Educational Psychology Essay

REFLECTION ESSAY ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES for teaching methodal Psychology Cecille Ann C. Pilapil, MS, MA, CIOP Name of Student KO, KATHERINE Y. section 2PSY4 I re eithery indirect request to be a teacher. Children be my passion and it has al demeanors been my biggest dreaming to armed service them, to impart my fellowship to them, and to be able to ascertain and relate to them.In this world that rapidly changes and grows, the theatrical economic consumption of a teacher proves very immanent in either(prenominal) babes process of study. In the past, I admit that I utilize to take the easy way step up in studying I relied immensely on rote memorisation to pass my subjects. I would spend hours and hours just memorizing different c every(prenominal) and concepts, without rattling encountering what this or that delegacy.It was not that I didnt c ar active the courses I in any casek, and only because I wanted to render ut astir(predicate) grades and I eyeshot that just memorizing everything would suffice it easier, only if soon came to meet that it only when did not. When it came to practical situations, I had a rather elusive date applying myself. I didnt know how to put words into action, and I became kinda anxious because if I wanted to be successful in the snip to come, I had to develop how to adapt.If I wanted to be a teacher, first, I had to value the process of teaching and understanding. What I re on the wholey loved about my Educ Psych score is that I was able to learn a lot through doing the things I enjoy, like watching films to help better understand different concepts, pleasant in group discussions, interacting with my housemates, and just laughing and having fun with each some some other.As a class, we were taught the value of team release we function as a single unit. This really brought me and my classmates closer to integrity other. Educ Psych had really helped us name why it is so weighty for us to know each other and why we should support and respect one another all of these atomic number 18 requisite to achieve integrity. Our motto was Do what you say, say what you do, and this has helped us in so many ways, not only in teach but besides at home, and in our relationships with others. This subject did not only better me insight on what it would be like to be a teacher, but I was in like manner able to take a good glimpse on how overmuch a teacher whoremaster change students lives, simply by listening to them, by encouraging them, by investing not only academic education sequence but as easily tone time with them, and simply, by being their friend and caring for them. Another important lesson for me is that being a good student is not at all about looking good in front of your professors and classmates, or receiving high gear grades. What really defines a good student is how she is able to value the association she obtains inside th e classroom and applies all those lessons learned in real life.This class has helped me mature in so many ways in relating with my classmates, in relating with my professors, and in relating with myself. This class had pried open my mind and helped me learn how to combine my knowlight-emitting diodege with action. raisingal Psychology EssayQUESTION 1 Education most definitely plays a key role in building the forthcoming of our nation but many learners are still deficiencying the rudiments of a basic grapheme statement. The reciprocal ohm Afri butt end Constitution characterization was passed in 1996 and came into operation on 4 February 1997 26 (Duma, 1995). Chapter 2 of this Act contains the bankers bill of Rights in which the State guarantees the protection of individuals fundamental rights (Duma, 1995). Section 29 talks about the right to Education (Duma, 1995). This section recognizes that every person has a right to basic raising and to equal vex to reproduction al institutions (Duma, 1995).It is invitely ostensible though that this has not taken organise because grim learners, especially in the cl witnessish areas are not receiving the necessary quality education that they are entitled to. Many schools in the rural areas still lack basic facilities much(prenominal) as ladder water, toilets, desks and electrical energy (Seroto, 2004). To worsen the situation some schools are built only of fluff (Finne more, 2009). Many township schools are in a serious utter of dilapidation, partly due to theft of infrastructure and other forms of vandalism (Seroto, 2004).The shortfall of classrooms, equipment and other teaching resources is evident in many schools today (Finnemore, 2009). wretched school man whilement practices and dysfunctional teacher evaluation are contributory factors (Finnemore, 2009). The poor state of our school buildings and facilities is reflective of the current budgetary crisis (Tedla, 1995). This lack of access to re sources and temporals by barbarianren in the rural areas leads to inequalities within our education system. Children in urban areas and sinlessness schools father access to a better quality education than fryren in the rural low areas.Read alike retention ForgettingThese inequalities today whitethorn be as a result of the Bantu education system. There has been inequality of access to education between the white and black schools in the past, and the evidence is brought forth when the political instability led to the disruptions of schools and centres for political indoctrination, leading to strikes and class boycotts, with the aim of demanding a change in the Black institutions of knowledge (Sedibe, 2011). According to teachers in Kwa-Mashu schools the core of all the problems cladding schools today was the whole system of Bantu Education (Sedibe, 2011).This implies that what is presently mishap in schools today is the result of years of oppressive education (Sedibe, 201 1). callable to inadequate and unequal access of resources these schools in rural areas throw outnot function in personnel (Sedibe, 2011). It is therefore the duty of the Department of Education to supply adequate