Share your opinion and childhood play experiences!

Myself, and two of my classmates at the University of Regina are in the process of documenting play and opinions of play for a university project. We will be compiling the documentation into a research video to give an overview of our findings. The resulting video project will be used for the purposes of our course ECE435 “Curricular Implications of Play” , as well we may include the finished project in our professional portfolios (pending permission). I would like to open up the opportunity to participate in this process to anyone who is interested and willing to contribute. It would be incredible to include opinions from a variety of locations across the globe.

The process: Answer the questions about play (below) by recording a video or audio track of yourself. Make sure to include pertinent information such as your title(s) [teacher, parent etc],and your location (city, country.. more for our own information than to include in the video project). Additionally, either at the beginning or at the end of your video we require you to read the following statement out loud:

“I ____(your name)________  hereby grant permission to Amanda Baker, Heather Chevrier and Monique Dudragne to use photographs, video and/or audio recordings of me for sharing in the undergraduate class ECE 435 at the University of Regina. I also grant permission for the resulting project to be utilized in their professional portfolios.”

We cannot use your video unless your permission is granted. However, we will edit your permission ‘blurb’ out of our final project to ensure anonymity (your name will not be connected to the project in any way). After creating your video/audio track please post it using the comment field or email it to chevrieh@uregina.ca Thank you so much for participating!

Note: You must be over the age of majority to participate.

Questions to consider/discuss:

1) What is play?
2)What do you think of/how do you feel about rough and tumble play? (see definition provided below)
3) What were your childhood experiences with rough and tumble play?

Definition of Rough and Tumble play from Play Development and Early Education (Johnson, J., Christie, J. and Wardle, F. 2005):

“In rough and tumble play the bodies of playmates and the actions of playmates become a focal object of play, and children pretend to hurt each other rather than engaging in real aggression. That is, rough and tumble play is play fighting, not actual fighting. This form of play aggression may involve physical movements such as mock wrestling, running, chasing/fleeing, kicking, pouncing, piling on, pushing, open-hand hitting, and poking, as well as loud noises.”

If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Female Head Coverings- A Right or a Restriction?

I have been curious about the topic of female head coverings for quite some time. And the longer you consider a topic, the more complex it becomes. I will be the first to admit that I am addressing the issue with very little background knowledge- apart from an article I skimmed in Maclean’s a few months back, and random bits of information I’ve heard on the news and through the internet. This is a very complex issue.

My reason for writing about it now is because the topic recently came up- randomly and very briefly -in an English course that I am in. Female rights constantly come up in the writings of the renaissance, and we are often tying these issues to more current issues. Well it wasn’t directly in regards to female head coverings, but my professor made a very cut and dry statement with regards to one culture where this occurs, his statement went something like this: “Muslim society is slowly creeping in to Western society. And with it, the repressive attitude toward women. Watch out ladies. What you have fought for, could very soon be taken away from you.” 

My thoughts immediately went to the issue of female head coverings- although there are many other issues he went on to refer to. In my opinion female head coverings are a very overt statement made by the woman wearing the covering. However what exactly that statement is is dependent on both the woman wearing the head covering, and the person perceiving how it is being worn.

In my experience, when cultural traditions enter an issue the debate becomes very complicated. Often the people on either side of the debate cannot fully comprehend each other because (assuming, in this case, that one is a non-Muslim, and one belongs to the Muslim/Islam community [or any other community that partakes in this practice]) they have not been raised in the same society or with the same ideals. When our beliefs cut to the core of our being, and when those beliefs are entangled with the beliefs prevalent in our society, it is almost impossible to understand our world from a different lens than from that in which we stand.

That being said, the issue I want to consider is that of female rights. When a woman in Western society puts a head scarf, hijab or burqa on, is she expressing her rights? Or is she demonstrating her deprivation of rights, is she submitting to the suppressive rule of men?

