Monday, October 8, 2018

Nakkula: Chapters 4 & 5

This week, I read read Chapter 4 and 5 in Understanding Youth. Chapter 4, "Flow and Possibility Development," explained the concept of optimal development for youth. In my own words, this is characterized by the gratitude or sense of accomplishment one feels when he/she masters a task that required time and practice to achieve. This is the opposite of small tasks where we seek instant gratification. I found it interesting that the chapter compared this concept to helping students master skills within their interests.

For example, the antidote about Lorena taught us that helping students master a skills that inspires them, such as rowing, will then help build confidence, "The more confident and competent we feel, the more likely we are to venture into new learning activities" (71). This shows us why Lorena was then able to start applying this newly found confidence to other subjects in school, including English class.


This chapter led me to think about my own students, specifically the student I am using for my upcoming paper. He does have a specific interest outside of school, but as the chapter points out, to a degree, it seems to have a negative impact on his academics, "Some will organize their adolescent experiences so thoroughly around athletic pursuits and related social experiences that their academic and career possibilities will be compromised" (73). Since he spends all the time he could be doing homework, focusing on this one sport, I am worried this may be the case for him. I'm hoping going forward in my project I will discover strategies to help this student in particular turn his interest into a supporting factor in his educational pursuit.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Carina-

    I like how you explained optimal development in your own words. It is so important to understand that this is completed when students have a sense of accomplishment over time which may have required practice.IT's great that you are thinking about your own students and how you can get their outside interests and apply it to their academics, just like we saw from the examples within the book.

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  2. Why do you think this student likes basketball so much? Is it the competition, a sense of competence/strength, the high paced action, the camaraderie? Try to understand his passion and use it as a lens to help you figure out what he needs in the classroom.

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