Rhoda Mae A.

Petalcurin ECE-1K

1. Your text discusses ethnic perspective taking and the educational implications for each
stage. What specific things will you do to facilitate ethnic identity formation and
understanding between children of different races?

Ethnic and racial identities are important for many young people, particularly those who are members
of minority groups. These dimensions of the self may instill feelings of: Belonging to a particular group
or groups and Identification with that group; shared commitment and values. Ethnic identity develops in
adolescence and is passed from one generation to the next through customs, traditions, language, religious
practice, and cultural values. Our ethnic and racial identities are also influenced by the popular media,
literature, and current events. Ethnic identity may play a larger role among minority youth because they
experience the contrasting and dominant culture of the majority ethnic group. Youth who belong to the
majority ethnic culture may not even recognize or acknowledge their ethnic identity.

To facilitate ethnic identity formation and understanding between children of different races I should
be visible to make sure that every student feels welcome and part of the class. The simplest examples of
this are greeting each student when he or she comes into class and knowing everyone's names. Small
signs that I should know and are interested in students go a long way to forming trust.

Create a safe space. The way a room is arranged and I as a teacher is physical proximity to students
can make a difference when trying to reduce the vulnerability students feel. If teachers stay behind their
desks, they inadvertently signal they want space between themselves and students.

Connect to students' lives. Give students a reason to care about what they're learning by connecting it
to situations and concepts that are relevant to their lives. For example, in English class, teachers can
assign current event articles on subjects students care about or that affect them. Math teachers can make
strides just by making sure the problems deal with quantities and situations kids understand. Learning
could be even more relevant to kids' lives, but starting with a basic connection is a good way for students
to feel teachers cares about their lives.

Address race and racial dynamics in the classroom. This is one of the most uncomfortable steps for
many educators who either don’t know what to do when a racially-charged incident occurs in class or
don’t want to see racist themselves by calling out a student’s race. But by ignoring a fundamental part of
student identity, teachers can inadvertently misstep and damage student trust. A common example is
calling on students of color to represent their entire race in a discussion where few others minorities are
represented.

Teachers can show they value students’ lives and identities in a variety of ways. Some are small, like
taking the time to learn the proper pronunciation of every student’s name or getting to know young
people’s families. Others require more time and investment, like building curriculum around personal
narratives or incorporating identity-based responses into the study of texts. At the community level, it is
important to understand neighborhood demographics, strengths, concerns, conflicts and challenges. Like
students themselves, these dynamics may change frequently.

2. What specific things can classroom teachers do to help neglected and rejected children
enhance their peer relationships?
 Ideally, the classroom is a place where everyone is valued and accepted. In reality this is
seldom the case. Some children seem to be socially gifted – they know how to work and play
with others, and for the most part, they are popular and well liked. For other, less fortunate
children, the social world of the classroom and, perhaps more importantly, the playground is
a black hole. They don’t know the unwritten rules that others seem to know without being
told and therefore are constantly breaking them – which leads to being left out, or worse,
actively disliked. Rejected children are not only unhappy, but they are also more likely to be
bullied and to develop aggressive tendencies themselves. How can we, as teachers, help
these children?

First, it is helpful to keep in mind that children with poor social skills generally fall into
two categories. Rejected children are actively disliked by their peers. They tend to behave in
ways that make them difficult to be around. They may dominate games, they may cheat or
refuse to share, they may name call or manipulate. Neglected children are
not actively disliked; they just aren’t noticed. They are often shy and withdrawn, and
because they don’t put forth the effort to make friends, they may not have any. A neglected
child may also just be really different in the way he or she behaves – not aggressive or
offensive, just so different that other children don’t really understand and relate to that
child.  

