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The teacher plays a major leadership role in helping children learn to deal with positions of authority, to cooperate with others, to cope with problems, and to
achieve competence. Types of leaders include authoritarian, democratic, and laissezfaire (permissive).
Teachers’ expectations of children often influence their interactions with them
and, consequently, the children’s performance. Teachers also need to be aware of
their responses to gender, to children from diverse cultural groups (individualistic
and collectivistic orientations), to children from various social classes and religions, to children with disabilities, and to those at risk for negative developmental outcomes because of poverty, substance abuse, or violence in the family.
Children at risk for negative developmental outcomes, such as children from
families experiencing poverty, substance abuse, and/or domestic violence, need special support from teachers and other adults to enable resiliency and achievement
motivation.
Macrosystem influences on teaching include curriculum philosophies, as well as policies on accountability and standardization. Philosophies of teaching and learning range from teacher-directed programs to learner-directed ones.
Teacher-directed (traditional) educational environments usually subscribe to
the philosophy that the functions of the school are to impart basic factual knowledge and preserve the American cultural heritage.
Learner-directed (modern) educational environments subscribe to the philosophy that the function of the school is to develop the whole child, physically, socially, and emotionally as well as cognitively. Curriculum emerges from the child’s interests and abilities and is constructed accordingly.
Socialization outcomes differ according to the setting. Children in traditional
(teacher-directed) settings perform better on academic tasks and are “on-task” more often than children in modern (learner-directed) settings. Children in modern settings tend to have a more positive attitude toward school, are involved in more cooperative work, and show more autonomy than do children in traditional settings.
In order to receive public funding, schools administer achievement tests and students are compared to a standard for their grade.
Mesosystem links between teachers, families, and communities play a significant role in implementing the nation’s number-one education goal—that all children will come to school “ready to learn.” “Readiness” encompasses health, nutrition, and social/emotional factors.
Families can enable children to be ready by nurturing, communicating, encouraging learning, and getting involved in school. Schools can enable “readiness” by individualizing the curriculum, providing activities that are developmentally appropriate, and using authentic assessments rather than relying on standardized tests.
Chapter 8 Ecology of the Peer Group
The peer group is a microsystem in that it comprises relationships, roles, and activities. Peers are equals, individuals who are usually of the same gender, age, and social status and who share interests. Although outwardly the peer group appears to comprise equals, inwardly the dynamics of the peer group reveal that some members are more equal than others (Adler & Adler, 1998; Steinberg, 1996).
Experiences with peers enable children to acquire a wide range of skills, attitudes, and roles that influence their adaptation throughout life (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006). Peer groups are significant socializers, contributing beyond the influence of family and school because:
• They satisfy certain belonging needs (Adler & Adler, 1998).
• They are often preferred to other socializing agents (Harris, 1998).
• They influence not only social development, but cognitive and psychological development as well (Ladd, 1999).
Today, as more mothers are being employed outside the home, more and more children are being cared for in group settings. Consequently, children are experiencing social interaction with peers today earlier and for longer periods of time than they were a generation ago. Also, school age children and adolescents who are not supervised by adults after school are more likely to turn to their peers for support.
Peer groups are significant to human development because they satisfy certain basic needs: the need to belong to a group and interact socially, and the need to develop a sense of self (a personal identity). Belonging to a peer group enables one to have social interactions with others and have experiences independent of parents or other adults. By interacting socially with others, we derive an opinion of ourselves.
Social competence involves behavior informed by an understanding of others’ feelings and intentions, the ability to respond appropriately, and knowledge of the consequences of one’s actions. Being part of a social group involves conforming to