Social DevelopmentLanguage is an expression of culture as well as social order. The more sociable a child is, the more he or she will want to produce and receive language information.

As language teachers, we notice that children vary more in social development than in any other form of development.

To create the proper atmosphere for language acquisition, social interaction must be more balanced in a language class than in any other school subject (more of this in Module 3 Section 3).

Many language production activities work best when children are in groups or in pairs.

In the article you will read for Task 6 below, the author analyzes the situation of a parent asking a teacher for advice on children's social skills.

As a language teacher, you will rarely, if ever, deal with a parent asking these types of questions.

When you read this article convert the viewpoint of the parent to your own viewpoint as a teacher. Imagine yourself asking a more experienced teacher for advice in dealing with social problems in your

classroom.

Task 6

Quickly read through Encouraging Social Skills in Young Children: Tips Teachers Can Share with Parents by Dr. Jacquelyn Mize and Dr. Ellen Abell.

Write two questions you would like to ask an experienced teacher about children's social skills in the classroom.Task 6

ERIC (The Educational Resources Information Center) Digest is an excellent source of short articles for L2 teachers. Click on

the "i" button to find more free Internet information sources.

This article was taken from the ERIC Digest:

Understanding and Facilitating Preschool Children's Peer Acceptance

Kristen M. Kemple

EDO-PS-92-5

Peer Acceptance and Children's Behavior

Children's understanding of emotional expressions and situations has been found to relate to how well peers like or dislike them. A study at George Mason University suggests that well-liked children are better able than other children to read and respond to peers' emotions. Disliked children may misinterpret peers' emotions, leading to difficult interactions and eventual rejection by peers.

In general, positive behaviors, such as cooperation, are associated with being accepted by peers, and antisocial behaviors, such as aggression, are associated with being rejected. This is confirmed by recent studies identifying characteristics and behaviors related to being liked or disliked by peers.

Good communication is a skill important to the continuation of social play. Well-liked children appear to communicate better than disliked children. In a study at the University of Texas, well-liked children were more likely than others to be clear in direct communications by saying the other child's name, establishing eye contact, or touching the child they intended to address. Well-liked children more often replied appropriately to children who spoke to them, rather than ignoring the speaker, changing the subject, or saying something irrelevant. While well-liked children were not any less prone to reject peers' communications toward them, they were more likely to offer a reason for the rejection or suggest alternatives. For example, in rejecting a peer's suggestion--"Let's pretend we are hiding from the witch"--a well-liked child was more likely to say, "No, we played that yesterday," or, "No, let's be robbers instead," rather than just saying, "No."

Peer Acceptance and Social Reputation

It is important to recognize the role of the peer group in maintaining a child's level of social acceptance. Once a child has established a reputation among peers either as someone with whom it is fun to play or as someone with whom joint play is unpleasant or dissatisfying, this reputation may influence the way other children perceive the child's later behavior. If a negative reputation is developed, helping the child become accepted may require more than a change in the child's behavior; it may also be necessary to point out to the other children when the child's behavior changes and to guide them to respond to the child in positive ways.

How Can Teachers and Other Adults Help?

Studies such as those mentioned above suggest important elements to be considered by those who wish to understand why a particular child is unpopular and need to decide what to do to help that child gain social acceptance. To assist a disliked child in gaining acceptance, careful, informed observation is needed.

Observe behavior and note: Does the child have greater success interacting with one or two peers than with larger groups? Does the child often seem to misinterpret the apparent intentions and emotional cues of other children? When rejecting a playmate's suggestion, does the child provide a reason or an alternative idea? Do classmates consistently rebuff or ignore the child's attempts to engage in play, even when the child is using strategies that should work? There is no recipe for facilitating acceptance. To help a child, it is essential to identify the child's areas of difficulty.

Strategies to Consider

Adults who work with groups of children may feel frustrated in their attempts to help a child achieve social acceptance. Many approaches can be adapted to particular situations and needs of individual children. Special play activities can be arranged, such as grouping children who lack social skills with those who are socially competent and will thus provide examples for learning effective skills. Planning special play sessions with a younger child may help the socially isolated child. Research reports that socially isolated preschoolers exposed to play sessions with pairs of younger children eventually become more socially involved in the class than do isolated children who play with children of their own age. The decision to pair a child with a younger or more socially skilled child should depend on whether the child's social isolation is due to ineffective social skills or lack of confidence. Some children have adequate social skills, but are anxious and inhibited about using them. Opportunities to be the big guy in play with a younger child may give the inhibited child a needed boost of social confidence.