One friend makes a world of difference. Just having one friend can make such a
difference in the life of a rejected or neglected child. We should try pairing these kids up
with particularly kind children. Pairing two neglected kids together could also work, but
avoid pairing a rejected and a neglected child together. Perhaps a friendship will blossom.
One thing that can help is to find something that a rejected or neglected student has in
common with another student as a starting point. Perhaps they both enjoy a particular video
game or are both interested in endangered animals. Generally, both rejected and neglected
children do better in one-on-one situations than in groups.

Teaching children how to enter a group can be really helpful. Role playing might be one
way to do this or, if you have playground duty, watching group dynamics and making small
suggestions could also help. Policing the situation is not helpful to the rejected child. For
example, lecturing the other children about how unfair they are being is unhelpful. It will
only make the rejected child more disliked.

3. Describe conflict resolutions programs that were utilized in your schools when you were
children and adolescents. How effective were these programs? What could your schools
have done to make them more effective? How will you encourage children to solve conflicts
in your classroom?

Conflict resolution programs that were utilized in our school when I was still in High School are
Bullying Prevention Programs. One of the most important safety lessons we taught is bullying prevention.
Bullying has become all too prevalent throughout elementary and middle school campuses, and we are
committed to properly equipping to identify and prevent it. By addressing bullying head-on, we are
building safer school environments and to be responsible, positive members of society.

Bullying Prevention Programs is effective in reducing bullying and victimization. The program's

goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at
school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among students, improve the social climate of
classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy.

Our school makes Bullying Prevention Programs more effective by responding consistently and
appropriately when bullying happens, they spend time talking with students and staff about bullying, they
raise and seek out support for bullying prevention, they coordinate and integrate prevention efforts, and
they continue efforts over time.

As an educator, I have a responsibility to create a safe and healthy environment in my classroom—

one that protects every student from bullying. This means I must not only identify and address bullying
on a consistent basis, but I also must create a culture of respect and dignity in my classroom. I will
empower my children or my students. One of the most helpful things I can do is providing my kids tools
with tools for dealing with bullying. Walking away, telling an adult, or telling the bully in a firm voice to
stop, are all strategies that I can practice with my children. It's also important to teach kids how and when
to report bullying when they witness it, and help them understand why they do not want to be a bystander.

Bullying at school can have serious consequences. Bullying negatively affects the social environment
at school and creates an atmosphere of fear among students. Bullying can also impact a student's learning,
whether a child is a target of bullying or a witness to it.

4. The hidden curriculum in a school includes the moral messages that are sent to children.
Many schools are now incorporating curricula to make the hidden curriculum an explicit
curriculum. What kinds of things can schools do to promote positive character development
and moral behavior among children?

School is not just about learning concepts; it is also a place where a foundation can be built for
becoming upstanding adults. Every school should set a tone of respect, honesty and genuine kindness for
all students. Whether they like it or not, teachers are role models for students and can provide examples of
good character every day in the classroom. Students notice what teachers, do, say, tolerate, and how they
handle challenges.

However, character building can also be done proactively through planned actions and activities
within the classroom. These classroom activities will encourage students to develop and adopt quality
ethical principles and behaviors that can last far beyond the classroom.
 Insist on respect. Our classroom should be firmly established on a foundation of respect. Self-respect
and respect for others are the basis of all other positive character traits. Negativity and abuse of any kind
should not be tolerated, and met with appropriate consequences. Create anti-bullying campaigns and extol
the virtues of treating all classmates with respect and dignity.

Build a caring community. A caring attitude can be encouraged by having a zero-tolerance policy on
name-calling and character assaults or bullying. Make sure that all students are included in activities.
Describe the “random acts of kindness” concept and reward students when they demonstrate it.

Encourage good role models. Students choose role models whether a teacher or adult helps or not.
Make an effort to point out positive character role models in history, literature, science and the arts.
Deliberately teach about people that our students can emulate.

Good character education can provide ground rules for life for adults and young people, and it
stresses the importance of helping children learn and practice behaviors that reflect universal ethical
values. Character education helps children and youth become: Conscious of the right thing to do.