Children's ideas in Science
Harlen (1997) identified various techniques which can be used to enable children to reveal their ideas. These include: - questioning, asking children to draw or write about what they think is happening, discussing their writing or drawing with their teacher and initiating a group discussion. With Harlen's view in mind and considering the class topic of materials being focused on in Science, my partner and I decided to plan a lesson that explored children's ideas of what particular objects are made from and what they were prior to the object they are now. It was felt that in order for children's ideas to be highlighted, visual cues would be beneficial. Harlen (2000:125) supports this and affirms "There are often products or artefacts at several stages of children's activities which all have the potential to indicate children ideas." The use of visual aids did help children respond to the questions asked and assist children develop their ideas. They ensured the children were focused and also ensured the children were kept on task. For one of the examples, it may have proved more effective if the visual objects had been provided for each stage that the object had been through to get it to what it is now. To evaluate children's ideas, it was thought that questioning the children would be very beneficial and as Harlen (2000) emphasised open questions and person-centred
"Children are entitled to be provided with an appropriate curriculum"
"Children are entitled to be provided with an appropriate curriculum" Children's learning is divided into two curriculums: the Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum. Children aged 3-5 years are to be taught the Foundation Stage and children from 6-11 years are to be taught the National Curriculum. Children from age 3-11 years are entitled to be taught an appropriate curriculum regardless of gender, social class, disability, culture and ethnicity. Both the Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum are going to be explained briefly but, the Foundation Stage has been chosen to be focused on in more detail. The National Curriculum is a set guide from which teachers can refer back to. It was developed by the Conservative Government in 1989 following the Education Reform Act 1988 to assist teachers in the classrooms, then revised in 1995 by Dearing and further revised in 2000 by New Labour. It is divided up into three core subjects: Mathematics, English and Science, seven non-core subjects: History, Geography, Music, Art, P.E, D.T, I.T, there are other requirements such as R.E, Sex education and non statutory guidance like P.S.H.E and citizenship, and foreign language (KS2). All these subjects are organised into four key stages. 'For each key stage, programmes of study set out what pupils should be taught, and attainment targets set out the expected standards of
Describe and evaluate Piaget's theory of cognitive development
Describe and evaluate Piaget's theory of cognitive development Piaget believed that through interaction, children have to build their own mental framework for understanding and interacting with their own environment. They do this through the use of schemas. A schema is an internal representation of a specific physical or mental action. An infant is born with certain innate schemas, such as a sucking schema. However these schemas continue to develop and increase in their complexity and ability to let their owners function well in this world. When a child is in a state of equilibrium, they are believed to have understood everything that they have learnt. If they come across information that they are not familiar with, then they use schemas to accommodate/assimilate the information to get back into a state of equilibrium. Assimilation is the process where new ideas are understood in terms of the schema that the child already possesses, whereas accommodation is the process whereby the existing schema has to be modified to fit new ideas. Piaget defined four stages of cognitive development. The first stage, the Sensori-motor stage, occurs when the child is between 0-2 years. Very young children deal with the environment by manipulating objects. This is intelligence through action. The key achievement of this stage is object permeance. This involves being aware that the notion
Aging Families
Amanda Ross Sociology of the Family 1-13-01 Aging and Family Structures Aging Families The affects of aging on the family structure are complex and vary throughout many aspects. There are different stages in which people pass through life according to society. Within the family, human development stages follow a social and cultural script. These stages are accompanied by different types of interactions and roles that characterize the cycle. The periods not only vary culturally and individually, but also have tended to vary over time. With the changes that have occurred over time, people are living longer and this had redefined the way families interact. Simple changes in mortality have major affects on family life. There are stronger bonds between parents and children, longer time span for marriages and parenting, becoming a grandparent has become an expected event, and there are more grandparents that children already know. The declining mortality rate also has declines the number of orphans in orphanages. It is now possible for people to grow into adulthood without experiencing a death in the family. Where death was one an expected event, it is now a devastating catastrophe that could have life-long effects. There are also declining fertility rates, so there are less children being born into the family. The combination of longer lives and fewer deaths has created a
Freud's theory - Psychoanalytic Approach.
Freud's Theory This approach to the explanation of criminal behaviour is known as the Psychoanalytic Approach. This approach stresses the importance of irrational, unconscious motivations in criminal behaviour and is largely based on the: > ID - biological part of the personality: self-pleasure. > EGO - executive part of the personality: reality. > SUPEREGO - moral/judicial part of personality. Freud suggested that a dysfunctional superego is likely to lead to criminal behaviour. How does a dysfunctional superego form? According to Freud, the parents will have the biggest impact on the development of the child's superego. If the boy fails to identify with his father- for reasons such as the father is rejecting, absent or weak, the *Oedipus conflict is not resolved and the young boy will develop a weak superego. On the other hand, if the boys father is over strict then the boy s likely to over identify with him thus leading to the development of a strong superego. (Later referred to by Blackburn as a harsh superego.) Girls will only develop a weak superego because through fear of losing the love of their mother they identify with their mothers. Since girls do not have a penis, they are unable to develop a conscience through fear of castration in the same way as boys do and therefore the superegos of females are weak. The ID and the SUPEREGO are in constant conflict
To What Extent Does the Teaching of Mental Calculation Strategies Support the Development of Formal Written Methods?