Sometimes disliked children behave aggressively because they don't know how to resolve conflicts. Planned activities can help children generate alternative solutions to difficult social situations. Skits, puppet shows, or group discussions that present hypothetical situations can encourage a wide range of ideas for potential solutions. Such methods can increase the number of appropriate strategies, such as taking turns or sharing, that are available to the children. However, to effectively implement such newly learned strategies in the classroom, children must be given on-the-spot guidance when real conflict situations occur. To help

with conflict resolution, the adult can encourage the children involved to voice their perspectives, generate potential solutions, and jointly decide on and implement a mutually acceptable solution.

When a child has difficulty entering ongoing play, an adult can steer the child toward smaller or more accepting groups, or can structure the environment to include inviting spaces for private small group or one-on-one play. A loft, a tent, or a large empty box might make an inviting space. When a child asks, "Can I play?" the teacher can guide the child in observing the ongoing play, figuring out the group's theme and purpose, and thinking of a role to play or of ways to contribute to the group.

On-the-spot guidance by adults can facilitate communication, which contributes to successful play. A child who rejects playmates' ideas without offering explanations or alternatives could be told, "Ben I don't think Tom understands why you don't want to play store. Can you tell him why?" or "Can you tell him what else you could do together?" A disliked child having difficulty reading others' emotional cues might be given a suggestion--"Look at Mary's face. Do you think she likes it when you poke her?"

In addition to using techniques that focus on the disliked child, adults may need to translate for the peer group the unpopular child's behavior and apparent intentions. For example, an adult might say, "Thomas wants to play with you. If you don't need another father, who could he be instead?" However, when intervention focuses on the peer group, adults should not force peers to play with a disliked child. This may cause resentment and increase rejection of the child.

The teacher's attempts to help a disliked child find a comfortable niche in the peer group may prove more successful if the child's family is involved, either directly or indirectly. After describing to the parent what techniques are being tried in the classroom, the teacher may suggest how the parent can use some of the strategies to help the child play with peers at home or interact with siblings. Children who feel good about themselves and experience loving family relationships may bring their expectations of acceptance and success to the peer group. Such expectations can become self-fulfilling prophecies.

For the child whose poor self-concept reflects difficulties in the child's family, parent conferences in which the teacher can offer support may be helpful. Literature on such topics as positive discipline and effective parent-child interaction can be offered on a parent reading shelf or bulletin board. Parent discussion groups, facilitated by a knowledgeable professional, can provide information about the importance of social competence and guidance strategies that can help parents facilitate their child's development.

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of three ERIC/EECE digests that focus on children's peer relationships as educational contexts. These digests are adapted from articles that originally appeared in the Fall 1991 (Vol. 19, No. 1) issue of the Early Report of the University of Minnesota's Center for Early Education and Development.

Physical Development and TPR

We often forget that a child is fundamentally a physical being. If something is not somehow physically tangible, then it does not really exist for a child.

As a child grows older the metaphysical world becomes more important.

Play does not only involve the physical exploration of the world; it also includes the use imagination and creativity. Issues dealing with emotions and social interaction also become a concern for older children.

However, every child whether younger or older needs to constantly explore the physical world to have a healthy overall development.

You will start to notice how important the physical world is for a child as you gain more experience, but for now it is sufficient to know some of the basic stages of physical development for an average child.

    6 Years Old    7-8 Years Old 9-12 Years Old

uses scissors and markers

difficulty in writing

difficulty in folding

has good balance

can use small tools well

easily prints (or writes) own name

ties shoelaces

increased interest in sports

significant increase in physical strength

good hand-eye coordination

Try to observe the physical abilities that your students have. You cannot expect them to do origami if it is difficult for them to fold a paper precisely in half.

The ability to use scissors can depend on how much practice a child has had. Children who are taught physically challenging skills at home, will do much better than the students who just depend on school practice.

