Youth Problems

Internalizing and externalizing

August 2008 - Research from Ohio State University published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy has challenged the common perception that girls tend to internalize their problems, becoming depressed or anxious, while boys externalize, committing violence against people or property.

Researchers studied 2549 young people appearing before juvenile courts in five Ohio counties and found that whether African-Americans internalized or externalized their problems was dependent on family circumstances rather than gender.

Stephen Gavazzi, professor of human development and family science said:

"If you look at most studies involving internalizing and externalizing among youth, they generally look at white, middle-class samples. Most research has not paid attention to race. And when studies do look at race, they are not likely to look at family and gender as well."

Researchers used their Global Risk Assessment Device (GRAD) an internet-based questionnaire for young people designed to assess risk of further problems in life and including issues such as previous involvement with the law, family and parenting, substance abuse and traumatic events. For example, respondents are asked about fights with adults in their homes, if they have friends who have been in trouble with the law, and if they have trouble controlling their anger.

The study found that once family circumstances were taken into account African-American girls and boys showed similar levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior being more likely to show outward aggression if they lived in families with higher levels of dysfunction. This relationship was not found in white families. Researchers are currently trying to identify characteristics of African-American families that may influence these findings; for example, family conflict and levels of parental monitoring.

Stephen Gavazzi commented:

"Family issues affect children in African-American families differently than they do in white families. That is something that really hasn't been found before .... Researchers who study ethnicity and culture have long noted the primacy of family for African Americans. That's telling us that families matter in a different way for African-American youth than what we're finding for whites."

July 2008 - Research from the University of Vermont and the University of Minnesota published in Child Development found that young people with pre-existing relationship difficulties are more likely to develop anxiety and depression than the other way round, this being particularly the case when entering adulthood.

The study analyzed data from Project Competence which has followed 205 individuals from mid-childhood (ages 8 to 12) into young adulthood. Researchers interviewed participants and questioned parents, teachers, and classmates to measure "internalizing" of problems (symptoms such as anxiety, depression, or withdrawn state) compared to social competence (healthy relationships). They then assessed the on-going relationship between these parameters and whether they changed over time. Researchers found a significant degree of continuity: those with more internalizing problems at the start were more likely to experience these problems in adolescence and young adulthood; those who were socially competent maintained this as they grew up. Results were generally the same for both males and females.

The study also found evidence of spill-over effects, where social problems contributed to increasing internalizing symptoms over time. Those who were less socially competent in childhood were more likely to experience anxiety or depression in adolescence. Similarly, lack of social competence in adolescence was associated with greater risk of such symptoms in young adulthood. These findings remained the same when alternative explanations were taken into account, such as intellectual functioning, the quality of parenting, social class, and antisocial behaviour such as fighting, lying, and stealing.

Lead author Keith Burt, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Vermont said:

"Overall, our research suggests that social competence, such as acceptance by peers and developing healthy relationships, is a key influence in the development of future internalizing problems such as anxiety and depressed mood, especially over the transition years from adolescence into young adulthood. These results suggest that although internalizing problems have some stability across time, there is also room for intervention and change. More specifically, youth at risk for internalizing problems might benefit from interventions focused on building healthy relationships with peers."

