Educational Philosopher

The philosopher I choose to research was Howard Gardner. Howard Gardner was born in 1938. His parents were both Jewish and had fled from persecution in Nazi Germany before Howard was born. He had an older brother named Eric that he never met because he was killed in an accident before Howard was born. Growing up Howard was not able to play sports. By the age of 13 he had become an exceptional pianist and even considered a Carrer in music. He attended Harvard in 1961 for social relations. He then received a PhD in 1971.

In 1981, Howard Gardner was awarded a MacArthur Prize Fellowship. He continued to work at Harvard and Boston University School of Medicine.

He was best known for his theory of multiple intelligence. This idea is based on the belief that there is different types of of "intelligences" in human beings. He suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of intelligence. There are said to be eight intelligences... linguistic, logic-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal and intrapersonal.

I chose to do Howard Gardner because I believe/agree with his philosophy. I think that each individual has their own specific intelligence. It is not scientfic related. With each intelligence there is a level. And different people are on different levels. One child may be stronger in a different kind of intelligence in the other. I believe this to be true because we are all for the most part on different levels. This does not make one person smarter or better than the other.

Websites Used:

1.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences

2.)http://www.howardgardner.com/bio/bio.html

3.) http://www.howardgardner.com/images/Howard%20Gardner%20Compressed.jpg

Autism

I chose to do Autism because I've noticed that it is becoming more and more frequent in the world. If i am going to be a teacher or social worker, I would like to learn about this disease and what I can do in order to provide a solid education for the child.

Its stated that 1.5 million people suffer from the disease. Autism is a developmental disorder that some people are born with. It affects the brain and makes communicating and interacting with other people difficult. People who have autism often have delayed language development, prefer to spend time alone, show less interest in making friends, Sounds seem louder, lights brighter, or smells stronger. Although many people with autism also have mental retardation, some are of average or high intelligence. It is extremely important for a teacher and or caregiver to keep a consistent schedule for children with Autism.

As many as 1 in 150 people have autism, and it's more common in guys than in girls. The exact cause for Autism is unknown, however reaserchers believe that it has something to do with the brain chemicals.It is believed to be a combination of both multiple genetic combinations and exposure to as of yet unknown environmental factors. Autism is usually diagnosed when the child is young (usually between ages 1 - 4)

There isn't a medical test that can be done in order to determine if a child has the condition. The only way it can be detected if a caregiver sees the signs and or symptoms of the disease. For example, if a child appears to be afraid of noise, light, people, or if they do not develop the correct fine and gross motor skills by the appropriate age, then something may be wrong. Autism is not treated with surgery or medicine. Some people do however take medicine to help with the side effects, such as aggressive behavior. Programs that are based around the child's individual needs are usually the most effective form of treatment. It helps a child to communicate, interact with others, and basic living skills. Some other treatment program that can help people with Autism are speech therapy, physical therapy, music therapy, changes in diet, medication, occupational therapy, and hearing or vision therapy.

Overall, Autism is become more and more frequent in schools. Teachers and parents must be taught the proper ways to work with these children. Its also very important that these children are given the best education as possible while dealing with their individual problems.

1.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
2.) www.google.com/health
3.) www.autismspeaks.org/
4.)http://www.topnews.in/health/files/autism-kid.jpg

Children are Spending too much times in Day Cares

Parents may want to think twice before sending their children to day care full-time. Research shows that spending numerous hours a day in day care settings can actually be detrimental to children. Capizzano and research assistant Main (2002) discovered that an astounding forty-two percent of children five years and younger spent at least thirty-five hours a week in child care facilities. Nowadays children are spending up to sixty hours a week in child care facilities. Some may think this is a wonderful opportunity for children to enhance their skills and socialize more among their peers. Although these children may be more sociable, they are not necessarily receiving more education. There are many harmful effects to extended day care.

One bad effect is children are not bonding with their parents. Lindsey (Sept. 2008), a full-time preschool teacher at a day care center in Massachusetts, declared “a lot of children here are getting dropped off at six thirty in the morning and are not leaving the facility until six o’clock pm. That is way too long of a day for them! It’s not like we do curriculum at the end of the day either. The entire curriculum is done in the morning, so they are just basically sleeping or resting for two hours and at free play the rest of the evening!” Lindsey felt that too many hours spent at school is not good for the child. She thought that young children should be spending time bonding with their families.

There are many physical problems associated with long hours spent at day-care. Dr. Gunnar (1998), a professor of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, observed that many young children were under a lot of stress:

Cortisol levels of children in childcare centers were the same as or lower than cortisol levels in children at home in the morning, but by mid-afternoon levels had risen to a significantly higher level for children in childcare than for the children who stayed home; children in half-day preschool programs did not show this increase in cortisol (cited in Clarke-Stewart and Allhusen, 2005).

Cortisol is caused by stress. The more stress you have, the more cortisol your body secretes. Too much cortisol increases your blood pressure and glucose levels and weakens your immune system. This is not conducive to the health of young children. These high stress levels can accumulate into bad behavior.

“Children in settings with more children come down with more illnesses.” Sroufe and Belsky (2005) stated that children are around many other children in child care facilities, and therefore are being exposed to more pathogens. (cited in Clarke-Stewart and Allhusen) Infants, who spend long hours a day in child

care settings, are not bonding with their parents. This bond that begins early in a child’s life can affect his or her emotional, cognitive, social, and psychological development

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http://www.examiner.com/x-5760-Chicago-Preschool-Examiner~y2009m5d15-Are-kids-spending-too-much-time-at-preschool.

wealthyreader.com/.../are-we-spending-too-much-on-our-children/ -.

childdaycare365.com

School Violence

What are the cause(s) of school violence?



I found this topic interesting and wanted to do further research on it to answer any questions that I had. I think it is important for people to be aware of the causes of school violence and preventions that they can take in order to put an end to it.



It is stated that there are many underlying causes of school violence. Some of the most influential causes of school violence are bullying, peer pressure, gang involvement, home life situations, and media. Even though school shootings have decreased by 1 % in the past ten years, it is still a major issue in our society. Violent behavior tends to start at a young and escalates as time goes on. The most common types of violence in schools are fist fight and bullying. This is said to be the stepping stone to a bigger more significant form of violence.



I can not believe that when I read preventing school violence in the Education book, it stated that each day ten children die from gunfire. This was appalling to me! School should be a fun safe place where children go to learn and feel secure at all times.



There are many preventions that teachers and faculty members can take in order to prevent school shootings. It is important to teach students to respect others, no matter how different they appear to be on the outside; because we all have the same needs and aspirations on the inside. Schools need to educate students about preventing violence so it won't be an issue down the road. Violent intervention programs allow students to practice anger management, teach them how to use conflict resolutions, and non violent ways to handle difficult situations. Students need to be taught at an early age what behavior is acceptable and what will not be tolerated.



Overall, School violence for the most part can be resolved if kids are educated about it at a young age. As a teacher, I would push for school violence prevention programs. I know how important and influential it can be on a child.








http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/news/bcct/wcontent/blogs.dir/2/files/2008/August/Thursday/stop_school_violence10.jpg

http://images.salon.com/news/feature/2001/03/15/bullying/story.jpg

http://712educators.about.com/od/schoolviolence/School_Violence.htm

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/school_violence.html