Brooklyn


 * Record of Assignments-**

Brooklyn Elliott
 * Name of Student:**

** Adolescence **

The Breakfast Club relates to our textbook and the material we are covering in class very well. Our group had Molly Ringwald/Claire, who was referred to as "The Princess" of the school. Many inferences regarding: Cliques and Crowds, Peer pressure, family influences, and pop culture influences as well. The textbook has much to say in terms of cliques and adolescence. Claire belonged to the “popular” crowd- she said in the movie that she feels the rest of the school looks up to her, making her the leader. Not wanting to associate with the others in the Saturday morning detention after they parted ways, shows her arrogance and also shows the amount of importance she believes her status holds in her life.

Claire wore makeup and pink clothing, seemingly well put together and expensive. She also ate sushi- a small portion, for lunch. Whether this was done to uphold her classy image, it can be pointed out that this behavior is a mirrored image of what how the media portrays the typical preppy/popular girl. She feels embarrassed talking about sexual behavior, and admits to never engaging in any form. She does this after much hesitation and frustration with the other pressuring her to tell. From this, one can assume she either was embarrassed that she had never done anything, or feels that sharing her personal life with others of less social status than her, is something she should not have to do.

** W : What you want to know (curiosities/inquiry questions) **

 * 1. Media/pop-culture has a direct and profound impact on many aspects of adolescent everyday life and development. How does music's portrayal of women negatively affect the ideas/thoughts of girls and women in todays society?**

__Powerpoint Poster Presentation:__

** Resource #1 **

 * Read: Sexualizing Girl Troubles by R. Danielle Egan**
 * This article basically serves the purpose to expose the media's role in the sexualization of adolescent girls. In 2007 the American Psychological Association reported that "exposure to sexualized media images produces the desire to mimic these images, which negatively shapes girls sense of self subjectivity and activities." This being a fact along with author Melinda Tankard Reist claiming that young women today embrace "theirown degrading objectification." She talks of how pole dancing once belonged in strip clubs and has now become part of at home or in-class exercise rountine's of some women. It includes valid data regarding the facts of teen sexuality and various other studies that demonstrate why the theories mentioned hold truth. The studies coincide with the idea of the media having negative effects on adolescent sexual behavior and understanding. From lower self-esteem to objectification, there are many important aspects to be concerned with in terms of what the media is doing to adolescent's ideas involving sexuality. This article does a good job in giving insight to why, whom, and what we should be concerned.

I
 * Respond:**
 * I feel as if this article is effective in stating claims, forming theories, and using data and research to validate the proposed issues. It is eye opening and definitely keeps the interest alive throughout its entirety. I think this is a very important issue, the sexualizing of adolescent females in the media. Being a girl myself, I can easily understand why this is such a concern in today's society. Women are being portrayed in various roles all throughout the media; television, magazines, advertisements, and music are ways adolescents are exposed to the messages and pressure.This article does a good job in giving insight to why, whom, and what we should be concerned.

>
 * APA Citation:**
 * Egan, R. D. (2012, Spring). Sexualizing girl troubles. //Contexts,// //11//, 56-57. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1536504212446463

** Resource #2 **

 * Read:**
 * This article is regarding rap music and it's responsibility in promoting women in a way that causes society to perceive them in an undesirable manner. The opening statement of this article by Lisa Gibson is powerful in conveying why exactly these messages are insidiously weaved into societal matters. "The first thing you hear is the driving baseline. It's the kind of rhythm that many people, especially teenagers, can't help moving to. By the time you hear the lyrics, you don't realize that what you may be listening to is a message that perhaps no one, especially youth, should hear" (Gibson). Also included in the article is a very substantial statement made by a "well-known rapper". The statement was made at this year's National Association of Black Journalists Conference, when he said that he saw nothing wrong with referring to a woman as a "bitch" in is music if that's the way he perceived her.
 * Respond:**
 * I feel that is this definitely something we should be concerned about- especially when adult rappers can with ease use 'bitch' to describe a woman in songs that adolescents are being exposed to. I have some friends myself who listen to this kind of music, and while listening to them rap along with the versus I hear them say things they would never speak of unless it was during that moment of rapping along to the lyrics. However, even though they claim to not talk that way in 'real life' these messages can subconsciously become part of ones own thinking.

