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Making your body move.

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“Dance – to move the feet and body rhythmically, esp in time to music” (Collins, 2017).

The word ‘dance’ is enough to overwhelm by body with the feeling of embarrassment and fear so when I realised that our fist tutorial of the day was dance I immediately wanted to head for the exit. Being creative, adventurous and outgoing with children is something I feel comfortable with but asking me to do a dance move in front of my peers is the opposite. Realising I was not the only one in my year group wanting to make a run for it made me feel a bit more at ease.

We played and discussed many games that could be used in an educational setting. A game I like to call ‘Copy Me’ was my favourite. This game involved everyone sitting in a circle, one person would start doing an action and the rest of the circle would copy, the person on the right of the person doing the action would start doing a new action and the circle would then copy the new action. This game continued until everyone had done an action. This game could be done with music in the background or without. I enjoyed this game as I felt that within a school setting some children will be less confident than others to participate in dance/movement lessons. This game was less frightening as you did not have to be the centre of attention or stand up. I feel this game would be a good starting point in building childrens confidence.

We then practiced and spoke about good ways to get children to participate in warm ups before taking part in a dance lesson. This was important because as teachers we are responsible for our pupils wellbeing. We discussed the various parts of our body and where our muscles and organs are found.

The area of the body that were to be labeled on to a body that we drew.

 

Our body. By being drawing a body and labelling it’s parts it has made it easier for me to remember the various parts of the body. This is a practical idea that can be done with many age ranges.

 

As a final activity we discussed the 10 movements/words that as educators are all we need to create a good dance lesson:

  • Gesture
  • Balance
  • Hop
  • Kick
  • Jump
  • Roll
  • Slide
  • Turn
  • Twist
  • Hop

These moves are enough to teach children a choreographed piece of work and if children know how to do these moves then they can make up their own dances. Children are all individuals and each word will inspire a movement that varies from their peers.

Although at the beginning of the tutorial I was fearful of what the 2 hours had ahead by the end of it I was more insightful of how simple and exciting it can be to incorporate dance into the school day. The Curriculum for Excellence (2004) states that dance is beneficial to learners and allows learners to have “have rich opportunities to be creative and to experience inspiration and enjoyment”.

As a student teacher I feel these inputs will help me be a successful educator and that I will be able to reflect on my practice to make it better.

References:

Collins. (2017) Definition of ‘dance’. [Online] Available: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dance [Accessed: 17 October 2017]

Scottish Government. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Social Studies. [Online] Available: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/social-studies-eo.pdf [Accessed:17 October 2017].

 

 

 

Ideology and Prejudice

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During todays lecture we looked at how prejudice and discrimination can take place within our society.

We discussed with our peers how prejudice can be seen in the modern world but also in history.

It is important as future educators that we understand what prejudice is and why it occurs. As when people act on their prejudice it becomes discrimination. As children we have ‘learned prejudices’ that mainly come from our parents and upbringing. It is important as a future primary teacher that I have enough knowledge surrounding this topic in order to teach children that although we all come from various backgrounds, cultures and nationalities we should all be treated with dignity and respect.

I was very interested in learning about our ‘Micro and Macro world’ and how this links to society and culture. After discussions in class I know feel I have a greater depth of understanding of the theories surrounding ideology and prejudice.

 

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Our Perception of Health

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Focusing on stress and our own perception of health was interesting. Personally I have never really thought about my own stress levels. I tend to put others before myself.

As a student teacher it is vital that we understand that other people view things in a completely different way. How we see and feel things may be completely different to others around us. It is also important that we understand how children can experience stress too. There are certain ways that we can help ourselves and others manage stress.

Stress can have a serious affect on our health. It can lead to problems with our heart rate and digestive tract, it can also affect us mentally. We all have various ways of dealing with stress, for example, if I am really stressed I often feel myself close to tears but with support from my loved ones, I get to say out-load what my problem is and talk through the various ways that I can deal with it. I feel that in this country that lately there has been developments in the way that people view metal health and stress. It is important that we take away the stigma surrounding these issues and encourage the people around us to talk about their feelings and issues.