I have heard arguments on both sides. I have heard that for some women they feel it is their right to choose to wear a head covering, and they feel much more comfortable doing so. Because they are not forced to wear the head covering in Canada (and other western countries) when they choose to, that choice and the feeling of empowerment in making that choice, can portray a statement- having the freedom to choose and choosing to do what they feel is best. Their choice can be compared to how many people choose what they want to wear taking into consideration the statement they want to make through their fashion. However, the issue is when the person on the perceiving end of the situation does not properly interpret that statement. Of course this is where the other side of debate comes in, there are those who believe head coverings are depriving women of their rights and perhaps some Muslim/Islam women fall into this belief as well. Those who fall into this belief would interpret the ‘statement’ made by those women on the freedom end of the debate very differently from what how it was intended. With this second belief in mind, a woman who places the covering on her head is making a statement on behalf of the male population within her culture, a statement denoting male power, and female suppression.

It is from the latter system of beliefs that my professor falls into by him saying what he said. I am not entirely sure where I stand on the issue, because as I said I cannot grasp a full understanding of it having been brought up in a non-Muslim/Islamic society. I cannot deny, however, that what my professor said does sound alarming- if for no other reason that its sheer extremism.

I know that in some countries, it has become illegal for women to wear head coverings. Some governments feels that head coverings are a sign of women suppression and so by that logic, they should ban the coverings so that women can be free and equal. But I wonder, how is it any more freeing for a woman to be told she cannot wear something than for a woman to be told she must wear something? Is this not also taking away the woman’s right to choose?

My Culture is a Remix- To Whom Do I Owe My Thanks?

Tech Task #9

After watching Brett Gaylor‘s film RIP!:A Remix Manefesto, here are my reactions:

I think that we live in a world of remix, and this is not new. As the film mentions, the works of the greatest scholars were often building on, or working against the ideas of others who came before them. When I write an essay, I rely heavily on the knowledge of those who have come before me and those who have developed beautiful discourse in order to create my own. I give credit to those people, but I mash-up their words into my own ideas and therefore I create. I believe that we should give credit to where our ideas are evolving out of, because perhaps there is such a things as intellectual property. And I believe that this should apply to music, video and even medicine, the same way it applies to literature. Some people have genius- creative- thoughts and in all fairness they should be acknowledged for what they contribute. However, does that mean they should be paid every time someone gives them that acknowledgement? I don’t think so. Because this is just giving fuel to build an elitist society. Only those who can afford to buy the ideas of those before them are allowed to work off of those ideas. The rich will get richer, smarter and more powerful, while the poor will have limited resources and limited opportunities for advancement.

Is a “free” society a realistic goal in a society driven by monetary value? Some say money makes the world go round. Those on the left believe in sharing it, while those on the right want to jump in and grab as much as they can for themselves. And so its no wonder that some people have gone so far as to put a price on intellect, and feel they should be paid for their ideas. (But I wonder why writers haven’t got their foot in the door of this copyright cash-out?) These people feel that they can own their own ideas, but I ask how can you ‘own’ an idea? When there are approximately 7 billion people in the world, chances are that at least one other person is thinking the same thing as you right now. So the question becomes who will win the race in pursuing the rights to that idea, get it patented or copyrighted and ‘own’ it? If you don’t do it first, someone else will. And if its something that can make a profit- how can you say no? This is a “right” sided mentality, the copy-right. And because money holds such power in our society, no matter how much is advocated for a “free society” where resources and ideas are public domain, the debate will never be concluded. The “left” thinkers will want to share and share alike, while the “right” will want to profit wherever they can, always. In the film they put it very succinctly: ”Copyright has been manipulated for profit”. But such is the way of the world, the allure of wealth is difficult to ignore.

