Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Ch. 2 Exposure to Violence Changes How Children Learn
"Exposure to violence changes how children learn and how they think about learning. Traumatized children need learning experiences that foster competence and improve their sense of personal agency, therby changing their explanatory narrative.They need classrooms that recognize their intense need for safety in addition to providing tools to manage stress and allow the children to stay calm enough to learn. They need to bring their attention under their control through direct instruction in how to train their brain to reflect."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Amy G.- I had a student that would climb under his desk when he had an especially hard night at home. I would sit on the floor and wait for him to talk to me. During one of these moments, I realized this is where he felt safest in this moment. It broke my heart. After reading chapter 2, I now have a better understanding of what was happening in his thoughts and actions.
ReplyDeleteI liked the 3 Ds to improve problem solving (Define, Decide, Determine and Solve). I can see that being a useful tool for students that need to be taught how to problem solve.
I took great interest in the part regarding perfectionist behavior. At first, I thought about perfectionism in the traditional sense of the word, but I think the author is trying to explain when children sometimes feel they have to correct every idiosyncrasy they perceive in their classmates' behavior.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I guess there might be some hurting students who do well academically. Their academic well-being might be one of the few things that is under their control. I know Chapter 1 discussed how the predictability of the school schedule/enviornment helps regualte children's norms and behavior. Maybe some students do that to the umpteenth degree.
I think I would like to explore predicting outcomes in my classes. Doing this might help some students who do not do so well in activities where a correct concrete answer is required. Exercising or some sort of physical activity at the beginning of class to get the endorphins going interested me as well. I know a music teacher in the Richmond area who uses the beginning of class to do group stretching to serene classical music. She's knocking out two birds with one stone by getting them focused and exposing them to different composers.