Please help, I have never written an essay before and am worried I am completely wrong in the way I have written it? any feedback would be so good!
Essay Instructions..
For you to show your understanding of aspects of the domains of development, particularly physical development, and how these relate to educational settings.
Take a moment to think about how you would feel to be trapped inside a glass box... You can see things are going on around you, but you can't physically move. You do not join in, and after a prolonged amount of time you begin not to care. You lose sight of current events, culture and relationships become difficult. Compare this to a life outdoors, you are breathing in fresh air, stretching your muscles and feeding off positivity from the people and relationships around you. You have an abundance of fresh foods, love, laughter and exercise. Which would you prefer? I believe this is what the comparisons would be like to a child, when dealing with the consequences of prolonged inactivity, in comparison to the benefits of physical activity.
I will be covering the consequences of prolonged physical inactivity and the benefits of physical activity by children, along with physical development and how it opens the doors to so many other levels of development in children. With the right motivation, support and encouragement, I would like to show you how, as a future educator, I will be providing my students with the best opportunity to reach their full potential. I will cover physical activity and general wellbeing in the classroom and school yard. I will also talk about gross and fine motor skill development in children aged 2 to 6. And also include some shocking facts recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Since the beginning of our existence, physical activity has played an obviously major important role in our development as a society. Before we had machines to build our structures we used our physical strength, before we had motor transportation we used our body to reach our destinations, and before man invented remote controls we actually got off the couch to change the channel on the television. Although we, as a race call it progression, I believe quite the opposite is happening to some of our children's physical development as a result of this change. It seems too obvious when stated aloud, Dr Green, C (2000) suggests "Good exercise habits start at home, encourage your child to play sport, ride bikes or swim, and do some exercise yourself" and also "Good health in children comes from inheriting the right genes, having the right diet, watching weight, if necessary, and doing appropriate exercise" (Dr Green, C. 2000, p 210) It is not only the professionals telling us, it is everywhere we look, the message is clear. Exercise, eat well, and be healthy. Still the facts are showing the message is not quite getting through. "In 2007-08, one quarter of Australian children (or around 600,000 Children aged 5-17 years) were overweight or obese, up 4 percentage points from 1995." (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2010, Health. Retrieved from abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/bysubject/1370.0~2010~chapter~obes ity(4.1.6.6.3) The consequences of prolonged inactivity in all people, but especially in children are severe and can result in not just obesity, but a deprived mental state of mind, a restricted social network and a lack of motivation which can lead to depression and many other physical and mental illnesses. "It has social consequences as well, peers may torment youngsters, calling them names and excluding them from enjoyable social activities" (McDevitt, T.M & Ormrod, J.E, 2010, p. 169). There are so many benefits of physical exercise, and these benefits do not just finish with physical health. According to McDevitt & Ormrod p 171, "As well as developing these important social skills, physical activity helps with concentration and holding a positive state of mindset". Exercise releases endorphins, adrenalin and serotonin from the brain, when these chemicals are released, the effects are that you feel good inside. Although this is mostly in very high energy exercises, even low energy exercising such as stretching and walking helps concentration levels and awakens other senses, especially when outdoors. Being outdoors you can feel the breeze, smell the grass, and hear your surroundings, all things which help you to feel good as well. "The benefits of soft gymnastics are not only physical. A child who moves freely and gracefully is self-confident and relaxed." (Walker.P, p. 7)
"Children continue to need physical activity to grow, unfortunately, children are not always given sufficient outlets to move." (McDevitt, T.M & Ormrod, J.E, 2010, p. 171) Whether it be confined to a cot as an infant, kept in a playpen or high chair as a toddler, made to stay in the car as a kid or told to stay indoors as an early adolescent, all these types of restraints happen, every day in Australia. Maybe it is due to busy lifestyles or maybe a lack of motivation from parents or carers. Whatever the reason, there are some cases where children are not receiving the physical needs they require, at home. What goes on in peoples individual homes is mostly out of the control of educators, but what we do have control over is the opportunity to support the physical needs of students within the learning environment. "Having the chance to get up, if only for a few moments, can help some children prepare their learning materials and settle in to a learning task" McDevitt, T.M & Ormrod, J.E, 2010, p. 169). I have a few ideas myself in ways which I can support Physical development and also ensure the health and wellbeing of my students is well monitored and assisted under my care. I would like to put many of these ideas into practice when I become a teacher. One of the simplest ideas I would utilise in my classroom, actually derives from an old teacher of mine in high school. The class I was doing was a business administration lesson, and in this lesson my teacher told me a small tip to get through long days at the desk or study. I distinctly remember him telling the class "now, I know it may seem embarrassing, but during the day, every hour, get up off your desk and stretch!" We were made to practise this while in his classroom, we would get up off our chairs, stretch our arms up high and out wide, we would stand on our tippy-toes and bend our knees, these small movement had so many benefits towards my concentration, and body aches and pains. I also believe in-class teaching can incorporate physical development in many different ways, for example, simple storytelling time can turn into a fun stretch class by involving the children and taking them on a journey with the stories, gaining their full attention and increasing group work skills, building the imagination and of course having a bit of fun in the process. Instead of just telling them "The butterfly flutters freely" I was instead suggest "The beautiful butterfly flutters freely, imagine you are a beautiful butterfly, and show me how you can flutter freely". I feel strongly about incorporating the outdoors into education. When I was in primary school I remember the excitement of being able to venture outside as part of our lesson. Using art as an example, instead of asking my students to draw a leaf, we would take paper and crayons outside, find three different kinds of leaf or bark and colour over the different textures to reveal different patterns on our page. I believe there are many simple and fun ways to keep children excited about schooling while at the same time ensuring their physical development and general well-being needs are being met.
One of the most rewarding parts of becoming a teacher, and working with children aged 2 - 6 is watching their development of fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills are the abilities a child develops over many years which involve smaller intricate movements, such as cutting with scissors, creating little people with play dough, beading and other small movements which require attention to detail, patience and concentration. The rewarding part of supporting and helping fine motor skill development in the classroom, is that within this age group (2-6 years) there is such a huge leap in progression and these skills really show signs of advancement. As suggested by McDevitt, T.M & Ormrod, J.E, 2010, p. 161) "Young children also make major strides on fine motor skills, children begin to dress and undress themselves and eat with utensils. Some children develop an interest in building blocks, putting small pieces of puzzles together or stringing beads." There are so many wonderful activities that can be used in the classroom to help achieve results in developing fine motor skills, I believe a great one is arts and crafts, as this covers so many different areas of fine motor skills as well as showing the children they can be rewarded for their work by making and creating things to take home.
Children are our future, and I know that personally I want to do everything in my power to help unleash their greatest potential. Children deserve to have the opportunity to meet their greatest abilities; they deserve the right to be supported and encouraged to live healthy, physically developing, happy lives. Sadly not every child is given the gift of a supportive home life, but no matter where a child comes from in the morning, they will have the best opportunities within Australian classrooms and school yards, to be everything and anything they want to be in life. Together, as a close community, educators can make a difference in lives all across Australia, and the world.
"Tell me and I will forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I will understand" Old Chinese saying, (Richards.E & Richards.F 2009)
