Welcome to my learning

PORTFOLIO!

Durga CompteSeminar B (group 71)

Introducing me…Hey there! This is Durga, a second year student who’s on her way of becoming a great Primary education teacher (at least this is her expectation). And why did she chose to be a teacher? First of all, because she has a lot of sensitivity when treating with people and enjoys spending time and taking care of children.

But her main motivation on becoming a teacher is because she has realized that in the current context, education’s role and importance must be potentiated and promoted more than ever in order to avoid violence, hate, cultural and gender differences, poverty, war and political issues that affect us all without being responsible of those… Therefore, she believes that in order to overcome all these problems, we should take advantage of what we have always had and taken granted for: EDUCATION.

So let's enhance the future kid’s natural skills, let’s give them all the emotional support they need…And most importantly, let’s give them the chance to become active, engaged and independent citizens so we can all have a brighter future! Just like Nelson Mandela said:

WHY DO I CONSIDER THIS SUBJECT RELEVANT ? Many of my classmates ask themselves “ how will this subject be useful for me, how will I be able to apply all of this, if its

all theoretical and there’s nothing directly applicable?”

As a future teacher and educator, I believe this subject can serve us of great utility. It’s very important to know and be aware of the different learning and development processes that kids undergo throughout their lifetime. This way, we will be more capable to understand and comprehend what is happening with the weaker kids who need individualized attention, or with certain disruptive kids who have difficulties of behavior, of writing, body coordination, socializing and that therefore, must never be left behind.

Thanks to this subject, we will be able to think as if we were kids and look from the their perspectives aspects like family issues, emotional problems, their expectations of the thing, cultural beliefs, etc. Also, by knowing the different educational development approaches, we will be able to prevent from happening some developmental and Psicological problems and adapt more our methodology to the context.

In the following pages of this portfolio, I am exposing the basic class notes with a personal touch, followed by some reflections and perspectives of the different topics that I have learned at class.

Education + Development: key ideasBLOCK I

Maturation: physiological and personal development, a condition in our brain that determines if we are prepared or not to acquire more functions and objectives at a certain level of difficulty.

Growth: is a natural process, usually characterized by physical change in our bodies, (more a biological process)

In order to answer these questions,

first, it’s important to understand the

different views before we judge and

make our own opinions.

Psicological APPROACHES

What is the role of education in development?

Does development come after education or does

education come first than development?

This is one of the main discussion between different

psychologists and specialists in human

development.

Psychodynamic theories

Development theories

FREUDBehavior is controlled by unconscious impulses. We act according to: dead pulses and alive pulses.

BOWLBYDevelopment and behavior depends on the quality of the bond and attachment between the mother and child.

ERIKSONEach stage (8) related to a crisis, to an evolutive “tasks” that kids must succeed (basic for identity construction). If not, the opposite can happen:Ex: confidence vs distrust (age 0-2)

Behaviorists theory

PAVLOVLearning occurs through interactions with the environment. He rejects the role of internal mental states like thoughts, feelings, and emotions in explaining behavior.

Behavior shaped by + and - reinforcement. (rewards and punishment).

Cognitive theoriesConstructivism PIAGET

Knowledge is constructed and transformed. We develop by going from the natural process of growing, till the age of maturation (escalators).

KEY: Schema, Assimilation, Accommodation Stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

Sociocultural theories

BROFFENBRENNERDevelopment: based on interaction and active participation between people and 5 connected systems of the environment: - Microsystem- Mesosystem- Exosystem- Macrosystem- cronosystem

VYGOTSKYsocio-cultural interaction as the basis of human development. Importance of the Social and cultural environment.

KEY: scaffolding, ZPD

H.GARDNERHuman beings are symbols processers. We have different ways and skills to make this processes (multi intelligence).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4 The Big Bang Theory series introduces us the Positive and negative reinforcement theory in a funny way.

However, it would also be interesting to stimulate their individualism so

that when they encounter their own problems, they can be able to solve

them individually with their own critical thoughts. Regarding Pavlov’s

reinforcement theory, can also be interesting to apply it when we need

the students to acquire certain rules in the class that they must follow or,

even to facilitate class management.

To sum up, what I mean with this, is that sometimes we tend to position

ourselves on only one side of the things, because we thing that there

must be only one right answer, but sometimes, the choices we leave

behind might also be equally correct. So as a future teacher, I will not try

to focus on only one theory, but try to accommodate the best aspects of

each one and keep my mind open to different new ideas.

