Individual Differences

Chapter 5 discussed that intelligence is defined in a variety of ways. Of those ways, the most notable, for me, was that what defines intelligence is culture specific, meaning that intelligent behavior in one culture may not necessarily be perceived as intelligent in another culture. These variations in cultural observations and opinions are influenced by factors within the environment. These factors can either impact individuals positively or negatively. 

The chapter goes on to explain that history has provided that in the US specific ethnic groups have consistently performed better than other on intelligence tests. I think it is within reason to assume we all know which ethnic groups typically perform well on these tests and those who do not. These differences in performance, according to experts, are largely due to environmental and economic circumstances. Lower socio-economic groups usually have poorer nutrition, they have less access or exposures to varieties of literature and toys, and their overall educational experiences are not up to par with their higher socio-economic counterparts. 

Incorporating some of my opinions adapted from semesters of  coursework for my impending Global Studies degree, I wanted to share the shift in thought, or transfer of knowledge, that I experienced as I read this chapter. Within the global community, the concept development is almost exclusively shaped by Western thought. As a result, states in the Global South are defined developmentally but the factors that Westerners believe encompass development. This dynamic is one of globalization's fundamental flaws because it disregards the vast differences between cultures, language, environment, etc. that exist not only between the West and the South but also with the states themselves. Thus, development cannot simply be confined to Westerners' experiences and observations, but rather the concept should be fragmented to address and include the thoughts and ideas of those who are currently exempt from their own developmental agency and global participation. 

This is relevant to our chapter because it is important to acknowledge that different cultural groups have different views about what exactly intelligence is and because of that they might stress different abilities in their children. For example, the text provided, that in Western cultures strong verbal skills equate to higher intelligence; however, amongst Japanese and the Inuit peoples in Quebec, talking in abundance is associated with immaturity and lower intelligence. While environmental and cultural influences vary, the reading from this week claims that intelligence a factor significant to students' performance in the classroom regardless of its nature or origin.

Meeting a Behaviorist Teaching Coach

I wanted to use my post for this week to share a story from my trip over the break. I visited my boyfriend in Flagstaff, Arizona over fall break, and while I was there we ran into a family that is close to his family. The dad, Fernando, mentioned that he was a educational psychologist, and I jumped at the opportunity to hear what he had to say. He specializes in Behaviorism and goes into schools to help teachers. I sat beside him when we all went to dinner, and he explained specific situations that teachers frequently address incorrectly. He also sort of quizzed me as we were talking and it made me very nervous!

The first example he gave me was when you have a class of 22 students and, at the beginning of the year, you assign work to them to do quietly and on their own. Let's say 19 of the 22 immediately begin to quietly work on the assignment. He asked me, "Of those 22 students, which students do 99% of teachers address first?". I answered that usually the three not working would be asked to stay on task and begin their assignment. He agreed that most teachers would do the same, and those same teachers find that by a month into school those three off-task have turned into 6, by October those 6 to 10, by the end of November those 10 to 16, and by winter break the whole class could potentially be out of hand and difficult to keep on task. He said that the correct way to handle the initial 3 students would be to tell the on-task students how well they are doing and ignore the students who are misbehaving. Overtime, the students who are opting not to begin working will want to prompted by the teacher and they will realize that in order for that to happen, they have to begin their work quietly like their peers.

The other advice he gave me, also addressed students who are off-task or difficult to motivate to complete work. Let's say that whatever lesson being done had a craft that would follow. Rather than telling the students who are off-task that they will not get to participate in an activity, simply show them that they will be missing out if they fail to work on the assignment on hand. For example, plan the lesson so directly following the individual assignment students due the craft, so they would have to turn in the first assignment to get the directions for the craft. This method motivates students to stay on task because if they begin off-task then they eventually transition to being on task as they watch their classmates start the more desirable activity and want to progress to participating in it as well.

I got his card so I can talk with him more, but I am back to being on the fence about which theory I will write on. He had several valid points and his one-on-one explanation made Behaviorism more enticing.

Behaviorism vs. Social Cognitive Reinforcement

I sat down to post last week, but failed to because I couldn't think of what to say solely about Behaviorism or how I felt about it on its own. Then we had class and discussed social cognitive reinforcement, and I have since weighed which I would be more likely to implement.

