Janelle Leegstra Personal Reflection

Question 1: Why is being aware of physical development in the classroom

important?
There are many stages to physical development, and the majority of the large changes
occur while a student is in school. Therefore it is important for teachers to be aware of where
their students are in their physical development. For example, if a student is struggling with
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bodily changes such as obesity or an eating disorder, they will likely feel separated from the rest
of their classmates. This can have a serious impact on their capability with learning, as they
might not feel like contributing to class discussions or activities with their peers. It is important
to a child to feel included in multiple areas of their life; therefore the impact of physical changes
can be devastating to some youth. Chapter 3 in the Educational Psychology textbook discusses
this problem in detail, and talks about some ways that teachers can deal with these issues. The
first and biggest step is simply to be aware of it, and to make sure inclusiveness is discussed.
The above example is probably the most commonly discussed issues related to physical
development. However, it is important to consider the impact of some of the other changes such
as motor development and other aspects of puberty besides outward appearance. Motor
development is a crucial change in younger student especially, as they become more aware of
their body and what it can do. Chapter three of the Educational Psychology textbook addresses
this issue as well, and discusses the implications and statistics surrounding the issue. Students in
Kindergarten and grade 1 (and sometimes later) will be developing some fine motor skills such
as shoe tying and even working a zipper. Teachers should be aware of where students are within
these stages of motor development, so that they know when a student will need help with a task
and where to let students figure it out on their own.

I mentioned alternative aspects of puberty besides physical development and outward

appearance. By this I was referring to emotional changes. Puberty I soften a time of blatant
emotional changes related to hormonal regulation in the body. Often, young boys will begin to
develop anger control issues and angst as it is often referred to. Teachers need to learn to
provide adolescent boys with opportunities to vent these often pent up emotions. Young girls
often have large fluctuations in emotional states, which can affect not only their work ethic, but
their ability to handle certain stressful situations at school. It is important for teachers to
acknowledge these sorts of emotional changes in students so that a safe environment can be
created at school wherein students are comfortable talking about emotional struggles and finding
ways to deal with them.
These ideals fit in with the KSA that discusses the idea that all students have need for
physical, social, cultural and psychological security. Every student should feel safe in the
classroom, and should feel as though the teacher and other students appreciate them as a person
and as a valuable member of the classroom community. This connects also to Maslows
hierarchy of needs, meaning that a student needs security in their view of themselves as valuable
before they can gain knowledge.

Question 2: What are the implications of children learning English and losing
their heritage language and culture?
Even here in Canada, where we claim to be very accepting of different cultures, we fall
prey to unrealistic expectations of those coming into our beautiful country. Often we expect them
to completely abandon their original languages and cultures and assimilate into Canadian society
completely. Therefore, when young children from other cultures come into Canadian classrooms,

often their native language is ignored completely, with the exception of French and Spanish on
occasion. The implications of this can be disastrous, leading to the loss of a language to children
who sometimes grew up speaking it. If a child believes his or her culture is not as important as
the other students, they may feel excluded from that class. It is important as teachers to be
mindful of other languages and cultures when teaching.
Chapter 5 of our Educational Psychology textbook discusses the extent to which languages
are being lost within Canada. One of the most intriguing points is the connection between the
loss of the language of First Nations peoples due to the residential schools. The horrors of the
residential schools did damage to many aspects of First Nation life, but one of the most
devastating is the loss of culture and language. The textbook emphasizes that there should be
encouragement for young children to be balanced bilinguals. Teachers should consider it their
duty to encourage bilingualism in their students and to bring aspects of their culture into the
classroom.
One example of how this could be done is the blanket activity that was done by the
FNMI workshop leader for our PS1 class. This activity went through the full history of the FNMI
peoples in Canada and incorporated ideals about how mentality towards the FNMI peoples
should change. This wonderful activity would be a great way to teach students about the history,
and to help them appreciate the culture. It is important for a student to have their home language
appreciated by others, so that they can feel like they become an important member of a safe
learning environment. If the language and culture were lost, that would be a sad commentary on
Canadas acceptance of other cultures.
These ideals relate to the KSA that discusses human dignity. A persons language and
culture are directly related to their dignity, in that their culture deserves to be respected and

supported in every aspect of life. A teacher should give their students the respect that they
deserve by showing a connection to their native culture and language, and not pushing for
assimilation. These ideas can also be related to the discussion of student security as well, as no
student will feel secure if their culture is penalized against or forgotten. Therefore it is the duty
of teachers to respect and encourage differing cultures in the classroom.