Gibson, L. (1993, Oct 13). Rap music gives women a bad rap. // The Skanner // . Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/370562223?accountid=2909
 * APA Citation:**

** Resource #3 **

 * Read:**
 * This research article included in the European Journal of Personality examined the structure of Dutch adolescents music preferences in relation to the 'big 5' personality characteristics. Data was collected from 2334 adolescents aged 12–19 and revealed four clearly interpretable music-preferences: Rock, Elite, Urban and Pop/Dance. One thousand and forty-four randomly selected adolescents from the original sample filled out questionnaires on music preferences and personality at three follow-up measurements. Based on the findings, music preferences were found to be consistently related to personality characteristics, which confirmed prior research conducted in the United States.
 * Respond:**
 * This article was significant to me because of it's in depth study of just how much an adolescents music preference has to do in relation to their personality and characteristics. I know that from a personal stance, I tend to vary in what music I listen to based on how I am feeling at the time or my overall mood. The kind of day I am having directly influences my music preference, as well as what activity or events are taking place. Knowing this, I can definitely see how rap music could influence behavior or promote an existing lifestyle of adolescents without them necessarily allowing it or even recognizing the influence. It is important that we take a deeper look into this idea and understand how music preference relates to our own actions/lifestyle.


 * APA Citation:**
 * Delsing, M. J. M. H., ter Bogt, T. F. M., Engels, R. C. M. E. and Meeus, W. H. J. (2008), Adolescents' music preferences and personality characteristics. Eur. J. Pers., 22: 109–130. doi: 10.1002/per.665

** Resource #4 **

 * Read:**
 * Neil Anderson's article " Adolescent Culture and Music" goes into detail about how adolescents go about developing their identity and how music plays a great role in that process. Also in this article, information and discussion on how teachers can still relate to the changing culture of adolescents that differs from their own experiences and what they can do to support and promote positive character building in the process. Instead of being alarmed or threatened by the unfamiliar culture that is unfolding, this article talks about how teachers can use this opportunity to embrace the many transitions of adolescents in the classroom.
 * Music is something that is more important and prominent in pop culture and daily lives of adolescents than ever before. This may be unsettling to previous generations who were widely impacted by newspapers, books, and other means that are not as technologically oriented. This is especially true in the case of music videos. The article points out that hip hop, like the blues, is music of the oppressed. "Teens, because of their natural feelings of rebellion and their relative powerlessness in an adult world, may find Hip Hop music and the rebellious moods of Hip Hop videos very attractive". This short except from the article reflects the problem with the violent and sexual annotations in the music, but also explains why adolescents cling to this media outlet.


 * Respond:**
 * This article was very interesting to me and did a lot for my research and quest to uncover adolescent influences coming from rap/hip-hop music. As I am aware of the content often being of violent and sexual nature, I was not informed as to why teens are so active in listening to this genre. I now understand that the rebellion and angst felt byteens can also be examined within the lyrics of rap music, since it is geared to express oppression and hardship.


 * APA Citation:**
 * Andersen, N. (1996). Adolescent culture and music. Emergency Librarian, 24(2), 30.

** 5. Sexuality Activity **
This specific movement is called Day of Silence. This is a day of empowerment as it in support to stop the harassment and bullying of LGBT individuals in schools. There is a video included on the page that gives helpful tips on how to increase the productivity of it's main purpose.
 * Describe your resource:**

@http://glsen.org/article/supporting-lgbt-students
 * Link to your specific resource:**

** A. Site details: **
> >
 * Name of site: **Hughes High School**
 * Link to site: http://hughesstem.cps-k12.org
 * Contact person: Mrs. Reddick- Reddick@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

__ ** B. Describe your setting ** __
Hughes high school is just off the University of Cincinnati campus. They are required to wear uniform dress pants and polo shirts. Upon entering the building, all visitors must either have a badge and sign into the appropriate form laying on a table set up in the lobby, or they must sign into the office and gain accesss to the bulding in an alternative way. At Hughes High school, I am assigned to help in a classroom of about 7 students maximum. these particular students are considered to have moderate to severe behavioral problems. Only 3 students are ever permitted to leave this setting and go to a regular class for one or two subjects. It is a predominately African American STEM school, and houses 7th-12th graders. My purpose for being there is to act as a mentor to these students- many lack stability and are in need of a positive influence. I do help with homework and other academic assignments, however that is not where the focus lies.

