Modern Childhood(An Introduction to Assignment 1)

Mark Jenkins

Children’s Needs

The needs of small human beings are much the same as they ever were. They need physical nurturing [a healthy mind and a healthy body]: nourishing food; plenty of exercise and play; adequate sleep. They need emotional and social support, which mean time, attention, communication and love from the people closest to them. As they grow older , they must widen their social circle and learn cognitive skills, including the 3Rs. And throughout childhood they need moral guidance, to help them navigate the increasingly complex web of contemporary ethics.

Modern Childhood

What do these words bring to mind – what do you consider?

Discuss with a partner and be prepared to feed back

So What is Happening?

Our expectation is that children will slowly mature from egocentric little bundles to grown-up, civilised, behaviour

Something is happening to interfere with this normal pattern of behaviour

Anecdotal [teacher] reports over the last 20 years point to a steady deterioration in children’s behaviour and learning potential, and not just those diagnosed with special needs

Cultural Factors Affecting Children’s Learning [2005 Survey of 1000 Teachers]

Poor Diet 82%

Lack of Play/Exercise 80%

Lack of Talk at Home 90%

Family Breakdown 85%

Too Much TV 95%

Lack of Sleep 92%

Celebrity Culture 52%

Pressure of Tests 55%

Poor Parenting Skills 88%

Lack of an Established Moral Code

84%

Toxic Childhood

2004 – behavioural problems in children have doubled over the past 30 years [English Research Association]

Emotional problems have increased by 70% [ERA] 1 in 5 teens suffers mental health problems [American

Psychological Association] By 2020 neuropsychiatric disorders in children will swell

by 50% [WHO] Increased teenage use of drugs, binge drinking, self-

harm, suicide, eating disorders Gun crime, Columbine High School etc

So What is Going Wrong?

NOT JUST ONE THINGWe can’t blame parents, teachers, junk food or anything

else. This is a complex cultural problem, linked to the incredible speed of human progress.

Our culture has evolved faster than our biology.

This clash between our technology driven culture and our biological heritage is now damaging children’s ability to think, learn and behave.

To put it bluntly the next generation may not be bright or balanced enough to keep the show on the road.

Sue Palmer

2009 Report of the Children’s Society

An Undeniable Assertion

Children are a sacred trust. They are not just our future adults. Their current feelings and experience matter as much as those of adults, and, being more vulnerable, they need even more consideration. Unless we care properly for our children, we shall never build a better world.

Children’s Society

From the Children’s SocietyOur children are more educated and less sick

than ever before. They are more open and honest about themselves and more tolerant of human diversity in all its forms. And they are more concerned about their environment. We are proud of our children and their accomplishments, and rightly so.

And yet their is also widespread unease about our children’s experience – about the commercial pressures they face, the violence they are exposed to, the stresses at school, and the increased emotional distress... Some of it reflects a genuine fear on behalf of our children – that somehow their lives are becoming more difficult and more difficult than they ought to be

Marital Trends

• 15% of mothers who give birth are already on their own• 25% cohabit and 60% are married• At 16 two thirds of children are living apart from their biological fathers• Cohabiting parents are more likely to split up• Children who experience parental divorce or separation are

themselves more likely to become divorced or separated• An increasing number of married people are becoming dissatisfied

with their marriagesExcessive Individualism

The prime duty of the individual is to make the most of their own life, rather than contribute to the good of others.

In Britain the balance has shifted toward the individual pursuit of private interest rather than social responsibility and it is this which is causing a

range of problems for our children (Children’s Society)

Marriage in 2007

270,000 MarriagesDown from 480000 in 197266% of marriages where both partners are

marrying for the first time survive44% of UK births occur outside marriage,

in 1988 it was 25%8% of married parents separate before

the child is 5But 43% of unmarried parents

Child Poverty

After the USA Britain is the most unequal of all the Western countries with an exceptionally high number of children living below the average standard of living.

You are classed as poor if you have below 60% of the median level of income

22% of Britain's children live in poverty

Children Living in Relative Poverty (2005)

What Poverty means for Children‘Why can’t I have what my friend has?’

