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)
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
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