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BRONFENBRENNER Ashley Dennington St. Edward's University

BRONFENBRENNER Ashley Dennington St. Edward's … Urie Bronfenbrenner ... environment tend to be secure, ... and to provide additional structure when needed, as it …

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Page 1: BRONFENBRENNER Ashley Dennington St. Edward's … Urie Bronfenbrenner ... environment tend to be secure, ... and to provide additional structure when needed, as it …

BRONFENBRENNER

Ashley Dennington

St. Edward's University

Page 2: BRONFENBRENNER Ashley Dennington St. Edward's … Urie Bronfenbrenner ... environment tend to be secure, ... and to provide additional structure when needed, as it …

Bronfenbrenner

Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of development states that people's

experiences, or ecology, as well as genetics, or biological, influence cognitive development,

social, personal and moral development. In his bioecological model of human development, the

individual, or child, is at the center. Although most influence on development in this theory is

said to be environmental, temperament and physical traits are both influenced by genetics, so

both genetics and biology influence the developing person. In the next level, the microsystem,

development is influenced by the environment more so than in any other system. The child's

family, peers, school, media and neighborhood are all a part of the microsystem. Personal

development is influenced by parents and caregivers, the ones who spend the most time with

the child, and their parenting style. The most beneficial parenting style to promote personal

development is authoritative. Authoritative parents care, but are firm and supportive and hold

children to high expectations. They also explain reasons for rules. Children raised in this

environment tend to be secure, have high self-esteem, and do well in school. According to his

theory, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parenting styles all can lead to developmental

issues. Peers and cliques play an important role in emotional support, social development, as

well as communicate values and attitudes.

In Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development, the mesosystem is the

connections and interaction between the components of the microsystem, in other words, the

community. Societal influences, such as the parent’s jobs and access to programs such as health

care, which affect both of these, are the exosystem in Bronfenbrenner's theory. The next level,

the macrosystem, is a child's culture and its influence on the child's development. This affects

all other systems. The final level is the chronosystem, which contains time-dependent

influences on a person’s development, such as aging and technological advances. These

systems all influence the child’s development interactively and ideally, “the family, school, and

peer group all work in harmony to provide positive support and instill solid values” (Brendtro,

2006). Healthy human development is dependent on how effectively the elements of the

microsystem work together.

To apply Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of development to an art certification, one

could take the same approach to parenting styles, and use an authoritative teaching style. A

teacher interested in using an authoritative approach to teaching and classroom management

must build a caring and open relationship with students while maintaining high expectations

and firm, consistent standards and rules. Applying this approach to teaching encourages the

student’s involvement in choices about his or her conduct which promotes self-sufficiency and

autonomy, as well as the general self-concept of the child.

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The instructor using this approach makes an effort to become acquainted with the child’s

family, and observes the interactions between students and parents. This information about

the child’s microsystem and mesosystem can be used to make available emotional provisions

and to provide additional structure when needed, as it may be necessary to give some students

extra emotional support and care to lead them towards success. Unfortunately, not all students

have parents that are responsive and set high expectations to promote learning and

development. It would be in instructors applying authoritative teaching styles best interest to

be well informed and aware of the student’s previous experiences and would take time to go

over the student’s academic records. The commitment to a student’s learning and behavior

likewise can affect the student’s social adjustment. Using an authoritative approach to

monitoring “pupils’ behaviour and learning may buffer children from negative peer influences

or a negative social background” as well as helps to reduce and prevent behavioral problems

(Ertesvåg, 2010). If instructors use this teaching method to help reduce and prevent behavioral

problems, it is important for them to be aware of not only the students’ previous academic

performance but also their behavior. This information can be obtained by talking with the

student’s other past and present teachers. Specials teachers see the students through many

grades, and thus are able to make longitudinal observations about students and their behavior.

