Children Development

Children development(CD) used to be called as children psychology(CP). But, four differences are outlined in the children development book. I try not to open the book and see how much I can recite at this moment. You have to know that my answer may not be correct. The first difference is that CP is forcusing on products or outcome of children behavior, while CD views more their procedures of becoming the way they behave. The second difference is that CP only does research on children who are between preschool and elementary school, while CD from the infant to adolerence. The third, CP is investigating the role of children behavior, while CD do more development work. The fourth is what. Well, now I am falling into a pause of my memory retrieving process. I would just guess it. Sorry! I just started my study on this book and it is still my short memory stage. I guess they must be their goals in which CP focus on the variety of behaviors, but CD take acount of the course and foundations of baby born, mother's health, children social environment, and so on. I think I am finished. If anyone has doubts of my memory that he should go and check with references, OK?

Bloom's Taxonomy

The learning skills were classified into three domains, as cognitive, effectiveness, and psychomotor, which is so called Bloom's Taxonomy. Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierachy that all three domains have different sublevels. As taking a teacher test, we ought to memory the sublevels in details. I was exposed to the sublevels so many times that I think I can write them down without seeing the book. The cognitive domains have six major sublevels, as knowledge, comprehension, analysis, application, systhesis, and evaluaion. It is said learners acquire knowledge, then understand its meaning, and so on. The last is to assess and conclude what has been learned. It is not complicated, but our test has made it difficult. The other day, my colleague talked me the cognitive sublevels such as synthesis and evaluation were changed. She was not sure what is now for these two sublevels. I didn't know what they were either. As I searched from the internet, the synthesis could also be seen as creation, where evaluation as critic thinking, and they should be switched with each other in hierachy. Well, well, well. I think many people are just too wise to make it difficulty to memorize, because I doubt about the switch. We however can't object to their minds because they are our gods. They control our fates.
The above is cognitive domain. I have to keep on writing the effectiveness domain. The effectiveness domain has five sublevels, which are reception, response, valuing, organization, and characterization accordingly. The last is psychomotor domain, which contains preception, set, imitation, mechanism, complex response, adaption, and creation. Hurry! I am done.

Weasel Wish Happy New Year to Chicken

終於完成初稿了。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
【黃鼠狼給雞拜年 Weasel Wish Happy New Year to Chicken 】
(Script for elementary school grade five)（道具 10個大紙箱/for role players to wear）
1. There are three weasels, who are searching for food, then they find something ahead. (音樂/ Pop go the weasel）
2. Weasels come to chicken house and say, “Happy New Year everybody!”
3. Rooster replies, “Thank you and you.”
4. Weasel A: “This new year is Chicken year. Do you have any good news??”
5. Rooster: ”Yes, I do. My wives are hatching eggs and we expect new babies.”
6. Weasel B: “Congratulation! May we see where the eggs are??”
7. Here come Rooster’s wives. Hen A and Hen B each has one egg.
8. Weasel C: ”We have to go because we did not sleep yesterday. Good-bye.”
（配樂/Pink panther）!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9. When weasels leaving, they steal one egg from them.
10. Hen A and Hen B find out one of the eggs is missing. They argue with each other over the only egg left, “This egg is mine!!”
11. Rooster says, “If you both go on fighting, I will break this egg. I mean it.”
12. They both say, “No, you can’t do that. We need a baby.”
13. Rooster asks, “But, what should we do about the egg??”
14. Hen A and Hen B both say: “we will hatch it.”
15. Rooster asks, “Can two hens hatch one egg??”
16. Audiences: ”No ways!!”
17. Hen A and Hen B: “ We can take turn.”
18. （音樂/ Pop go the weasel）Two days later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19. The cute and lovely chick is born. (道具)蛋殼破裂小雞出來
20. Chick asks, “Who is my dad??”
21. Audiences, “Rooster!!”
22. Chick asks again, “Who is my mom??”
23. Hen A and Hen B both reply, “We are.”
24. Chick say, “I am so lucky, I have two moms.”
25. Chick asks, ”I am going to school. Who can take me to school??”
26. Hen A and Hen B both reply, “We can.”
27. Hen A, Hen B, and chick say, “Let’s go to school.”
28. （音樂/ Pop go the weasel）
The end.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
**role cast演員們:
weasel A___________ weasel B _____________ weasel C __________egg________
rooster ____________ Hen A ____________ Hen B __________ chick ___________

