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I asked Allah to use me, and He sent me a classroom

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I asked Allah to use me, and He sent me a classroom

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As a teacher, I’ve lost count on how many times I contemplated switching careers. It wasn’t because I hated teaching -despite the million times I said that- I walked into teaching knowing how overwhelming it can be and how easy it is to lose sight of your purpose especially if you came into it hoping to make a difference. Which is why stepping aside for a moment and allowing a brief contemplation and reflection on the journey was a must.

When I first started teaching, I was constantly hyper-fixated on teaching methods and classroom management techniques. While I managed to achieve certain goals, there was always a lingering feeling that I am but a mere robot in the eyes of my students. You can tell when a person is doing something with passion. Until one day I had a student once ask me, “why are you a teacher?” Well, I was very tempted to say that it’s definitely not the paycheck, my friend.

Said question echoed for a while until it hit me. There is a small Duaa I am used to saying after each prayer,

‘Oh Allah use me for the greater good of this Ummah; oh Allah grant me the opportunity to serve my deen and my people.’

Little did I know, it was answered with a bunch of thirteen-year olds saying ‘good morning, miss’ as loud as humanly possible at 8a.m. on a lovely Sunday.

Then I came to realize, the challenge or the hardest part of our job is not being buried under lesson plans that only work if the kids are sent from heaven or being overstimulated from the 100+ questions that get thrown at us before first period even starts. The hardest part is also the most beautiful part, in my opinion, which is the fact that we’re dealing with other human minds. Young minds so fragile, curious, and - quite often audacious- that are only beginning to discover the world and constantly absorb information with no filter. Little beings with their own personalities and small worlds. From then on, I was presented with two options: either drown myself with technicalities and allowing them to strip away the human aspect or see through the lens of another human being who went through the same phase.

Now that I think about it, instead of calling it a challenge, we can say that, as teachers, we are endowed with many opportunities. To enhance and reinforce great attitudes, to shape and mold blooming ones, and most importantly, to weed out negative and destructive ones that hold back potential. Frankly, reaching that level of mindfulness, understanding, and patience is what I assume to be the core of the experience.

With that being said, I’ll be walking to classrooms with firm belief that teaching can surpass the limits of simply breaking down a complex math equation or English poem. To me, a teacher is more than subject matter expert with nothing else to offer. A teacher can be an inspiration. I know what this sounds like: ‘Ugh as if the roles we already fulfill aren’t enough.’ I am not saying be their unpaid therapist and I am definitely not advocating against teaching methods and well, actually delivering lessons. But wouldn’t it be nice to be someone’s ‘I did it thanks to my teacher’s support.’?

When I asked Allah to use me for the greater good of this Ummah, I expected something extraordinary. Instead, He trusted me with ordinary mornings and thirty-something voices yelling at me good morning and constantly asking to play games. And in the simple ordinary way my Duaa was answered, I found purpose. For the longest time, I kept believing my Duaa was left unanswered, all while living in the answer itself and -ironically- complaining about it. All I needed was a shift in perspective to be content. All I needed was clarity during a fraction of a day that I relive every day. And for that, I decided to adopt a new Duaa:

Oh Allah, grant me the clarity to see Your blessings, the heart that finds contentment with what You decreed and the wisdom to embrace what I cannot yet understand.

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The Brain—is wider than the Sky—

For—put them side by side—

The one the other will contain

With ease—and you—beside—

The Brain is deeper than the sea—

For—hold them—Blue to Blue—

The one the other will absorb—

As sponges—Buckets—do—

The Brain is just the weight of God—

For—Heft them—Pound for Pound—

And they will differ—if they do—

As Syllable from Sound—

Emily Dickinson, c. 1862

If 'the mind' 'the brain' can be used interchangeably, we can be able to agree with the poet's perspective on the human mind's ability to encompass all that is our natural universe. Solely, the aesthetically pleasing paradox in the verses attempts to celebrate the essence of human consciousness.. the creativity that embarks upon contextualizing the universe, and achieving meaning.

Science, however, is not concerned with romanticizing existence. To claim that the human mind can contain the universe does not serve our objective scientific understanding of the brain. Only returning to the essential conundrum - that is, the function of those two kilograms of soft tissue in the cranium- allowed science to unravel parts of mysteries surrounding the brain.. among which, the parts concerned with language..

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Do animals talk among themselves? If so, what systems do they use? And how do they differ from human language?

There are, mainly, two linguistic points of view regarding the matter: the first one being that animals do not have a language, rather, they communicate through a less sophisticated system of communication. An opposing point of view claims that animals do have a language, one of their own that radically differs from the human language.

Human language is characterized in a unique set of criteria that is believed to lack in animal communication systems. If language necessarily all those criteria, then animals do NOT have language.

Innateness.

They are systematic and follow a set of rules or norms: Grammar.

The ability to talk about something that isn’t present: Displacement.

The ability to create new expressions.

The ability to talk about abstract notions.