I wanted to stray from Pinterest ideas this week and find news or an article relevant to what I believe is important for children's development. I found this paper titled "Children's Right to Autonomy" and it was written by Alexandra Balahur and her peers. She was a participant in the World School International Forum Seminar in 2000. Though her piece is a little dated, she made some points that support what I want to develop somewhat at the elementary level; I say "somewhat" because I do think that portions of the paper are exaggerated and I think that to fully commit to what they worked on in my classroom would make it difficult to also fulfill the other requirements of my position. However, reading the paper and reviewing the chapters has helped me understand how modeling and the role of the individual combined with the environment would be effective. I have not committed yet to one specific theory, but I am currently more inclined towards the social cognitive theory than the behaviorist theory.

"The philosophy of my Social and Personal Development is that every person has certain natural talents and special qualities that he/she has the duty to discover and to put them to work on social and personal behalf. In order to do that, the individual needs the support of the others - parents, teachers, models in different fields of knowledge - that help him discover himself among others, and the others among the world. The mission is to create the necessary environment for this discovery to take place and for the results to be seen."

--Alexandra Balahur, Romania, Age 16 ("Children's Right to Autonomy", 2000)

Alexandra's piece was basically a description of what the World School was testing, it defined what she and her peers thought of social and personal development, and it applied how schools could encourage these developments with an emphasis on the "bigger picture" or the "real world". One of the aspects of her work that I found particularly compelling was that the majority of her discussion and explanation was expressed through a compilation of quotes from her peers. Among these, two were paramount in influencing which theory I felt would be better for me:

“Personal development is the growth of a person through academia, opportunities and experiences. Through discipline, work and goal settings a person can turn possibilities into achievements. Everyone develops a sense of competence, belonging and influence in their society, over a number of years. Individuals learn to develop their skills and discover their talents, developing the power to control actions and opportunities that occur around them. They also learn their place in the society and gain a clear image of their accomplishments; thus the individuals must be accepted in order to gain his/her sense of belonging in society.” 

--Lydia Chardon, Australia ("Children's Right to Autonomy", 2000)

“People don’t know exactly what to do unless they are given instructions. Although they get accustomed to society in the end, it is probably the result of sufferings and difficulties. I believe that, however, we shouldn’t teach students just principles and theories. It is more important to learn to practice what we know, before going into the “real world."

--Hwang Woo Sang, Seoul ("Children's Right to Autonomy", 2000)

By definition, social cognitive theory focuses on what and how people learn through the observation of others, and how, as they observe, they begin to control their own behavior.

The basic assumptions of this theory:
1. People can learn by observing others.
2. Learning is an internal process that may or may not lead to a behavior change.
3. Cognitive processes influence motivation as well as learning.
4. People and their environments mutually influence each other.
5. Behavior becomes increasingly self-regulated.

I think one of the aspects of this theory that I particularly like is that the encouragement to fulfill goals, succeed, and behave according to classroom and societal expectations is rooted in my ability to lead effectively and with a positive example, in addition, to the students' ability to take from my instruction the appropriate behaviors and knowledge. I really want my future students to have a high sense of self-efficacy, and I want to be the role model they think of when they need a reminder of a competent and influential person who was rooted in the memories of their fundamental educational careers. The significance of my effectiveness being that if I am successful, then at a young age my student's develop an "I can" mentally that is reinforced with a set of tools which helps their "I can" become "I do" or "I did". Developing a positive self-image and the ability to self-regulate is as essential to academic and overall success in life as reading fundamentals or basic house keeping skills. I think that if I find myself in the vulnerable communities and school districts that I want to teach in, instilling a sense of self-efficacy in my students at the elementary level would be even more important because these are the schools and communities where socio-economic pressures and stereotypes potentially pose the greatest threats to discouraging students. In addition, the article I read provided, through youthful eyes and insight, how personal and social development (i.e. self-efficacy) in school progresses beyond the classroom and into the greater world picture. Inclusion in this "bigger picture" is what I want to ensure my students feel and it is what I want them to believe they are not only a piece of but also contributors to. I think that this sense of pride, power, and purpose is a much better behavioral reinforcer and a more practical life skill than something subtle, temporary, or tangible that might implemented when using the behaviorist theory.

Alexandra's article can be read, in full, at: http://www.world-school.com/discovery/book.pdf