Adolescence

It is said that people are by no means controlled by the nature. When we are born genetically, there is nothing we can change about our appearance. If the parents are tall, then their children will likely grow up tall as well. But, as for our mind, it is not always the same way. We are born naturally blank, and we learn through our environment. Of cause there are people born with genetic deficit that they tend to have problem in behavior and learning. For normal people, we develop according to the psychosocial theory, which is stated by Erickson as people actually are interacting each other through the society. Erickson insisted that there are eight stages crisis from newborn to the end of our life. The fifth stage is identity versus role confusion that is most interesting to me and it is happened for adolescenes. That is, some adolescences can’t satisfy their lives may lose their identifies in the society. They can’t act their roles as growing up persons. We then observe many crimes happening. It is because the confusions and misunderstanding are taking apart from them. Though lots of parents can’t take good care of those adolescences, our society should enforce social laws to maintain the society in order because civilian need harmonic and fidelity society. However, it is too late to make some corrections if the adolescences get wild. We know, only good community and low crime rate can develop a nice and positive society. We don’t want to spend huge money and resource to correct those outlaws and disorders. As parents, it is important that they take their responsibility for each child from the beginning stage and make sure children have good education from the school and support them all the way through their childhood.

Deficiency Hypothesis

Deficiency hypothesis is stated by Bernstein. He stressed that there are people who don’t have enough input in the childhood but can become big-sharps after growing up. That is, we should not examine one person with low IQ or EQ and make conclusion to his expectation. Bernstein wanted us not to look at IQ too serious that it may affect those people with low IQ. On the other hand, we should provide what we can to help students in many ways. I believe what he had said is true, but I have other thinking as well. Looking at people around me, some of them have high IQ, but can’t do a thing. I don’t know how to call those people freak. As myself, I don’t have any problem, I have neither high IQ, nor low IQ. But it is interesting to study what have happened with them, though I believe the assessment from the tests being correct. I think people are varied that some tend to develop in different ways, and we should keep in mind not to distort their nature and destiny. I am fateful person, but I know the social process can make a huge difference for everybody. There are other theories from Bernstein, but I would rather mention this one here only, deficiency hypothesis.

Creactivity

Creativity is very important for study. Some say it comes from nature, while others think it can also be learned by people. Creativity is not everything, but has four characteristics, as originality, flexibility, fluency, and elaboration mentioned byTorrance. My friends say my writing skills are improving. I think it is because I learn how to create my thought and make it more interesting. I learn to imply creative thinking for my writing. It is necessary to put more words and sentences after a topic. Therefore, creative thinking is divergent and numerous. In the beginning, I used to write whatever I can, then gradually I know how to make my writing smooth and flexiable. The change is elaborative and slow to me. But I think it is a long way process and I ought to be patient. As time past by, I also learn only creactivity is not enough, there is another type of thinking as critical thinking. The critical thinking is just the opposite side of thinking which is convergent and narrowing. When I write a composition, I also have to narrow it down, or put an end to it. The ending is often driven to a conclusion or deduced to a couple lines as well as principle. Practice makes perfect. I think we have to utilize the creative and critical thinking while we do and exercise in our daily life.

My Highness Professor

This semester I was writing my reflections for my highness professor. It was an option from school while my professor insisted that our group turn in our reflections three times during our practices in the elementary school. At first I wrote two pages as others, then I worked hard to write in English in the following. I did get comments from him. He criticized my writing that I should write in Chinese or I ought to write in a complete sentence because some words looked omitted to him. Heck! All I can say is I am glad this semester being over. You know, the third time I wrote about one third in English. In my opinion, this is my reflection and I want to make it benefit to myself as I wrote in English. His job as our consultant was supposed to check if we did our reflection, that’s all. There are many college professors, I think, some of them don’t know their jobs. They just try to criticize and make themselves different from students. Thus, I believe I must work hard in order to move some hurdles and stones away.