__** C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting) **__

 * __ *pseudonym __**


 * __ 1st visit: __**

This is my first visit to Lakeside High school*, where I will be coming to work with my newly assigned student, Evan*. He is 14 and a freshman at the high school. Evan is in a classroom of 7 students whom all have some type of behavioral disorder. Although I was not expecting to be assigned in such a classroom, I feel like I am capable of making this a rewarding experience as it has inspired my inquiry question. Evan and I are spending some time asking each other questions and learning more about our personalities. There are 2 teachers in a classroom as well as some type of therapist/counsellor.

Evan answered mostly all the questions I asked him, (how is your day so far, do you have any pets, what type of music do you listen to, etc.). However, when I felt like I was boring him with questions about himself, I asked if he had anything he wanted to know about me. To this, he giggled and replied, "Not really". This took me aback for a moment, but then I continued to look over his homework. Together we will be working to complete his reading assignments for the day, and sometimes his history is integrated as well. I can tell he has some issues with concentration and keeping on task.

Today was interesting to say the least. A lot of socialization between the students in class had the head instructor and I quite at a loss for words. Instead, absorbing the reality of the students’ words was the important part- us being good listeners to their speaking of difficult times. It started with students speaking of recent crimes that have happened in the surrounding neighborhood area, and went to the extent of students explain how easy it is to obtain a gun even at their age. On the streets, guns are sold for as low as 40 dollars… however these lower priced weapons have likely been sold so cheap because they were involved in a crime and the suspect does not want possession any longer yet does not want to trash the gun since it was some worth and they can get a profit from selling it.
 * __2nd visit:__**

Even though this conversation was particularly disturbing and eye opening into the lives of the students I’ve become so close with and care for, me and the class carried on in our studies for the day. I asked the student I’ve been setting a particular focus on, a 20 question survey just of questions that pertain to their specific interests and favorite things- some regarding academic interests and some regarding personal interests such as hobbies, favorite music, etc. Doing this allows for me to gain deeper insight, and by me answering the questions also, he could see how we are much more alike than maybe he previously imagined. I’m looking forward to getting an even deeper view into the person he is and the life he is living on a day-to-day basis.

This observation visit was a bit different, instead of the normal one on one time with my student, it was Halloween and the teacher let me throw a holiday celebration for the students! I brought in cookies, games, social activities, and prizes for the winners. (I brought a prize for all 7 students regardless of whether they won, winners just got to choose first). We played 'haunted hangman' two times, did a halloween word search, and talked about scary movies, costumes, and fun memories from previous Halloween experiences. The students were talkative and engaged in the activities and socializing with peers, and the noise level and behavior never got out of hand. Although there was some conflict with students not being 'fair' or 'cheating' the holiday party seemed to be an overall success and nice reward for their academic work.
 * __3rd visit:__**

I especially felt connected with the students today because this was the first time I really felt appreciated in the classroom. They were all so touched by the preparation and work I put into treating them with a fun day and were thankful for the snacks I brought in. Since these students are in a separate classroom due to frequently having behavioral issues in the general academic setting, they don't get things like this often where they are 'rewarded' for their work. The teacher was very pleased with how the class behaved and how I carried out the 2 hours of fun. I did have to ask a couple times for them to please remain calm and not yell at eachother while playing hangman, and they seemed to respect my authority with no issues. Showing them I really care about them and want them to enjoy having me in their class has a lot to do with their developing respect for me. Many times people give up on them, and by showing that even through the not so good days I see the best in them, they can learn to trust me.

During this visit I had a chance to work one on one with another student, not the usual, because Evan was absent. We worked on a bit of history reading and comprehension by completing 3 pages of the 5 page packet. Afterwards, we had time to chat a little bit and learn more about eachother. I learned he likes to read and write, and even does so on his own at home. I noticed while working on the packet with him, that he was eager to read the material out loud to me. I told him that yes, he is infact an outstanding reader and should feel confident in that. Knowing this, I asked him questions about his favorite books, songs, etc. and shared mine as well. He enjoyed this topic because it was comfortable for him while still learning deeper into who he is and his personal interests.
 * __4th visit:__**

Now that both, the students and myself, feel comfortable in me being involved in their classroom and engaging with them in conversation both friendly and academically, working on school work has become less and less of a hassle. They respect me and know I am here to help while being somewhat of a mentor, and they like that. I am younger than their teacher and one of the students shared with me that I'm "cool and down with whats going on" which I translated as I understand where they are coming from and I value their viewpoints and valid. I hope to get to work with more students one on one and get to know all of them on a more personal level like I have with about 3 or 4 students thus far.

