Exploring Who I Am

Overall i enjoyed it however, it is definitely a good way of learning in an extramural class and it encourages you to keep up to date with the class work.

Ending on a happy note!! This song is so inspiring! She pretty much says 'I don't care what you think about me, i'm telling you my secrets, i'm not hiding them anymore, and SO WHAT'! Be proud of who you are and be who YOU want to be!!!

Week 12: ADHD is just one of the disabilities that requires special attention in relation to how they learn in the classroom. It is important to give children and adolescents who have this disorder high opportunities for physical activity with a teacher constantly monitoring their environment. School have a huge part in adjusting to how different people learn in order to optimise the students education.

Week 12: This source looks at how peer mentoring may influence students from low socioeconomic status households and school to attend university.

Week 12: I personally learn best this way. This website gives further detail into the constructivist approach to learning.

Week 11: Dating Violence. Pretty much explains itself. Something I think all adolescents need to consider when in a relationship, especially when establishing that their relationship might be a violent one (either physically or mentally and emotionally).

Week 11: 90% of people have dated by age 16! Say what! I found this so shocking! While I understand the want for love and companionship, I feel like this doesn't need to be attained through romance by age 16! I was quite happy with my friends at age 16, I had crushes on boys but I didn't see a serious future with any of them. My own personal opinion is that you date someone with the intention of carrying out a serious relationship with them, I am not bagging on high school sweethearts but I doubt all 90% of those couples stayed together. I think there is so much pressure for adolescence to date because 'everyone else is doing it'. I waited until I felt mature enough to have a proper relationship and I think it shouldn't be a scandal to do this. Last year I was a leader at my high school and I had a 13 year old boy ask me (very awkwardly) if it was wrong to be a virgin. His exact words. I was so speechless, 13 years old and already feeling the pressure of loosing his virginity, i think this is an extreme case, but none the less and example of an adolescent at high school right here in Palmerston North! I really feel think we need to help reshape the norms of dating amongst adolescents so its not seen as 'wrong' to not date or have been in a relationship by age 16.

Week 11: An innocently cute picture with such a sad reality. I was so shocked to read that nearly 20 percent of adolescents are rejected form their friend group- causing a  lot of them to drop out of school. My sister has experienced rejection continuously and it never fails to shock me how excluding teenage girls can be. The school councillor told her that she wasn't being bullied. While it is not mainstream bullying I feel very strongly about rejection and exclusion and I definitely think people need to have their eyes opened to the detrimental effects of it.

Week 10: An interesting study done on whether working mothers effect their child development in different ways than stay at home mothers. it was found that neither option affected the child and it was the families choice as to what method they thought would work best for them. Remember to log in via Massey to actually view the article!

Week 10: I quite like how this image gives more ways to describe the different parenting styles, i remember this topic from the Human Development course and I think this image is really helpful in giving a big overview of the parenting styles. This image could actually be used in counseling session with adolescents, they could be asked to rate how their parents treat them on an image like this one to give the councillor/ psychologist an idea of their situation at home.

Week 10: This was the first image that came up when I typed 'family' into google images. Although the shape of the second adult depicts a woman, I like how this photo could be viewed as two men with their three children- due to the people being silhouettes. While gay marriage is still frowned upon by many, I think it is becoming more widely accepted. I think it would so interesting to do research on how children develop depending on whether they were raised by a man and a woman, two men, or two women. While I don't think any of these would have negative affects on the children, I definitely think the children raised in the single sex parent families may have different morals and overall prejudices.

Week 9: This can relate to sexuality but i think it shows an emphasis on moral education- character development in particular, which teaches moral behavior and avoidance of harming behaviour to others. This makes you question the boys morals. He knows sexual abuse is wrong as you see from him standing behind the mirror yet he doesn't see this when he is 'in the moment'. Why is this? Is this related to his morals?- or lack of moral for that matter.

Week 9: He is a bit repetitive but this video helps to demonstrate how parents and family values have and affect on what be believe our morals to be. This made me question my own morals and why I have these morals.