Dead Poet's Society

Dead Poet’s Society The film, Dead Poet’s Society, is a story of a English professor who instructs a group of eager boys in a highly accredited and traditional boys academy. Professor Keatings, played by Robin Williams, introduces his students into the world of poetry. Throughout the school year, the professor inspires the students to “seize the day” and make their lives extraordinary. A group of students gets swept away by their teacher’s enthusiastic spirit, and they decide to reorganize “The Dead Poet’s Society”, a select club which used to meet in a cave when the professor attended school, to experience inspiration through poetry. The inspirational impact he has on his students backfires when the school’s board of trustees finds out about the unorthodox teaching methods that go on in the classroom. One of his students commits suicide after the boy’s father, a very controlling man, rejects his son and his enthusiasm for acting and the stage. Professor Keatings doesn’t follow textbooks or the curriculum, but teaches from his heart. Unlike his conservative colleagues, Keating employs decidedly unorthodox teaching methods and strives to teach more than just his subject matter, which is poetry. His goal is to inspire his students to suck the bone of life to the marrow, to seize the day and to make their lives extraordinary. In Keating's class, you learn passion, courage, romanticism, and, of course poetry. You pass if you avoid conformity and find your own voice, and you fail if you neglect to live life to the fullest. The impact that professor Keatings has on his students is eternal. His spirit will probably always live in his students’ hearts. Any teacher who is like Keatings is priceless. He wasn’t just teacher of academics but a teacher of life. I have had some teachers similar to Professor Keatings, whom I will always remember. Professor Keatings techniques were unconventional but they inspired his students to the fullest. This film relates to the Intro to Education 150 course because the course is designed to cause one to reflect broadly on just what it takes to be an effective teacher. The course content, like the film, Dead Poet’s Society, helps us to focus our passion and interests in teaching.

Nepali language

Nepali or Nepalese (नेपाली) is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.

It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar (Burma). In India, it is one of the country's 23 official languages: Nepali has official language status in the formerly independent state of Sikkim and in West Bengal's Darjeeling district. Geographically, Nepali is considered to be the easternmost of the Pahadi languages, a geographic group of languages spoken across the lower elevations of the Himalaya range, from eastern Nepal through the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The influence of the Nepali language can also be seen in Bhutan and some parts of Burma. Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Tibeto-Burman languages, most notably Nepal Bhasa (Newari), and shows Tibeto-Burman influences. Nepali is closely related to the Hindi languages and is sometimes considered mutually intelligible to some extent, yet is more conservative with more Sanskritic derivations and fewer Persian or English loan words than Hindi-Urdu.

Historically, the language was first called Khaskura (language of the khas 'rice farmers'), then Gorkhali or Gurkhali (language of the Gurkha) before the term Nepali was taken from Newari. Other names include Parbatiya ("mountain language", identified with the Parbatiya people of Nepal) and Lhotshammikha (the "southern language" of the Lhotshampa people of Bhutan). The name 'Nepali' is ambiguous, as it was originally a pronunciation of Newari, the Tibeto-Burman language of the capital Kathmandu.

Contents [hide] 1 Script and Literature 2 Number of speakers 3 History of the language 4 Grammar 5 Phonology 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

[edit] Script and Literature

Nepali is commonly written in the Devanagari script, as are Hindi and Sanskrit. There is some record of using Takri script in the history of Nepali, especially in western Nepal, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. Bhujimol is an older script native to Nepal, while Ranjana script is another writing system historically used.

Nepali developed a significant literature within a short period of hundred years in the 19th century, fueled by Adhyatma Ramayana; Sundarananda Bara (1833); Birsikka, an anonymous collection of folk-tales; and a version of the South Asian epic Ramayana by Bhanubhakta. The contribution of trio-laureates Poudyal, Devkota, and Sama took Nepali to the level of other world languages. The contribution of expatriate writers outside Nepal—especially in Darjeeling and Varanasi -- is also notable.

[edit] Number of speakers

Almost one-third of the population of Nepal speak Nepali as a mother tongue. The Ethnologue website counts more than 17 million speakers worldwide, including 11 million within Nepal (from the 2001 census).^[1]

Nepali is traditionally spoken in the Hill Region of Nepal (Pahad, पाहाड), especially in the western part of the country. It is also the lingua franca in the Kathmandu valley, although the historically dominant language in this valley was Nepal Bhasa (also known as Newari). Nepali is now used in government and as the everyday language of a growing portion of the local population. Nevertheless the exclusive use of Nepali in the courts and government of Nepal is being challenged. Recognition of other ethnic languages in Nepal was one of the objectives of the Maoist insurgency.

