Please post on this prompt for the Nov. 16 class. (There was no Nov. 11 class.) Many thanks to classmates who presented their research papers this week. First we heard about gender and video gaming and unfortunately how stereotyping seems to be carrying over into the digital world. Next we learned about Aboriginal education and how school closures may affect the quality of education for students who need much support. We also heard about multicultural education and the divide among teachers who encourage celebrating differences and those who want to avoid emphasizing divisions. Next we heard about gender and music education; how certain instruments may be perceived as masculine or feminine, and again can be different according to culture.
Just a reminder that we have about three weeks left in the semester. It's not too soon to be editing your blog postings and making sure you have your three items in good shape for the final portfolio. We'll be sharing our Group Lesson plans starting next week. See you soon.
Great job to the presenters on Tuesday evening! Very interesting topics.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoyed the presentation about 'smacking' your children. When I was younger my parents would smack my bottom if I did something bad, and I would do the same thing to my kids tomorrow. I do not believe in beating up your children, in my opinion that can lead to negative effects in the future (which the presenter talked about in class). However, I do think that parents need to smack their children if the children are misbehaving. My parents did it to me, and I believe that it had great effect on me. Most of my friends have also been smacked by their parents, however, I do know some that have not been smacked. The once that have not been smacked, speak to their parents in such a rude way, something that I would never say in front of my parents. It is almost like they do not respect their parents. I am not saying that every child that does not get smacked will disrespect their parents. I am extremely close to my parents, we have a great relationship, I definitely tell them everything, and I know they are my greatest friends, at the same time I truly respect them, and I could never say something mean to them. The reason is because I have some fear of them. I believe that the best parent is someone who is a friend to their child, and also an authority. The best balance is being a friend and an authority figure. That is how I will be with my children, because that is how my parents were with me, and I believe that is the best way!
I enjoyed the presentations last week the ones that i really was able to connect with was the one on sex education and spanking your kids.
ReplyDeleteFor sex education i beleive that they need to ensure that children are being exposed to the information that they need because they are speaking about it at a young age. At work since i am confronted with many questions about sex i feel that the schools need to spend a little more time on this topic because kids are engaging in sexual activity at a younger and younger age. Knowledge i think is key for kids.
The essay on spanking i thought was very intersting. It further developed discussion about certain students experience with spanking and their own experience with spanking. I think that before parents resort to spanking they need to use other methods. From my personal experience i think that children need to respect their parents and their authority figures. As a child i did get spanked but i would of liked it if my parents gave me consequences.
Last class’s presentation promoted an engaging conversation. Particularly, the paper on different discipline methods used on children. I did not enjoy being discipline regardless it was verbally warned or physical. However, when a child does something wrong, you need to take a stand and correct them. I think children nowadays tend to control their parents more than they used to. Perhaps since there’s more court cases regarding this topic, kids learn ways to take control and make you afraid of them. For instance, I’m now 20, my mom would never use violence to tell me to behave as oppose to when I was 10, and I was very disobedient. Nowadays when I do things my parents disagrees on; they will give me the stare and talk to me. My parents and I know that I easily runaway now I have my license. Now saying I will but for example. Not all kids will understand the stare or willing to talk when disagreements or conflicts occurs at home. At different ages and different situations, there should be different disciplines used.
ReplyDeleteYou should never yell or smack your child in public because I think that’s embarrassing for both you and your child. I know hitting people is wrong but I believe hitting should be the “last” method you used and make it mean something important so they will not do it again. From an Asian family perspective, hitting is common especially with the famous “bamboo stick”. I cannot recall if my parents used that on me but I know my sister and I witnessed some sort of punishment like that. See I can’t even remember the pain but I remember and understand I go this punishment because I was bad. If your child is as understanding and corporative even with a verbal warning would do the trick. But kids will be kids, and it’s up to us parents to stand up and do something [not abusing]. These kids are ours, and it’s our responsibility to lead them to behave well and not let them walk over us like demanding, insensitive little monkeys.
