THIRD DIVERSITY PEDAGOGICAL DIMENSION

teacher pedagogical behaviours

affect

student cultural display

Teacher needs to know (a) The role friendship plays in the cognitive and social development of children (b) The development of peer relationship during childhood and adolescence (c) Factors influencing friendship selection among young people

This knowledge is useful when applying third pedagogical dimension in T&L process.

Intimate friendship connections support students cognitive and emotional development by 1. providing coping assistance to stressful events -> trusted to listen emphatically 2. providing assistance in academic tasks 3. creating opportunity to acquire and develop social skills 4. Facilitating comparisons necessary for identity development.

Ladd (1990) found that children with friends like school and show academic performance gains. Students who experience early peer rejection do not like school, display higher level of school avoidance, and have lower academic performance.

Childrens peer connections develop sequentially.

Infant to Age 2:

->Infants crawl toward and investigate other babies for signals that might involve them in any social interchange. -> Toddlers prefer parallel play. Sometimes, they create imitation play.

Ages 3 to 5:

-> friendship takes on a more intentional aspect -> friendship as convenience to facilitate bonding and to promote access to play.
-

Ages 6 to 12:
more sophisticated and lasting content understand the reciprocity of friendship experience increased peer influence detect own and others social status share secrets, promises with friends may choose to terminate friendship if perceive partner refuses to help

-> -> -> -> -> -> a

Age 12 and older (adolescents)

-> recognize that friends have rights and that their friends might engage in other relationships that may not include them. -> comprehend the need to be satisfied by friendships and to value importance of sustained relationship. -> the difference between adolescents and adults is that adolescents have not acquired autonomous interdependence characterizing adult friendship. Adolescents may often fulfill the needs of friends by harming themselves.

Most attracted to peers of Same gender Same race Same social class Who share similar recreational activities Who are in their classroom or neighbourhoods

1) -

Classroom environment School is a primary place to acquire social group belonging for most children.
Students who do not have friends because Lack social skills Target of bias, prejudice and discrimination

Teachers action: -Do guided activities -Instructional intervention

Teachers action: - Support with reassurances to the victim -Do corrective guidance to peers and witnesses involved -Appropriate instructional intervention to understand the causes and minimize reoccurances.

Factors affecting forming of friendship with diverse characteristics

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

The way teachers design classroom environment and plan instructional events class size racial proportions in a class presence of difference races in the sameability instructional groups integration of students with difference background at the same table participation in afterschool sport and activities

b)

Gender Preferences Race and Friendship Choices c) Social Isolation

a)

Young children labels themselves and others according to the gender. The same gender social preferences continues through the middle-childhood and into adolescences Research has shown that gender, regardless of race plays a powerful role in the selection of peer friendships

a) Preferences for same-sex friends emerge in preschool, continue, and increase through childhood for an African American and European American children. b) Nearly 90% of school-age childrens friendships are of the same gender. c) The small number of cross gender friendships are less stable than same-race friendship selections. d) Girls friendships are more intimate and exclusive (smaller friendship networks) and same-race biases tend to be greater among girls than boys. e) The play-style of boys (large group of activities) tends to promote cross-race interactions. f) When children have opportunity for cross-race and cross gender friendship, gender is more important variable of mutual friendship than race.
( Graham & Cohen, 1997; Hallinan & Teixeira, 1987; Kistner, Metzler, Gatlin & Risi, 1994)

Research has shown that gender, regardless of race plays a powerful role in the selection of peer friendships

Studies show that children express preferences toward same-race friends, with racial agreement stronger in adolescence than during early middle childhood. (Graham

& Cohen, 1997; Kistner et al., 1994)

Children develop positive attitudes toward those who differ racially from themselves. The relationships remain at the level of peer acceptance rather than friendships.

3 to 6 years old children do not reject playmates who are differ from them racially.

MIDDLE ELEMENTARY

Maintain the same-race relationship Same-race relationship are more frequent and they are likely to select same-race peers as best friends

Generally choose to self-segregate racially during adolescence. Racial prejudice increased when a group of student have more advanced skills and higher economic status start to choose who they want to be friend with.

Excessive peer rejection in childhood predicts later behavioral and emotional disturbances (Bendt, 1984; Dodge, 1989). The students who are isolated, aggressive or extremely passive children are lack of independence, unemployed or underemployed, overly aggressive or experience serious mental health problem.

Some students may want to interact with their peers but they choose to deliberately exclude themselves. Have difficulties to tolerate in large group social settings, have limited social skills and may have experienced repeated peer rejection.

Help to develop the social skills. Well designed and appropriate interventions can help students to adapt to the social interactions, Observe the students interaction with others. Make a social adjustment if there are lack or changes in students behaviour.

Using curriculum to acknowledge the importance of social relationship and friendship - discuss in the class the role of friends and what friendship means. Make a list of what friends do each other. Share stories, read books, listen to the music with the friendship themes. - explore feelings associated with lack of friendship or with friendship loss. Discuss how it feels when personal friendship or family problems occur.

- examine friendship as emotional and cognitive resources. Describe ways friends provide comfort and share resources. Present skits or role plays in which friends offer hugs, have fun together and others.