Bees use different system with defined rules to communicate about the food sources (displacement), quality (abstract notion), location, and speed, through dancing (grammar). Although bees’ dances are quite limited, researchers believe they are innate. Whales and Dolphins whisle or sing. However, their communication purposes are quite limited as they only sing to warn about potential danger. Chimps and Gorillas’ forms of communication do vary for various purposes. They also use their posters and facial expressions. Research has proved that Chimps, if properly trained,  are be able to learn human language to a certain extent, for that they are highly intelligent species. They can transcend their language to another that is allegedly more complex.

The main question has not been answered yet which is to what extent animals can use the human language criteria, and whether there is a gorilla language grammar, or a specific dance to tell bees about a predator. One can also wonder whether it is correct to make the human language as the standard norm to classify a certain system as a language or consider alternatives.

Further readings:

Anderson, Steve. Dr. Doolittle’s Delusion: Animals and the Uniqueness of Human Language (Yale University Press, 2004). Clarifies the distinction between communication and language and argues that while animals have the former, they do not have the latter.

Web sites:
http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/
Th e site of Central Washington University’s Chimpanzee and Human
Communication Institute, where scientists use ASL with chimps.

http://polarization.com/bees/bees.html
About bee dances.

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The human brain accommodates certain features that enables us to acquire and learn language. 

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The existence of language presupposes a brain that permits it. Therefore, the evolution of language and the brain are tightly interlinked. Accordingly, languages must be “learnable” by the brains of the generations’ children. This is the main difference between the new-born apes and new-born humans when acquiring language. Our brains have adapted to language complex structures and features. It subdues certain characteristics that are only devoted to language learning and biological evolution adapting to a cultural evolution. Language, on another hand, evolved to suit human brain.

“The structure of Language emerges from interrelated patterns of experience, social interaction, and cognitive mechanisms.” – Beckner.

This interrelation can only be explained as a result of a complex adaptive system. The latter involves inactivating preexisting knowledge along with other key features. It also involves the constant interaction between speakers of a certain speech community. It can also include other agents: neurons. Therefore, the human brain itself is a complex adaptive system for that its circuits are not independent of each other.

Thus, it can be safer to claim that an individual’s linguistics abilities are highly contrained with their cognitive development. The evolution of the brain’s circuits are not to  be viewed separately or independently from the language change or evolution. The latter is an explanation of a Complex Adaptive System.

“In fact, evolution can be understood as the name we give to the emergence results to the complex adaptive systems over time.” – Thomas Schoenemann.

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Despite their difference, Piaget and Vygotsky main works were both on devoting teaching methods appropriately on the favor of the child's mental capacities.   

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Similarities Between Piaget's and Vygotsky's Cognitive Development Theories.

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Similarities Between Piaget's and Vygotsky's Cognitive Development Theories.

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1. Both theories centered on cognitive development.

2. Both concluded that cognitive conflict can initiate and further development.

3. Both concluded that egocentric speech is vital to the process of cognitive development.

Piaget vs Vygotsky Venn Diagram

4. Both considered the child is an active participant in his or her own learning.

5. Both considered that the course of development declines with age.

6. Both considered the role of biology plays a part in cognitive development.

7. Both considered the function of language plays a part in cognitive development.

From:
Study Quiries Online.
https://tinyurl.com/33hmz9dy

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The Cognitive Development Theories: Piaget Vs. Vygotsky.

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The Cognitive Development Theories: Piaget Vs. Vygotsky.

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The methods and approaches to the cognitive-developmental issue in psychology and neuroscience have been greatly influenced by the research of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both researchers have significantly contributed to the field for children’s cognitive development which greatly impacted the quest for psychological reality. The impact of their thoughts on how a person learns led to theories on how a person should be taught.  The work of Jean Piaget of genetic epistemology concentrated on the social interaction and proper instructions in learning. While the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky's cultural historical theory concentrated on the individual in learning.

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development essentially suggests that children progress through a series of four distinct stages of cognitive development from an infant to a young adult: sensorimotor, pre- operational, concrete operational, formal operational. Each stage includes certain stages where the child shows a well developed view of the environment.

Vygotsky stated that "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, the specifically human psychological function".

This could mean that social learning precedes cognitive development.  The zone of proximal development refers to what the child can perform when given proper assistance. Therefore, the term "proximal" indicates those skills that the learner is "close" to mastering.

·         Piaget believed in the constructivist approach of children, or in other words, how the child interacts with the environment, whereas Vygotsky stated that learning is taught through social and cultural interactions.

·         In contrast with Piaget, Vygotsky believed that through proper assistance and encouragement, children are able to perform a task that Piaget would consider to be out of the child's mental capabilities.

Even though the views and approaches of children’s cognitive development of Piaget and Vygotsky may differ, they indubitably provide glimpses on how to teach in regard of the child’s pace of developing cognitive abilities.

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Vygotsky's approach to child’s cognitive  development is a form of social constructivism.

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The Cognitive Development Theories: Lev Vygotsky.

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The Cognitive Development Theories: Lev Vygotsky.

