3 Things I Learned
1) On page 76, the reading states that for many adolescence, peers are the main determinants of how invested there are in school and how much effort they put into their education – this can be either positive or negative on the academic achievement of students. From this reading, I have also learned that students without friends have showed lower levels of academic achievement as they are less likely to participate in classroom learning activities. In addition, they are also more likely to drop out of school and develop more problems as adults. With that, something I learned that is important to incorporate in my future classroom is to encourage collaboration. I believe this can also be done by observing students and assigning the students whom I believe could bond, work well together, or potentially become friends in groups. Encouraging students to open up their friend groups and inviting other peers could also work.
2) There has always been talk about girls going through more pressure than boys, causing girls to have lower self-esteems. In the reading on page 91, it talks about a study that observed students and how their self-esteems change throughout the years. In the study, it displayed that both boys and girls’ self-esteems decline through middle school, but the boys’ self-esteems rise back up in high-school, whereas girls remain the same. With that, I learned that boys do have higher self-esteems, but has me wondering why the self-esteem of girls do not rise.
3) On page 100 of the textbook, Educational Psychology, it states that around 80% – 90% of high school and post-secondary students cheat at some point of their schooling. This number was surprising to me, as I did not expect the statistics of academic misconduct to be so high. However, when I read the reason as to why students cheat, it made me understand and want to find out ways to ensure my future students do not resort to cheating. Moreover, it states that academic cheating is response to the increased pressures that students go through. In other words, students are feeling more overwhelmed and anxious about succeeding in school, as it mentions how students who focus on grades rather than learning are more likely to cheat. From pages 101-102, we are provided with tips on how to avoid cheating in our classrooms, which I find as a useful resource that I can use in my future classroom. Some examples of these include: Try not to put students in high-pressure situations, be a credible and trustworthy source for information, make sure they are well prepared, and focus on learning and not the grades.
2 Connections
1) Page 78 of the textbook states three qualities of a “good teacher”. These qualities include: Having positive interpersonal relationships (caring), being organized, and being a good motivator. A connection I made with this is my experience with one of my high school teachers who had all these traits. I have always struggled with math and strongly disliked it – this teacher knew this and did everything she could to try and help me succeed. I believe that she is one of the main influences and my inspiration in becoming a teacher. I believe that if every student has the chance to have a teacher like her, school would be more enjoyable, even when it comes to their weakest subjects. This shows how much being a good teacher can influence their students and their academic achievement.
2) Page 88 and 89 talk about ethnic and racial identities. Being an Asian born and raised in Canada, I was able to make several connections to this part of the reading. The reading states different types of outcomes and processes: Assimilation, separated, marginality, and biculturalism. After reading the descriptions of each one, I was able to make connections to all, but truly relate to one, which was biculturalism. Although I was born and raised in Canada, have attended school here all my life, speak both official languages, and grew up surrounded by many cultures, my parents have always kept me close to the ethnicity I was born with – Filipino. They spoke to me in their mother-tongue – Tagalog to ensure I would grow up to be able to understand and speak it, cooked traditional Filipino food, and have taken my siblings and I to the Philippines several times. Therefore, I am proud to say that I practice biculturalism.
1 Question
The reading states that the role of recess is to encourage play which supports brain development, language and social development, as well as allows children to release tensions, learn to problem solve, adapt to new situations, cooperate, and negotiate. My question is, is this only in the early years and elementary school? If not, why is recess removed in high school? Would it be beneficial for older students to have recess, as well? And can adolescents and adults benefit from play?