Delinquency, Violence and Crime - Essay Example

Reflective Portfolio Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Delinquency, Violence and Crime In this particular workshop, I learnt that delinquency, violence and crime is actually a major emerging issues in contemporary society that affects the youth in society. In chapter 15 of their book, White and Wyn, (2013) tackle the issue of violence and crime compressively. The authors argue that delinquency and violent crime has today increased among the young people due to an increase in societal push factors such as the escalating use of weapons , an increasing in the culture of violence which is propagated by the media through gang movies whereby young people just want to be part of gangs. Additionally, if young people have nothing to do, then they just choose to get into trouble. A case in point is that lack of educational skills that leads to lack of integration of the youth into the labour market which pushes them to violence and crime (White and Wyn, 2013). Based on the facts raised by White and Wyn, (2013) I think that the issue of violence and crime is indeed a serious problem in our society today. In my opinion, I think the issue of delinquency and violent crime can be addressed through education using the middle schooling approach. The middle schooling approach propagates that the middle schooling years is actually the most suitable period for directing children into the right direction. One of the key proposal of the approach is to understand the adolescent brain. According to neurologists many aspects of the brain usually mature throughout childhood and it is during the adolescent stage that the most advanced sections of the brain complete their development. The adolescent brain undergoes massive remodeling and every aspect from language, emotions and logic development occurs at this period. Bahr and Pendergast, (2005) highlight that it is essential to understand the adolescent brain in order to provide the right learning that can influence positive behavior. In order to resolve the problem of violence and crime, I think that based on the proposal of middle schooling approach as highlighted by Bahr and Pendergast, (2005), it is essential for educators to understand the brain of the adolescent. As a result, they should be sensitive and also firm in the manner in which they handle the middle school age leaners. The right type of education essentially moral education should be firmly impacted on the leaner. However, the educators should also realize that the adolescent at this age is very sensitive in terms emotional development which take place it the brain therefore care should be taken. The middle schooling approach also proposes the use of motivation and engagement in order for the young people to feel appreciated and involved. It is essential for learning to be tailored towards motivation (Bahr and Pendergast, 2005). According to Bahr and Pendergast, (2005) teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the lives of young people. At this particular level, learners should be encouraged when they perform well and also they should be fully involved. I think that when the leaners feel engaged and motivated, they cannot be attracted to negative behaviour such as crime. As a middle year educator, I learnt that education is actually a key aspect influencing the direction that the young people take in life. When young people are not effectively educated, they are bound to get involved in criminal activities. Also, I think that when educating the middle school leaners, I will strive to understand that they are actually experiencing major brain developments. As a result, I will be careful in terms of what I teach them and also how I deal with them. I will also use motivation as a key aspect as proposed by B.F Skinner’s motivation theory, positive motivation has the ability influence a repeat of positive behavior. Indigenous Youth From this workshop I appreciated the fact that indigenous youth just like any other youth in society should have an education essentially western education. White and Wyn (2013) disclose that community elders in indigenous communities want their children to move across cultural domains and to experience Western schooling in order for them to gain the ability live in cross cultural zones and also code switch. I also learnt that recent findings by the Education ministry disclose that 2014 was actually Queensland’s best year for indigenous state children’s outcomes. There was a rise in year 12 competitions and also 57% of the children performed well. This basically implies that the indigenous people as well as the youth have embraced western education. Such performance indicate the fact that indigenous youth are actually very capable of good performance in western education and also in other sectors of life. A key aspect that I noted was that despite the acceptance of western education, the indigenous youth still value their cultural education. Nevertheless, they experience challenges such as geographical barriers and resources that hinder them from getting their cultural education in a traditional context. This essentially occurs among urban indigenous youths (White and Wyn, 2008). For instance when a young person does not have a vehicle they cannot travel back to the country to take part in cultural events. A fundamental aspect that I also learnt is that it is essential for educators to allow indigenous youths to participate in their cultural forms of education. Just because the youths have now embraced western education, does not mean that they should discard their traditional cultures. Education on traditional culture is a useful way in which ingenious youth can maintain their cultural identity and also disseminate important aspect of their cultures to people from other diverse cultural backgrounds (Embury, 2009). A major challenge that I took note of was the issue of colonization which actually still affects the indigenous