Friday, June 12, 2009
Chapter 3- Physical, Social and Emotional Development
How does physical, social, and emotional development affect the cognitive development of my students? What specific tasks and instructional methods can I utilize as a teacher that will support and promote the cognitive development of my students?
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Understanding students' physical, social, and emotional development is the key to ensuring a supportive classroom environment. If students' physical, social, and emotional developmental needs are not met, they will not be able to focus in the classroom to master the curriculum. As a teacher, I must ensure I am aware of the changes that are occuring in my fifth graders. This will ensure that classroom management runs smoothly so that I can build students' cognitive development. By knowing my students' physical development, I can pay attention to my male students who might be developing later than others and work to improve their self-image by giving them opportunities to succeed in various activities. I can support my early maturing females, who are feeling uncomfortable with their body cahnges, by boosting their self-esteem to ensure they feel confident in themselves. By knowing their social characteristics, I can ensure that I allow students to voice their opinions in writing without always sharing in front of the class. I do not want to force students who might not share the same opinion as a majority of the class to be ridiculed by classmates for their beliefs. I know at this social level, students are very worried about what their peers think of them, therefore, I do not want to put them in an uncomfortable situation. I need to be available to talk with my students about situations that are occuring in their lives. I know that emotionally, many of my students are self-conscious and I will structure my room to make them feel more comfortable. If I ensure that competition and self-comparisons are minimal, students will be more likely to improve their self-image. I can incorporate community building activities to ensure students are building positive relationships with one another. Cognitively, I must support students specific needs. I need to encorporate small group instruction and activities that require students to use higher order thinking skills. By meeting their physical, social, and emotional needs, students will be better prepared to stay focused and learn.
ReplyDeleteIt is always important for a teacher to know her students. Flexibility in planning and adaptation to the needs of the students are key skills in running a classroom that is conducive to learning and character building. As a first grade teacher, I need to always be aware of students' need for physical activity and difficulty with tasks involving fine motor skills. To help my students be focused, I need to allow for periods of activity followed by rest. Mixing it up quickly and frequently keeps them engaged. Tattling is very common amongst first graders. Now I regard that as an age-related characteristic of social behavior. I can try to minimize this by establishing guidelines for when it is necessary to tell the teacher when another student has "broken the rules". This is also a critical time for industry versus inferiority. With this knowledge, I will create more opportunities for ALL students to earn praise and positive recognition. Students at this stage of emotional development are eager to please and are crushed by criticism, especially from those they look up to and respect. Words are very powerful. I need to choose them carefully at all times! To support the cognitive behavioral development of my students, I need to present new ideas or skills with clear, precise activities that are based on evidence. My students are becoming more aware of their own learning, but are not ready for logical reasoning. My presentation must be direct and short, with a lot of opportunities to move about.
ReplyDeletePhysical, social, and emotional development affect the cognitive development in my students in that children do not develop academically in isolation to these other developmental areas. If lessons are designed in a way that is too sophisticated for the child in any of the above areas, the child will not be able to grow academically. In the classroom I can use observation, community circles, reflection journals, and role playing to bring out an accurate representation of where each child 'is' physically, socially, and emotionally. I can then group children in a more effective way and differetiate lessons so that every child has room to grow from wherever they begin academically.
ReplyDeleteThe physical, social, and emotional development of students affect the readiness of a student to learn. For my middle-schoolers, I can support and promote their cognitive development by providing opportunities for them to make/be involved in some of the classroom decisions. I can also vary the activities for a topic and allow the students to choose which activity they would like to work on. When using small cooperative learning groups, I need to be aware that peer pressure may prevent someone from sharing an 'unpopular' idea or opinion, therefore, anonymous sharing of ideas should be an option.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, I believe a middle school teacher needs to keep in mind how much peers influence the social behavior of a student at this age. They have strong needs for social contact and are very concerned and worry about what their friends think. They want to be accepted by others and not stand out. They worry about their school success, self-esteem, what they look like, what they don’t look like. They worry about everything but pretend they care about nothing. Then let’s not forget about early and late “bloomers.” It seems they are one or the other. “Early blooming” girls and “late blooming” boys tend to have lower self-esteem according to research. The boys also tend to feel more inadequate, whereas the early girls are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and panic attacks. Another thing that plays into a middle school student’s emotions is how well they think they can do something, or their self-efficacy. If they think they are decent at doing something, they are more likely to keep at it; but if they think they stink at something, they will abandon ship at the first sign of difficulty or just avoid it altogether.
