Questions of Upbringing

1. Make notes on your answers to these questions.

1. What is "Parents for better lives'" and what do they do?

2. What would be the effect of tracking down one of the genes that contributes to the development of intelligence?

3. What effects may field-specific playful activity have had in the short run and in the long run?

4. What are a 'stimulating' parental style and a 'supportive' parental style?

5. What is the 'nature/nurture' debate?

6. What makes mathematically gifted boys different from average boys and gifted girls?

7. What is illustrated by the lives of Einstein, Picasso and Mozart?

B. What kind(s) of research do the articles report?

1. genetic and biological research.

2. historical surveys.

3. experiments on the brain in a laboratory setting.

4. psychological studies and surveys of living people in natural settings.

4. A. Read the article "Discipline - a Positive Act" by a. Suri.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child"- so what do you think of this concept? Most people say one should definitely spare the rod, but there are positive ways of ensuring that the child isn’t spoiled. This article is aimed at parents of children or teachers who have interaction with children and feel that they could benefit from some extra discipline.

So how do you discipline your child - where do you start? You know your child better than anyone; so only you as a parent can determine the formula that works best. For a lot of pares School seems to be the answer to all problems. This is where a lot of parents go wrong - discipline isn't something that should be entirely left to the school. It needs to be a joint effort between home and the school, between parents and teachers.

Whilst the school does play a very vital part in bringing up a child, the parents also take their fair share of responsibility. The former Education Secretary Estelle Morris recently insisted that "there should be more discipline, with parents held responsible for both their children’s attendance at school and their behaviour once there".

There have been a number of incidents reported in the press recently where children have been accused of gross misbehaviour and disrespect to their teachers. This behaviour will often start a lack of discipline and is something that no one should have to tolerate.

But how do you discipline a child without harming them? Here are some suggestions:

• Parents need to be firm and fair. Shouting at children just for the sake of it, is not the answer. This could be a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Children should not associate discipline with punishment, as this is not very helpful to their development. Learning through fear is not a positive way of approaching a situation. A child may behave well for a while because they are scared of the repercussions but they may not have understood the reason why the behaviour is considered bad in the first place.

• More often than not, children behave badly in an attempt to seek attention from parents or teachers. It is worth spending time talking to your child and making them realize that you are there for them. Communication is vital to maintaining good discipline and involves not just talking to your children but also listening to them.

• Set a good example to them. You cannot expect your children to be epitomes of good behav­iour if you yourself as a parent are setting a poor example. If your children see you shout­ing, abusing and behaving in a threatening manner to other people, they're going to think that this is an acceptable way of conducting oneself.

• Praise your child for good behaviour. This will encourage your child to understand that it isn't just bad behaviour that gets noticed. Once in a while, it might be an idea to reward your child with a treat if he has behaved exceptionally well. The only thing parents need to be careful of is to ensure that children don't expect a reward in return for behaving well.

• There may be many reasons why your child is misbehaving - one of these could be that they are being bullied at school for instance. They may feel that they are not in a position to fight back or tell anyone about their negative experiences. This article also deals with the issue of bullying and how you discipline your child if he is bullying other children.

If your child is a victim of bullying, you can speak to the school to get help. The school needs to take responsibility to try and actively sort this problem out. Teachers are very aware of how to with issues revolving around bullying.

If your child is a bully, it might be an idea to speak to the school to see if you and the teacher can work out a discipline program to help your child. You may need to enforce a more strict pattern of discipline at home.

Notes:

Repercussion - consequence.

Epitome - example, model

B. Write what you think of the conception "Spare the rod and spoil the child" / if you share A. Suri's views.