youths. Colonization brought about serious implications on indigenous youths and it still does. The social marginalization and dislocations that are linked to colonization have actually affected the indigenous youths (White and Wyn (2013). For instance; there are still regions occupied by indigenous populations where middle school learners do not have adequate learning resources. The middle school approach is actually an approach that can be useful when educating the indigenous youths. In my opinion, I think that the concept of negotiating the curriculum is a significant approach in the context of indigenous youths. Negotiating the curriculum involves the integration of the voice of the leaners within the leaning process. Teachers and leaners can discuss the curriculum with their teachers and give inputs concerning what they think can be beneficial to them (Bahr and Pendergast, 2005). Middle school leaners from indigenous communities can be encouraged to bring topics in their culture that interests them. The teachers can then learn about such topics and later present them to the leaners. This will make the leaners feel that they can still get a taste of their cultural education even within the western education system. I think that the development of a mature and respectful teacher student relationship is also a central factor in eliminating the implications on colonization that affected the indigenous youth. Research discloses a good relationship between the teacher and the students is the most effective way of generating positive academic and social outcomes (Bahr and Pendergast, 2005). The middle school approach therefore proposes the development of a positive relationship between the teachers and the leaners where the teacher deals with the problems and concerns that the learners go through. As an educator, when I teaching indigenous youths in the middle years, I will not forget the fact that they still value the cultures. As a result, I will familiarize myself with their culture. In addition, I will implement the negotiating curriculum approach in order for me to identify the areas the indigenous culture that are significant to my leaners. In order to alienate the issue of colonialism and its implications to the young indigenous people, I intended to develop a good relationship with the indigenous leaners. This will enable them to feel that they are not discriminated. I will also ensure that the leaners have all the leaning resources they require. Youth and Citizenship Workshop The youths comprise of individuals aged between 12 and 25 years. I took note of the fact that addressing citizenship issues pertaining the youths is significant since there exists differences in the citizenship status of the young individuals at both substantive and formal levels. The main difference of the youth population entails those considered as the ‘legal majority’ and those regarded as being ‘under 18’. The rights of individuals increases with their transformation from being ‘under 18’ to having attained the ‘legal majority’ age. Some of the rights enjoyed include the right to drive a car, the right to have sex, the right to marry, the right to apply for a passport independently among others. I noted from the workshop that one of the key challenges that faces the issue of youth and citizenship is that young people who have not attained the age of 18 want to be involved in the activities that should be done by adults. For instance many young people between the age of 14-17 get involved in sex and drinking which basically unlawful. I also took note of the fact that the citizenship rights for most young people are actually limited. In Australia, the young people of adolescent age do not have the right to be free from psychological, emotional and institutional coercion (Manning & Ryan, 2004). Furthermore, the law also permits parents to assault young people such as in the case of loco parentis. Moreover, the young people do not enjoy the right to political citizenship. Therefore, the young individuals aged below 18 years in Australia serve in a subjective position in matters pertaining civil and political rights. It is mandatory for the youths to behave in accordance with the law. However, they are punishable by the state in the event that they fail to comply with the requirements. The autonomy held by the young people and their limited independence impedes the independence and autonomy aspects associated with youth citizenship (Harris et al. 2008). The middle schooling approach can be used in addressing the challenges that face youth and citizenship. Bahr and Pendergast, (2005), propose that the middle school approach can be used to produce resilient middle school students. According to Bahr and Pendergast, (2005), families, teachers and schools have a major role to play in the development of resilience in middle years. Research studies indicate that people who are resilient have attributes of emotional stability, hope and courage and they are likely to succeed in the future. Resilient people can face hardship and are able to bounce back. The model proposes that parents and teacher should work collaboratively in educating young people of the uncertainties they are bound to experience in the future and how they can deal with them. Teachers should therefore adopt pedagogical practices that include problem solving and critical thinking in order to assist the young people to think widely. I also learnt that the equal regard to citizens is a fundamental citizenship principle (Manning & Ryan, 2004). However, challenges arise from the fact that the rights of the young individuals aged between 14 and 17 years are less than those of the individuals that have already attained the majority age. Later in life however, the young people will experiences more challenges. As an educator, I learnt that I should educate the young learners on how to be resilient in life. I therefore intend to upgrade my use of pedagogical practices such problem solving and