Where to begin? The last four chapters were filled with information, I found quite interesting. I could relate to almost everything. In chapters 11 and 12, we learned about Early Adulthood (late teens-thirties). In chapters 13 and 14, we learned about development of Middle Adulthood (40-65 years of age). For example, the section in chapter 11 about the Impact of Work, was interesting to me because I have recently made the decision to cut my hours at work for school in the fall. I had to weigh a lot on this decision and I am still not positive I made the right one. I learn a lot from my job, yet I need to focus on my schooling now. I will be quite amazed if everything falls into place. I also enjoyed the article on the Triarchic Theory of Love and the small section in the book that covers it. I never thought about there being so many types of love and how each is made up of different aspects of intimacy, commitment, and passion. These learning plans also gave us the opportunity to dig deeper into the world of adolescents while working on the group project, "Adolescents Are". As the mother of a teenager, I enjoyed learning how I can be a better parent for him. It is funny to me that when I was his age, I thought my parents were so dense for not being able to understand me. Now that I am the parent, I try to think of that when I am trying to figure him out.
Overall, I found these chapters and learning plans a nice balance of knowledge to learn. Not only was there a lot of information packed into these sections, but there was also a lot of fascinating information to keep your focus.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
I am so glad we only have to go through adolescence once..LP 9 & 10 Reflection
Having a thirteen year old at home, I paid close attention to the topic of adolescence. I do not miss those days. I remember those years quite vividly as the most exciting and terrible all at the same time. I often compare my teenager to what I was like at his age. I now know that is the worst thing I could do. In the radio interview, on the Secret Lives of Boys, Malina Saval explained that it is wrong to compare your own adolescent experience with your child's because the times have changed. I never thought of it like that. That being said though, I still feel that the aspects of development will remain the same. The interview also said something that caught my attention. That is that the problem is not with teenagers accepting themselves as much as it is as parents or other adults accepting the teenager. I can remember thinking when I was thirteen that no one could possibly understand what my life is like. When you think no one understands, you are less likely to open up. I don't think girls are so much different than boys. I think boys and girls fall into a trap of gender roles that society has created for us. Deep down I think we have the same emotions, but the expression is a direct result of the environment we are nurtured in. Saval talked about how boys had a great deal of "empathetic and loyalty emotions". I can agree with that. I definitely see that in my boys, and in my daughter it is just a different type of empathy, with not a lot of loyalty. However, I know that in my experience, I had issues with my mother as a teenager, but now I don't know of anyone else I'd rather be around.
The radio program about sleep was also interesting to me. Before these chapters I had not heard about needing extra sleep as a part of adolescence. I remember as a teenager sleeping till noon on weekends and staying up as late as I could manage on the weekends. I always thought it was a control thing with me. Even as a young adult I wanted to stay up late only because I could. I do notice my son staying up later and wanting to sleep most of the day away. I now know ways to get a handle on the sleep issue. I thought it was just laziness or summer fever. The idea about extra light is great. My sons bedroom is in the basement and it is very dark down there, I think adding some artificial sun is a great idea. I doubt he will think so. Education really is power in this sense.
In chapter 9, the information about adolescent pregnancy was astonishing to me. I never realized how prevalent this was. I know when I was in high school, young mothers were judged harshly and rarely were the fathers victims of such harsh judgement. I found that to be very wrong and often felt sorry for young mothers. Especially for those who are merely victims of their own circumstances. I especially liked the following quote, "not every adolescent female who bears a child lives a life of poverty and low achievement...although adolescent pregnancy is a high-risk circumstance and adolescents who do not become pregnant generally fare better than those who do, some adolescent mothers do well in school and have positive outcomes." Too often, teenage mothers are judged poorly and this quote puts in perspective that this situation can happen to anyone.
One thing that did not come as a surprise to me was the leading cause of deaths for adolescence, accidents. It was surprising that suicide accounts for six percent of the deaths in the 10-14 age group and 12 percent of deaths in the 15-19 age group. Suicide is not something you hear a lot about in these age groups.