resources and make them lendable to all schools every bit, in cabaret to bring up a close of teaching and acquire within schools (Sedibe, 2011). This is a very important uncover that carrys to be taken seriously if we are talking about investing in the time to come of our youngsterren.This means that rural areas need much more support from governing body than urban areas do in equipment casualty of education. They need to be allocated a fair share of the budget that volition help remedy the bad conditions they are faced with. This can be achieved by providing them with all the necessary learning resources they need, which in turn pass on enable them to adequately equip themselves and thus guarantee them a agleam future. Another issue that arises in our scho ols today is having teachers who are either unlimited or under-qualified.This was as a result of the clo confident(predicate) of most military commission schools and teacher culture facilities in 1953 which bear ond all teacher study into racially separated government training colleges, geared to extending the mass domicile of Bantu Education (Douglas, 2005). Since other professions were closed to them on racial or economic grounds, many bulk of colour became teachers by default (Douglas, 2005). As a result, under-qualified, unqualified and change surface un-matriculated teachers were employed (Douglas, 2005).Training centres for our teachers today are a necessity if we desire to check up on pupils succeeding and achieving their goals. Teachers need to be outfit with the relevant skills and knowledge to carry out their roles get hold ofly and confidently. presidencys budget for education inevitably to set aside funds that pass on invest in training centres for teacher s thus investing in the future and success of our learners, and in turn leading to a water-loving, stable and growth nation. Another matter that arises is that of the apartheid system.During the apartheid era black people were discriminated over against and this was clearly evident in the area of education. The implementation of Bantu education ensured that the level of education allow ford to Africans could be differentiated, with a small urban population obtaining education beyond the particular level, while the majority of the African migrant labour force received only minimal primary education (Mabokela, 2000). Still rivet on the apartheid era, systems and laws were put in place that made sure that black people were excluded from certain opportunities and benefits.For example, apprenticeship training programs designed for suppuration of skills at workplaces were also for many years reserved solely for white persons (Finnemore, 2009). Overcoming the long bum of apartheid education is proving a major hurdle to the development of our nation. In terms of governments budget for education, has there been a failure to equally allocate resources? Government needs to revisit this budget to make sure that it is being fairly and equally distributed, so that every learner can have the chance to benefit from it.Governments spending on education has declined over the years (Tedla, 1995). Although many students are found in primary schools, and although this level of education is less expensive than secondary or ordinal levels, the financial support for it has steadily decreased (Tedla, 1995). Formerly White education was financed at 185 percent of the national average whereas the education departments of the former non-independent homelands were funded at 74 percent of the national average and the former independent homelands at 67 percent (Seroto, 2004).This clearly shows funding disparities with regard to the provision of education for White learners and fo r Black learners perpetuated by the former apartheid government (Seroto, 2004). This apartheid system has had an effect on our education system today. The sec African budget also suffers from the effects of apartheid. The economy is still reeling from the economic downfalls of apartheid and there is a major problem in maintaining current levels of spending with the solution being unreadable (Education in South Africa, 2005).All the factors discussed above play a critical role in the development of our education system today and unless we make a conscious decision to take the necessary steps to amend these problems, the future of our children cannot be guaranteed. QUESTION 2 In the article provided it is very clear that the conditions for learning are not conducive at all for the students to learn. These conditions or else can lead to the demotivation and discouragement of the students.Some of the negative learning conditions they are subject to are a tremendous shortage of learni ng facilities, resources and temporals like desks, chairs, understand books and workbooks. The classroom floors are described by the teacher as a dirt road. This is definitely detrimental to the health and well-being of the learners. The classroom walls are described as raw and bare. We know that children need a affect and motivating environment to grow and without things like paintings, draft copys and understands on the walls it becomes very ambitious for them to develop.All these conditions that have been described above stand as a prohibition to the ability of students to learn. These conditions could lead to the students failure to learn anything, not because they are unequal to(p) or incompetent but because of the poor and bad learning conditions they have been exposed to, leading to their failure to lie with. For these students who attend school in these conditions, bittie can be learned, surely, on a day under a leaky roof or with no roof at all (Tedla, 1995). Thes e problems can and do discourage pupil attendance (Tedla, 1995).The Role of the Psychologist The role of the psychologist in much(prenominal) a context would be, first and foremost to understand the nature of each child within this context so that they may be able to incite them. For example, different children pull up stakes behave and answer differently to different situations. Some children may be resilient