I still don’t entirely understand the ‘line’ between something old and when something becomes something new, created from something old. I wonder how the mash-up artists would feel if their work was taken, a few notes changed and given a new title (giving the new creator claim for the work) then selling it for top dollar. Would the mash up artist agree the money should go to the ‘new’ mash-er? Should it go to the original mash artist, or should it go to the original creators of the music (although as the film proves, this is difficult to trace)? But I guess the argument of having everything free to share would answer this question- if everything was free, and no one was making money off of their art work, then it wouldn’t matter who ‘got the credit’ because it wouldn’t be monetary credit. But that makes me think of a new issue. If all music and videos were free to share and remix, how would artists make a living? As it is it is difficult to make a living off of art, whether it be literature, painting, dancing, music etc. If all art was free to consume, and free to reproduce, would people stop creating art because there would be no profit? Or would people create more art?… because more resources and opportunities for the average man would be available.

Until watching this video, I didn’t realize that the patents on bio-medical research are so strict that it limits future research. These strict patents on medical research may be what’s holding us back from discovering the cure to many of the world’s ailments. When brazil went against these rules and remade a patented HIV drug. Was is right? What is more morally correct? To follow the rules, or to stop people from dying?

So much of popular culture revolves around parodies. See the above images, watch “Scary Movie” or “Not-Another-Teen Movie”. Why then wasn’t Air pirates OK? And how sad is it that Walt Disney the man had a good handle on how to use reuse previously made content to create parodies, but when he passed on and Walt Disney the company took over, they drastically changed their approach to this for their own profit? Very.

Without the ability to remix, to reuse baselines in music, there wouldn’t be the ability to create new genres of music. There could only be one ‘hip hop’ artist, or one ‘country’ artist, because we all know a lot of the songs within a particular genre sound a lot alike. And in Everything is a Remix, Kirby Ferguson proves this.

Brazil seems to know where its at. They are a culture based on sharing! How wonderful would that be? In Canadian culture we try to instill in the younger generation that its “right”, its “good manners” to share with their peers. But is our society really one that promotes sharing? Music and video copyright proves that it does not. Copyright says, “I will share with you, but only if you pay me back”. That’s not sharing. Its difficult to promote sharing to the young, when the adult world is based on individual ownership, not shared ownership.

I have some unanswered questions. I have questions regarding the images this video connects with remixed music: people dancing, grinding, taking off their clothes. When I think of remixes, I think of clubs, of raves. I love the music, I love to dance to it too, but the rep this genre has picked up is not a ‘good’ one. I wonder if these images were connected to the remixes intentionally  to open up the question of ‘immoral’ behaviours vs ‘pure’ behaviours, ‘immoral’ music vs ‘pure’ music.

I’m also confused by the RIP!:A Remix Manefesto creators asking for a contribution to be made to them. Is their argument that art should be free to the public? Or is it that the people who create the work should get the credit (aka get paid) for their work? I thought they were on the left, on the ‘free’ side. By asking for a contribution to their work it complicates their argument. If I were to make a contribution to them, which side of the argument do I fall onto? Theirs because I am supporting them? But if I am paying for the ability to watch/use their work, isn’t that agreeing that they deserve money for the knowledge they have imparted one me? And so I would be on the ‘right’ side. I’m very confused by this. Where do they draw the line?

Ultimately I think I fall closer to the left, than the right. All of our culture is affected by previous culture and society, and the same goes for music and movies. But I also think that credit should be given in those realms, just as it is given in the world of literature. We should acknowledge to the best of our abilities who has affected our creativity- but we should be free to create.

Had a go at sliderocket

March is madness. And no, I’m not a basketball fan. What I’m talking about is all the assignments, essays and EVERYTHING due for the university student in March. It’s madness.

I have an assignment+presentation this week in my Ed Psych class. Rather than work with the old go-to, powerpoint, I decided to try something new and signed up for an account with sliderocket.com. I really like it! Its great how you can switch easily back and forth between the presentation and flickr when adding photos, and that you can easily embed video and even live twitter feeds. The presentation may not be as informative as it would be live because I haven’t added the audio I will be supplying when I present to my classmates. Feel free to view it or use it.

The presentation is on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I hope that it is informative and interactive for you. Please do not hesitate to give feedback : )

*Unfortunately I cannot embed the slideshow into WordPress.

Discipline. Is there a right answer?

What is your philosophy on discipline?

