Powerpoints-week 1 Lecture 2

8/13/2019 Powerpoints-week 1 Lecture 2

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Associate Prof. George Oduro

Commonwealth Education Trust

Learners and Learning


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Course 3:

Week 1 : The lives of childrenLecture 2: Issues of identity. Who am I?

Foundations of Teaching for

Learning


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Reflect briefly on the conceptof identity.

Would you say the child hasan identity that is differentfrom the adult?

Write down what you thinkabout these questions

Identity: a matter of

understanding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness


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What do you think about these definitions of identity?

Identity: a matter of

understanding

The characteristics that determine

the fact of being who or what a person or thingis(Readers Digest Dictionary)

It tells us about that which distinguishes one

person or group of persons from another

The fact of being the same person or thing

as claimed(Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Simply put , identity is that which makes an

individual an individual


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This involves natural qualities associated with anindividual such as:

Physical features (tallness, shortness, ways of talkingcapabilities and abilities)

The Personal and Social Self

The

Personal

Self

The

SocialSelf

This is defined through group memberships.

Children are de facto members of many social groups

(families, the national group, ethnic groups, religiousgroups)

Ones social identity creates and defines the individuals

place in society


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Peoples understanding of social identities can be based onmany types of information, for example:

Nationality might be conceived in terms of place of birth,passport held, place of domicile, psychological properties,values, and beliefs

Determinants of Identity

Culture

Adultsconceptualisation of social identity

may be based on these different

characteristics


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Childrens conceptualisations of social identities are initiallylimited but undergo substantial elaboration with increasingage

Infants, for example, clearly differentiate betweenindividuals on the basis of social categories such as gender,colour and age but are only able to attach particular

meanings and attributes to these categories as they grow.

In this sense, every woman may be given the identity of amumby an infant

How children conceptualize social

identity


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Researchhas found differences among children living in

different regions of the same country.David Giles (2003) observed:

Determinants of the childs own

identityGeographical Location

In Moscow and Smolensk, the Russian

identity was more salient to Moscow

children. It may be that this is the effect of

Moscow being the capital, and that children

there are confronted with many icons that

represent the Russian state


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Giles study also found widespread differences in

the national identity development of: Children living in the same location but belonging

to different ethnic groups

Children belonging to the same ethnic group butattending schools using different languages fortheir education


identity


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Relationship orientationChildren who grow up in cultures that

emphasize individualism develop a different

relational identity compared to children who

grow up in cultures that emphasize communal

living


identity


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Belief orientation

Some identities are based entirely on belief -commitments associated with the environmentwithin which the child develops, for example:

(Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Animal

liberationism)

Determinant of the Childs own

identity


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Family influence

In some societies in Africa, childrensidentities are determined by thedominant dispositions of the family

Determinant of the Childs own

identity


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The School Culture

The school curriculum: contents of subjects and how they are taught

School rules and regulations governing child behaviour

Teachersrole modelling: most children, particularly those fromdisadvantaged contexts tend to model their identity on how their

teachers behave.

Culture, curriculum and modelling

The school plays a crucial role in shaping the identity of children. Thisoccurs through:


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The teacher is the the first brick in the structure of socialdevelopment, perfection, in guiding and developing

behaviors and mentalities of individuals

Teachers are exemplars: Pupils acquire the good traits andsound trends, as well as the virtuous behavior and

composure from their teachers whose guidance andconduct penetrate to their hearts. They will deem good onlywhat the teacher deems good and deems evil only what theteacher deems evil

A thought from MuhammadBaqir Qarash (1998)


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Think pair -share

What do you consider to be the most

determining factor (s) that influencechildrens identity development in yourcountry?

What do you think a teacher should do to helpchildren to develop their identity?


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Associate Prof. George Oduro

Commonwealth Education Trust

Learners and Learning

Documents

Powerpoints-week 1 Lecture 2