Today the students were allowed to have a free 'study hall' day. This is where they are given time to complete any assignments they may be behind on or did not sufficiently complete. They were given 2 ten minute breaks in the duration of two hours, and this seemed to keep the pace going and their minds focused on the academic coursework during that time. I ended up helping 2 students today- one was Evan and we completed a history packet that he had done before but had not performed well on. The other student was a female that I've been growing closer too with each time I work with them. She is definitely more on the 'severe' side of the behavioral issues spectrum in the classroom. This being the case, I use more caution when working with her as to not induce frustration or to further complicate things which leads to her getting angry. We completed 3 worksheets of reading comprehension. Two stories were real life situations of people- the first being about a young woman with a gambling addiction that led to her becoming money hungry and betraying people she loved for money and greed. The next was about a man who had shot and killed a person when he was only 11, as he was pressured by older influences & went into details of how it has affected his adult life. Both of these stories were really intense, and I believe they were academic but also very valuable in terms of life lessons. The third was more of a historical article & response type of assignment.
 * __5th visit:__**

From working with the female student who is easily angered and frustrated, I have learned tactics that are effective in relieving some of her tension and aggressive nature that often arises without much cause. She seems to really take a liking to me in comparison to working with the classroom teachers. She told me that she can tell I'm "not some old hag who thinks they know everything about everything". The fact that she can tell that I genuinely want to help her out academically and personally and that I'm not being forced to do so, is really important to me as a mentor. I'm thankful that these students know I wont give up on them like many have done before in their school and home lives. When I start off helping them academically by first asking how their day/week has been, then sharing some things about my own, they seem to take more interest into what they're studying. This shows to me that I'm doing right by making these personal connections and understanding the students on an individual level before attempting to assist them academically. I can now relate topics I know interest them to the topics we work on academically and this is a valuable skill that I will be able to use throughout my entire career as an educator.

** Physical **
What did you notice about the physical differences between boys and girls (pp. 283-288)?

Since I observed in a high school, there were immediately recognizable physical differences between male students and female students. Especially with the upperclassmen, most females seemed to be fully developed as well as males. However since the school is 7-12, it is interesting to see that with the younger grade levels, females were overall much more developed than males. The text goes into detail on how the hormones estrogen and testosterone affect physical development, and this was a real life example of what the book demonstrates/explains.

What did you notice about the adolescent’s mood (p. 289)?

The mood/behavior of the students was probably the easiest to observe while in the high school. Just within my classroom of 7 students, I can detect so many different vibes coming from each. When something troubled them, girls reacted in a much more sassy and emotional way- using words and yelling to display their feelings. However the guys express themselves a little differently. Although they still yell and use words, they often will pound their fists on the desk or rip up paper. This is explained in the textbook as normal adolescent moodiness. With the estrogen in females making emotions higher while the testosterone in males causes more aggressive forms of anger, these are the driving forces behind changes in moodiness during puberty.

What did you notice about the adolescent’s relationship with adults (p. 289)?

The students as a whole definitely do not respond well to adults in terms of arguing. Often in this class with students having frequent disruptive behavior, when the teacher tries to reason with a student it often results in the student shaking their head, laughing, and continuing to argue while claiming "they don't know what it's like" or "they don't know what they're talking about". The text book talks about adolescents experiencing the personal fable, and feeling as if no one understands them and they have feelings that others cannot relate to/do not experience.

What did you notice about the role of body image in adolescent behavior (p. 290)? [insert here]

What did you notice about peer relationships ( pp. 290-291)? [insert here]

What did you notice about eating habits (pp. 291-292)?

I'm not with the students during lunch time, but often snacks will be allowed in the classroom. I can definitely say that from my observations, the male students ask for snacks or bring snacks a lot more often than girls, and they were also much more concerned with being hungry.

