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Reflection #10: Chapters 24 and 25

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1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high). Chapter 24 Nothing about this chapter surprised me at all. I have long had an issue with elementary children being assigned too much homework, particularly homework that does not directly benefit them. This also ties in with the main text in that it is clear that many experts consider playtime to be a crucial element of development: "Freud saw play as a means for children to release pent-up emotions and to deal with emotionally distressing situations in a more secure environment. Vygotsky and Piaget saw play as a w

Reflection #9: Chapters 20 and 21

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  1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? Hows does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high). Chapter 20 While I did not find the information in this chapter particularly surprising, the story of President Reagan’s thoughtless comment to the silver medalist about having lost was something I had not heard before (Pica, 2015, pp. 95-96). I was a very small child during his administration. That story did irritate me quite a bit. The overall concept of pitting children at this age against each other in such a way brings to mind Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. During middle childhood, Erikson c

Reflection #8: Chapters 6 and 12

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  1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high). Chapter 6 This chapter did not surprise me in the least because I have read the same book that was referenced, Cinderella Ate My Daughter , and I have lived as a woman within our society, experiencing firsthand the negative aspects of our hyper-focus on female appearance (Pica, 2015, p. 29). Young children are developing their theory of mind and coming to realize that how they think and feel may differ from how others do (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019, pp. 194-195). The focus that the adults they see may place on

Reflection #7: Chapters 10 and 11

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1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high). Chapter 10 I was surprised to read that some schools were eliminating recess (Pica, 2015, pp. 48-49). I knew some were axing PE, and I find that in and of itself distressing enough; recess is too far! If I resided in a district that eliminated recess, I would be bothering the school board nonstop. Not only are the academic benefits of physical activity important, but young children need to move about to develop their motor skills (Paris, Ricardo, & Raymond, 2019, pp. 169-172). I completely agree that physical activi

Reflection #6: Chapter 4 (and a re-read of Chapter 13)

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  1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high).   Chapter 4: Bubble Wrapping Not Required I was surprised to read that so many schools had eliminated recess. None of the schools that I have worked with have done so, though several have banned running, even during recess. I find this ludicrous. Children need to exercise and build up their cardiovascular health, maintain a healthy weight, and to develop their gross motor skills (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019, pp. 183-194). I agree that children need time to play alone, and that unsupervised mom

Reflection #5: Chapter 5

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  1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high). Chapter 5: When Did a Hug Become a Bad Thing? I was not surprised to read about the benefits of physical contact. What did surprise me was the statement that it is men who actually tend to provide the most touch because of the way they interact and play with children (Pica, 2015, p. 26). Our societal biases generally indicate that it is women who touch more because they are perceived as more nurturing. The main text supports the importance of touch in infants, stating that, "The infant's need for physical clo

Reflection#4: Chapters 3 and 7

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  1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? Hows does this information connect to info in the main course text? 2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why? 3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading. 4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life? 5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high). Chapter 3: The Power of Joy I was surprised to read that there has not been much research into the effects of joy upon learning (Pica, 2015, p. 16). One would think that it would be a natural subject to research given the works of behaviorists such as Skinner, who used reinforcers to encourage desired behaviors (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019, p. 28). Joy could certainly be defined as a positive reinforcement. I agree that it is important to ensure that children enjoy learning and that stress and other negative f