A related issue that was and still is a constant battle in my life is depression. As an adolescent, I had no idea how consuming it was. However, as it has followed me to adulthood I am very aware of the affects it can have. I personally feel that if as a teenager you are not able to communicate with your parents or other adults, or even a close friend..depression can be inevitable. I think for so many the "secrets" that we carry around can overcome us and lead us on the dark path of depression. I know for me, I will do whatever it takes to not have my children suffer from such a disabling condition.
The radio program about sleep was also interesting to me. Before these chapters I had not heard about needing extra sleep as a part of adolescence. I remember as a teenager sleeping till noon on weekends and staying up as late as I could manage on the weekends. I always thought it was a control thing with me. Even as a young adult I wanted to stay up late only because I could. I do notice my son staying up later and wanting to sleep most of the day away. I now know ways to get a handle on the sleep issue. I thought it was just laziness or summer fever. The idea about extra light is great. My sons bedroom is in the basement and it is very dark down there, I think adding some artificial sun is a great idea. I doubt he will think so. Education really is power in this sense.
In chapter 9, the information about adolescent pregnancy was astonishing to me. I never realized how prevalent this was. I know when I was in high school, young mothers were judged harshly and rarely were the fathers victims of such harsh judgement. I found that to be very wrong and often felt sorry for young mothers. Especially for those who are merely victims of their own circumstances. I especially liked the following quote, "not every adolescent female who bears a child lives a life of poverty and low achievement...although adolescent pregnancy is a high-risk circumstance and adolescents who do not become pregnant generally fare better than those who do, some adolescent mothers do well in school and have positive outcomes." Too often, teenage mothers are judged poorly and this quote puts in perspective that this situation can happen to anyone.
One thing that did not come as a surprise to me was the leading cause of deaths for adolescence, accidents. It was surprising that suicide accounts for six percent of the deaths in the 10-14 age group and 12 percent of deaths in the 15-19 age group. Suicide is not something you hear a lot about in these age groups.
A related issue that was and still is a constant battle in my life is depression. As an adolescent, I had no idea how consuming it was. However, as it has followed me to adulthood I am very aware of the affects it can have. I personally feel that if as a teenager you are not able to communicate with your parents or other adults, or even a close friend..depression can be inevitable. I think for so many the "secrets" that we carry around can overcome us and lead us on the dark path of depression. I know for me, I will do whatever it takes to not have my children suffer from such a disabling condition.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Reflection of Chapters 7 and 8: Learning Plan 8 Blog
For this blog assignment I read a very interesting article about Intelligence Testing. You can find the article at the following link:
http://www.ntc.edu:2101/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=30537124&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live
The article was entitled "What Do IQ Tests Measure? Not Intelligence"
It was interesting to me, because I never thought about how the current IQ tests were developed nor did I question what the results implied. According to the article, IQ tests are geared at testing brain functions we consider important to develop in Western Industrialized Society. The tests neglects to assess the wide variety of other areas of the brain. The article also explains that there is a 15-point discrepancy between white and African American test takers. This is true because of a lack of role models committed to education among the African American inner-city ghettos. The following quote from the article wraps up the whole essence of the article: "If these tests were properly named, they would be called Tests That Predict Success or Failure in the School System From Which the Questions Have Been Derived. Nothing would be said about the relationship between scores on these tests and intelligence--whatever that means".
I found chapters 7 & 8 filled with a lot of information that I found very useful. This class is an excellent opportunity for a parent such as myself. I find I am learning more about my children and myself as a parent than I ever thought I would. I enjoyed the extra research opportunities I had the last couple of weeks, with learning about whether or not my children should do chores and also learning about measuring critical thinking skills. You really do not think about all the critical thinking that is involved in a persons day. It is amazing, especially when you are looking at through a child's eyes.
The section about Moral Development was also quite fascinating to me. It was a new concept for me. "Kohlberg believed that peer interaction is a critical part of the social stimulation that challenges children to change their moral reasoning. Whereas adults characteristically impose rules and regulations on children, the give-and-take among peers gives children an opportunity to take the perspective of another person and to generate rules democratically." It never occurred to me before reading this that moral reasoning was such a huge thing for a child to conquer.
Also, the section on families caught my interest as well. I am a stepparent and whenever I can learn more about that special dynamic I will. It is a complicated dynamic, I have been a stepmother for a little over 12 years now. It amazes me to see how our relationship shifts and changes so often and quickly. It is something I have to work on daily and be extra sensitive about.