This is important for when you plan activities with young learners. If the task is too physically difficult, you will spend too much time trying to help each student and they will not be motivated to participate in future activities.

Remember that there is a tremendous difference in physical ability between an average 6-year old and an 8-year old.

What seems very easy and basic to an adult, might be impossible for a child to do. You will learn to properly assess the students' abilities with careful observation and more experience.

The most famous researcher in the field of physical development and language learning is Dr. James J. Asher who is the originator of Total Physical Response also known as TPR.

Reading 4

Read TPR is a valuable tool! by Judie Haynes Total Physical Response in the Classroom by Theresa Romo and How the Brain Influences Behavior   (A presentation by Dr. Asher for a TESL conference in Canada in 2001).

Think of how you could use TPR to teach English to children. Is it a difficult task?    More on this in Module 4.

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If you do not like TPR or have a better system that deals with the physical aspects of a young learner, then please try to develop it and share it with others. Part of maintaining your students' motivation is for you to remain interested in specific aspects of your work.

Cultural Considerations

One of the most fundamental characteristics that we often attribute to children is that they are free spiritsand do not concern themselves with the problems of cultural or religious differences.

The reality is that children are extremely concerned with any change or difference in culture.

A child's world must be constant, stable, and recognizable in order for a child to remain happy.

Remember: Do not interfere with religion or culture.

No matter how well-intentioned, a teacher should not try to change any aspect of the child's cultural or religious background.

Trying to enforce change signifies that the teacher believes that her/his own values are superior to the child's native culture or religion.

This is arrogant and destructive. Just as we know that no language is superior to another, we also have to remember that no culture or religion has the monopoly on being the best.

You may not agree with this viewpoint, but remember that children accept their culture based on believing and trusting their parents. Later, as adults, they can explore their own ideas, but for now their lives need to remain stable; their culture is often the "glue" that holds their families together.

Because English is spoken in some of the most developed nations in the world, we associate the success of those nations with cultural or even religious superiority.

Historians now agree that colonial empires flourished due to the use of brute force and the policy of destroying other cultures and religions.

Wow! What does that have to do with teaching English to children?!

Well, many teachers still come into another country with a subconscious feeling of superiority. To foster a true appreciation for a child's culture, we have to ask why things are done in a certain way. We cannot simply look at the surface and say "that's just wrong".

Cultural awareness cannot be taught. It is attained through exploration and openness. We must put aside any cultural snobbery

and look for the answers. If we cannot find the answers, we must accept the difference until the answers are found.

By cultural differences, we are not talking about any type of abuse or violence against children. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable and should be reported to the local police.

Corporal punishment in the classroom is still generally accepted in many parts of the world, however, by law it is forbidden in almost every country (U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child).

If you find yourself in a position where you cannot tolerate the cultural differences, or you work in a situation that is unacceptable, please remove yourself from that situation and try your luck elsewhere.

Language is a fundamental tool for the expression of culture. The best way to learn about a child's culture is to learn their first language.

Even if you have a classroom where there are several different native languages just learning one of the languages will help you to establish a deeper cultural awareness.

Learning another language also helps us to understand the problems our students face when acquiring their second language.

Should a person be teaching L2 if they themselves have not learned a second language?

Reading 5

Read Developing Cultural Awareness in EFL Classroomsby Roseanne Tavares and Ildney Cavalcanti.

This article was written to instruct teachers on how to teach the culture of English-speaking countries, but it can be applied to cultural awareness in an international ESL situation.

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In the next section we will assemble everything we have learned in this module and develop a personal philosophy or strategy for interacting with children.

Developing Cultural Awarenessin EFL Classrooms

by Roseanne Tavares and Ildney Cavalcanti

.Anthropologists define culture as ".the whole way of life of a people or group. In this context, culture includes all the social practices that bond a group of people together and distinguish them from others" (Montgomery and Reid-Thomas, 1994:5). Based on this definition, it is our opinion that the classroom context is an example of a cultural group and by being so, is an excellent phenomenon to be analysed and observed. In fact, some researchers have already investigated classroom settings under two complementary viewpoints: social interaction and language learning. These two viewpoints led some investigators to realize that culture is not only present in the classroom setting but also in the language that is being taught.

