Issues in Child Development - Essay Example

?Policy Development Introduction Education is one of the most crucial aspects of child development. It often decides and impacts significantly on thefuture and the career of a child. It is therefore important for government officials to secure adequate and appropriate education for all children. In many parts of the world, various policies have been established in order to secure children’s education and development. This study shall draft a policy which I feel would benefit children growing up in the UK. This discussion shall include a rationale for my decision and the challenges I would likely face. I would also discuss how this policy would support the current policies already in place. Body Children have basic rights as human beings and these rights mostly refer to the special protection afforded them as young individuals (Amnesty International, 2011). These rights include the right to human identity, basic needs for food, education, health care, and criminal laws appropriate to their age and development. Their rights also include freedom from physical, mental, and emotional abuse (Amnesty International, 2011). The politics of childhood is often based on the appropriate learning which can be applied to the different students from different races, cultures, and religions, in one school system or even in one classroom (Morris, 2011). It is also sometimes based on how children are perceived by other members of society, and with children not being afforded the same entitlements in rights as their adult counterparts. Furthermore, these children are also perceived as similar to each other in terms of learning ability and capacity. However, not all students have the same capacity or pace in learning (Haskvitz, 2011). Some children may indeed be smart and be fast learners; however, others may be slow learners and may take a while to learn concepts. Other children rest may be adept in other areas of learning. For example, some may be math whizzes, but be terrible in English or science, or be excellent in English, but be terrible at Math. The important point to consider is that there are different elements which have to be considered in teaching children (Haskvitz, 2011). And by managing these considerations and integrating the necessary changes into the learning process, it is possible to achieve the best learning conditions for children. Educational Policy based on the immediate rewards system Rationale: This policy was chosen because it seeks to provide immediate rewards and reinforcement for learning and growing children. I chose this as an applicable policy for children because children have short attention spans and short-term memories. The best way to reinforce a positive behaviour is to immediately reward or praise it (Domjan, 2003, p. 45). A policy which is therefore based on immediate rewards or reinforcement is the easiest way of ensuring an effective learning process. Goal: To provide an effective and appropriate educational curriculum and policy for children based on a strong and immediate rewards and reinforcement system. Implementation 1. This policy would first require teachers to undergo training in the proper and effective rewards, reinforcement, and punishment system in their teaching styles. This training shall be undertaken with the assistance of educational and psychological experts who shall guide the teachers in the proper and effective ways of rewarding, reinforcing, and punishing their students. If possible, this training should also be integrated in the educational systems of colleges and universities offering teaching courses. The sooner that this rewards system can be integrated into the education of teachers, the better for the students and the children. 2. This policy then needs to be gradually integrated into the curriculum of students. It is a policy which would not require a complete or significant overhaul of the UK educational system. Changes needed would be on the rewards and reinforcement given to students. This rewards system can be implemented in the classroom by the teachers by establishing a daily rewards system – which may include best in English, best in Math, Most Improved, or even seemingly mediocre awards for Best Handwriting or Most Behaved. Usually, rewards system in schools are handed out at the end of each school year or school term, however, if the rewards and reinforcement system of Skinner would be strictly applied, these rewards and reinforcing behaviour can best achieve the most impact on students if given out immediately after a positive action is manifested (Neuringer, 2002, p. 672). For those who also need to be reprimanded for their negative behaviour, the negative implications of a behaviour can best be prevented or managed when the punishment or the reprimand is issued immediately after the negative act. 3. This policy would also require regular activities which reinforce positive behaviour of students and children, directing them towards more positive and favourable behaviour. These regular activities can come in the form of weekly class programs where the most noteworthy performances from the students can be praised and rewarded by the teachers and even fellow students. The rewards may not always be based on a fixed set of ‘rewardable’ activities including Best at Math or Science. It may also include rewards on noteworthy achievements for students which are not part of the set standards of the school. For example, a student may have done a good deed outside the school, like assisting an elderly or a disabled person. These are behaviour which can be reinforced among students. It teaches them about kindness and respect for the vulnerable members of society. 