Sunday, February 6, 2011

Peer groups in elementary life

Remember back to your early days of elementary school. Like most you will have memories of you and your childhood friends in the classroom. Now try and think of the dynamics of the groups you hung around with. The boys created hierarchies where there was always a ring leader with his followers. For the girls they always came in pairs, one never went anywhere without the other. And for some they did not fall in any of these groups, these students could develop adjustment problems and emotional difficulties as a result of the isolationism. Elementary students of today compared to students in the 1980's and 90's have a noticeable difference in behavior's and activities. Children of the past two decades spent more time studying, playing sports, reading, and involved in personal care. Very little time was spent watching television or playing video games because they had not evolved yet into what they are today. The children of the past had more human interaction which I think lead to less out-casting even at the elementary level. Students where more excepting of one another then; now a days if your in the third grade without an ipod you are going to be looked upon awkwardly. SO the elementary school is based on these groups and the interactions of the students determines who is involved in the "cool groups". These interactions of elementary students and their peers can have a direct impact on student learning. A child is so easily rattled that is that child is having a bad day not much learning will be accomplished, because they will not be able to get past the issue that they are experiencing. That is why as educators we must try our best to include all students and even facilitate acceptance of others.

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