As a soon to be Early Childhood Educator, I feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety when it comes to discipline. The ability to understand and  utilize appropriate discipline strategies is an incredibly important skill to have as an educator. However, even after five years of university education, and over 12 years of experience in various forms of child care (babysitting, Sunday school leader, child care staff etc) I still do not know what the best approach to discipline is. I have conflicting views on how I want to approach discipline. I want to respect the dignity of the children involved. I understand that giving choice and options is empowering for children, but I still don’t fully know if discipline is a appropriate place to offer choices. Or if it is, how can choice be given while maintaining authority. And then in regards to authority, I don’t like the idea of a dictator-type disciplinarian, but I also am aware that without a sense of authority some children will be disrespectful and take advantage of the situation and of the adult/teacher. I have read that using ‘if, then’ discipline scenarios can help children to understand that their actions will be followed by consequences, but I have also read that some children do not mind the consequence of having a time-out, if, in the long run, they were successful in scarfing down that extra cookie they weren’t supposed to eat- and so that approach is ineffectual. I have always thought that discussing the conflict with the child/children is a good approach to solving conflict (which may or may not be considered discipline), and along with this includes discussing the feelings of those involved so as to develop a sense of empathy, and to help children problem solve. But I often wonder if these discussions really do help children to problem solve, if they are always adult lead conversations. I also wonder if they result in a change in behaviour, and from my experiences working in a grade 1 class this didn’t seem to be the case. No matter how many times I engaged students in conversations of why its ‘not good’ to hurt each other, and how it makes us feel, something similar would happen at the next recess or lunch break. I’ve also read that by attaching feelings to discipline, results may not be positive, especially in scenarios where the adult says “When you do that, it makes me feel sad”. This could do one of two things: 1) It could cause the child to always be worried about whether their actions are making you happy or not- which in the case of the high achiever could cause stress and anxiety, they may never be happy with their own decisions unless it is causing someone else joy. or 2) You may end up with a child who is not empathetic, and could care less how their actions make you feel. This creates a power struggle- one that you, as the disciplinarian, have just lost. As you can see, I have heard many opposing arguments for many approaches to discipline. But, I don’t feel I have enough information to make an informed decision on my own approach to classroom management and discipline.

I cannot deny that I feel that my university program has done me (and my colleagues) a disservice by not discussing discipline (aka ‘classroom management’) to a greater extent. I once asked a professor directly what their view on discipline was, and why the university didn’t guide us in this important aspect of become and educator. Their answer was this: “You will find your own way of classroom management and discipline that works for you”.  This might be true, but I cannot accept this answer coming from a teacher education program that is quite didactic in which philosophy of education we should believe in, and from a program that warns about the tendency to teach as we were taught and the necessity of breaking this pattern to create a better future for educating the next generation of learners. I realize that discipline and classroom management are touchy subjects. Perhaps there is no ‘right’ answer and that is why our program has shied away from broaching the subject, but I think that, if nothing else we pre-educators should be introduced to a variety of strategies for classroom management and discipline, and the theories behind them, just as we are taught various strategies for teaching math or reading and the theories influencing those areas of education. I wish I had a broader knowledge base in regards to discipline, because as it stands, I feel as though I am about to enter into the world of classroom teaching blind to the best practices of discipline available.

Below is a video I found where Barbara Coloroso discusses some discipline issues and strategies. I like the approach she takes to time outs, to teaching children to problem solve, and the three D’s of distract, disorient and disengage. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome, but beyond that, if you have resources or links to other influential individuals in this area of expertize it would be great to expand my knowledge through the connections of you, my PLN.

Is this the last Feb break I’ll get?

