YIKES!!! TIKES!!! NO OWNER’S MANUAL???
RAISING CHILDREN IN TODAY'S SOCIETY

Learning Experience by Diane Babin, Schalmont High School, Schalmont NY School District
Member of the New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning

LEARNING EXPERIENCE:
1. Introduction:

Becoming a parent is one of the most important jobs that any of us will ever have, yet it is the job for which we find ourselves least prepared. Many of the careers that we choose require us to obtain certification or a license. For this most important job we receive no certification and very little training.

Every small appliance that we purchase comes with an owner’s manual. Our children do not. Hence the title of this unit, “Yikes!!! Tikes!!! No Owner’s Manual???”.

1. Learning context:

Purpose:
The purpose of this learning experience is to assist students in examining the roles and responsibilities of parents and develop an understanding of the different ways that adults parent children. Students will determine which style of parenting is preferable when raising children in today’s society.

Students will:

• complete the “Parenting Roles and Responsibilities Worksheet” and participate in a class discussion on the worksheet to determine where their and their peers’ philosophies lie at the beginning of this unit.
• divide into teams of four.
• Investigate the different styles of parenting and record their findings on the “Ways to Parent” graphic organizer.
• determine which team members will adopt the attitudes of each of the parenting styles.
• investigate common child-rearing situations. Discuss within their teams how each style of parent would handle these situations. Record their answers on the “Parental Responses to Situations” graphic organizer.
• conference with the team to complete the assessment rubric for sections one and two.
• develop their own child-rearing situation or choose one from their research. Using the “Skit Organizer” develop a skit to illustrate their child rearing situation and how each of the four styles of parents would deal with the situation.
• present the skits to the class.
• participate in a class discussion on parenting.
• conference with the team to complete the assessment rubric for the skit.
• write their personal “Philosophy of Parenting”. This philosophy should be based on their previous experience, research, and classroom experience. Answers to a series of questions must be included in the philosophies. The “Parenting Philosophy” graphic organizer will help students in organizing their thoughts.
• assess themselves using the Philosophy Assessment rubric.

The teacher will also assess students based on the same rubrics.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the roles and responsibilities adults assume when they become parents?
• In what ways might the roles and responsibilities of fathers and mothers differ? Be the same?
• What are effective discipline techniques for children at different stages of development?
• What communication strategies support the emotional well-being of family members?
• What are the consequences of parenting practices on children, the family, and society?
• What personal knowledge, skills, attitudes, and situational factors enhance or limit my ability to meet the responsibilities of parenting?
• What contradictions exist between my perception of parenthood and the realities of parenthood?

This learning experience has been written for the ½ credit Child Development curriculum. It will follow a unit on the stages of development where students will learn about the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of children from birth to 12 years. This prior knowledge will assist students in determining appropriate ways for parents to handle the situations presented at different stages in a child’s life.

Standards and Commencement Level Indicators

• NYS Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Science
  
  Standard 2: Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment.
  
  FCS A. Understand the stages of child development and apply this knowledge to activities designed to enrich the physical, social, mental, and emotional development of a young child.
  
  FCS D. Apply basic rules of health and safety to a variety of home and workplace situations.
  
  H B. Evaluate personal and social skills which contribute to health and safety of self and others.

• NYS Health Education Skills Matrix

Communication: Demonstrates the ability to apply communication strategies and skills to enhance personal, family, and community health.

CM.C.2 Demonstrates effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in Real-life situations.

CM.C.8 Applies collaboration skills to address a complex health issue.

Decision-Making: Demonstrates the ability to apply decision-making strategies and skills to enhance personal, family, and community health.

DM.C.3 Gathers, synthesizes and evaluates available information.

• NYS English Language Arts

  Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

  1.2.F Use standard English skillfully, applying established rules and conventions for presenting information and making use of a wide range of grammatical constructions and vocabulary to achieve an individual style that communicates effectively.

  Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.

  2.2.D Use standard English language skillfully and with an individual style.

  Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

  4.1.B Express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation.

  4.2.B Make effective use of language and style to connect the message with the audience and context.

• Career Development and Occupational Studies

  Standard 3a: Students will demonstrate mastery of foundation skills and competencies essential for success in the workplace.

  3a.1.A Use a combination of techniques to read, or listen tocomplex information and analyze what they hear or read; conveyinformation confidently and coherently in written or oral form; and (analyze and solve mathematical problems requiring use of multiplecomputational skills.)

  3a.2.A Demonstrate the ability to organize and process informationand apply skills in new ways.

  3a.4.A Communicate effectively and help others to learn new skill.
  

• Health Education National Standards

  Standard 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health.

  5.4 Demonstrate ways to communicate care, consideration, and respect of self and others.
  

• Family and Consumer Science National Standards

Standard 15: Evaluate the impact of parenting roles and responsibilities on strengthening the well-being of individuals and families.

15.1.2 Examine expectations and responsibilities of parenting.

15.1.3 Determine consequences of parenting practices to the individual, family, and society.

15.2.3 Assess common practices and emerging research about discipline on human growth and development.

Know and do to succeed: A working knowledge of computers and the internet.How children develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually from birth to 12 years of age.