Nowadays, some researchers claim that cultural learning positively affects students' linguistic success in foreign language learning. Others state that culture can be used as an instrument in the processes of communication

when culturally-determined behavioural conventions are taught (Byram et al. 1994). These two conceptions are far too narrow for our purposes here, however. We believe that culture should not be seen as a support to language teaching but that it should be placed on an equal footing with foreign language teaching.

Regardless of different points of view, culture has taken an important place in language teaching and learning studies. It has been widely recognized that culture and language are interrelated and that language is used as the main medium through which culture is expressed (Montgomery and Reid-Thomas, 1994). In our opinion, in foreign language classrooms, "pure information" is useful but does not necessarily lead us to insight, whereas the development of people's cultural awareness leads us to more critical thinking as citizens with political and social understanding of our own and other communities.

But how can we "teach" culture to Brazilian foreign language teenage students who usually do not have close contact with native speakers of English and have little opportunity to discover how these speakers think, feel and interact with others in their own peer group? How can we stimulate their curiosity about the target culture when, sometimes, they do not even have sufficient time to learn the formal properties of the language. Perhaps one of the ways of doing so is by exploring culture-based activities.

Needs and audience

The idea of developing a set of activities arose from the fact that although the teaching of EFL has become widespread in all levels of Brazilian education, teachers still lack resource material for exploring the target culture in the classroom. Actually, there are some books in the area, but they are not specifically concerned with the similarities and differences among Brazilian culture and those of English-speaking countries. Note: The activities described in this article are suitable for primary, secondary, and tertiary English teachers and private school professionals who desire to develop a programme in which language and culture are interrelated and have the same level of importance.

Objective

The aim of these activities is to increase students' awareness and to develop their curiosity towards the target culture and their own, helping them to make comparisons among cultures. These comparisons are not meant to underestimate any of the cultures being analysed, but to enrich students' experience and to make them aware that although some culture elements are being globalized, there is still diversity among cultures. This diversity should then be understood and respected, and never, as we have said before, over or underestimated.

With this cultural diversity in mind, we do not mean to emphasize only one target culture such as the British or the American. Instead, we chose a miscellaneous style in which cultural elements of any English speaking country could be employed in an activity. On the other hand, this variety of cultures was grouped under predetermined cultural topics.

Determining topics

By cultural topics, we consider all properties that are included in the definition of the word "culture" (for example: cultural artifacts, family talk). These properties are extensive and practically impossible to be explored by all activities. Thus, we decided on general categories which encompass such properties. Four different sources of general categories were analysed. They were: Teaching and Learning Language and Culture by Byram, Morgan and Colleagues, Cultural Awareness by Tomalin & Stempleski, British Studies: Designing and Developing Programmes Outside Britain published by the British Council, and finally a list of categories developed and presented by the Bulgarian teachers at the Third International Summer School on British Cultural Studies. Having compared the four classifications mentioned above, we developed the following topics which guide each section of our set of materials. These topics are presented with no concern for order of importance or progression:

Social identity: Groups characterized by social class, ethnic minorities;

Social interaction at different levels of familiarity; Belief and behaviour: Patterns of everyday life, usually taken for

granted; Socio-political institutions: Institutions of the state and of

socialization such as ceremonies, local government; National history and geography: Historical events, geographical

places; Media: TV, newspaper, radio;

Arts: Literature, cinema; Language variation: Black English, Cockney, (here the main focus is

on how language is presented).

Although these three last categories are better defined as the media through which culture is expressed rather than the properties themselves, we classified them as sections due to their richness in cultural peculiarities.

Finally, we developed classroom activities for these categories by using authentic materials, our own personal experience as EFL teachers, and of course contributions from colleagues through ideas that were adapted to our needs and objectives.

The activities are described under the following headings: aims, materials, level, preparation, procedure, follow-up and variation. They are devised in such a way that allows the teacher the flexibility to adapt them according to his/her needs and audience. Whenever possible we also insert some linguistic items which may be used together with the cultural aspect emphasized. This is mainly due to the fact that in the Brazilian school system cultural studies are not viewed as a separate subject. Thus, cultural-based activities are generally applied in the EFL classroom. The three activities provide a sample of the material we have already developed.