The section on peers was also interesting to me. I never understand the world of peers when I was in school. I was always the shy kid who kept to themselves. It is interesting to see the dynamics from a different perspective now that I am an adult and do not have the same fears I did then. Also, I now try to analyze my children and guess what peer status group they would be classified in. Knowledge can be so much fun.
Making our own quiz this week was such a good review for me, it forced me to delve into my book and try to figure out the key ideas of the chapters.
http://www.ntc.edu:2101/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=30537124&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live
The article was entitled "What Do IQ Tests Measure? Not Intelligence"
It was interesting to me, because I never thought about how the current IQ tests were developed nor did I question what the results implied. According to the article, IQ tests are geared at testing brain functions we consider important to develop in Western Industrialized Society. The tests neglects to assess the wide variety of other areas of the brain. The article also explains that there is a 15-point discrepancy between white and African American test takers. This is true because of a lack of role models committed to education among the African American inner-city ghettos. The following quote from the article wraps up the whole essence of the article: "If these tests were properly named, they would be called Tests That Predict Success or Failure in the School System From Which the Questions Have Been Derived. Nothing would be said about the relationship between scores on these tests and intelligence--whatever that means".
I found chapters 7 & 8 filled with a lot of information that I found very useful. This class is an excellent opportunity for a parent such as myself. I find I am learning more about my children and myself as a parent than I ever thought I would. I enjoyed the extra research opportunities I had the last couple of weeks, with learning about whether or not my children should do chores and also learning about measuring critical thinking skills. You really do not think about all the critical thinking that is involved in a persons day. It is amazing, especially when you are looking at through a child's eyes.
The section about Moral Development was also quite fascinating to me. It was a new concept for me. "Kohlberg believed that peer interaction is a critical part of the social stimulation that challenges children to change their moral reasoning. Whereas adults characteristically impose rules and regulations on children, the give-and-take among peers gives children an opportunity to take the perspective of another person and to generate rules democratically." It never occurred to me before reading this that moral reasoning was such a huge thing for a child to conquer.
Also, the section on families caught my interest as well. I am a stepparent and whenever I can learn more about that special dynamic I will. It is a complicated dynamic, I have been a stepmother for a little over 12 years now. It amazes me to see how our relationship shifts and changes so often and quickly. It is something I have to work on daily and be extra sensitive about.
The section on peers was also interesting to me. I never understand the world of peers when I was in school. I was always the shy kid who kept to themselves. It is interesting to see the dynamics from a different perspective now that I am an adult and do not have the same fears I did then. Also, I now try to analyze my children and guess what peer status group they would be classified in. Knowledge can be so much fun.
Making our own quiz this week was such a good review for me, it forced me to delve into my book and try to figure out the key ideas of the chapters.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Chapters 5 and 6
Chapter 5: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
Chapter 6: Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood.
These chapters were both very involved and full of new information to me. These chapters seemed to put together the concepts I learned in Intro to Psychology. I enjoyed the articles in Learning Plan 5 about types of play, Vygoysky, Theories of Mind, and Baumrinds parenting styles. The different types of parenting styles defined by Baumrinds was particularly fascinating to me. I found that I was quite an inconsistent parent on most days and that my husband is usually right when it comes to parenting techniques. Overall, I found my style is most like that of an authoritative.
Something that never occurred to me was the ideas of the Theory of Mind. I guess that I never really thought about how children viewed the ways others think. I also found it interesting that the later a toddler develops this awareness of other people having different thoughts the more likely that child will be less social and become a victim of a bully. It made me wonder if that is why I was shy as a child. It would be very interesting to investigate that further.
I also found the reading about moral development very interesting. It is something I don't normally think about. I find myself now analyzing everything my six year old does to try to decode where she is in her development. I am excited to learn more about the development of my children and myself in the weeks to come.
Chapter 6: Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood.
These chapters were both very involved and full of new information to me. These chapters seemed to put together the concepts I learned in Intro to Psychology. I enjoyed the articles in Learning Plan 5 about types of play, Vygoysky, Theories of Mind, and Baumrinds parenting styles. The different types of parenting styles defined by Baumrinds was particularly fascinating to me. I found that I was quite an inconsistent parent on most days and that my husband is usually right when it comes to parenting techniques. Overall, I found my style is most like that of an authoritative.