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE TEACHING OF MENTAL CALCULATION STRATEGIES SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FORMAL WRITTEN METHODS? INTRODUCTION To answer the question to what extent does the teaching of mental calculation strategies support the development of formal written methods we should first of all consider what is meant by 'mental calculation'. I would consider it to be a way of finding solutions to problems using a knowledge of number facts and strategies, without using written algorithms or methods. This could be done either by 'visualising' the problem or simply 'just knowing' it. BACKGROUND Prior to the introduction of the National Curriculum, there was very little emphasis placed on teaching mental calculation strategies. The 'mental' aspect of mathematics was usually done in the form of recitation of multiplication tables or sometimes as twenty questions at the start of the lesson. These methods could certainly help to embed a body of facts within a child's mind, but it did not provide strategies or a knowledge of how to apply these facts to other mathematical problems. The Cockroft report (1982) stated that one reason it did not occupy a prominent position within most mathematics teaching was that ' It is difficult to find mental questions which are suitable for all the pupils in the classes', this was due to the fact that most primary classes contained pupils of a very
Discuss problems inherent to diagnosis and classification of abnormality
Discuss problems inherent to diagnosis and classification of abnormality This essay will be a critical evaluation of the diagnosis and classification of abnormality and the intrinsic problems involved. The term 'abnormality' is defined as 'deviation from a norm or standard', but how do psychologists determine what is abnormal or normal behaviour? The first attempt at classification of psychological abnormality was made by the Greek physician Hippocrates. He identified three categories, mania, melancholia and phrentis (fever of the brain). The first prevalent classification was developed by Kraeplin (1913) who collated earlier systems and elaborated on them. This then led to classification systems, different models and four definitions of abnormality being developed to define abnormal behaviour however, this is not an infallible system as discussed further on in the essay. Statistical infrequency is based on the idea that if certain behaviour, a person's personality or ways of thinking are statistically rare or unusual, then it is deemed as abnormal. They make no value judgements, for example homosexuality is no longer classed as wrong or unacceptable, just less statistically common. Nevertheless, the desirability of certain traits is not taken into account. If a person has a high IQ, they are deemed as 'abnormal', however, this should be classed as a gift not an abnormality.
impact of dicriminatory practice
Introduction The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the impact of discriminatory practice on work with children and investigate the ways in which the needs of children can be met through a range of anti-discriminatory practices. This essay will include the following information: * An overview of discriminatory and non-discriminatory practice * An evaluation of the impact of discriminatory practice on children * An exploration of how practitioners can meet children's needs by using non-discriminatory practice * Examples of good practice seen whilst on placement To complete this, a range of resources will be used including: - Internet - Journals - Books - E-books - News articles What is discriminatory and Anti-discriminatory Practice? There are many different definitions of the above that can be used: "Any prejudice view or diverse treatment because of race, colour, creed, or national origin" (www.surestart.gov.uk) is seen as discriminatory practice along with "Not encouraging or approving or pleasing" (http://www.iadb.org). According to Lindon (2004 p128) "Discrimination means behaving in an unfair way towards a person because of the way we have judged them." There are two types of discrimination: Direct discrimination: This is treating someone unfairly compared to someone else in the same or similar circumstances; it could be as a result of their sex,
Are Computers Detrimental To Children's Learning
Are Computers Detrimental To Children's Learning? The new technologies that have been presented in the XIX century, such as computers, brings to us many advantages and disadvantages in various aspects. The key question is: Are computers harmful to kids in their education and in their daily life? Many studies have been made in terms to determinate what is the valid opinion about this subject. In fact, there are many divided opinions about if computers are or not harmful. Computers can be harmful or not harmful depending on the use of it . I'm going to compare the different opinions about this subject, because I believe that it is fair to have a vision of both sides, so every person has his own justified opinion about the subject I'm going to discuss. I'll start on the pros of the subject. Firstly, the computer is everywhere in life, in society. It is every day bread for some people. This is why it's important that teachers help little children to feel comfortable with technology, because the earlier the students learn how to use computers in a productive way, the better the child will be prepared for their future. Another pro is that computers are a necessity for the generations that are coming. "New technologies in education have become an educational issue, a challenge, an opportunity, a risk, a necessity..." said Burbles. This means that throughout the years,
Jean Piaget - (1896-1980)
Jean Piaget - (1896-1980) * He was famous for working out a universal sequence of stages of cognitive development * Notable for his idea that children (and adults) are continually generating theories about the external world * He set out stages for when certain new aspects of generating theories; . Sensorimotor stage: which occurs from birth to age two (Children experience through their senses) 2. Preoperational stage: which occurs from ages two to seven (motor skills are acquired) 3. Concrete operational stage: which occurs from ages seven to eleven (children think logically about concrete events) 4. Formal Operational stage: which occurs after age eleven (abstract reasoning is developed here). Sensorimotor stage * The child in this stage explores the world with their senses, rather than through mental operations * This stage marks the development of essential spatial abilities and understanding of the world in six sub stages. Reflexes, habits, coordination between vision and prehension, development of logic, new means to meet goals, and the passage into unique thought Preoperational stage * In this stage, symbolic functioning occurs, along with concentration, intuitive thought, Egocentrism, and inability to conserve. * Towards the end of the second year, a qualitatively quite new kind of psychological functioning occurs. Concrete Operational stage * This stage