National History and Geography 1. English-Speaking Countries

Aims:

Indicate the geographical location of some English-speaking countries;

Raise the learners' awareness of the geographical extent of the usage of the English language;

Introduce vocabulary related to countries and respective languages.

Materials:

Photocopies of the world map;

Cards containing names of countries (see preparation).

Level:

Beginner.

Preparation:

1. Photocopy the world map (one copy per student);

2. Prepare about 25 cards and write the name of a different country in each one. We suggest the following:

* AustraliaBrazil

* CanadaChileEgypt

* EnglandFrance

* GuyanaHolland

* India* Ireland* Jamaica

JapanMexico

* New Zealand* Nigeria* Northern Ireland* Pakistan

Saudi Arabia

* Scotland* South Africa* USA* Wales

English is spoken either as a native or as a second language in the countries marked (*).

Procedure:

1. Present the cards to the class and stick them on the board;2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and hand out the copies

of the world map;3. Ask the students to locate on the world map the countries listed on

the cards. During this stage make sure that the groups are carrying on a discussion and filling in the map properly;

4. Then, tell them to highlight the English-speaking countries. Check the answers with the whole class;

5. End the activity with a brief discussion on the geographical extent of the usage of the English language in the world.

Follow-up:

Depending on both cultural and linguistic aims of the lesson, the present activity may be followed by the exposition and practice of the following items:

* Where is/are he/she/they from? * He/She/They is/are from.

with the presentation of photographs of famous people from English-speaking countries.

Variation:

The cards containing the names of the countries can be made by the students themselves in case they have already acquired the specific vocabulary to do so.

The number of countries and/or cards must be increased or reduced depending on the students' level. It is important to include English speaking countries the students have little or no knowledge of.

Socio-Political Institutions 2. Matching and Comparing Institutions (seeFootnote 1 )

Aims:

Compare and contrast socio-political institutions (including their representatives and symbols) from Brazil, the U.S., and the United Kingdom;

Raise learners' awareness of the similarities and differences between socio- political institutions from the countries mentioned above;

Introduce vocabulary related to the topic;

Practice the grammar item have got in questions and answers.

Materials:

Cards containing names of institutions (see preparation).

Levels:

Beginner.

Preparation:

Prepare cards and write the name of a socio-political item (institution, representative, or symbol) in each one. We suggest thirty items divided into ten categories;

1. Country: Brazil/The United States of America/The United Kingdom;2. Head of state/government: Presidente Fernando Henrique

Cardoso/President Bill Clinton/Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister John Major. (In the UK the head of state is the Queen, whereas the head of government is the Prime Minister.);

3. Type of government: Republica Federativa/Federal Republic/Constitutional Monarchy;

4. Representatives: Congresso e Senado/ Congress (The Senate and the House of Representatives)/Parliament;

5. Official residence: Palacio da Alvorada/The White House/Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street;

6. Official document: ConstituiOao/U.S. Constitution/Magna Carta;7. Famous politician: Getulio Vargas/ Abraham Lincoln/Winston

Churchill;8. Flag: Bandeira do Brasil/Stars and Stripes/Union Jack;9. National anthem: Hino Nacional/Star-spangled Banner/God Save

the Queen;10. Currency: Real/Dollar/Pound.

Procedure:

1. Hand out one card to each student and ask the class to divide into groups of three according to the categories they have got in common. For instance, the student who receives the card containing Real must look for the classmates who receive the cards containing Dollar and Pound . During this step, they may use the grammar item have got ;

2. Check whether learners have formed the groups properly by asking each group to show their cards to the class and state the category they belong to. While you do so, list the ten categories shown on the board;

3. Ask students to rearrange themselves into three groups according to

nationality. For example, the student who receives the card containing Real must group together with those who have got cards containing the other items related to Brazil. The grammar item have got must be explored again during this stage;

4. Write the names of the three nationalities which were explored on the board and end this activity by reviewing all the categories and clearing up any doubts.

3. A Wedding in the UK

Aims:

Analyse a traditional wedding in the UK;

Compare and contrast this practice with the Brazilian one;

Acquire specific vocabulary related to weddings;

Foster learner independence through the use of the dictionary.Interaction Strategy or Philosophy

Now that we have some helpful basic knowledge about the characteristics of a child, we must begin to solidify these findings into aphilosophy or strategy which will help us to interact well with young learners.

