Assignment  - Middle Childhood

Instructions

Part A: Exploration Activity 1-SugatraMitra's Hole in the Wall Project

Your textbook authors devote attention to the developmental context of schools during middle childhood. Although schooling is a common experience for many youngsters around the globe, this is not the case for children growing up in extreme poverty and isolation. As well, questions are arising about the changing nature of education in our connected world. In this exploration activity, you will learn about a scientist who has catalogued the potential of children to learn when they are linked with computers, and who suggests some rather radical innovations in education.

View the video SugataMitra: Build a School in the Cloud at

https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud?language=en#t-1321256.

After watching Mitra's presentation, develop answers in your own words to the following questions:

1. Why does Mitra argue that teachers do not need to be present for children to learn? What evidence does he have for this assertion?

2. Does that mean teachers are obsolete? Explain.

3. In what ways does Mitra think education will change in the future? How might this impact the children who already are in school?

4. What would Lev Vygotsky have thought about Mitra's talk?

5. What would Jean Piaget have thought about Mitra's talk?

Part B: Exploration Activity 2: Babies as Teachers

Roots of Empathy (ROE) is an innovative program in which babies and school age children are brought together for a most valuable purpose.

Go to The Roots of Empathy website at http://www.rootsofempathy.org/. This well-organized website contains information about the program and findings from research studies documenting its impact. Included are links to scores of news and media reports, documenting the program and its impact on children. You are encouraged to explore any of the information and resources on this website.

For a good overview of the program, point your cursor over Newsroom in the main menu at the top of the home page. Click Media Kit/Key Information and then Watch the Roots of Empathy video and view the video. After watching it, answer the following questions in your own words:

1. Describe what takes place in a classroom where a Roots of Empathy (ROE) program is being run.

2. Three primary goals of the ROE program are encouraging emotional literacy, problem solving, and the acceptance of diversity in children. Briefly explain what is meant by each of these goals.

3. Refer back to the findings regarding bullies and victims discussed in your module text reading. Why do you think schools that participate in a ROE program report lowered rates of bullying amongst students?

Part C: Discussion 3-Children and Families in BC

Go to the "Discussions" area on the left-hand navigation menu and complete the discussion posting entitled "Discussion 3: Children and Families in BC."

Go to the Healthy Families BC website at https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/. The range of topics, resources, and links located on this site reflect the type of issues that are concerns for parents.

Select one resource or link pertaining to a school-aged child that interests you. In the Discussion, post a description of the information related to your interest, including any recommendations. Relate the material to theory or research in your textbook. Pose at least one follow-up question that you have after reading the resource.

As well, comment or respond to a fellow student's input.

Part D: Written Questions

Write a response in your own words to each of the following questions:

1. One of the causes of traumatic brain injury in children is head impacts sustained while playing sports. Middle childhood is a time when many children play organized sports, often at increasingly competitive levels. Choose any sport where an injury causing concussion could occur, and explore how that sport's governing body has taken steps to prevent and reduce the number of concussions in children. Examples might be hockey, lacrosse, boxing, mountain biking, etc. Summarize your findings, including descriptions of why that sport poses a concussion risk and what steps the sport is taking to prevent concussion in children. Speculate about what further steps are needed. Make sure you give a credible reference for your work; typically, this will involve the governing body for the sport in question.

2. Age is no guarantee of better memory. Child "experts "can outperform adults. Why might children perform better than an adult on a memory task such as knowledge of a specific topic, or classification and identification of things like models of cars? What strategies might children be knowingly or unknowingly using that contribute to superior memory? Provide an example.

3. Applying what you have learned about Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, describe how a Grade 5 teacher might teach his/her class about the basic structure and function of bodily systems, such as the circulatory system or the digestive system. Show how the teacher appeals to and uses children's analytical, practical, and creative intelligences.

4. The concept of family is discussed at length in your textbook. Family can include people related to you by blood, marriage, and adoption. It includes two parents, single parents, stepparents, same-sex parents, grandparents, and so on. Children can have siblings, no siblings, step-siblings, and half-siblings. Family structure is fluid over time as adults marry, divorce, and remarry. Many couples live together without marrying. Describe your own family structure during your childhood, including any changes over time, and a brief description of the effects each member had, if any, on your development.

5. Discuss how children's ideas about friendship and behaviour toward their peers change between early childhood and the end of middle childhood.

6. Explain why interactions with parents and peers are important contributors to advancements in moral reasoning.

7. Construct an original scenario placing a child in a realistic moral dilemma. Examples might be discovering another child cheating at school; shoplifting candy from the corner store; telling a lie to parents. Your scenario should end with a question about what the child should do. Provide both "should do" and "shouldn't do" responses for the scenario from all three of Kohlber's levels of moral reasoning (6 responses in total).