Posted by
Kari on Thursday, July 06, 2006 9:51:10 AM
What makes a child who he is? Are his intelligence and success in school
due entirely to his environment? Or do
his genes play a role? According to J.B.
Watson and the environmental model; we are born as a blank slate and how we
turn out is due to the environments in which we are raised (Rodgerson,
2006). However a more realistic model
takes into account the role that genes play and how the environment plays off
of the base.
As
educators we are concerned with the cognitive abilities of our students as they
relate to academic achievement. In the
last few decades genetic research has provided data to dispute the
environmental model of development and suggests that there is a “substantial
role for heredity in molding the components of intellect” (Polmin and DeFries,
62). This provides us with a synergistic
approach to school success in which genetics and environment both play a role.
If genetics
place people at a starting point of intellect, what is our role as educators,
how can we provide the environment to build off of the base? Two concepts that help are those of
Competence and Action Theory. These two
theories will be applied in creating a classroom setting.
Action
theory “incorporates the idea that people influence in important ways the
course of their development through choices across time” (Scarr, 2). In other words children effect their
environment, the classroom, and the teacher’s behavior, which in turn affects
what type of environment and responses are projected back at the children. This is a continuous cycle.
Say for
example that a student is placed in a normal level eighth grade English class
where he is expected to read a 200 page book and then write a five paragraph
essay. The issue; he has dyslexia. His genes have contributed to his reading
difficulty. An Action theory model based
upon this situation might then look like this:
Academic ability <--> Poor
school achievement <--> Negative attitude toward school, teacher and reading <-->
Misbehaves in class and doesn’t do his homework <--> Teacher thinks he
doesn’t care or is slacking and is hard on him <-->he decides he is dumb
and continues to play the part…
We now
combine Masten’s concept of competence, which is also a continuous cycle and
“refers to a pattern of effective adaptation in the environment”(2006). Now take the child from the Action theory
example and continue in the framework of competence. He has not adapted well to his environment
and has a history of incompetence and failure and his future performance looks
bleak as well. This child is not
incompetent forever, instead an intervention of environment needs to be made, a
classroom situation which will allow a child to “function at the growing edge
of his capabilities” (Masten and Coatsworth, 206). Instead of being in a typical English class
we move the student into a more appropriate setting.
The
student’s initial capabilities, which are set by genetics, as well as his
environment prior to coming to this class, are looked at. He is placed in an English class with people
of similar abilities and set the standard at a high but achievable level. The assignment is now to read a 50 page book
and write a paragraph summary, with more time allotted for the reading as well
as in class support. Because he is
capable and competent at this level he now has the “track record of
achievement” (Masten and Coatsworth, 206).
This achievement is now combined with the Action theory model and it
looks more like this:
Appropriate classroom
situation<--> competence <-->
positive feeling toward school and teachers <--> does not act out in a
negative manner <-->
teacher is positive toward the student <--> he continues to
achieve and advance
By
challenging the student at the edge of his capabilities and providing an appropriate
classroom setting he will achieve better school success as well as contribute
more positively, rather than negatively to his environment. As educators we must take into consideration
the role that genetics plays in a student’s success in school and then provide
the appropriate environment to help a student strive and succeed.