Elements in this interaction must, by default, include:

respect, tolerance, patience, and consideration for the physical and emotional well-

being of a child.

Here are some quotations and extracts from texts on the subject of educating or interacting with children

1. "One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child." Maria Montessori

2. "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Albert Einstein

3. "Our entire school system is based on the notion of passive students that must be "taught" if they are to learn... I'm angry at how school produces submissive students with battered egos. Most students have no idea of the true joys of learning, and of how much they can actually achieve on their own." Adam Robinson

4. "While children's perceptions of the world and opportunities for genuine spontaneity and creativity are being systematically eliminated from the kindergarten, unquestioned obedience to authority and rote learning of meaningless material are being encouraged." Harry L. Gracey (sociologist)

5. "If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm." Bruce Barton

6. "If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." Rachel Carson

7. "Children need models rather than critics." Joseph Joubert8. "A hundred years from now it will not

matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." Unknown

9. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Chinese proverb

10. "You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which the character is being formed." Plato

11. "Children are born true scientists. They spontaneously experiment and experience and reexperience again. They select, combine, and test, seeking

to find order in their experiences - "which is the mostest? which is the leastest?" They smell, taste, bite, and touch-test for hardness, softness, springiness, roughness, smoothness, coldness, warmness: the heft, shake, punch, squeeze, push, crush, rub, and try to pull things apart." R. Buckminster Fuller

12. "Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well."Aristotle

13. "Feelings are real and legitimate; children behave and misbehave for a reason, even if adults cannot figure it out." Unknown

14. "The training of children is a profession, where we must know how to waste time in order to save it." Jean-Jacques Rousseau

15. "Curiosity in children, is but an appetite for knowledge. One great reason why children abandon themselves wholly to silly pursuits and trifle away their time insipidly is, because they find their curiosity balked, and their inquiries neglected." John Locke (1632 - 1704)

16. "The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things." Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)

17. "Teachers who cannot keep students involved and excited for several hours in the classroom should not be there." John Roueche

18. "A good teacher is better than a spectacular teacher. Otherwise the teacher outshines the teachings." The Tao of Teaching

19. "Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theatre." Gail Godwin

20. "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand." Chinese Proverb

21. "It's not what is poured into a student that counts, but what is planted." Linda Conway

22. "If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job." Donald D. Quinn

23. "There is no difference between living and learning . . . it is impossible and misleading and harmful to think of them as being separate. Teaching is human communication and like all communication, elusive and difficult...we must be wary of the feeling that we know what we are doing in class. When we are most sure of what we are doing, we may be closest to being a bore." John Holt, What Do I Do Monday? NY: Dutton, 1970.

24. "Since there is no single set of abilities running throughout human nature, there is no single curriculum which all should undergo. Rather, the schools should teach everything that anyone is interested in learning." John Dewey

25. "Memorization is what we resort to when what we are learning makes no sense." Anonymous

26. "Children are the most learning-hungry beings in the

world." Ashley Montagu27. "If we continually try to force a child

to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." John Holt

28. Children Learn What They Live If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy. If children live with jealousy, they learn what envy is. If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty. If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient If children live with encouragement, they learn to be confident. If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate. If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves. If children live with acceptance, they learn to find love in the world. If children live with recognition, they learn to have a goal. If children live with sharing, they learn to be generous. If children live with honesty and fairness, they learn what truth and justice are. If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and those around them. If children live with friendliness, they learn that the world is a nice place in which to live. If children live with serenity, they learn to have a peace of mind. --Anonymous

29. "It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Frederick Douglass

30. "Teach, encourage, inspire, respect and be good to all children. They hold your future in their hands!" Sherrylyn Walter

31. "Children, a great way to grow people."Unknown

32. "We have lots of heroes today – sportsmen, supermodels, media personalities. They come, they have their 15 minutes of fame, and they go. But the influence of good teachers stays with us. They are the people who really shape our life." Jonathan Sacks

33. "Teachers who require respect receive little, but those who show respect gain a great deal." Kathryn T., age 17

mini-Task 2

Read through the quotations above and choose three which best agree with your "philosophy" of interacting with young learners.