What did you notice about issues around sex (sex education, sexual references, sexual activity, teen pregnancy, etc.) (pp. 293-299)

A few times while working with students, they bring up sexual topics that would kind of take me by surprise in terms of how open they were. They would ask each other about homecoming for weeks after, trying to get other students to open up about whether they & their date had done anything sexual afterwards. The textbooks talks about this being normal among adolescents and that sexual experimentation is a healthy and normal part of development.

What did you notice about substance use or substance related references (pp. 299-300)?

This is a topic that frequently is brought up in class. This is a high school in an urban setting, where drug related crime is high as well as drug use. Many substances are available to these students, and I have heard them talking to each other about their first times "hitting trees" and joking about what the person may have been like while high. Drugs are easily available and commonly used among peers, which makes it difficult to stay away from. My students talk about family and friends who have abused drugs and had some type of negative consequence resulting. However the text book says that rarely is substance abuse an issue, and that experimentation in this realm is common and normal as well. No immediate attention is necessary unless the adolescent is suspected to have an ongoing use of a substance.

** Physical Cognitive **

 * What did you notice about Information Processing in the adolescents observed? (p.303-304) **


 * Did you notice any actions that would support the imaginary audience or personal fable theory of consciousness? (p.304-305). **


 * What did you notice about decision making? (p.305-306) **


 * Parent-School Partnerships? (p. 308) **


 * Peer Influences on Achievement? (p. 308) **


 * Prevention to dropping out of high school? (p.311) **

** Emotional **

 * Identity? (p.314-318) **

** Social **

 * Gender (p. 324) **


 * What do you notice about peer relations (intimacy? mutual understanding? self-disclosure?)? (p.326-327) **


 * What do you notice about dating? (p. 329-330) **


 * Cliques and Crowds? (p. 328) **

** Revisiting Your Curiosities **
[Answer your original questions as best as you can, given the course material and your observations. You must make at least 4 references to the text with page numbers.]
 * W : What you want to know (inquiry questions) **


 * Media/pop-culture has a direct and profound impact on many aspects of adolescent everyday life and development. How does music's portrayal of women negatively affect the ideas/thoughts of girls and women in todays society?**


 * 2. Rap Music & Male Adolescent's perception of women**



[insert summary of your creative presentations- minimum of 1 paragraph- and any support documents]
 * 3. Creative Presentations**

How can I refute the negative stereotypes of women based on the music listened to by my class? What exactly are these songs/artists saying? How do students reflect these messages in their own lives and/or ideas of women? Being a women myself, is there a way I can discuss the issues with these degrading songs in a way that both male and female students can relate to and use to better their outlook on women?
 * 4. What new questions emerge for you as a future teacher?**

Late Adulthood

Describe your Older Adult Project: > > >
 * For my Older Adult Project, I decided to talk on the phone with my 57 year old great Aunt. We ended up talking for about an hour and 35 minutes. I decided to let her do most of the talking so I had the opportunity to learn more while she was able to enjoy conversing and telling me about her life (so lives alone, so she really appreciates the company). I wrote down a few prompted questions beforehand so that I had something to refer to if the conversation started going dry:
 * 1. How have your hobbies changed over the course of your life?
 * 2. How has your health changed with age?
 * 3. When reflecting on past decisions you've made or opportunities taken/turned down, are there any immediate regret you can think of?
 * 4. Do you feel satisfied with the life you've led thus far?
 * 5. If there was advice you could give to all younger folks, what would it be?
 * Although our conversation was over the phone, it was still comfortable and full. We got into a lot of topics that we discussed in class, but I did not feel like talking about death would be a positive thing. However she did mention how she feels it's so unfair that all these people younger than her are dying from horrible things like cancer and having to suffer so badly before even nearing old age. I could tell she felt really comfortable opening up to me, and I also feel as if the overall experience really hit the nail for this project.

Describe your experience (2 paragraph minimum and make 4 references to the textbook):
 * Much of our conversation consisted of her telling me stories from her past. Most started with "Oh I can remember back when I was growing up.." and less were of recent events or experiences she's had. The textbook talks about fluid and crystalized intelligence, and how with age one's fluid intelligence declines (Fluid intelligence is more short term memory). Crystalized intelligence, then becomes the stronger of the two and results in being the memories easiest to retrieve. My aunt is definitely at this point, and learning about these in class has given me an understanding to where I can easily point out relations such as this.

Since this was over the phone, a photo was not obtainable.