are rewarded in the classroom are: perseverant, dependable, consistent, identifies with school, empathizes with others, punctual, defers gratification, externally motivated, predictable, and tactful. The traits that are approved of in the work place are all of these in addition to temperamental.

It makes sense that always trying, being reliable, and being on time is rewarded and approved. Yet, some of these seem a little contradictory to me. If one defers gratification that means that they turn down praise and award, yet that is behavior is said to be rewarded. If one is externally motivated that would mean that they would be always striving towards gratification or some external motivator. Which would mean that they would not necessarily be enjoying what they were doing, because if they enjoyed it then they would be internally motivated.

Question: Do you think that those who enjoy their jobs and school work do better than those who do not?

economics, education, and the self

In the Bowles and Gintis article they discuss the relationship between economics and self-perceptions. Individual needs and self concepts are shaped by social and economic systems. The way the works force is structured guides people’s perceptions and involvement in aspects and activities outside of these systems. When people are younger and developing these self-concepts, consciousness, and personality the family and educational system play a large role. Economics shape how well educated someone is by the town they live in, those who live in a less funded area will not have as good of an education. It also effects students self-perceptions by giving them an idea of where they should lie on the socio-economic spectrum. The types of jobs their parents have, they should too. Yet, with a good education, their predispositions are challenged by the concept of hard work and reassured by knowledge of governmental aid for further education.

Question: what other factors besides economic standing and education contribute to one’s self perceptions?

Re:Shelby classroom seating

What types of seating arrangements are best for learning? What physical changes should be made to the classroom to make them more conducive to learning?

Shelby mentioned how the typical seating in classrooms are rows of uncomfortable seats and how it has always been this way. The typical classrooms are like this, yet I have experienced two different kinds of seating arrangements regularly in classrooms, one is with one or more semi-circle(s) of chairs facing the instructor and the second is large tables (about 3-5) with students at each. I think that like with almost everything, it depends on what is the best.

With discussion based classes it is really annoying to have row seating. It is in our culture to look at people when they are talking, it is a sign of respect, yet, I hate straining my neck every time someone at an odd angle from me is talking. People take that into consideration though, certainly I do not find people disrespectful if they are not looking at me in this set up, yet I probably would if it was a semi-circle.

Row seating is well-suited for the standard talk-and-chalk lectures. That type of teaching is not suitable for semi-circle seating because there is no need to see everyone and when you get stuck on the end it is tough to read the board. I agree with Shelby, this is also my favorite type of seating.

Group seating is efficient for group work and project based classes. This type of seating is not effective when there are lectures because some of the student's backs are towards the front of the class. Most of these classes are art or English classes through my experience.

Anything other than light colors I feel would be distracting or would look bad in the classroom. Neon, or dark colored walls would not benefit the learning environment, yet light and dull colors might benefit learning more than white.

When it comes to lighting, studies have actually shown that bright light is beneficial to learning. It makes sense when you think about it, when there is more light you are more aware, yet I'm not sure if that's the reason.

Question: What would make the classroom more enjoyable?

Motivating the Unmotivated

I found an article online written by Maria Koklanaris published by The Parent Institute titled "7 Proven Ways to Motivate Children to do Better in School." http://asfms.net/parentworkshops/pdfs/SevenProvenWaystoMotivateChildren.pdf

This article, as the title states, gives seven ways that parents can motivate their unmotivated child.

The First step is to set proper expectations. According to Koklanaris, a parent should expect their child to successed, yet they should base their expectations on the child as an individual, incorporating what they know to be their strengths and weaknesses. Communicate to your child that you expect to see them trying their best. Do not look at the goals look at the steps to get there. Re-evaluate them on their efforts and interests about every three months or sooner. Review the expectations and highlight their improvements so far.

The second way to motivate your children is by setting goals. Goal setting involves three steps. One is you writing goals down for your child so that they have a visual reminder. Two is making the goals measurable so that you can see progress. The third is emphasizing a plan on how to achieve the expectations clearly. If the goal is to improve your child’s math grade first make that expectation within reach. For example, instead of saying that you want to get their D to an A, set the expectation of getting it to a C. After that is met you can build from there. Explain how to reach these goals by setting little goals to help them get there, for example practicing math problems for 20 minutes each day and taking the practice test in the back, even though it is not assigned. The article then goes into more detail by giving Five steps that help your child accomplish anything. 1.Have them make a conscious decision to do something. 2. Decide when they will do it. 3. plan how they will do it. 4. commit to someone else that they will do it. 5. Make a specific appointment with a person to report whether they have done it or not.

The third way to motivate your child is by showing them that you think that school is important. Of course if you do not care, neither are they. Koklanaris outlined five ways of showing that you care other than helping them achieve goals and setting expectations. One of them is maintaining a relationship with your child's teacher. Discuss the teachers goals for the curriculum and work together to come up with ways to help your child met those goals. The second way of showing your child that school is important is by supporting school programs. It has been scientifically proven that parental involvement in school is correlated to academic success. These modes of involvement include: back-to-school night, parent teacher conferences, volunteering at school fundraisers, volunteering for field trips, and joining the PTA. A third way is to create a suitable environment to do their work. Make sure that they have a quiet, bright environment and let them know that you will get them whatever supplies that they need. Fourthly, keeping up with your child’s assignments, be aware of their assignment of when big projects are do. And Lastly another ways to let your child know that you feel that school is important is to stay positive, show enthusiasm for what they are learning.

The forth way is to support your child’s learning style. Early this semester we talked about the different learning styles: analytical, global, auditory, kinesthetic, visual, linguistic and musical. In this article they separate children into three groups: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Children feel more motivated about school when they can incorporate their learning style into it more. Koklanaris explains the attributes each learner has so that a parent can categorize them under the appropriate style, she then gave studying tips for that specific type of learner.