Think about these three quotations while you mentally review what we did in this module (you can skim through each section of the module if you wish).

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This is the end of the module. Now you will apply the information you learned to the task of writing your first assignment.

The assignments are designed to replace a test. You will have to refer back to some of what you studied to complete the assignment.

Assignment 1

Objectives of this assignment:

The main objective of this assignment is to clarify the information presented so far and to merge it with your personal experience and education.

Our intention is to allow you to contribute to your own creative and independent teacher development.

Use your academic freedom and the joy of learning to interpret what is expected of you from this assignment.

Choose either A OR B and submit the assignment using the form provided:

Choice A

Profile a child.

Prepare a strategy to find out more about the characteristics of ONE SPECIFIC CHILD.

You should use a variety of strategies and approaches to find out about the child. You might want to use: direct/indirect observation; questionnaires; give tasks for the child to do; play a game with them; interview them; have them interview you; etc.

NOTE: You want to get to know every aspect of the child inside and outside of the classroom.

Be very specific in describing what you would do.

Length: 1-3 pages.

You do not have to actually profile a child. We just want to see how you would do so. You can optionally do a real profile but ask the child, her/his legal guardian and the school for permission.

Tips and Hints Submission Form

ASSIGNMENT 1 - Profile - TIPS & HINTS At the end of Module 1

  If you still have any questions after reading these "TIPS & HINTS", please contact your tutor.

ASSIGNMENT 1 - Profile - Submission Form

Profile a child.

Elements that course participants tend to FORGET

A. They forget to focus on ONE child and instead do a profile system that could be used with any child.

B. They forget to state the reason WHY the profiling strategy is being used with this child.

C. They forget to find out about the child's likes and dislikes and other personal things about the child.

You will get a GOOD GRADE for this assignment

1. If you write about profiling ONE specific child.

2. If you use a wide variety of strategies to do the profile.

3. If you DO NOT research profiling on the Internet and just use your own ideas.

4. If you just think of creative strategies to find out about all aspects of this child and explain how/why you chose these strategies.

How this assignment will be graded

You will get a good grade if your strategies are focused on finding out about this one specific child.

You will get an excellent grade if you also explain the "WHY" and "HOW" for your choices.

The profiling does not have to follow any formal rules or methods, so be creative.

Choice B

Write a complaint letter to   The Education Godmother .

Imagine trading places with one of your students (or imaginary student if you are not already teaching children).

Now, as that student, write a letter complaining about the teacher -- YOU -- and the things she/he is doing wrong.

It does not have to be just complaints. Most students, especially children, approve of their teacher's performance no matter how weak it is. Children are very positive and forgiving people. You can include as many compliments as you wish.

Example:

Dear Education Godmother,

My teacher is really upsetting me. I hate doing crossword puzzles and she/he always gives one EVERY lesson. Also, the other day she/he asked us to fold a paper airplane and I don't know how to fold. It's too difficult.

She/he talks a lot but I don't understand the language. I'm trying to learn but she/he just writes strange things on the board.

I do like her/him because she/he smiles a lot and brings comic books for us to read. etc, etc...

Remember that you only have to do ONE of the two choices above. Once you have submitted your assignment, you can continue with the course.

ASSIGNMENT 1 - Letter - TIPS & HINTS At the end of Module 1

  If you still have any questions after reading these "TIPS & HINTS", please contact your tutor.

ASSIGNMENT 1 - Letter - Submission Form

Write a complaint letterto the "Education Godmother

Elements that course participants tend to FORGET

A. They forget to write from the perspective of a child.

B. They forget that children have limited self-analytical skills about the way in which they learn.

C. They forget to sign the letter off with the child's name.

You will get a GOOD GRADE for this assignment

1. If you keep the letter simple and concise.

2. If you have fun with this letter.

3. If are not too analytical when writing the letter from a child's perspective.

4. If you imagine a name, age, gender, and other details for the child writing the letter.

How this assignment will be graded

You will get a good grade if you captured a child's viewpoint.

You will get an excellent grade if you also mention what most children are concerned with in a classroom setting.

There are no right or wrong ideas, so do not be afraid to write from what you think is a child's viewpoint.