Allison Wester

Summary: What is the problem in practice?

Children are easily swayed and are not born with a strong sense of self. As they naviagte through early childhood, they begin to develop that sense of self and find who they are and what part they play in society. On the flip side of that reasoning, when children are not nurtured and shown how to behave, they may not gain a strong sense of self, which will result in being less confident and not being able to make strong decisions at their own benefit.

Teachers have the responsibility to nurture the children in and out of their classroom. When they do so, they benefit their development and help them grow stronger in their sense of self. All too often, teachers are seen behaving irrationally and rudely to students and hurting their perceptions of themselves.

Teachers need to gain a deeper understanding of how to help the children that they will be teaching and what kind of deliverables will be of use in the classroom setting. In the following portfolio that I have put together, I have included 6 different deliverables that I think are of use in a classroom. They all will help deepen the relationship between teacher and student, as well as deepen the comprehension levels of children. through this development, children will gain a stronger sense of self as they become more confident in their learning abilities and gain that positive teacher/ student relationship.

Child development and theory: Biological theories, such as nature and nurture play a huge role in child development. "A good theory is neither right nor wrong, but instead a more or less useful tool for understanding development" (p.24) In order for teachers to use development theories, they must understand that none of them are right or wrong, but just helpful in understanding basic, normal and healthy development.

Family Culture Society: Family, "what have you learned about caring for family members? How to be a good person?" (p.72) "As children participate in close relationships and social customs, they learn who they are, how they are expected to behave, and where they fit in society" "A happy and healthy childhood depends on loving relationships in the family, regular exposure to the traditions of a culture, and access to a rich array of rich institutions in society" (p. 2) All children should be exposed to their cultures to help them identify and find a sense of self as they navigate middle childhood. Finding their sense of self also helps them integrate into society in a healthy way with ease. The family should nurture in order to develop a sense of self.

Physical and Brain Development: healthy physical development in middle childhood: "Steady gains in height and weight, loss and replacement of primary teeth, refinement in gross motor skills" (p. 160) Brain development looks like, "networks supporting memory and emotion, continue to reach out and connect with other circuits" (p. 185) As teachers work with students, they can nurture them in oder to help them develop in a healthy way. Through healthy development, children have a chance to find their identity and become more secure in themselves as people.

Cognitive development: Piagets theory on cognitive development deals with the formal/ concrete operational stage, which is ages 7-12, and that age encompasses 3rd grade, which is what I want to be teaching. In this stage, "Logical reasoning processes are applied to abstract ideas as well as concrete situations" (p. 197) As children learn to apply different ideas to different topics, they open up a whole new window of what they are able to comprehend, and that aids in learning and understanding topics.

Cognitive processes: Children's cognitive processes can trigger physical fidgeting and emotional triggers. "Children learn to control cognitive processes" (p 238) When children learn how they can control their cognitive processes, they become more secure in themselves and aware of their surroundings. They are able to comprehend and pick up on social cues, gain and maintain relationships, and be more of themselves in their cultures and societys. As teachers help to nurture and form cognitive processes in children, they help the child feel as though they belong and have a place.

Emotional Development: Nature and nurture plays a huge role in children emotional development. "young children gradually expand their emotions to include conscious feelings" (p 428) As teachers nurture children, they build a sense of trust and belonging in that relationship. Children are able to be far more confident in who they are and what they can accomplish, and can have more control over feelings that may arise. Once children develop that sense of self, they are ready to integrate in to society. In schools where children do not have as much nurturing, they may struggle more. That is why it is the responsibility of the teacher to aide in the development of children in the middle childhood stage by nurturing them.

Sense of self, Social understandings: "Children's sense of self serves several functions. It helps children understand things that happen to them" (p. 447). If children do not have an understanding of why things happen to them, they will not be able to identify problems in their lives, and they will not be able to fix said problems. Through nurturing and finding that sense of self, children can see why they are the way they are, and what they can do to change who they are if needs be. teacher's have a responsibility to nurture children so they can have an understanding of the functions and fluctuations in society.

Self regulation: "Willpower build in early and middle childhood and then takes a dip in adolescence... In early childhood, caregiver sensitivity is a major catalyst for self-regulation " (p. 490) Teachers have the responsibility to be sensitive caregivers so that children can have stronger willpower. When children build that willpower at early childhood, they are able to be stronger in adolescents and have the possibility to not give into social pressure as easily. Once they identify with their sense of self and find their place in society, they will understand why certain things are not as socially acceptable and why self regulation is such a valuable skill.

Moral development: "kindheartedness deepens and motivates helpful behavior during middle childhood" (p. 532) As children begin to do kind actions for the benefit of their peers or family or society, they will develop a stronger sense of self. Children learn through mimicking, so when teachers are kind hearted and display actions that are kind and to the benefit of those around them, they teach their students to do the same. In order to motivate that healthy behavior, we must commemorate that behavior.