Which of the mentioned approaches work better? Here I have posted some interesting videos that contrast some key ideas between Freud and Erikson and

Piaget and Vygotsky. In the video we can see a debate between their ideas and they are trying to see

which one is better. I believe there is not a better or worse approach, every theory can be useful and

effective depending on the context. For example, in the field of education, suppose we have in front of us

a class with kids with a lot of difficulties following the instructions and the activates, and they seem to be

so shy that they don’t dare to ask the teacher., the perfect approach would be using scaffoldings and ZPD

of Vygotsky, so that these students can interact with their peers, do work teams and gain self-confidence,

because sometimes learning has to do a lot with peer interaction and socializing.

“How, and how much, does culture influence on human development?” BARBARA ROGOFF

Barbara Rogoff’ believes cultural and social relationships is something crucial for human development, since in every cultural

community, the learning will depend on the needs and way of seeing things in that context. Children take part in the activities of their

community, engaging with other kids and adults in routines, both trough tacit or explicit collaboration. Due to the participation

process children become prepared for similar events.

She states 3 main learning processes that can facilitate a kid’s development depending on the learning community he/she is involved.

• Apprenticeship: Process of becoming rather than a process of knowledge acquisition, by which a person becomes an active

member of a community.

• Guided Participation: mutual involvement of individuals and their social partners. It is a process by which people manage their

own and others roles and structure situations, in which they observe and participate. It emphasizes routine, implicit

communication, arrangements between children and their companions, associated with cultural values.

• Participatory appropriation: the person transforms his understanding, and becomes more prepared to engage in subsequent

similar activities. participatory appropriation is a dynamic, active and continuous process, which rather treats with thinking, re-

representing, giving a sense, using knowledge in a situated learning process. Rogoff takes into account in the development of a

person different levels analysis: Personal, Interpersonal, Community processes.

When a child is intellectually ready to be able to take of the other kids? When does a child’s judgement and coordination

make him/her able to handle sharp objects safely? When can they eat or sleep by their own?

One very interesting aspect that we must consider when answering these questions is to ask ourselves “in which kind of sociocultural context are in?”, since

the answers will vary a lot if we find ourselves living in an indigenous country from Africa or Australia or if we are set in an European area.

In our current context ( European and Occidental world) it is quite curious since, kids are in a way over protected and develop much slowly than those who

live in Pakistan, India, Africa or small countryside villages in Argentina.

Why is it that a 10 year old boy, in Spain or France still cannot walk and travel alone in the streets, and nor can use sharp objects or cook, when another boy

aged 5-6 from Bolivia or Africa is used to walk alone from village to village, cook and clean everyday for their family? Or why a kid from Spain of 8 years old

cannot take care of a baby and then we see images of India where girls of 9 already have to take care of 5 o 6 brothers and sisters.

All these events happen because each context and each community of practice has its own characteristics and is different. Through participation in the

community where every individual is, he/she will learn to do what’s valued to be good and best in his/her society. Therefore, everyone will adapt to the

needs and rules of their culture. In other words, each community will have tis own tools, traditions, language, beliefs, norms and rules. This is why, we can

find a lot of contrast between our occidental culture and the others around the world, on how we eat, how we develop in a different pace. So, here kids will

never use sharped tools at the age of 5 but maybe at 11.

So its very important before judging another culture for its tradition sand way of doing things, to know do they work and why are hey composed in that

certain way. In other words, to learn to be tolerant, respectful and try to open our eyes and minds and make an effort to see things as they see it.

BLOCK II Psychomotor skills KEY CONCEPTSPsychomotor skills Types of skills developed as a result of constant use of the skills in question. These skill are utilized for specified

tasks. Ex: we may perform everyday tasks that we have become so adapted to them that it requires little thought or concertation to perform.

Event though it may seem hard to believe, it is related to many dimensions: cognitive, Psicological, socio-affective and motor.

Our body can grow through 2 different evolutions;

- Chephadologist process: progressive development of skills and abilities from head feet. Therefore, we learn first how to see and

move our hands, and then we learn how to walk).

- Proximodistal law: development from center body the members (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand fingers). Movements become more

precise and fine (for example, the fine finger-grip, pincer-grip, gross-grip).

Furthermore, by the time our body grows, we progress and improve in 2 relevant abilities:

-Coordination ( association and combinations with 2 or more movements simultaneously)

-Independence (have the abilities and capability to do several actions separated by controlling each component and parts of our body.

This is why it explains, how newborns cannot move

much or coordinate with their body, since they have all

their body still “blocked”. So, at this stage, babies, do

not have coordination and intelligence enough to think

on how they can manage to separate the parts of the

body to move them independently.

Personality / functional stageIncrease sensibility with othersCreation of identityAdjust their own behaviorUnderstanding of adult’s actions

Ontogenic Stages

Impulsive stage(reflexive

movements)

Emotional stage(differentiation of context and the environment and first emotions (smiling)

Sensorimotor stageMovements, objects, senses, colors, lights, touching

Projective stageUnderstanding of their own actionsLanguage developmentFirst communication with basic vocabulary

What is the relation of psychomotor skills with education?