In Bhutan those who speak Nepali (known as Lhotshampa) are estimated at about 35 percent^[2] of the population if all displaced Bhutanese refugees are counted (unofficial estimates of the ethnic Nepalese population ran as high as 30 to 40 percent, constituting a majority in the south^[3]), or about 242,000 people. Since the late 1980s, over 100,000 Lhotshampa have been forced out of Bhutan, accused by the government of being illegal aliens.^[2] A large fraction them were expelled in a mostly nonviolent "ethnic cleansing" campaign and presently live in refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

In India there are also people who speak Nepali, especially in the state of Sikkim and in the adjacent Darjeeling district in West Bengal. There are an estimated 500,000 Nepali speakers in Sikkim, and somewhat more than that in Darjeeling. In all there are millions of Nepali speakers in India. It is also said that there are 3,800 Nepali speaking people in South India mainly in cities of Visakhapatnam, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Combining the Ethnologue figures^[1] with strong population growth in Nepal, the assumption of 20 million people with Nepali as their mother tongue is a reasonable estimate for 2006.

Cronon On Education

Cronon on Education Having read Victor's story not realizing until the very end that Victor in the story was the author made it much more confusing! I realize that the issue here is about racial and social discrimination as well as about education and following your own ideals instead of the rest of society's. He displays this through the various characters and stories throughout the essay as well as his own personal accounts. The reason and logic behind his paper is shown through the different examples, such as in the classroom with the different students of different gender, race, social standing, etc. I find his ideas much harder to follow as they are much less clear-cut than Cronon's. He likes the idea of changing education and making it much more true for the student instead of protecting them from some evil within society. The idea of having children read several versions of Cinderella to become more learned of the different cultures and the actual societal concerns instead of just being a children's story really makes sense. He presents this in a way that you cannot help but agree, it sheds light on many things for me as I am sure it did for others. Cronon writes of liberal education in modern society and what it means him. He tries to condense liberal education down for the reader, as he thinks that society has let it become too broad of a term. Making lists for a person's education can make them forget the real purpose that it is to nurture human freedom and growth. (p.113) He then makes a list of his own ideals of what liberal education should provide the student the student with. (of what qualities they should pocess after being liberally educated) He deems liberal education in society today as having had become too broad and that the real purpose has been forgotten. His form of persuasion is to put it on the table and speak his mind freely giving his own opinion as the example, unlike Victor who used example after example to explain his thoughts and reasoning. While he describes these ten qualities to pertain to the individual in the end he makes clear that we are to become connected with the community in all aspects of this liberal eduacation. Only connect.

Dead Poet's Society

Dead Poet’s Society The film, Dead Poet’s Society, is a story of a English professor who instructs a group of eager boys in a highly accredited and traditional boys academy. Professor Keatings, played by Robin Williams, introduces his students into the world of poetry. Throughout the school year, the professor inspires the students to “seize the day” and make their lives extraordinary. A group of students gets swept away by their teacher’s enthusiastic spirit, and they decide to reorganize “The Dead Poet’s Society”, a select club which used to meet in a cave when the professor attended school, to experience inspiration through poetry. The inspirational impact he has on his students backfires when the school’s board of trustees finds out about the unorthodox teaching methods that go on in the classroom. One of his students commits suicide after the boy’s father, a very controlling man, rejects his son and his enthusiasm for acting and the stage. Professor Keatings doesn’t follow textbooks or the curriculum, but teaches from his heart. Unlike his conservative colleagues, Keating employs decidedly unorthodox teaching methods and strives to teach more than just his subject matter, which is poetry. His goal is to inspire his students to suck the bone of life to the marrow, to seize the day and to make their lives extraordinary. In Keating's class, you learn passion, courage, romanticism, and, of course poetry. You pass if you avoid conformity and find your own voice, and you fail if you neglect to live life to the fullest. The impact that professor Keatings has on his students is eternal. His spirit will probably always live in his students’ hearts. Any teacher who is like Keatings is priceless. He wasn’t just teacher of academics but a teacher of life. I have had some teachers similar to Professor Keatings, whom I will always remember. Professor Keatings techniques were unconventional but they inspired his students to the fullest. This film relates to the Intro to Education 150 course because the course is designed to cause one to reflect broadly on just what it takes to be an effective teacher. The course content, like the film, Dead Poet’s Society, helps us to focus our passion and interests in teaching.

