At the beginning of Chapter 4, I enjoyed how they jumped right into examining the practice of labeling individuals based on differences such as intelligence ad disability. As explained, a label doesn't explain which methods to use with students. Student's in high school who are labeled as " learning disabled" are often put into courses with less demand than those in your traditional academic courses. I don't necessarily find this right as some students may only lack in certain areas of education and now don't reap the same opportunity as other students. It takes away from the level of teaching in other areas that the student might excel in. As they go into discussing how being labeled may protect the student by creating a stronger understanding from other students and become more patient, or supportive, I can see how that may help over time yet I want all students to have equal opportunity to be the best they can be.
On page 123 in figure 4.1, it displays disability etiquette when speaking to an individual with special needs. In the first picture it shows a parental figure speaking about Paul to his mother as if he wasn't there to answer the question for himself. In the second picture displayed it shows the parent speaking directly to Paul, allowing him to answer his own questions making him feel apart of the conversation. Although I do not work with students who may have a disability, when speaking with a child when his parent is present, I will speak directly to the child first to observe his body language and hear his thoughts on the question. If necessary, I follow up with the parent to make sure everything is accurate but I always try to keep them involved and not let them think they're not there. I want them to be apart of the process and gain understanding as to what we are trying to accomplish.
In Chapter 5 I really enjoyed reading about the language development and balanced bilinguals. I have a year and a half old niece who I see often and enjoy watching her development grow. When she's into a new toy, or watching one of her favorite TV shows (Baby Shark), it's incredible to see how much she focuses and what she does while watching. You can definitely see the wheels spinning! In regards to language, she doesn't have a full vocabulary however she is able to pick up certain words and speak them with decent pronunciation. As she grows older I look forward to using this information learned about language development and really pay attention to her growth!
On pg.187 when discussing dual language development, it states that if they are exposed to two languages from birth, bilingual children reach the same language milestone at the same rate as monolingual children. This is extremely impressive and I'm a huge fan of those who can speak more than one language. Growing up I've had friends who were raised and exposed to two languages over the course of the lives. Interesting enough as it is, not all of them can still speak both languages. Implementing the use of a second language in school helps, yet I learned from others how using that language in the home setting is just as important as in school. I've had a close friend tell me how if it wasn't for using his Spanish at home with his family, he doesn't believe he would be as efficient in the language as he is today. As a future teacher and having bilingual students in my classroom, I would encourage them to not lose their native language and let them know we care by using their language allowing them to feel wanted.
Culture and diversity can be two major factors with learning and teaching. As we know, different cultures and have different beliefs and values that we all must respect. In Chapter 6 In figure 6.1 on pg. 219, culture is compared to an iceberg. It says one-third of the iceberg is only visible, the rest is hidden and often unknown. As a future teacher I will understand that there is always more to the visible eye. I will use this approach to allow myself to understand the student on a deeper level, let him know I care about his values and beliefs to build a strong, trusting relationship with the student.
As I mentioned before, I want all students to have equal opportunity to be the best they can be. On the bottom of pg. 242 it goes into discussing gender bias in teaching and how with the study done(focused more on white students) teachers are more involved with male students. I'm not currently a teacher so I can't say I've personally seen this first hand, however, I feel there are quite a few factors that can play into this. The book states how this includes more negative interactions than positive interactions. I would say its more common for a male to "act out" than a female, which results in those negative interactions yet I understand this may not always be the case. When my time comes as a teacher I will create fairness and treat each student the same allowing them to feel equal to one another.
On pg. 304 in Chapter 8, I was very into the sensory memory and how we use things around us such as sight, vision, taste and feel to form perceptions and bank memories. Dew in the morning is one that strikes me very much. Some individuals might think it must have rained; when I smell dew in the morning I immediately am drawn back to my days on the diamond, playing those early morning games waiting for the grass to dry. It's very interesting how we each perceive different senses and which ones resonate with us more than others. I would encourage my students to use their experiences as they grow and further their education.
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