Controversial topics in education, should we teach them? This past week we heard one presentation on sexual education in schools. It raised a few debates around providing accurate and objective knowledge and the tensions it can hold with cultural and religious values. In another presentation I attended this week was centered on policy alternatives and it parallels the conversation we had the other evening. Here we were asking about policy and whom should it be designed for? The answer was we should make policy for the norms not the exceptions. This should be the same for education. I chuckle as I write this because it was just this week that I presented on alternative education… however, the main ideas should be sculpted to meet the needs of the mass. Sexual education is one of those things that children will learn (even on their own), probably participate in it and certainly be involved in dialogue about. In school it could be a form to discuss and normalize sexual behavior. I think by even making such a big deal about it we are creating more hype around it. Could it not just be something that is talked about multiple times during the course? Instead of this one intensive session, that seems to get it ‘done.’ It should also be opened up to having more conversations around sexual orientation, gender, and sexual identity.
ReplyDeleteAs the presenter on the topic of sex education mentioned, the majority of parents are pleased for their children to be taught this subject at school. Although part of the curriculum, it is another area of life where teachers are expected to perform a task which should also be the responsibility of parents; to at least re-enforce what the school has presented to their child. The biggest difficulty is how to relay this important information when parents do not sign acceptance for their children to participate in sex education classes; parents with a cultural background, or a religious belief, that makes it unimaginable for them that their child may need to be taught this subject. No doubt believing, and maybe rightly, that their child will not be engaging in sex before marriage. However, teaching sex education does not mean that the school is advocating that children put theory into practice. It is simply recognizing a reality based on the statistics of teen pregnancy and venereal infection. While it is difficult to enter the mind set of those who feel it wrong to enlighten their children to proven dangers, we should respect their position. But not that of politicians who see these parents as negative votes if their wishes are not bowed to.
ReplyDeleteAllowing parents to opt out of sex education classes for their children, does not mean that these children should be denied protection from realities that might adversely affect their lives. Perhaps one way round the problem is to teach procreation as part of a biology class as plain and simple facts; not masked as something animals do in the hope students will draw their own conclusions. Facts about venereal disease could be taught in the same way that children are enlightened about the existence of other diseases and how they are spread, and how they can be prevented. Contraception could be introduced in lessons about poverty and overpopulation. The problem of HIV and venereal infection could be introduced in discussion of areas of the world where condoms are not used, to show how devastating this has been for them. Relating this to why these diseases are still a problem in the west where methods of prevention are available. Posters with phone numbers and help lines for children who are troubled, or confused, should be available to all pupils on the school notice board; for the discussion of any problems including suicidal feelings. I do not consider these methods under hand. As mentioned in class, children learn the unpleasant facts about Hitler and the Nazis, the Holocaust and Stalin’s purges, for a wider understanding of what can happen in the world if people forget these histories. There is surely a responsibility to present the realities of dangers that are imminently threatening to their health and well being.
I think the problem is not so much about educating about sex but rather where the responsibility in providing this education lays, and the appropriate age for educating about sex. I think that sex education is both the responsibility of the schools and the parents. First the responsibility falls on parents, parents should take the initiative to educate their children about the different issues and consequences that may arise from uninformed decisions about intimate relationships, but that is to say that all children or young adults have parents and that their parents are knowledgeable. Therefore I think that schools should be responsible for educating students about sex, because in this way they have access to greater number of children and they can also provide accurate and uniform information to all students. Sex education is more than teaching about STD’s, procreation and safe sex. It should be about puberty, relationships (the emotional aspect), intimacy, and responsibility. When you began to define sex education in these terms you are better able to determine which grade levels each section would be appropriate to teach. For example in younger grades, we can try to address procreation and answer children’s questions of “where do babies come from”. This doesn’t mean that we need to go into great detail about the actual process but rather talk about relationships and the process of pregnancy. In later grades we can teach students about puberty and changing bodies and continue to build on the sex curriculum through out the years. Sex education needs to be respectful and sensitive to individual beliefs, diverse needs of individuals regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, physical/cognitive abilities and religious background. With this said I think sex education should be mandatory at some point, like the example I gave in class, since Iran is a religiously run country, sex before marriage is disapproved, therefore sex education is mandatory before getting married. This might seem ridiculous in a western context but I think it is practical because they have found a way that provides sex education and still remains respectful of religious beliefs. Some might argue that to only provide sex education before marriage is to deny people are having premarital sex. True, but it’s the same to say that people will make informed decision if they are informed. I think even if we don’t have mandatory sex education classes we need to stop making sex taboo and encourage children and young adults to ask questions. We should also continue to make information about sex accessible to all.
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