Gifted Education

Running head: GIFTED EDUCATION/CIVIL RIGHTS Education of Gifted Students A Civil Rights Issue? Article Critique Education of Gifted Students A Civil Rights Issue? This paper seeks to answer the question: Is the differential representation of the sexes and of racial and ethnic groups in educational programs for gifted students a civil rights problem? The author does a more than adequate job of presenting the arguments on both sides of the issue and drawing logical inferences. The article seeks to identify the actual dilemma and proposes possible approaches for resolution. Much of the school system today has been shaped by the civil rights laws of the past. The writer notes that the link these rights have to education is the pledge of an equal opportunity for all children to learn and be educated in this country. Schools must accomplish this without regard to race, creed or gender. The author notes that there have been references to the gifted programs being just another subtle form of segregation by the white upper-middle-class. These concerns arise from the fact that the representation of the sexes and of ethnic groups within the gifted classes reflects just such a phenomenon. The unjustified beliefs of genetic inferiority of some races have long since been denounced. These unfounded beliefs have been replaced by research which indicates that the genetic component of intelligence is augmented by the nurturing environment (or lack thereof) of a child. The paper sites twin studies, which give creedence to the genetic component of intelligence, and notes these differences apply within the different ethnic and racial groups. The author attributes an almost equal role to the environment of the child referring to nurturing as the crystallization of native abilities. Noting the differences between the sexes in math and verbal skills, the author seeks to validate this conception. The author sees the cultural values of society as an unavoidable encroachment upon the genders resulting in these differences. I beg to differ, as molecular and developmental studies have shown that there are structural and biological differences in the brains of males and females (Zhang, 1995; Palego, 2000). As a molecular biologist I would be more inclined to attribute differences to the biochemical aspects of development. The writer next addresses the inequities of intelligence tests and accurately identifies them as mere predictors of future academic performance. We are unable to measure native ability with these instruments but these devices do allow for a comparison of the developmental level of a child in the areas of core knowledge, reasoning and conceptual association. It is through these measures that predictions of future performance are made. The author now brings Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences into the debate. He uses the theory to propose expanding the definition of giftedness. Although I do agree in principle with Gardner's theory, the already limited resources in gifted education would be taxed to the brink if we were to include the majority of children, as strict use of Gardner's theory would necessitate. The final points in the paper relate to what the author calls tall poppies. This is the approach of Chinese Communism according to the author. The principle is that the poppies growing too rapidly should be hewn down so as not to out grow the rest in the field. At this point there are offerings in the paper concerning the achievement of Asian students in American schools. The writer relates these to the home environment, emphasis on education and tenacity of the Chinese-American students. I believe that this, in essence, is what we have done in education today, we've cut-down our gifted students in an effort to avoid the criticism of elitism. The brightest and the best are denied their potential because it is falsely believed that they can pick it up on their own. I believe that most of the curriculum offered in mainstream education has been so watered down that children are not challenged and are not taught to think in our schools today – all in an effort to be fair to everyone. How is this fair to the gifted child? The author concludes by placing the accountability for educating our gifted children on families, schools, and society. He urges full development of all children with outstanding talents through the creation of early and continuing enrichment programs. Through these efforts children would be identified early as to their talent or gift and their education would then be geared to develop that talent for the betterment of all. References Gallagher, J. L. (1995). Education of gifted students - a civil rights issue? Phi Beta Kappan, 76(5), 408-412. Palego, L., and others (2000). Gender and age-related variation in adenylyl cyclase activity in the human prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and dorsal raphe nuclei. . Neuroscience Letters, 279(1), 53-56. Zhang, L., and others (1999). Sex differences in expression of serotonin receptors (subtypes 1A and 2A) in rat brain: A possible role of testosterone. Neuroscience, 94(1), 251-259.