ReplyDeleteAs for instruction, I think it is in a teacher’s best interest to make sure that she appears confident and is well prepared on the very first day of class and every other day of class. If not, you may get eaten alive! A middle school teacher should design lessons following the learning principles of the constructivist. These lessons should be related to experiences and issues with which they are familiar. Lessons should also allow for small cooperative group work. Middle school teachers need to provide not only academic support, but also emotional support for the middle school student due to all the changes happening to students at this time period of their lives. The teacher must also try to keep middle school students away from the competition for grades within their peer groups and try to get students to focus on their own personal growth instead.
A student has to truly feel comfortable in order to be able to flourish cognitively. If I can provide physical, emotional, social support for my students they will be able to grow emotionally and academically.
ReplyDeleteEmotional support in a classroom is crucial because my students have to know that I can relate to them as a person and not just another student. As basic as it sounds, by providing extra conversation and being friendly with my students, I can provide that additional support that some students might need to feel secure or reconfirm their standing in the classroom. Hopefully this can guide them in growing with a positive self respect and confidence both inside and outside of the classroom. Also, by learning about your students on a more personal level, I would hope they would feel safe in coming to me in a time of need.
Social support is easily supported by allowing my students to have peer collaboration. Communicating with their classmates allows the everyday interaction that I find with my colleagues. Students need to be a part of a classroom and take an active role, rather than just being in a classroom. Teaching fifth grade does have a challenge because the students are starting to form their cliques. This year we had to deal with boys who thought they were better than others and “mean girls.” Talking with them and guiding them towards the right decisions and questioning their motives helped them to see the bigger picture outside of the classroom. E
Physical y, I hope to just establish a sense of self-confidence so they feel comfortable with themselves and who they are becoming. Also, realizing gender differences and growth differences will be in my class is inevitable. Again, being more than a teacher can come in handy so your students can feel comfortable approaching you about adolescence topics.
It is easy to recognize that children will have difficulties learning when they come to school without having basic needs (such as food for breakfast) met. But, if teachers neglect to take into account the physical, social, and emotional aspects of well being in their students, the same can happen. Cognitive development can be hindered. As a first grade teacher, I need to think about making sure I address these components for promoting learning. Paying attention to their physical limitations will be a must. I should limit the amount of time I spend “talking to” my students and make sure I provide numerous opportunities for them to engage in activities that get them out of their seats and allow for peer interactions. I must provide opportunities for all students to feel successful and minimize feelings of failure in order to promote the development of industry. As I read this chapter, I also learned about what Vygotsky called private speech. I noticed this with some of my students this past year, and worried about it distracting other children around them. I now have a more positive outlook on it, and how it can be advantageous to cognitive development.
ReplyDeleteStudents in the elementary grades are just starting to develop a sense of self-identity. I can help develop this in students by helping them develop positive self-images. This can be done by classroom management, positive reinforcement, and opportunities to succeed. I also must realize that delinquent behavior is usually caused by a rocky home life or family relationships that are breaking down. Like our group talked about on Monday, students who are operating at the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are less likely to be working on emotional development and more focused on basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, and loving relationships. Giving students an opportunity to see an adult that has it “together” can be a powerful experience for him/her and can help scaffold his/her social development to the next level. Cognitively, it is important to introduce ideas at the pace that my students are developmentally ready for, and to do it in concrete ways, thereby aiding the student with moving from concrete to abstract. Letting students struggle for a little longer than makes me comfortable is essential to their cognitive abilities and development. Recognizing the importance of the peer groups for students is also an essential part of teaching. Using peer mediation and peer to peer instruction are good ways to help students realize their potentials.