Auditory

· You know your child is an auditory learner if they:

o enjoy listening to music and hearing stories, they follow oral directions well, they are comfortable talking and feel, and they are more comfortable reading spelling words aloud rather than writing them.

· Study tips

o Auditory learners benefit from recording themselves and hearing it back. They also benefit from using pneumonic devices, rhymes, songs, and associated words. Have them play an audio recording of a book while they follow along. Have them talk through their problems “okay and now I carry the one…”. And lastly, give them an oral quiz.

Visual

· You know your child is a visual learner if they:

o learn best by reading or looking at graphs/tables. These students like to have something visual or written to help with oral presentations. They enjoy art, movies, and theater. Prefers studying charts rather than repeating aloud.

· Study tips

o Have your child make a poster or have an erasable whiteboard chart and have them fill in the things that they need to do that week. When they are assigned a textbook reading they should first skim through and look at all of the graphs and tables. When they are studying they should use colors as much as possible. Flashcards are a great medium for students who are visual learners.

Kinesthetic

· You know your child is a kinesthetic learner if they:

o Learn best from building or preparing a chart. These students like to move and would prefer to participate rather than observe. Prefers to create things and do hands-on activities rather than learn theories. When they are trying to remember things they tend to pace or study in a “non-sitting position.”

· Study tips:

o Encourage them to take study breaks where they do a physical activity. You should give them the maximum amount of room to study as possible. Parents should encourage hands-on projects for things like science fairs and also figure out ways to make any assignment a physical activity. You can aid these children with their reading comprehension by acting out passages in their text or be their audience.

The fifth way of motivating your child to do better in school is by giving encouragement. Koklanaris emphasizes that there is a big difference between praise and encouragement. Children unconsciously depend or your assessment of their success when you give praise. Encouragement leads the child to assess themselves. Praise should be used when the child worked as well as you wanted them to. Make sure to use opinion words and discuss the results that they received. This article did not mention this, but it also may be beneficial to let them know that their progress or achievement has positively affected you personally. Encouragement can be given whether or not they met the goals or not. Go over what to do differently if they did not reach the goal and use a positive attitude. It is essential to give encouragement when you notice effort and progress. Make sure to use descriptive words.

The sixth mode of motivating your child is reinforcing learning at home and in the community. Culture them and open their eyes to new points of view. Koklanaris gives the example that if your son or daughter likes basketball, take them to a ballet to show them that athleticism can be seen in all different forms. Culture can be taught in different ways such as a cultural family dinner night. Making cuisine from a different culture gives them a taste of that culture, using a sense that is not usually used for learning.

The seventh and final way to motivate children to do better in school is by encouraging them to be resilient. One neuropsychological study done by the University of Utah, supported that resiliency is developed by creating specific qualities. These qualities are: having a well-built notion that an adult will have unconditional love and support for them, capability to solve their problems without the help of others, understand and can focus on their strengths, and realize that everyone makes mistakes and that we can all learn from them. These qualities allow children to be prepared for whatever comes their way. There are four ways to install these qualities in your children: Empathizing with your child, giving your child practical choices, altering your method when the initial one does not work, and supporting your child’s interests and talents.

Question: What do you feel motivates you to do your work/ be successful?

Re: Mike 3/27/11

Do you think motivation is completely on the teacher or does it depend on the student? If so, what is more effective, positive or negative reinforcement?

Motivation is an internal drive, some people do not need to be pushed because they have it on their own, yet others need to be pressed. If people need to be pushed I feel like it is jointly on their family members, bosses, friends, and teachers to help give them that boost.

If a teacher wants to give their students a lift to cooperate in class, a behavioral intervention is one of the most ethical and easiest ways to go about it. I first want to make clear the differences between positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment, because there seems to be some confusion. Both types of reinforcement strengthen behavior and punishment weakens it. Positive reinforcement is when a stimulus is added in order to increase behavior. It is a common misconception to think of negative reinforcement as a "bad" type of reinforcement; negative does not refer to quality. The key word for negative reinforcement is "escape." When an adverse stimulus is presented, a person engages in the desired behavior in order to escape the undesired stimulus. A general example of negative reinforcement is when your car beeps until you put your seat-belt on. You put your seat belt on in order to escape the beeping. Nagging, complaining, and whining are verbal forms.

Punishment is the process of providing consequences for a behavior that decrease its frequency. Yelling is a type of punishment, more specifically called "reprimand." Punishment has many other forms, one is "response cost" this is when someone has to give up something as a form of punishment, a common example is a parking ticket (you have to give money). Another type of punishment is “overcorrection” this is when you have a person fix what they have done wrong and also repeatedly engage in the correct behavior on top of that. The last two types are "time out", and “physical punishment” which I think are both self-explanatory.

If a teacher wants to go the behaviorist route to motivate students the type of reinforcement or punishment used depends on the situation. If students are talking amongst themselves there are many types of ways to handle it using behaviorist techniques. You could go the punishment route by yelling (reprimand) or giving a detention (response cost). You could also go the negative reinforcement route by having an annoying sound be played every time the students act up. As soon as they are quiet, turn the sound off. After repeated pairings, in theory, they will no longer display that behavior. In order to use positive reinforcement in this situation you would have to wait until they display desirable behavior (being quiet) in order to thank them for shutting up (not in those words, of course). Every form has its place and with any situation you could devise plan behavior interventions and then choose which fits the situation the best.

Question: Behavior analysis is one tool to get students to cooperate in a classroom. Yet, does cooperating and doing what educational society wants of you necessarily mean that you are motivationally driven?