Barbara W. Winters
As currently conceived, one week near the beginning of the school year will be spent on an appropriate text book chapter on parenting and responsibilities and child care skills. Six movie viewing days should be set aside in October, before the holidays, January, February, March , and in April-May. In addition, a class before each movie will be used to introduce the movie and another day or two for class discussion or activities closely may follow each viewing. With some preparation time and related activities planned for other days, then, this unit will cover 25-30 days of the school year.
In New Haven, parenting is taught in varying ways. Very often, a textbook is used only occasionally. At Hillhouse, the textbook is Child Care and Parenting by Westlake. A review of several textbooks on parenting shows that, without exception, each book follow the same outline. They begin with the questions around what it takes to make the decision to become a parent. They then go on to review conception, prenatal care and delivery. Usually, the next section deals with infancy and the major of the chapters following deal with the development of the child through school age. The final chapters deal with selecting child care providers and the more modern texts conclude with a chapter on child care as a career.
The actual conduct of the course in New Haven classrooms usually involves responding to the immediate needs of the young parents. Sometimes, these are topics or questions introduced by the student and, at other times, the teachers introduces a topic which she identifies as a prevailing issue.
This unit is constructed to allow that to continue. It has proven to be a healthy approach for people who are caring for children from 0 to 3 years old and should be allowed to continue. However, showing movies opens up new avenues, provides fodder for new thoughts, and introduces historic figures in a new light - as parents. So, the strategy is to show movies monthly, after some very brief introduction. By the second half of the year, students will be expected to carry on much of the discussion of the movie independently or with little guidance from the teacher.
At this point, it appears unimportant to present the films in any particular order. Because this course is not focused on history and parenting across the ages is basically the same, the chronology has little significance here. What may be important to the design of the unit is that students get to view parenting in different periods - colonial times, slavery and Civil War, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights. The strategy is to look at American parents at home - not fighting foreign wars or spreading democracy in the far corners of the world.
Listed in Appendix A are some films which may be used. Any teacher can identify a host of others which may be used. The intent is to find a well presented view of positive parenting on the part of real people of significance in any film or video. No matter how short the segment, the teens must be able to see positive parenting in action and must be able to begin to apply criteria which identifies the character as a “good” parent.
Popular educational references today cite the parent as “the child’s first teacher.” Although this is usually a part of the early childhood literature, its premise continues to hold true for older children, even the adolescent who may appear to discount the knowledge base of their own parents.
It is a deliberate part of the strategies of this unit to create a source for family discussion. This may help reestablish the parent (or grandparent) as the primary teacher of parenting skills. The films chosen should be easily available in the public library or local video stores. It may be that students might desire to see parts not shown in class or to show their parent an interesting segment. At best, the classroom activity will be a source for at home family conversation. Students may be interested in their parents’ views on the particular parenting skill in the movie or seek their own parents’ observations. It may create an environment where students may learn from their own parents.
Copies of reviews can provide quick and easy handouts. To ensure some type of directed discussion at home, handouts including more formal study guides will be prepared and sent home. Students will be encouraged to share them and the movies with their families. This may provide a more pleasurable homework assignment.
The use of block scheduling was discussed earlier in this paper. The obvious reason for suggesting the use of block scheduling is, of course, that it provides more time for lessons. The suggestion, however, is that more creative uses be employed. Block scheduling, or longer periods on Tuesday and Thursday as it is not used at Hillhouse, is not necessarily successful if the teacher simply crams more of the usual into the 90 minutes. This strategy encourages creative use of the period - not just showing the movies. Several methods can be employed. Some suggested below may be used alone or in combination.
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view a segment focused on a specific parenting skill
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view a segment highlighting a parent in a particular environment
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view a segment featuring a specific, but ordinary, parenting situation
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demonstrate an appropriate child song, such as a lullaby
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review appropriate living, learning and recreational spaces for children
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plan a child’s menu promoting healthy development
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invite a parent who might offer specific insight
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travel to the library, school or public
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travel to the local video store to review procedure and check inventory
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Using these alone or in combination might result in some exciting classroom activities.