ReplyDeleteAs a middle school teacher, meeting the social and emotional needs seem to be a priority, as we talked about in class today. One thing I do to help students make that next step to being cognitively comfortable, and able to move forward is to have set procedures and routines. I have students work on a portfolio system, with each student having a folder, notebook, etc. They have to have a writing utensil in their folder (which I provide.. we get them free from the music store), and are allowed to keep these materials in the classroom. I'm fortunate enough to have a large room with locker storage area for band students, and a "folder holder" (like skinny cubbies) for chorus students. I do have some out of class work, but I find keeping those materials in the classroom really makes it easy to keep the kids on track and successful. I also have a start of class procedure and an end of class procedure, which helps the kids get acclimated and settled down into the class flow and process. I feel like doing some of these simple classroom management tactics helps kids get past social and emotional factors, and get on to the learning!
ReplyDeletePhysical, social, and emotional development play a much larger role in the learning prcoess than what parents, teachers, and policymakers even realize. As an educator, we try to provide the most optimal learning experience, but we sometimes fail to self-reflect and ponder how other factors contribute to students'cognitive development. Think of the physical, social, and emotional components together forming a triangle. When one side of the triangle is unstable, the other sides are affected as well. This is similar to how a child's cognitive development is hindered when there are issues in the physical, social, and emotional aspects of one's life. I feel that the social and emotional aspects can definitely affect a child's ability to concentrate in class. Also, a lack of motivation can result. The feelings of "inferiority" can set in, much like Erikson discussed in Chapter 1. In order for meaningful learning to occur, these other areas of development must be handled properly first. As a teacher, I need to be sensitive to these factors when planning lessons. For example, knowing what each child can and cannot handle makes it more effective when placing children in groups. Also, because children need to be social, I can give them more opportunities to engage in cooperative learning situations. Furthermore, as children need concrete objects to manipulate, I can incorporate the use of hands-on objects, manipulatives, etc. Finally, I need to make myself available for students to speak with me privately about their thoughts, fears, concerns, and issues in order to not only help them deal with them, but also have a better understanding of how I need to manage my instruction.
ReplyDeletePhysical, social, and emotional development strongly influence my students cognitive development. Even though I have taught fourth grade for the past six years, some of my students have already entered puberty. Due to retention, my students range in ages from 9 to almost 12 years old, which causes problems on both ends. You have the 9 year old boy who is still short with no muscle definition compared to the oldest boy in the close who has facial hair and his voice is changing. This can lead to a lot of self-concept issues. Socially and emotionally, they are all on different pages. Most students spend more time worrying about how everyone else perceives them, instead of worrying about what they need to learn.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing a teacher can do is to find uniqueness in each student and help every student feel special and a part of the class. Upper elementary and middle school teachers really need to get to know their students on a personal level. These students are dealing with so much peer pressure they need a trusting adult to turn to for advice. If your students know that you care about them, you accept them for how they are, and you are supportive of them, they are more likely to try harder in your class.
I think that physical, social, and emotional development affect my 4th grade students' cognitive development greatly. These factors cannot be ignored.
ReplyDeleteAs the text stated, disruptive family relationships, social rejection, and school failure can lead to bad behavior. It's so important for me to realize that my students come from a variety of different backgrounds. I might need to alter my expectations on a case-by-case basis. Teachers need to be flexible with what their students are "bringing to the table" daily.
My group talked today in class about how students, especially as they advance middle school, gossip and spread rumors more frequently. If a student feels inferior because he or she is being talked about, then he or she certainly has a greater chance of acting out or "tuning out" school altogether.
I try to remind my students that it is "cool" to be smart and to try hard in school. I think especially for young girls, this becomes less of an importance as they enter the middle school years. The media portrays many woman in the media spotlight as the stereotypical "ditzy blonde" and I think that girls begin to think that this might impress boys or that this is normal.
Young children need a comforting, nurturing classroom, with no children left on the sidelines. They need the comfort of being "part of the pack," so to speak, which is the thinking behind Wolf Pack Classroom Management Plan. It was created by a teacher, for teachers and is a great way to include every child all the time. Of course this is important for all children, but it's also especially vital for those who feel isolated, for whatever reason, from their peers.
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