2. Procedure:
Students will be divided into teams of four. In their groups they will participate in an electronic learning experience or “web-quest” where they will research the various styles of parenting that are used in families today, and the common problems parents face on a daily basis in raising children. Once this research has been completed each member of the team will choose a different style of parent to represent. The team will then develop a child-rearing situation. The team will write a script to demonstrate to the class how each type of parent would handle the situation. These skits will be presented to the class.

Once all of the situations have been presented, the class will participate in a discussion on parenting. After participating in the discussion each member of the class will write a personal philosophy of parenting. This philosophy should incorporate previous knowledge and experiences with new knowledge gained from the unit. Answers to a series of questions at the end of the student packet must be included in the parenting philosophy.

Technology is incorporated by use of the computer to complete the “web-quest”. This enhances learning because it provides students with the most up to date information in the field of parenting. It also provides students with a larger variety of resources at no cost to the school district. The school district does not have the financial means to purchase all of these resources in hard copy.

Students may also incorporate technology by videotaping their situations outside of class and playing them back during class time. This allows for a more realistic view of the situations because they take place in more authentic settings. Should students decide to videotape their situation all members of the team must participate in the situation as the parent. Others may be brought in to act in other capacities.

3. Instructional/Environmental Modifications:
At least half of the unit instruction will take place in the school library/media center where a number of online computers are available for student use. There are large tables for each team of students to work at when they are not using the computers. The skits, discussion, and actual writing of the philosophies of parenting will take place in the classroom. This is a large room which can be rearranged to suit each team’s situation. Large tables, small tables, and couches are available if students need to retreat to quiet areas for reflection.Most students should be able to complete the unit as it has been designed. For those who need special assistance, reading and computer help are available. Help in simplifying the instructions is available from the teacher, teacher assistant, and librarian. Students with disabilities can easily be incorporated into the skits as they provide “real-life” representations of situations parents face daily. For limited English or bilingual students, interpretation would be provided, (or resources in those languages sought).

4. Time Required:
Planning and Preparation for teacher:

5. Resources:
Computers with internet access.

Texts:
Berger, Kathleen Stasses. The Developing Person Through the Life Span.

New York: Worth Publishers, 1998

Brisbane, Holly E. The Developing Child. California: Glencoe Publishing Co., 1988

Magazines:
A variety of parenting magazines can be obtained through purchase or the public library in the event that the internet is not available in the school.

TV/VCR:
This equipment will be needed in the event that students decide to video tape their skits.

Internet Resources:
The web addresses below contain all of the information that students will need to complete this unit. Rather than typing in these addresses to access these sites students may access the “web-quest” through the URL below:

www.schalmont.org/teachers/Yikes!!!%20Tikes!!!/yikes.htm

www.parentingtoolbox.com

http://homeparents.com

www.abcparenting.com

www.parentsplace.com

www.liveandlearn.com

www.kidshealth.org

6. Assessment Plan:
Diagnostic Assessment:“Roles and Responsibilities of Mothers and Fathers Worksheet”
Timeline

Formative Assessment:
Discussion
A checklist will be given to students during the research and development phase of the unit to assure that they are covering every step in the process in a timely manner.

Summative Assessment:
Assessment Rubrics – Students will be given assessment rubrics which will assist them in developing quality work throughout the unit. Students will conference with their team to determine their individual scores for the different parts of the unit. The teacher will also assess the students at the completion of the unit.

7. Student Work:
Sample student packets which include their research, graphic organizers, individual philosophies of parenting, and rubrics with scoring are included.

8. Reflection:
In the past I have lectured on the styles of parenting then asked students to choose a situation and role-play the various ways to handle that situation. A brief discussion on the other ways to handle the situation would follow. The lesson was weak, passive, and did not provide an opportunity for students to internalize and apply the information.

I developed this unit as an alternative way to teach students about the different styles of parenting and to bring alive for students the effect that each style has on a child’s development. Using the computer grabs the students and illustrates to them another viable source for information. It also shows students that computers can be used for more than “chatting” and playing games.

The internet provides students with the most up-to-date information at no extra cost to the school district. Textbooks are costly and the information is at least two years old by the time they go to print. Also, the internet provides students with a wide variety of resources. It would not be cost effective for a school district to purchase all of the magazines for the limited number of times that they would be used.

Visualizing the styles of parenting through role-play provides for long term retention of material. Actually developing and acting out the situations provides for higher level thought processes and provides students with a more realistic view of child rearing. Writing individual parenting philosophies allows students time for introspection, and reflection on their individual perceptions and misconceptions of parenting and whether or not they are ready to become parents.

Participating in the writing of this learning experience and Regional Peer Review has been one of the most enriching and rewarding experiences of my professional career. It has caused me to reach beyond my comfort zone and involve myself in an adventure where I met professionals within my field and created lifelong associations. This experience has also exposed me to the conditions and concerns that others face in school districts throughout the state. It has been a turning point in my career. I now am more confident about advocating for those principles that I strongly believe in.

The reward of being invited to Statewide Peer Review has motivated me to write more learning experiences and participate on a more professional level with other educators.

PARENTING EDUCATION LEARNING EXPERIENCE
SEQUENTIAL PLAN

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