critical thinking. I also intend to educate the learners more on their civic rights. Sometimes middle-level educators fail to equip skills pertaining citizenship to the leaners. The deficit emanates from the fact that the schooling system does not engage the students to formal politics. Therefore, dealing with the issue requires the states and the national governments to facilitate and encourage the higher level integration of civics education in all the middle-schools in Australia. Therefore, it is imperative that the development of middle-level educators should target the adoption of a new strategy centered on active participatory citizenship. By so doing, the learning institutions will address the existing “civics deficit” among the young individuals in Australia. Societal Change Workshop It came to my understanding that the millennium generation has undergone two transitions rather than the sing transition experienced by the other generations. The first transition entailed developing from childhood to adulthood. Moreover, they also experienced the transitions of the society’s nature. The industrial culture dominated the traditional society. However, the information orientation is the culture of the current generation. On the part of the millennium generation, it is evident that the individuals have experienced a shift from the traditional industrial culture of the society to an information-based society. The individuals have also experienced a shift from print media to multimedia. The millennium generation also lives in a world dominated by digital communication technologies. Consequently, the paradigm shift characterizes the cultural and social patterns of the MilGen individuals. Pinquart and Silbereisen (2005) identified the three threads that influence the lives of the adolescents in the contemporary society. Demographic changes, individualization/pluralization and globalization suffice to the threads. Globalization refers to the transitions, innovations and processes that increase the world’s interconnectedness. The expansion of new communication technologies define the expansion of the global economy. I noted the fact that the internet is the main communication platform for the millennium generation. It eliminates the traditional barriers to communication such as geographical space and time witnessed by the individuals of the previous generations. The movement of the individuals within and between territories has also increased following the introduction of faster and more reliable transport technologies. As a result, the sense of the community has suffered a setback as a result of the ability of people to access the parts of a territory and different countries faster than it was the case with the technology used in the traditional society that preceded the millennium generation. Regarding individualism and pluralism, it is evident that the modern society is devoid of clear guidelines that outline the future roles of individuals. Moreover, challenges associated with long-term decision making in an environment that lacks enough jobs to cater for the needs of the working population are also part of the individualism and pluralism factors that influence the life of the millennium generation in the modern society. The middle schooling approach proposes that teachers should make leaners be aware of the societal changes. It is the evident that the Millennials live in a society that has experienced radical shifts in different ways. However, the schooling system has not integrated the shifts in the education curriculum to enhance the understanding of the students regarding the changes. Consequently, the first initiative is to create a learning system that entails integrating the paradigm societal changes into the education curriculum to heighten the understanding of the young population in matters pertaining the paradigm societal changes noted in the current society (Bahr and Pendergast, 2005). Also, the approach proposes that educators should have the skills that would enhance the access to technical and communication processes on the part of the students. Moreover, the skills should be able to transform the students into lifelong learners by heightening the essence of continued learning in all environments with the increased access to information (Bahr and Pendergast, 2005). As an educator of the middle year leaners, I will integrate the use of technology such as the internet in my teaching. By 2003, a research conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that 61% of the households in Australia had access to a home computer. What is evident that leaners are aware about technology essentially from their homes, however, there is need to educate them on proposer use of technology. I will ensure that the leaners are aware of how to use the internet for useful purposes such as studying as opposed to using the internet for unethical behaviour such as pornography and viewing violent games. Multiculturalism Workshop The workshop addressed the multicultural aspect associated with the Australian youths. The present society has seen the necessity of the integration of linguistically and culturally diverse cultures in Australia; including the migrants and refugees born overseas and the indigenous Australians such as the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginals. I learnt that the cultural diversity exhibited by Australia is responsible for the cohesive community witnessed in the country. Enhancing community partnership and acknowledging the value of the existing cultural differences is the foundation for the establishment of a cohesive cultural environment in Australia. The workshop revealed that the young individuals emanating from the refugee and migrant backgrounds demonstrate high levels of resilience, understanding, resourcefulness and strength. However, marginalization of the migrant communities in matters pertaining housing, access to recreational and social opportunities, employment, health and