Single-Sex Education

I found a very interesting topic that caught my eye in Chapter 15. It was about the differences between males and females in college. It says that in most colleges the majority of professors are still males. “Males students are more likely than women to receive extra help from their professors” (Feldman, 2007, p. 427). Since I go to an almost all women’s college, reading that women could really benefit from a single-sex education was interesting. I went to Tarrant County College for my first two years of college. I did not notice that there were more male professors then female. I also did not notice any extra attention given to male students. The book says, “Women who attend same-sex colleges may show higher self esteem than those attending coeducational college” (Feldman, 2007, p. 429). I do agree with this. Since I have been at TWU I have felt that there are more important things then “seeing cute guys.” I was able to branch out more and find my interests based on what I wanted to do. I have really been able to focus on my coursework and make life long friends. Also, the majority of the teachers are women. I think this is positive, because we are then able to have great female role models. I have had a few male professors at TWU, and they are great. I feel that they bring a bit of diversity into the school, without going overboard. Overall, I feel that attending college with mainly women has made me realize that there is more to life then just boys. It also allows for women to explore more careers without being put into the “male career” category.

Bulimia in Adolescence

I have learned quite a lot about anorexia and bulimia in adolescence in many of my college courses. I learned a few new things about eating disorders in Chapter 14 that hit close to home. “Girls who mature earlier and who have higher level of body fat are more susceptible to eating disorders during later adolescence” (Feldman, 2007, p 390). I have a friend that I have known since sophomore year in high school. She was a bigger girl, but always seemed to be content with the way she looked. We would go out to dinner, and every time at the end of the meal she would have to go to the bathroom. The thought that she could be bulimic did not cross my mind, until we had been friends for about a year and she came clean. She told me that every time she eats she feels sick afterwards. She said her stomach hurt so bad that she had no choice but to throw up. I would try to not allow her to go to the bathroom, but after awhile it just seemed normal for her to do it and I semi-accepted it. In our senior year of high school, her father left her mother. She decided to see a therapist and this helped her immensely. The book mentions that adolescents who are depressed are more likely to have an eating disorder. The doctor found out she was suffering from depression and began to work with her on her eating disorder. We are still best friends and she is doing much better. She tells me every once and awhile that she will still purge, but she tries to eat well and work out 5 days a week instead. It is amazing to me to think that she has been this way for almost 8 years and no on really knew because she was extremely skinny or sickly looking. When I look back I wish I had pushed her harder to get help when I first found out, but I am glad that she was able to eventually and is on the right track now!

Play in a Childcare Setting

A question on the quiz sparked me to talk a little about play with preschoolers. The point was that boys will tend to play in groups and girls will tend to play in pairs. I enjoyed reading about the types of play in Chapter ten. I spend once a week observing 4 year olds for another class and have spent many hours observing in the past. I have witnessed many different types of play and found it very interesting that it was actually a fact that girls like to play in pairs and that boys prefer groups. I always notice at the childcare that the girls latch on to one friend and they spend most of the day together. Sometimes they will fight and say “You’re not my friend anymore.” They then usually just move on to another friend until they have decided to forgive the other friend. The boys seem to always like to play together especially in block center and on the computer. They seem to be taking part in cooperative play because they all take turns and converse with one another. Often times a big group of children (boys and girls) will be engaged in parallel play. I have observed this in the block center, sculpting play dough and putting together puzzles. They will all be building their own objects, and occasionally will speak to one another, but are not actually playing together. One little boy always engages in onlooker play. He will walk around to every center to see what everyone is doing. He usually doesn’t talk to anyone or partake in playing. He will just watch everyone until he finally finds something he wants to participate in. Another aspect that was covered is make-believe play. I usually refer to this as dramatic play and the kids I observe love it! It is called home center, but they have tons of dress up clothes, a kitchen, a bed, and much more. The kids love to put on dress up clothes and act grown up. They do things like play post office, make dinner, teach school, and even bake pretend cakes. I think that they get a lot out of it. They are also able to act out feelings and emotions that they may have about home life, better then they may be able to put in words or on paper. I am a firm believer in pretend play for both boys and girls!

Are Piaget's stages really universal?

Piaget has said that he believes that concrete operations, such as understanding conservation of liquid don’t begin to develop until middle childhood. For the most part I agree with this theory. Chapter 12 discusses the role the child’s culture plays on their cognitive skills. It suggests that in non-Western areas some children may never grow out of the preoperational stage. As I kept reading it became clear to me that all children develop differently. The children in other cultures may not ever learn the conservation of liquid because their brains may not be developed in that area. This comes from inadequate education. Piaget says that his stages are universal, but sometimes this may not be true. I feel at some point, the children in non-Western communities can learn concrete operations if taught them. It just may not be at the same time a typical Western child learns them. The book also points out that children in other cultures have different life experience at different ages then we do. In non-Western countries it may be that a child has to go to work in the fields at a very young age. Or a child may be responsible for taking care of other younger children. When discussing Piaget’s “universal” stages, we definitely have to put a child’s culture into place. I do believe that all children will develop these cognitive skills at some point, even if it is in adolescence.

Vygotsky

I liked the large section of Vygotsky's view of cognitive development. Of course I have learned about him in many other classes, but this text book helped me understand more about his theory. I definitly agree that children learn through the assistance of parents, teachers, and caregivers. I do feel that each child has their own personality and will bring many different aspects to their cognitive learning. However, one's society and cultural beliefs also play a major role in how children develop. If a certain society believes in one thing, then this is going to have a large impact on how a children develops their cognitive thoughts. His thoughts are much different then Piaget. I am not sure if either of them are totally right or wrong, I think that both theorists have good points. I just agree with Vygotsky when he says that children must learn through guidance from others. Most children are "copycats," relying on someone else to look at and mimick. If a child is brought up in a loving and caring environment and sees it, then they will probably gain these aspects cognitivly.
Mollie Lanigan