Perhaps behavioral issues are a new development in the child, which could be emerging

because of some sort of stress or problem in home life. With proper intervention, further issues

could be prevented. Sometimes, a child may need something as minute as a nonjudgmental

ear, or something more drastic. In their article “An Analysis of Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-Ecological

Perspective for Early Childhood Educators: Implications for Working with Families Experiencing

Stress”, Kevin James Swick and Reginald D. Williams (2006) argue that there are three primary

stress syndromes: chemical dependency, family violence, and homelessness; that cause serious

problems within families. In the case of chemical dependency, Swick and Williams suggest that

early childhood educators can use three strategies to act on these issues. Education and

counseling about the difficulties of chemical addiction support with needed resources to

empower their response to the addiction, and by involving every family member in ways to

promote healthy life styles and a healthy microsystem. Our families are the most likely place in

our society to experience violence, and have a significant influence on future interactions in

children. Violence that is long-lasting and recursive is a mechanism that creates dysfunction

within a microsystem. Violence is used as a way to respond to stress and resolve conflicts, and

often becomes a cycle that extends to novel situations, producing a violent microsystem. In a

violent household, the framework of the family is not a helpful and sharing system but is one

focusing on the abuser, ultimately dictating the entire family ecology, preventing normal

attachment behaviors and disrupting the microsystem. This greatly hinders social competence

development. Abuse such as this causes emotional trauma that can result in altered

relationships lifelong as well as influence the child themselves to use violence among their

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peers. If an educator notices a student displaying signs of exposure to violence, it is important

that he or she notifies authorities to look into this case and to connect them to professionals, as

well as stimulate caring behaviors in these students. If an art teacher notices a student that

bullies other students and uses violence, that is a sign that the bully him or herself is probably

experiencing some type of intimidation and bullying at home by someone else bigger and

stronger, maybe a sibling or parent. To relieve stress in a healthy way, an art teacher could use

a type of art therapy with his or her students. Providing opportunities to students dealing with

stress and difficulties with an escape in art can be very beneficial. For instance, instead of taking

anger out on someone, the student could relieve stress by drawing, painting or sculpting. To

build families exosystem relations, an art teacher could invite the family to come look at and

celebrate the pupils art work. Encouraging students towards displaying caring behavior by

commending them when they do anything good or nice will help to build upon the self concept

and identity of the student. It is also important to commend this caring behavior among other

students, as doing so will indirectly influence behavior towards positive caring behavior. Swick

and Williams state the “strongest antidote to violence is caring” and “can provide a foundation

where parents and children develop the bonds that enable them to be more responsive in

dealing with stress” so it is important to build this caring in students and their families to

restore the microsystem (Swick & Williams, 2006). Positive development requires support, care,

and trust. According to Larry K. Brendtro, “trusting bonds with children are the most powerful

force in positive youth development” and “without a sense of belonging rooted in a secure

caring bond, children cannot thrive and reach their full potential” (Brendtro, 2006).

The third stress discussed by Swick and Williams, homelessness, results from many varied

sources and effects family dynamics greatly. In dealing with these situations positively and

effectively, Swick recommends using an empathetic understanding of the family’s

circumstances, maintaining support and responsiveness with the family, maintaining an inviting

ecology, and by empowering the families “with meaningful educational and social activities”

(Swick & Williams, 2006). To adequately address these issues according to Swick and Williams,

it is important that foremost we “seek to understand the situations families are experiencing,

inclusive of the cultural, social, economic, and educational dynamics” contained in

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development (Swick & Williams, 2006). Some

actions we may find dysfunctional may actually be motivated by something we cannot

understand without being in that context. Therefore it is important to take the personal, and

cultural elements of the families into consideration. Applying Bronfenbrenner's theory to

practice in these ways can help to build a child’s microsystem, the setting in which learning is

most intimate and substantial.

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References

Brendtro, L. K. (2006). The vision of Urie Bronfenbrenner: Adults who are crazy about kids.

Reclaiming Children & Youth, 15(3), 162-166. Retrieved from

http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.stedwards.edu:5000/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=55cf9a1

9-ddce-44f8-8b62-c65de4f9f61a@sessionmgr12&vid=4&hid=6

Ertesvåg, S. K. (2011). Measuring authoritative teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education,

27(1), 51-61 . Retrieved from

http://http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X10001083

Swick, K. J., & Williams, R. D. (2006). An analysis of bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological

perspective for early childhood educators: Implications for working with families experiencing

stress. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(5), 371-378. Retrieved from

http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.stedwards.edu:5000/eds/detail?vid=5&hid=6&sid=55cf9a19

-ddce-44f8-8b62-

c65de4f9f61a@sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==