Even though it may seem difficult to believe, school plays a huge role on the development of the psychomotor skills of children. There are 4 different processes that

kids through education and didactic activities can reinforce their body development:

- Lateral dominance (we have a side of the brain which is more dominant in certain things. This means that there is on part of the hemisphere of our brain that has

an instrumental preference. From an educational aspect, at school kids can discover what are thy better at and discover that with a certain hand or foot they can

do some specific things better or that in certain they need less effort.

- Muscular tension (tonicity): every movement that requires more or less strength and tension, e can control these actions, they are “voluntary”. There’s no

movement that we cannot control, since our body is controlled in order to have a go functioning and equilibrium. This aspect, at school is the one that kids can

practice and empower, specially in physical education subject, by running, holding balls, jumping they will win tonicity

- Body equilibrium: Capacity to orientate appropriately the body on the space. capacity to properly orient the body in space, relationship between posture and the

outside world. In school they can do a lot of sportive activities like riding the bike or skipping, where they get to practice this special skill. Organization of space-

time: Through interaction we acquire the concept of the spatial references ( consciousness of our surrounding and the spaces). This allows us to observe and

coordinate better where we can go and how much do we have to move or orientate to arrive to our desired location (ex: chasing games helps this acquisition).

Also, we can acquire the notion o time (before, after, morning, night, later, now..). This can be done through dancing, aerobics o even playing sports like volleyball

and football.

However, not only schools can stimulate psychomotor skills. Families' involvement in giving kids support activities like providing them some dancing lessons, athletics,

or the giving them the chance to practice sports its also very important for the body development of the kids, since at the same time, they will be working on their

emotional and cognitive level too. (learning how to play a sport, for example, they learn vocabulary and instructions and then of thy like it, the feel self-confident and

more positive)

GRAPHIC GESTURE DEVELOPMENT

Importance of graphic gesture development of children: Drawing is a representation of something related to reality. The possibility of

manifesting through the drawing creates an own space in which they have

control over their reality.  It’s a source of communicative, expressive, and

creative values, they are means for the integral development of the child.

2) The graphic gesture development is linked to different

aspects that need to be taken into account:

Firstly, it is related to the motor skills, the most obvious

one, since the kid draws according to his/her hand and

body maturity. Especially, the finger grip, pincer grip, or

gross grip that can determine how developed is the hand

musculation.

3) Secondly, it is also closely related to the cognitive dimension,

because  the kid will always draw according to what he knows, his

knowledge and his perceptions. Each kid can vary on which

perspective to draw; in a more symbolic way (abstract representation)

and in a more realistic way.

4) Finally, it also touches the socio affective dimension in a sense that the kid is drawing

what he/she really likes, how the might feel, what they don’t like...So in a certain they are

representing their feelings, emotions and attitudes towards what they draw.

Factors that intervene in the graphic gesture

Maturation of hand musculature

sociocultural environment

Education

Stages of the drawing

SCRIBBLING STAGE (1-2 years old )

REPRESENTATIVE STAGE

(2-4 years old)

COMUNICATIVE STAGE (from 8 years old)

REALIST STAGE (artistic drawing) (from 15 years old)

  

So how can we help children to understand drawing and use it as tool? The good thing of becoming a future teacher, is that all the mistakes you have seen from some teacher you had along my

education years, are mistakes that you’ll never make again. There are a lot of things that could have been way better during my

learning process, specially the artistic education like music and arts.

Throughout all these last years, the society has paid very less attention to the graphic learning and development of kids, and

even less to music learning.

Regarding graphic learning, teachers should not try to standardize the images the tasks so that pupils can only reproduce and

try their best make identical drawings. It’s interesting to give children the freedom to draw on their own ways, using the tools and

techniques they want, so that we can stimulate their divergent thinking. Many adults, when a kid of less that 5 years old draws

something out of the ordinary, they make bad face expressions and say things like “ oh this is a dog…wow I had never seen a

blue and red dog, Dogs are usually brown..” A lot of comments like that come into many kid's brains, that these kind of

comments is what kills their creativity.

We should try to encourage a kid to draw and congratulate and appraise his/her work so that they can feel that what they

created is valued, as well as recognizing the effort that he/she has done. This way, the kid will feel accepted and respected the

way he is.. If we don’t follow these methods, we will not only be devaluing the drawing of this kid, but also affecting hi/her

mental, emotional and physical state of the child, because when a kid draws, he is putting all o his/her senses.

Also, remember that drawing imperfections are not mistakes, but originality. To end up with, we must introduce them that

drawing is a way of communicating, another way of describing the reality, another way through which they can express their

inner thoughts and emotions.