A study of 40 children gave the following picture

They tried to protect their parents from their own feelings of disadvantage and, sometimes, hunger

They felt shame and embarrassment as they were unable to dress like their peers

Their lives were restricted because of the cost of public transport

They experienced school as exclusionary, often felt unable to go on outings, and felt identified as free dinner children

What Children NeedChildren’s Society

1. Families where they observe and experience love

2. Friends, as they begin to experience life outside the family

3. A positive lifestyle in which they develop interests which satisfy them and avoid the enticements of excessive commercialism and unhealthy living

4. Solid values which give meaning to life5. Good schools in which to acquire both

values and competence6. Enough money to live among their peers

without shame

33 Things To Do Before You Are 10Roll down a grassy bank

Make a snow angel Make a mud pie

Camp out in the garden

Prepare a dough mixture

Bake a cake

Collect frogspawn Feed a farm animal Make perfume from petals

Pick strawberries Grow cress Play Pooh sticks

Find some worms Recognise 5 birds Build a sand castle

Make a papier-mache mask

Organise a teddy bears’ picnic

Cycle through a muddy puddle

Make a den in the garden

Fly a kite Paint with hands and feet

Plant a tree Climb a tree Build a nest with grass

Face paint Find 10 different leaves Bake bread

Grow vegetables Bury someone at the beach

Make parents breakfast in bed

Take part in a scavenger hunt

Create a clay/play dough sculpture

Create a mini-assault course in the garden

Introduction to Assignment 1

You have each been given a section of an article by Robin Alexander

Spend 10 minutes on your own reading through the passage and making notes on what the article says

Be prepared to share what you have with others

You can find the whole article at the back of your reading pack

Information Sharing

Get together with those who have the same section of the article as yourselves and share information and perspectives on the reading

Group

Return to your original table grouping.

You should have sheets A – G between you

Starting with A and moving through alphabetically - tell the rest of your group about your section of the article

The Assignment

A group presentation(full details are in the handbook on page5)

The presentation will take place during seminar sessions in week 6 (1st Nov)

The Presentation

Students will present a 15 minute presentation to the rest of the group

It will be supported by PowerPoint slides

(it is essential these are brought on a memory stick as it takes too long to log in and out of sites)

Expectations

The presentation should not merely regurgitate the article

It needs to show how students have Reflected on the state of modern childhood Considered the implications of what they have read for

their future career Have supported their work with other readings Are able to relate what they say to personal experience Use a standard of written and spoken English

appropriate to undergraduate study.

Marking criteria 1st 2i 2ii 3 F

Understanding of the chosen aspects of the article

Full and clearly outlined understanding.

Sound understanding Purposeful outlining of ideas.

Overly descriptive/ generalised account.

Generalised the key points. Some key aspects missed or misunderstood

Little understanding of the article

Reflective evaluation of the implications of the article

Clear reflective evaluation of the implications for teachers.

Carefully outlined consideration of the implications for teachers.

Some attempt to reflect on the implications, somewhat generalised Largely descriptive.

Some consideration of the implications of the article, not fully explored.

No consideration of the implications

Use of supportive texts and personal experiences

Good range of texts and experiences used for analysis

A range of texts and experiences used for analysis

Some reading or personal experience used

Limited reference is made to other reading or experience

No comparative material used

A standard of English appropriate to undergraduate study on PowerPoint

Good structure to writing. Clear use of English. No major errors.

Good structure to writing. Clear use of English. Minor errors only.

Sound structure to writing. Some errors in written English*.

Structure muddled or unclear. A number of errors in written English*.

Structure significantly weak. Serious errors in written English*.

A quality of presentation appropriate to professional expectation

Excellently presented

Very good presentation

Sound Presentation Sound presentation with limitations

Poorly presented

Marking Criteria

Please Ensure You… Give a copy of your PowerPoint handout

to your tutor Include all names and numbers of group

members Include a final slide detailing your

bibliography Fully reference the slides throughout

Please put the names and numbers of all group members on the sign up sheet please

Remember

All members of the group should have a roughly equal weighting in the spoken aspect of the presentation

There is no professional studies lecture or seminar in week 6 to allow students preparation time

Warning

Any student who does not participate on the day will be deemed to have failed the assignment and have to redo the presentation in front of the seminar group at a later date (on an individual basis if necessary)

This also applies to any group who fail the presentation (or individuals within the group who are not seen to take a significant part)

The presentation is on a pass/fail basis only although the mark sheet will give indicative grades (see assessment criteria).

Directed Task 2

Remember

To bring your autobiography to next week’s session – Week 4