During today’s independent study I completed “The Holmes-Rahe Stress Calculator”. At the end of the test my score was 277. This was a higher number than what I thought I would get. While in my personal life there has been many negative points within the last year and a half there has also been many positives. Being a caring person, I would rather help someone else with their issues than focus on mine. While I realise this is not always a good thing, I know that I have people around me that I can go to for advice and guidance. Getting a score of 277 meant that I fell into the middle category for stress, according to “The Holmes-Rahe Stress Calculator” this implies that I have a “50% chance of a health breakdown in the next two years. I do tend to stress a lot and I understand it affects my health. I feel that I need to do more to combat my stress levels and I am working on doing this.

There are a lot of factors that can negatively affect our health. It is important that we recognise these in order to keep us both physically and mentally healthy.

5 factors are:

  • Stress
  • Life events/circumstances
  • Economic circumstances
  • Risk behaviours
  • Loneliness

While there are various factors that affect our health, there are also methods that can support a healthy lifestyle:

  • Exercise – It has been proven by many studies that regular exercise can help us feel more positive. It can help people who are struggling with stress, depression, body dysmorphic disorder and various other health complications. It can be a release for some people to help them cope with feelings and as we exercise we release endorphins that make us feel happy.
  • Talking to people around us – If we have an issue or problem it can help to talk to someone. This can be friends, family, medical staff or a helpline such as Samaritans. By speaking about how we feel we can get relief as we have finally got it off our chest and said it out loud. Speaking to people also offers us the chance to talk about what to do next or how to combat the issue.
  • Surrounding ourselves with positive people – By being around people that are positive, it offers a happier outlook on life and the struggles that we may face. Situations that may be lowering your mood can be looked at in a more optimistic way.
  • Seeking professional advice and information – In todays’ world we are surrounded by information and many of us have easy access to the internet. Seeking advice on websites such as ‘NHS 24’ may reassure us about our health issues.
  • Touch – offering someone a simple hug can make people feel a lot better. A simple hand on someone’s shoulder to say ‘everything is going to be okay’ can be all it takes to calm someone down.

If we realise what causes us stress, what we can do to combat it and how we can live a healthier lifestyle then we will be able to help the young people that we will be working with to do the same.

 

At Risk Behaviours and Society

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Learning and developing an about what impacts a child’s ability to learn is extremely important for my future career. The environment they are surrounded by has a major impact on children and their behaviours.

The focus of the lecture today was about “At Risk Behaviours and Society”. This topic is of extreme interest to me as I have been brought up in a family and background that is very aware of some risk behaviours and the affect it can have young people and their families. Many people often ask “Why bother about what other people do?” and yes everyone is free to make their own choices but I hope that when I qualify as a teacher that I can be an influential and effective educator that will help children make choices that keep the safe and healthy, this is a reason to bother about what other people do.

So what are risk behaviours?

  • An insignificant amount of physical activity
  • A diet that leads to health concerns and disease
  • Substance use/abuse
  • Sexual behaviours that result in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases
  • Behaviours that lead to injuries (Planned or unplanned)

As educators we need to be aware ourselves of ways in which children can be influenced and how these behaviours have consequences. We need to be open-minded enough to take on-board childrens issues and why they do things. We as teachers need to be good role models!

Society and Culture are part of who we are, they are part of our identity and to an extent they influence our daily choices and actions. Living in a culture where jobs are scarce, food prices change daily and where without budgeting it can often be cheaper to buy an unhealthy meal than a healthy one will subsequently have an effect on your health.  It has been proven that their is a strong link between deprivation and health (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010). Scotland has the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe and this can be linked to social-economical factors (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010).

One question asked in the seminar today was: “Scots: Are we healthy?”

After reading over and analysing some of the data in “Investigating a ‘Glasgow Effect'” (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010). I came to the conclusion that we as Scots are not the healthiest and  a lot needs to be done to improve the overall health statistics in Scotland however through education we can help guide the next generation on to a healthier and more successful future. As a future educator I want to be part of a society that helps lower statistics such as: Deaths related to ‘drug-related poisonings’ are ‘2.5 times higher’ amongst ‘Glaswegians than those in Liverpool and Manchester’ (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2010). We need to work together to become a healthier Scotland.