My elementary school teacher

I was obliged to one of my elementary school teachers, who had taught me during my fifth and sixth. He happened to my elder brother's teacher also. My elder brother was so brilliant that my teacher thought I might develop just like my brother. Unfortunately, I was so different from my brother. I remembered during those two years I didn’t got used to the school lives. My teacher later treated unfairly to me as some kind of student who was lazy and couldn’t work hard intrinsically. I felt I was abandoned from the class. It is believed that teacher tends to use his own image as expectation, or sometime one calls as Pygmalion effect. The effect is suitable to other students, but it didn’t fit to me at all. I remembered I didn’t like study at school and preferred outdoor activity for many years. I recalled the time I knew there was grammar in English was about the third year of my junior high school. I couldn’t believe my academic work start to turn around after I entered the high school. To tell the truth, I think I ought to appreciate my high school classmates who had helped me. My English got better and better because some of them remained me of English questions almost everyday. Now, I reckon I am developed as some sort of person who has confidence inside and willing to cope with in this subtle society. The bad memory, however, accompany me all along which has become a guiding light for me and leads me to survive and succeed. In the end, I wish I can forget about this piece of unhappiness and reconsider the way my elementary school teacher had done to me and the whole class.

Cooperation Learning

Nowadays, teacher tends to utilize cooperation learning in the class. Students get kicks on the stages to present what they have learned, while teacher steal moments of relaxation. I was involved in learning all kinds of curricula in a class. Teacher divided class to seven groups and each group studied different subjects. I remembered our group were studying core curriculum, then we discussed and finalized our agreements in twenty minutes. Later, we were taken apart to form different groups with different people. In the new group, each person instructed what she or he had learned. After all, I have learned more about core curriculum, but little about other curricula. Though, I went home with little concept, I had to read over those curricula for myself. The cooperation learning forces students to exchange knowledge. Johnson and Johnson mentioned the advantages of cooperation learning as PIG’S Face. What is PIG’S Face? Well, I have to prompt with my memory now. P is as positively, I as individual, G as group, S as social development, and F is as face to face. Wait! I don’t think I can describe the details of PIG’S Face here.

Practice writing

There are many people out there begging for translation. I used to search on the internet and did a little work for them. In turn, I could practice my writing skills. Some of them really created some sort of significance for me to read and laugh. I think my writing is improving ever since. Although my grammar needs polishment a bit, I feel like I have better focus on my contents. I wish my writing is interesting and deserved to read. Hopefully, I can correct my grammar along with my frequent writing.

Meaningful learning

Meaningful learning is quite different from discovering learning though they all inherit from Piaget's theory. David Ausubel stressed the importance of advance organizer 前導組織 as one intended to grasp new concept during learning. It is teacher's job to describe and organize teaching materials for students to learn, rather than pervide guiding route for students to discover. Meaningful learning asks teacher to be more effective and efficient and it helps mediocre students to catch up their study. This teaching method is also called the old style instruction that teacher instruct in the beginning of the class than students are asked to answer the following questions.As far as I am concerning, the meaningful learning is no doubt a great approach. However, teacher shouldn't imply only one method because students tend to vary as human's natural characteristics. In my opinion, it is proper for teacher to switch on discovering learning when the class becomes passive and conservative.

Gifts from students

Teacher educates children is such a laborious matter therefore we should give teacher a little feedback as representing to teacher's effort. This is what care and affordable parents have hoped for. Nevertheless, it comes to a question as how to deliver a gift? Because every family has different situation, therefore their values of things are dissimilar. Often, it has many awkward occurrences, but this awkward all have appeared because of comparison. As a teacher, he is pleased to receive a high-quality gift certainly, but he wouldn’t contempt with cheap value gift either. It is because the goal of education is to benefit the generations, rather than swap the gifts with dedicated hearted cares. Therefore, being a great teacher, I think, one should only wish to receive a grateful thank from the parents and students as return.