to such conditions and view them as opportunities to learn, instead of viewing them as roadblocks to learning. In such circumstances these children would do whatever it takes to work hard and achieve their goals no matter the circumstances.Other children might end up discouraged, demotivated, depressed, frustrated, stressed and unhappy. It would be the responsibility of the psychologist to find out about the nature of each child by conducting judgements. Assessment of children requires special adaptation of assessment procedures and particular interview techniques (Holfo rd et al. , 2001). These assessments could acknowledge one-on-one sessions with the child. In addition to interviewing children, using developmentally appropriate language, drawing techniques and imaginative play can elicit valuable nformation (Holford et al. , 2001). This could also take observing each child within the classroom setting and perceive how they respond and react within that classroom environment. For any comprehensive assessment of a child, direct observation of activity level, motor skills, verbal expression, and vocabulary are also essential (Holford et al. , 2001). Any kind of assessment used by the psychologist should not be complex but rather simplify so that learners are able to understand.Questions must be simple and appropriate for the childs developmental level (Holford et al. , 2001). This in turn will ensure that there is conference between the learner and the psychologist. It will also help to ensure that learners benefit from these sessions. It is al so very important that the psychologist understands how the child views the circumstances in his or her environment. Therefore the primary goal of the interviewing technique is to gain the childs own perspective (Holford et al. , 2001).Teachers can also collaborate with the psychologists to help the learners. This is what is referred to as unified collaboration. It can often be useful for the psychologist to speak to the childs teacher(s) as their reports can generate valuable supplementary information (Holford et al. , 2001). A standard questionnaire could be habituated to the teacher to provide information about the childs learning skills, ability to cope in a group situation, fellow relationships, and relationships with adults in authority (Holford et al. , 2001). Possible Interventions by the PsychologistA key component of Bronfenbrenners molding (the ecological systems theory) is the understanding that children are also active participants in their own development, and the environment therefore does not simply impact on the child (Swart & Pettipher, 2005). Childrens perceptions of their context are central to understanding how they interact with their environments (Swart & Pettipher, 2005). The way they perceive their circumstances influences the way they respond to their human and physical contexts (Swart & Pettipher, 2005).The microsystem refers to the activities or interactions in the childs immediate surroundings (Swart & Pettipher, 2005). The mesosystem refers to connections or interrelationships among microsystems of homes, schools, and peer groups (Swart & Pettipher,). The psychologist could use both the microsystem and mesosystem in coming up with different kinds of interventions. For example, the psychologist could acknowledge systemic interventions with get ups, teachers or the school itself (Landsberg, 2011).A systemic intervention with parents would involve purpose out more about the child in the home environment, how the child interact s with them as parents, how the child interacts with his or her peers and any other difficulties or problems the child may be experiencing at home. Another intervention could involve parent and teacher workshops (Landsberg, 2011). Parents and teachers could come together to discuss the progress of the children, the problems they are experiencing at home and at school and how parents can support teachers and vice versa, in assisting the children to bastinado any obstacles or barriers they may be facing.They could also assist the children in making their learning experience a more delightful and successful one. The school itself can also be involved in this intervention, by, for example, designing programs and projects (Landsberg, 2011). This could help students in developing their capacity to learn and work together in groups, as well as developing their communication skills within groups. It could also teach them how to love and support one another in such an environment.These int erventions used by psychologists should not only concentrate on on the childrens weaknesses but should also focus on their strengths that can be used to compensate for their areas of weakness (Landsberg, 2011). These interventions should provide the learners with immediate benefits that can be realized, including the identification of social or emotional difficulties, considerations and coping strategies to enhance learning and methods for increasing motivation and interest in affected areas as required (Landsberg, 2011). QUESTION3In this article, owning a toy is a dream rather than a reality for these children. They desire to have toys but because their parents are unemployed and the school cannot afford to provide them with these toys this is not a reality for them. Having toys should not be seen as a luxury but rather as a necessity for children of this age to grow and develop appropriately. They desire to have desks, chairs, picture books and many more resources. For them witho ut these basic resources they feel they will not be able to realize their goals.They also desire playgrounds, see-saws, pencils, toys and most importantly food. These desires are the kind that any child of school going age would have. nutrition is one of the very important and basic necessities for anyone to survive, no matter the age. If these children cannot even afford to get a decent meal it becomes very difficult for them to learn anything at school. They also desire water and toilets, which once again are basic necessities of life that one cannot live without. It is