References:

Glasgow Centre for Population Health (2010) Investigating a ‘Glasgow Effect. Glasgow: Glasgow Centre for Population Health.

 

 

 

 

Society and lifestyles – focus on disability

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In this week’s lecture and seminars we worked on how people that have a disability maybe affected by their surroundings and environments. We discussed what can be done to include everyone in all aspects of society. During the seminar we looked at specific scenarios and discussed with our peers if they showed discriminatory practice, once we had decided on an answer we listed our reasons and came up with ideas on what could be done so that no one is discriminated against.

Even though people may have good intentions, the actions they take may not portray the true meaning of what they were trying to get across.

As a group we have agreed that: good practice for one child is good practice for all children.

As future teachers we should be aware and promote anti-discriminary practice.

This is a photo of the work we done in the seminar.

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Personal Response to ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue

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Personal Response to ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue

Reading has always been part of my life. Reading was enjoyable even from a very young age. My gran would always read me a traditional fairy tale before bed and my mum constantly had a book in her hands. This is a reason why reading has always been pleasurable. Growing up with two brothers meant that the texts in the house were often of a dark nature and these are the texts I continue to enjoy. My first experience of being hooked to a book was ‘Cirque du Freak’ by Darren Shan. Shan created an imaginary world that I found myself lost in. From that point most books I have read featured themes such as; murder, fear, fantasy, adventure and mystery.

I found ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue an enjoyable but challenging read. The book introduced the reader to themes of fear, communication, family and society. Donoghue used language that allowed the reader to immerse themselves in the main characters ‘Jack’ and ‘Ma’s’ world. I found myself constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next and I was intrigued by the character ‘Old Nick’. The story appealed to me because of its dark themes and context. The story was very realistic as cases of kidnapping happen often in this world which made me even more interesting in Donoghues telling of the story. Donoghue could capture moments which triggered certain emotions. Such as happiness and relief when ‘Jack’ and ‘Ma’ finally escaped room although sadness was also captured as ‘Jack’ did not fully grasp why they had to escape from the room.

‘Room’ was a challenging read at times as you often had to put yourself in ‘Jacks’ mind to understand what he was talking about. Jack often used personification when talking about furniture in the room. His language acquisition was at times very typical of a child his age however he would often discuss subjects and use words not typical of a five-year-old. Donoghue used words like “Scave” (Donoghue,2010) which ‘Jack’ described as a “Word-sandwich” (Donoghue, 2010) which immersed the reader in childlike mannerisms. These ‘Word-sandwiches’ though logical to ‘Jack’ often were not logical to the reader which added a challenging aspect to the book.

I would recommend this book to many of my friends as most of them enjoy stories with a realistic feel to them. The book could be described as a gripping, interesting and intense novel with various twists.

‘Room’ developed my reading skills as it has been a while since I sat down and read a full novel. I found myself often having to read over sentences to make sure I understood the context in which Donoghue was trying to convey. I developed a greater awareness for the importance of grammar after reading ‘Room’ as ‘Jacks’ speech was not always grammatically correct. Through school and college, I understood that fiction could be used in academic study. Fiction helps us to understand and analysis many subjects such as; a person language acquisition, behavioural development and implications of peoples’ actions. ‘Room’ was very effective in helping me to understand language acquisition and development because of the language Donoghue used. Donoghue used words like “Meltedly spoon” (Donoghue, 2010) to show ‘Jacks’ language acquisition and development, that he understood grammatical rules enough to make his own words. Once ‘Jack’ and ‘Ma’ escaped the room Donoghue showed ‘Jacks’ language skills developing and his grammar becoming more correct.

‘Room’ encouraged me to find more novels that have realistic themes. I feel that it important to immerse myself in many fictional texts as this will help me grow as a person.

References:

 

Dongohue, E. (2010) Room. London: Picador.