Constructivism

Constructivism is very popular in Taiwan. Its implication is based on Piaget's schema theory in which people adapt themselves with assimilation or accommodation, but apply Vygotsky's scaffolding and ZPD to construct their new concepts. The result from constructivism however is not as expected. There are two reasons I would like to point out here. The first is the lack of language skills from students. According to Vygotsky, human beings utilize language as media to promote low level semantics to high level social recognition. If one doesn't have enough language skill to make dialogues or reflect back, he tends to lose his new concept and won't be able to get his consciousness and practice together. The second is its meaningless instruction by some instructors. Constructivism depends on learner's cognitive rather than teacher's pedagogy. I have seen competitive students making progress through dialogues and reflection, but also observed many students stuck on the midway of thinking process. I remembered once that I was provided with a mathematic question in a workshop, which only tried to make top students think through but medium students confused. I don't object to fulfill constructivism for elementary school, but it is necessary to imply with care.

Motivation

Motivation is a thought and process developed by oneself. Student tends to learn better if he has motivation. Motivation to learn is based on humanism. It is important to know the need hierarchy theory made by Abraham Maslow, as physiological need, safety need, belongingness need, self-esteem need, need to know, aesthetic need, and self-actualization. The motivation to learn is, however, like need to know comes after four previous basic needs. Unless those basic needs are satisfied, the motivatin couldn't invoke easily. As adults, we have to provide kids with love, and self-esteem before asking them to study hard or get motivaton to learn. Nowadays, we still see many teachers prefer using enforcers and punishments to instruct in the school. Some elementary kids come to school and surrender to either sticks or threat by their classroom teachers. They lose their self-esteems and likely drain out the motivation to learn. They pretend to study because they try to escape punishment. As a promising teacher, I think I will focus on students' motivation and examine their fundamental needs. It is easy to say than do. There are many reasons to make students progress, but I think the motivation is the most important matter of all.

Winter Camping

Yesterday, I turned my lesson plan for the English winter camping. Our school will hold on a winter camping for students. I am responsible for fifth graders, since I taught some classes in fifth graders and knew some students already. Our topics are vary and they have been discussed and divided to several events in three days. Those topics basically include story-telling, living style, greeting, nature study, writing class, computer, theme study, and presentation. The story section is assigned to American teacher. Kids will go to MacDonald restaurant to place their orders. My theme subject is Chinese New Year, while lower grade kids are learning Easter. It is so convenient now to exchange resources from my colleauges. My lesson plan took only a couple days. I am looking forwards to seeing the real exciting moment.

Air pollution

It seems the air pollution in Taiwan is mainly caused by two things. The first thing is the emision gas from the driving cars. Car produces air polution that is very dangerous and affective to our health, because there is lots of chemicals and contaminations in the gasoline. Another thing that gives air polution is the smoke. Many factories are burning oil and send huge amount of smoke as tiny particles which likely causes air pollution. If you live close to the factories in your town or city you can see all the pollution smoke that is coming out of the factories. Since the cars, trucks, and vans that leave more pollution, we can simply stop this type of air pollution by walking to our work places. It is important to know that there is only one earth existing and we should keep it clean and free from the air pollution.

pirate life

Suddenly, I felt I could hardly get into my sleep. I put myself together and moved aside to turn the stereo on. The CD played again from the beginning. This was Boyzone's best selection which I bought from flea market for a cheaper price. I knew it was a pirate CD, but I didn't have enough money to spend so I purchased it anyway. I really liked these love songs which I had listened for several days. There was one song I was very familiar with, "Ben, most people would turn you away, I don't listen to the words they said." He sang quite different from Michael Jackson. I thought most movies could motivate my soul, but not this one. The movie of "Ben" did broke my heart after I finished the episode. I once loved this song very much, but my feeling was gone completely. I hated mice and I couldn't bear with them. I wished I had never watched that movie "Ben". It was many years past by and I listened to this song again by Boyzone. I think I don't hate it now. Beside this song, I also like many other songs in this CD. In the end, I know I will buy a legal CD from Boyzone to dwindle the sin in a part of my pirate life.

Happy New year

Today is the first day of new year working day. I don't feel anything special, but coming here to write some expectations. I hope I can pass two coming major exams, one is teacher certification, and the other one is entrance of teaching job. The first one is all Chinese, while the rear one is all English. Though, I feel my enthusiasm and patience to overcome these two obstacles. I take notes while reading education related field and share with my classmates and friends. I like to organize notes from many sources, besides I have to find someone to talk about my progress so I can move forwards. When I got reponses or compliments from others, I am pleased with my work. Last, I hope I can have another great year. Amen!