4. This policy also needs to map out landmark achievements and milestones in a student’s or a child’s development which would help guide the students and the teachers on the appropriate direction of the child’s learning. In essence, in order for a child to reach a milestone of reading, he needs to learn his ABCs and his counting first. Learning his ABCs is a landmark which needs to be rewarded and reinforced. Learning how to count is another landmark. Learning the sounds of each letter is also another milestone which needs to be reinforced. Later, learning how to read short words by combining letter sounds is an activity which has to be mastered; and learning to read short words like cat, dog, sat, bat, etcetera, are milestones which must also be rewarded because they lead to other bigger words – they lead to sentences and if this behaviour is further reinforced, it leads to paragraphs. This map can be likened to a rat finding his way through a maze, reaching a corner and a dead end, and finding other ways towards his reward (Neuringer, 2002, p. 683). Every time that rat reaches that reward, his behaviour is reinforced, and he would again find himself through the maze in order to get to that reward time and again. A child can seek to find each milestone with each reward that is given to him, and these milestones help guide and complete his learning process. The policy suggested is based on the ultimate goal of achieving an effective learning process for children. It is a rewards system which is not utilized enough in schools, but which can potentially improve the learning process of students (Cole, 1990, p. 240). In applying this rewards and reinforcement system, it is also important for teachers and other educators to remember that children have protected rights against physical, emotional, and mental abuse. In instances when negative behaviour surfaces, the punishment or reprimand given to the student must therefore not be physically, emotionally, or mentally abusive. The rewards and reinforcement system must also be based on specific qualities of the child, including his race, religion, culture, and his level of learning (Frontiers in Behavioural Science, 2009). The teacher must therefore get to know his child well, noting individual qualities which allow for a more appropriate learning and reinforcement or punishment system for the child. What may seem to be an appropriate and non-abusive tone of voice to an Asian may be interpreted as abusive to the American. Furthermore, what may be a major achievement to a slow learner may seem like a paltry achievement to a fast learner (Poling and Normand, 1999, p. 237). These are considerations where adjustments in the teacher implementing the policy have to be made. In order for the policy to be effective, the teachers must be observant of their students’ specific qualities which may require a shift in the policy implementation. The rewards system is part of B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning. In this theory, a person who is carrying out his daily activities is in an operating process or stage in his environment. While carrying out his activities, he may encounter a reinforcing stimulus and this reinforce can increase the occurrence of the behaviour. In this case, “the behaviour is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence modifies the organism’s tendency to repeat the behaviour in the future” (Boeree, 1998). Behaviour which is therefore reinforced caused an increased probability of such a behaviour occurring in the future. In the educational system therefore it is possible for a child to repeat favourable or positive behaviour through rewards and reinforcement offered by the teacher. In implementing this policy, there is no major change which needs to be implemented in the current health system. There are just some minor adjustments in the scheduling of the classes which has to be established in order to free time for rewards to be handed out to students. Other adjustments would include the training for teachers on the implementation of this policy are needed. In this training, teachers would be able to settle their concerns on: What actions merit rewards or punishment? What is considered appropriate reward or punishment? How do I know that the student rewards system is working? With adequate training for the teachers, it is possible for the teachers and students to establish a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship. Conclusion The discussion above presents the use of a new education policy for children which involve the immediate reinforcement and rewards system. This policy establishes that there is a need to provide immediate rewards for student efforts in order to reinforce the behaviour and to guide the learner towards the right direction. This policy is based on BF Skinner’s operant behaviour theory which basically establishes that a positive behaviour when immediately supported or rewarded would likely be repeated. Rewarding children for their good deeds would succinctly send the message to the learner, and that his behaviour is appropriate and in order to reach another reward, he would have to keep striving his best. This policy is based on various variables like student’s race, ethnicity, culture, and even capacity to learn. With these elements present, a favourable learning process can be gained for many children learners. Works Cited Amnesty International, (2011), A Safe Childhood is a Human Right, viewed 08 October 2011 from http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/children-s-rights?id=1011016&n1=3&n2=78 Boeree, C. G. (1998). B. F. Skinner, viewed 07 October 2011 from http://www.ship.edu/%7Ecgboeree/skinner.html Cole, M.R. (1990), Operant hoarding: A new paradigm for the study of self-control. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour, volume 53, 247–262. Domjan, M. (2003), The Principles of Learning and Behavior, Fifth Edition, Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth Frontiers in Behavioural Science, (2009), Neuron, volume 63(3): pp. 244–253. Haskvitz, A. (2011), Helping your slow-learning child, Reach every child, viewed 08 October 2011 from http://www.reacheverychild.com/feature/slowlearners.html Morris, J. (2011), Cultural expectations and student learning, State University, viewed 08 October 2011 from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2346/Race-Ethnicity-Culture.html#ixzz1aIyTf3Jh Neuringer, A. (2002), Operant variability: Evidence, functions, and theory. Psychonometric Bulletin & Review, volume 9(4), 672–705. Poling, A., & Normand, M. (1999), Noncontingent reinforcement: an inappropriate description of time-based schedules that reduce behaviour, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, volume 32, pp. 237–238. Read More