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Vygotsky, the Russian Psychologist, emphasizes on the fundamental role that social interaction plays in the development of cognition. This claim was on the basis of his belief that community plays a central role in the process of meaning-making.

As such, culture serves as a mediator for the formation and development of specific abilities, such as learning, memory, attention, and problem solving.

Zone of Proximal Development

It is ‘… The distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.’

Therefore, children who appear to lack certain skills when tested yet often perform more competently in the presence of someone who has the necessary knowledge. In other words, children should be taught in the ZPD, which occurs when they can almost perform a task, but not quite on their own without assistance. With the right kind of teaching, however, they can accomplish it successfully. A good teacher identifies a child’s ZPD and helps the child stretch beyond it. Then the adult (teacher) gradually withdraws support until the child can then perform the task unaided. Researchers have applied the metaphor of scaffolds (the temporary platforms on which construction workers stand) to this way of teaching. Scaffolding is the temporary support that parents or teachers give a child to do a task.

His work examined the correlation between language development and the thinking process. According to him, younger children used speech to think ‘out loud’, but then switch to a silent ‘inner or private speech’ as they gradually develop cognitive awareness.

Thinking out loud eventually becomes thought accompanied by internal speech, and talking to oneself becomes a practice only engaged in when we are trying to learn something or remember something. This inner speech is not as elaborate as the speech we use when communicating with others (Vygotsky, 1962).

Book Recs:

https://tinyurl.com/3v35a956

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Research on Communication Abilities in Abes and Monkeys.

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Research on Communication Abilities in Abes and Monkeys.

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Apes and monkeys provide useful comparisons to humans because some apes species -like chimpanzees- are believed to be related biologically to humans. Monkeys and apes are highly intelligent. This noticeable intelligence permits them to acquire complex skills that are believed to be close to human mental processes that involve comprehension and production of language.

Diana monkeys produce distinctive calls at the very first sight of predators, by instinct (Zuberbuhler, 2003). This ability to treat an arbitray sound (the call) as a "pointer" to a predator, or object in the environment is quite similar to what humans do when associating arbitrary sounds and with a particular meaning (sign, signified, signifier).

The sounds produced by these species are not always calls reffering to predators. Kanzi, a trained captive ape, was claimed to be producing different vocal sounds depending on the context: grapes, bananas, and juice (Tagliatela, Savage-Rumbaugh, & Baker, 2003). Therefore, the trainers assumed that he had his own 'words' for different contexts. The ability to produce distinctive vocal responses or utterances due to different circumstances or contexts is a crucial precursor to spoken languages.

When Washoe signed, He was in most cases talking about food. They were rewarded after producing certain targeted behaviours (Premack, 1990). However, he was able to surpass the expected results and showed some characteristics of human language. Washoe reffered to a duck by signing 'water' and 'bird' together. This ability to generate previously learned knowledge and to combine two different concept in order to create a new concept is indubitably a novel ability of human language.

Nim, the chimp, was able to master some aspects of grammar including wh-questions and a combination of the sign 'more' and other signs that mainly reffer to food. For example, he would sign 'more banana eat Nim'. Noticeably, Nim produced sequences in a particular order each time. The sequence 'X more' appeared more than 'more X' which could hint to the syntax of Nim's own grammar processes.

References:
Premack, D. (1990). Words: What are they, and do aimals have them? Cognition, 37,197-212.Tagliatela, J. P. Savage-Rumbaugh, S., & Baker, L. A. (2003). Vocal production by a language-compitent Pan paniscus. International Journal of Primatology, 24,1-7.

Zuberbuhler, K. (2003). Referental signaling in non-human premate:  Cognitive precursourse and limitations  for the evolution of language. In P. J. B. Slater, J. S. Rosenblatt, C. T. Snowdon, T. J. Roper, & M. Nagub (EDs), Advances in the study of  behaviour: vol. 33 (pp. 265-307). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Book Recs:
https://tinyurl.com/49888nx9

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Let's take a hint on the distincte cognitive development theories: Jean Piaget's Cognitive Development.

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The Cognitive Development Theories: Jean Piaget.

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The Cognitive Development Theories: Jean Piaget.

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The Theory of Cognitive Development by Jean Piaget,the Swiss psychologist, claims that children's intelligence experiences continuous change. Cognitive development in children is not only related to acquiring knowledge, children need to build or develop a mental model of their surrounding world (Miller, 2011). His work is regarded as the cornerstone in the field of developmental psychology.

Piaget's work provides the foundation on which constructionist theories are based.

Constructionists believe that knowledge is constructed and learning occurs when children create products or artifacts. They assert that learners are more likely to be engaged in learning when these artifacts are personally relevant and meaningful.

Implications of Piaget’s Theory on Education:

·         A focus on the process of children’s thinking, not just its products.

·         Recognition of the crucial role of children’s self-initiated, active involvement in learning activities.

·         A deemphasis on practices aimed at making children adultlike in their thinking

·         Acceptance of individual differences in developmental progress.

References:

Miller, P. H. (2011). Piaget's theory: Past, present, and future.

Book Recs:

https://tinyurl.com/2p94275w