Something that never occurred to me was the ideas of the Theory of Mind. I guess that I never really thought about how children viewed the ways others think. I also found it interesting that the later a toddler develops this awareness of other people having different thoughts the more likely that child will be less social and become a victim of a bully. It made me wonder if that is why I was shy as a child. It would be very interesting to investigate that further.
I also found the reading about moral development very interesting. It is something I don't normally think about. I find myself now analyzing everything my six year old does to try to decode where she is in her development. I am excited to learn more about the development of my children and myself in the weeks to come.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Learning Plans 3 and 4
These chapters were quite interesting to me. I have three children and wish I would have known then what I've learned in the last week. I found the information on brain development fascinating. As a parent, you think you know everything there is to know about your child, I only now realize how little I did know. Although, my kids survived my ignorance.
I especially enjoyed the article "To Be a Baby". I truly enjoyed my philosophy class in my first year in college. One quote that comes to mind is about imagination. "Imagination isn't just something we develop for our amusement; it seems to be something innate and connected to how we understand the casual structure of the real world." It all seems so logical that childhood is a time for complete uselessness. It may sound harsh, but I can relate to being so overwhelmed with school work and learning and taking in, that at the end of the day I really wish I did not have to take care of myself or anything else. What a luxury it seems to be, now while I'm in the process of learning so much, to be useless with all the other responsibilities. The article touched me in a sense that if there is only one thing I teach my children, it would be to not follow in my footsteps. It is so much easier to go to college when you have no responsibilities, it may not mean as much, but it is easier to focus on learning. They get tired of hearing it, but I hope they take it to heart. Again, if I only knew then what I know now. I also thought the article ended on a very thoughtful note. "And this gives us the ability to change those things that are wrong and get to better moral principles than we started out with". What a refreshing thought.
I really seem to get a lot from the articles we read from the discussion boards and learning plans. The article "Children Needing a Childhood", was another article that touched me. It gave me a total new perspective on my parenting. It made me realize that the most important gift or lesson I can give my children is to give them more of me.
Chapter four had a lot of interesting information as well. I used to be a home daycare provider and found the section on child care very informative. I experienced a lot of the topics that were covered in this section. I had always wondered about the separation anxiety. One day a child would come to me, like I was a second mother. The next day, they wouldn't come near me. It was very disturbing at the time, but now it makes perfect sense.
In conclusion, I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I find myself wanting to learn more about everything I've read. Especially the interesting articles. It is so much more real when you read an article that you can relate to on a personal level.
I especially enjoyed the article "To Be a Baby". I truly enjoyed my philosophy class in my first year in college. One quote that comes to mind is about imagination. "Imagination isn't just something we develop for our amusement; it seems to be something innate and connected to how we understand the casual structure of the real world." It all seems so logical that childhood is a time for complete uselessness. It may sound harsh, but I can relate to being so overwhelmed with school work and learning and taking in, that at the end of the day I really wish I did not have to take care of myself or anything else. What a luxury it seems to be, now while I'm in the process of learning so much, to be useless with all the other responsibilities. The article touched me in a sense that if there is only one thing I teach my children, it would be to not follow in my footsteps. It is so much easier to go to college when you have no responsibilities, it may not mean as much, but it is easier to focus on learning. They get tired of hearing it, but I hope they take it to heart. Again, if I only knew then what I know now. I also thought the article ended on a very thoughtful note. "And this gives us the ability to change those things that are wrong and get to better moral principles than we started out with". What a refreshing thought.
I really seem to get a lot from the articles we read from the discussion boards and learning plans. The article "Children Needing a Childhood", was another article that touched me. It gave me a total new perspective on my parenting. It made me realize that the most important gift or lesson I can give my children is to give them more of me.
Chapter four had a lot of interesting information as well. I used to be a home daycare provider and found the section on child care very informative. I experienced a lot of the topics that were covered in this section. I had always wondered about the separation anxiety. One day a child would come to me, like I was a second mother. The next day, they wouldn't come near me. It was very disturbing at the time, but now it makes perfect sense.