Entering the field as an educator right now is rife with issues. Here in Saskatchewan the question has been put forward by our governing party of whether to start the school year after the Labour Day long weekend. This decision, however, would result in the loss of our annual “February break”, which is a week off from school in the middle of the month of February. I’m not entirely informed on the reasons why starting after Labour Day would be a good idea, so all I am seeing is the negative aspects of the situation. In my opinion, and from what I’ve heard through the grape-vine, students and teachers alike look forward to the February break. Many students and their families take this opportunity to go on vacation or visit far-off relatives, or if nothing else, relax and have a mental break from school. I don’t like the idea of losing the February break as a teacher, and it really doesn’t matter to me whether school starts before or after the Labour Day long weekend. But, unfortunately, I feel like I really have no say in the matter.

I heard on the Moose Jaw radio about a poll on Discover Moose Jaw in regards to this issue. I’m going to fill it out, and I encourage you to do the same. I’m not sure if it will make a difference, but its the least we can do to have our voices heard.

What do teachers do?

I came across this picture on Facebook (please excuse the inappropriateness of the first photo). Its the last photo that really hits home for me, I know its supposed to be depicting a teacher up to his elbows in marking, but that’s not how I interpreted it. I interpreted this last photo as a teacher being swamped with the endless paper work that is required of him (or her). What is teaching really? And who is teaching for?

Tech Task # 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGNBatn_xk

Here is the video we were asked to create, following loosely the outline of the Door Scene on pages 17 and 18 of the 21st Century Educator’s Handbook.

Special thanks to my group members for making it a fun and collaborative project : )

Tech Task # 7

Tech task 7 was to create a podcast. I created a podcast about my experiences of the competitive dance environment. I used garage band for the recording and adding in tunes and loops. Then I transferred the file to itunes, and from there was able to upload it to soundcloud. From soundcloud I embedded the track into this post. Enjoy!

I don’t think my experiences are unique. Do you think my argument of childhood politics holds true in other extra curricular activities?

My biggest fear

I give kudos to Joe Bower for the way he is able to put his thoughts into words. I imagine we differ on some issues, but from what I’ve read so far I’m feeling like his blog posts encompass the things I’ve been thinking, but have been unable to put into words. The one I read today, For the Love of Learning, discusses how teachers often loose sight of what/who the top priority of teaching should be- the students and their learning needs. Many teachers “fall victim” (his words, and mine) to the pressures coming from the top down.

This is actually my biggest fear as I step into the world of teaching. I am afraid of giving into “the system”, as it were. But I know that I must, to some extent, because if I don’t accumulate and communicate the test scores, benchmarks and everything else my superiors determine to be important, at the end of the day I may not have a job.

Is there a balance?

I would love to enter a learning climate where the students and I can explore options, and learn whatever and wherever the learning takes us. I would love to spend 6, 8, or even 10 weeks on a project or unit without feeling that I am pressed for time because I must teach everything in the set curriculum. Not to say I do not agree with the concept of curricula, I do, but I often hear that there is too much that is mandatory to cover, and never enough time to give those learning opportunities justice.

Funny enough, however, I do feel the need for accountability. Though perhaps I believe in a different kind of accountability than what is often experienced and talked about in the current climate of education. I don’t feel its fair to the student’s learning if one teacher is giving the job their all (with hands on, real world learning that engages the learners, and instructional strategies that are in tune with the varied needs of the learners) while another is distributing photocopied handouts and sitting in their desk while their students ‘learn’. Which students will get the best education and develop a real love for learning? That is the kind of accountability I think the education system needs.

But instead teachers are bogged down with collecting scores in relation to literacy and numeracy levels, and then meetings to discuss those scores. And then the percentages of their students scores’ is compared to other scores, and if they are low, the responsibility is on the teacher to bring them up- with teachers often reverting to pen to paper learning, drill and practice, and the viscous cycle continues. The paperwork and ‘accountability’ to complete all these steps is also very time consuming.

I realize fully that teaching includes this baggage. But I wonder, when will I have time to focus my energy on the holistic learning of my students? Will I ever be able to teach and enjoy the successes of my students (no matter whether academic, social or personal) without a feeling of top-down pressure in the back of my mind to power through the subject matter, to force my students to do what is considered ‘good’ by someone else’s standards, and to conform to the power of the system?

I sure hope so.