Bibliography

Gallagher, J. L. (1995). Education of gifted students - a civil rights issue? Phi Beta Kappan, 76(5), 408-412. Palego, L., and others (2000). Gender and age-related variation in adenylyl cyclase activity in the human prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and dorsal raphe nuclei. . Neuroscience Letters, 279(1), 53-56. Zhang, L., and others (1999). Sex differences in expression of serotonin receptors (subtypes 1A and 2A) in rat brain: A possible role of testosterone. Neuroscience, 94(1), 251-259.

Music Education

The best teachers in this world ask just the right questions I’m convinced. I look at my past experience with teachers. The ones that stick out in my mind as facilitating the most amount of growth in the students have been able to get responses from them by asking direct questions that spark the student’s own personal creative thinking. The teachers have presented themselves (their material, their presence, their goals, their very nature, etc.) in a way that strikes the students as being unique and that this teacher has something of value to offer. The student sees this leading quality and either subconsciously or consciously asks themself how am I going to get that stuff that teacher has?. The student ends up being curious and wants to learn, and wants to learn for themself. This also benefits the whole area of discipline. Since the students have developed a respect for what that teacher has to offer, than they do not think or even want to be disruptive. Of course, there’s always that special one in the crowd that has so much baggage their tendency to misbehave is not stopped by this one amazing teacher, but it’s stunted nonetheless. Thought-provoking questions in an atmosphere that promotes risk the best to stimulate critical thinking. The teacher has this responsibility to share the process of critical thinking in order to provide that safe atmosphere where ideas are appreciated and warmly accepted. Listening in conjunction with questioning and classroom dialogues promotes thinking about music. The combination of lecturing accompanied by dialogue of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of content enhances learning. I think that a good music teacher will create and maintain a positive and comfortable atmosphere where students can dialogue advances discovery and critical thinking. It is important for teachers to have that sensitivity towards the students where they can feel comfortable taking risks. Teachers can use small groups as a way to give a greater number of students a freer feeling to talk about music. This kind of classroom interaction lends itself to a meaningful self-evaluation where one can seek to improve in their weakness. The students may feel a nudge to improve up to their friends ability. Or the students may find how different people offer different views to music, and that in itself can be an inspiration to seek out more perspectives or to grow more personally with their music. I feel like talking about conducting right now because this is going to become a huge part of music teaching when I Actually get there. There are many incredible conductors out there. Some of their qualities are so impressive. Some characteristics of a good conductor are having clear definite down beats, they are commanding in their leadership role and have the players attention completely. They should be able to express the meaning or atmosphere of the music through their gesture. They should be able to pick out the different parts of the music because they know the instrumentation and score well. They should know the history and context of the music so that it is presented in the manner the composer intended. The technique of their arm movements should be well-trained, and with the ensemble they should be motivating, encouraging, and inspiring. To obtain a certain quality of conducting requires a great deal of skill. Practicing conducting like any instrument, or any sport or art for that matter, is required in order to reach that high state of excellence. I as a trombone player practice a substantial amount to achieve a superior level of playing. Conducting is no different. It too requires a lot of practice. The conductor, however, works on conveying an inspiration of what the music is intended to sound like by the composer. The conducting teacher relates the composer’s inspiration, the historical background, listens for parts that require modification, helps the students become self-aware of where improvement should take place, keeps a focus with clear goals in mind, creates a positive learning atmosphere, etc… with the help of all the practicing they did before class time. Its a loaded job. J Right now I am finding a great value in mission statements. Mission statements made byt he music teacher for each individual class and ensemble. It keeps them focused on something. The mission statement gives the group a forward motion, that they are going to attain something by the end of the year. It also helps everyone feel like they are in the process of accomplishing something on a large scale and a sense of pride comes along with that.