In conclusion, I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I find myself wanting to learn more about everything I've read. Especially the interesting articles. It is so much more real when you read an article that you can relate to on a personal level.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
So much to learn, so little time...
Reflection of Learning Plans: Introduction, Learning Plan 1, and Learning Plan 2
My expectations of this class was to breeze through the summer with an easy class and hopefully learn a little something along the way. I was mistaken. Just in the first week I feel I have absorbed a lot of new information. For instance, if you would have asked me two weeks ago what a blog was, I would have had no idea what you were referring to. Now here I am posting my second entry to my very own blog. I have been a student at NTC for two years and have never used their Library site. I am greatly disappointed I did not know about it sooner, it is a great tool.
In the first learning plan, I honestly was overwhelmed with the thought of so many tasks. However, I found the work to be quite interesting. It is not often that a class will ask you your take on things and make you reflect so much of yourself. I found that there are many topics close to my heart that I will now have a chance to research. Being a mother, anything new I learn about raising my kids and how they develop into adults is so crucial to me. I enjoyed reviewing information on the maltreatment of children and reading other students ideas for research topics. I found it very helpful to read others opinions on not only my topic, but so many different topics as well. The review activities were a good review of the chapter.
As for the second learning plan, I really had to dig deep to understand the material and what it meant to me and my life. The ideas of heritability and environmentability were foreign to me. I never thought about how the two work together, rather than independently. The first reaction I had to the information was that I did not agree. I always thought children were the products of their parents and that alone. It did not matter your surroundings, you were predestined to be carbon copies of your parents. Thank goodness that is not true. The other concepts of chapter 2 were familiar to me and I did not find the material challenging.
I truly am impressed about how much this class makes me really think about things. I know I do not take enough time to evaluate the way I feel about certain things or even have an opinion about anything outside my everyday busy life. Although it is work, I enjoy the satisfaction from the effort that goes into my assignments and the knowledge gained.
My expectations of this class was to breeze through the summer with an easy class and hopefully learn a little something along the way. I was mistaken. Just in the first week I feel I have absorbed a lot of new information. For instance, if you would have asked me two weeks ago what a blog was, I would have had no idea what you were referring to. Now here I am posting my second entry to my very own blog. I have been a student at NTC for two years and have never used their Library site. I am greatly disappointed I did not know about it sooner, it is a great tool.
In the first learning plan, I honestly was overwhelmed with the thought of so many tasks. However, I found the work to be quite interesting. It is not often that a class will ask you your take on things and make you reflect so much of yourself. I found that there are many topics close to my heart that I will now have a chance to research. Being a mother, anything new I learn about raising my kids and how they develop into adults is so crucial to me. I enjoyed reviewing information on the maltreatment of children and reading other students ideas for research topics. I found it very helpful to read others opinions on not only my topic, but so many different topics as well. The review activities were a good review of the chapter.
As for the second learning plan, I really had to dig deep to understand the material and what it meant to me and my life. The ideas of heritability and environmentability were foreign to me. I never thought about how the two work together, rather than independently. The first reaction I had to the information was that I did not agree. I always thought children were the products of their parents and that alone. It did not matter your surroundings, you were predestined to be carbon copies of your parents. Thank goodness that is not true. The other concepts of chapter 2 were familiar to me and I did not find the material challenging.
I truly am impressed about how much this class makes me really think about things. I know I do not take enough time to evaluate the way I feel about certain things or even have an opinion about anything outside my everyday busy life. Although it is work, I enjoy the satisfaction from the effort that goes into my assignments and the knowledge gained.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Hi everyone,
My name is Jenny Sandoval. I am 31 years old. I am married and have three children. They are 13, 10, and 6. I work as a CNA at Aspirus Wausau Hospital in the Rehab unit. I will be starting the nursing program at NTC in the fall. I have been waiting for two years and can't wait to finish. School is much harder when you're trying to do it while working and raising a family. It is worth it though.
My name is Jenny Sandoval. I am 31 years old. I am married and have three children. They are 13, 10, and 6. I work as a CNA at Aspirus Wausau Hospital in the Rehab unit. I will be starting the nursing program at NTC in the fall. I have been waiting for two years and can't wait to finish. School is much harder when you're trying to do it while working and raising a family. It is worth it though.
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