a lamentable fact that at this young age, these children have been denied the opportunity to the basic necessities of life.Pupils dream of computing devices but they are yet to see one. In this fast-paced expert and global environment, every child should be exposed to a computer and given the basic skills of how to operate one. These children need to be given the opportunity to realize their goals and aspiratio ns in life. At their young age it is difficult to forebode them to understand what is going on. Therefore teachers, the government, the education department and parents all have a big role to play in the lives of these children in order to make sure that they realize and achieve their dreams.Material conditions definitely need to be improved to enhance the learning of these children but they also need a strong support system from both parents and teachers to help them through their learning experience. One needs to get into the childs world and see things from their perspective (Holford et al. , 2001). In this way they will be able to understand the children and what they are experiencing and thus be able to assist them. It is the responsibility of government to improve the conditions of these impoverished schools so that children can be able to learn and be productive in their learning experience.They also need to provide more learning resources for the children so that they can e nhance their ability to learn. prefatory facilities such as running water, toilets, desks, chairs and electricity should be made available and easily accessible for these children. Parents within these communities also need assistance in finding employment or loans to start small businesses so that they too can be able to support their children and contribute to the schools they attend. The risk of children move sick because they do not have access to clean and healthy water must be reduced.This problem stands as a barrier to achieving their goals and dreams. It is the responsibility of our rescript, government, parents and teachers to work together in making sure that children overcome these barriers to learning by adequately equipping them in every achievable way to realize their goals. All these factors that have been mentioned greatly contribute to the license of these children and unless we all work together to see that these children are emancipated, their future cannot b e secured. QUESTION 4A detailed ideal education system within a multidisciplinary context that can improve the educational outcomes of children of school going age would be one that firstly offers quality education for all learners. This means that all learners should have equal access to adequate facilities and resources (for example, clean running water, toilets, desks, chairs and electricity) within their school environment careless(predicate) of their race (whether they are black or white), regardless of where they live (in the rural or urban areas) and regardless of whether they are disabled or disadvantaged.Secondly, this system should accommodate the different learning styles of different learners within schools. Some learners may need visual material to support them in their learning experience some learners may need learning material to be broken up into smaller amounts other learners may want to see the whole picture before the material is broken up some learners may pref er studying with minimize music others may prefer studying in a equable place (Swart & Pettipher, 2005 ). This system should make provision for all these different learning styles of learners.This system also needs to move away from the apartheid system that accommodated face more than anything. Schools now need to embrace the diversity of cultures and languages within our society by finding a way to accommodate each and every learner, no matter their background or culture. At the same time they need to help learners realize the continued importance of developing their slope language skills. This can be done through the use of appropriate reading materials, writing skills and appropriate teaching methodology. Thirdly, this system should be one that accommodates the diversity of learners within our society and community.In this case, teachers need to be given more time to plan their teaching activities to include a diversity of learners (Landsberg, 2011). non only do teachers ne ed to be given more time to plan their teaching activities but they also need helpers or spare teacher assistants (also called classroom assistants) who can support them in teaching a diversity of learners as well as support from specialized people for advice and guidance (Landsberg, 2011). Teachers also need administrative support as well as adequate learning support materials and assistive devices appropriate for the needs of learners with disabilities (Landsberg, 2011).This system can only be successful in change the educational outcomes of children of school going age if teachers are given all the support they need to deal with the different kinds of learners within the different schools. Government also needs to invest in teachers by sending them to training centers that will adequately equip them with the required skills and knowledge necessary for them to cope in their diverse school environments. REFERENCE LIST Douglas, J. (2005). Transformation of the South African school ing system. Teacher Professionalism and Education Transformation.Braamfontein The Centre for Education form _or_ system of government Development. Duma, M. (1995). Community Involvement in Rural schools in Pietermaritzburg Area. (Masters Thesis, University of South Africa. ). Education in South Africa. Retrieved October 19, 2005 from www. southafrica. info/ess_info/saglance. education/education. htm Erasmus, BJ, Loedolff, PvZ, Mda, T & Nel, PS. (2009). Managing training and development in South Africa (5th ed. ). Cape Town Oxford. Finnermore, M. (2009). Introduction to Labour dealings in South Africa (10th ed. ). Durban Butterworths. Holford, L. Ziervogel, C. & Smith C. (2001). 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