education. Consequently, the marginalization prevents the young individuals from exploiting their potential to the fullest besides undermining their basic human right in the country. The Australian cultural environment advocates for a strong and cohesive society that requires a sense of belonging and a common vision for all. Also I noted that the needs of the multicultural youth encompass access and equity, youth participation and settlement needs. Apparently, both cultural specific and mainstream support services underrepresent the migrant and refugee young people. The implication is that many of the young refugees do not have access to the services that they require (Coventry et al. 2002). Therefore, it is evident that the generalized support services provided by the Australian Government and other support institutions do not meet all the services that the refugees require. Extreme poverty, violence and conflict are some of the troubles that refugees and immigrants encounter in their countries of origin. Their life experiences in refugee camps and transit countries also imply that the individuals may have passed through physically difficult, violent and unpredictable life thereby propagating their experiences to the final refugee destinations (O’Sullivan & Olliff 2006). Finally, refugees and other young people have the right to participate in decisions that influence their lives. The teachers in the middle schools should realize the cultural constraints faced by the migrant students and youths in Australia necessitates the need to recognize the individual needs of the different students that emanate from diverse cultural backgrounds. Responding to the individual needs of the culturally diverse young population necessitates the development of relevant literacy programs and enhancing the sensitivity of the students towards religious observances. Therefore, it is evident that the need has resulted in the development of middle-level educators that can explain the cultural diversity and the proper ways of dealing with the culturally diverse environment to the migrant population in their own language. The need of having cultural awareness facilitators that understand both the native language of the migrant and English emanates from the fact that such facilitators play a significant role towards enhancing the sensitivity of the students towards religious observances. As an educator of children in their middle years, I will ensure that I make my leaners aware that multiculturalism is an aspect that makes our society. As a result I will ensure that the leaners learn to accept the cultural differences that exist in the class and school environment Considering multiculturalism and the Australian youth, the recognition of the cultural context and its possible influence on the behavior of the young people is imperative. The early intervention measures also play a pivotal role towards eliminating the problems that may arise from the negative interactions of the cultural differences (Bennett & Bashir, 2000). I will also work towards developing a positive teacher – leaner relationship with leaners from different cultures. This will assist the leaners to realize that their teacher cares about them and their needs. Additionally, I will work collaboratively with the parents from different cultures in order to assist the leaners to fit in the school environment. The World of Work Workshop From this workshop I noted that emergence of new careers and new economies has changed the preparedness of the young individuals for employment. Therefore, the individuals strive to get a clear glimpse of what they can engage in beyond their school life. However, as the students strive to decide what may be appropriate for them, it is evident that they do know not what is ahead of them in terms of employment opportunities (Bahr and Pendergast, 2005). Therefore, the framework of uncertainty has impacted negatively on the preparation of the young population for employment and decisions regarding career choices. Traditionally, teachers could design the relevant learning experiences with the understanding that the gained attitudes and skills will be useful to the students pertaining their future life and work prospects. For instance, the philosophy of working smart to guarantee success has replaced the traditional philosophy that required students to work hard for better results. The middle school approach proposes that it is the responsibility of the middle school educators to prepare the adolescents for the world of work. Therefore, the state and national education curriculums should encompass the following principles to ascertain the proper preparedness of the adolescent population for the world of work. Some of the principles include personal organization, team work, cross-age relationships, understanding hierarchies, time management and the development of responsibility and leadership. Apparently, the failure of the middle-level educators to impart the required knowledge pertaining the above-mentioned skills to the students may result in the failure of the students at work. Apparently, I leant that the need for equipping young individuals with the necessary skills required to maintain the required balance at work, school and family has transformed the development of the middle-level educators. It is imperative that the educators should be ready to prepare the young people adequately by supporting and teaching the kids with the goal of developing the personal management skills. The teachers should also equip the students with the appropriate time management skills. It is also imperative that the teachers should be able to work in multi-age contexts and understand the different hierarchies so as to impart the knowledge to the students. According to the understanding of the kids, there are two tiers in the hierarchical structure of schools: the teachers and the kids. The distinct tiers are also flat. Despite the fact that there exists some hierarchy between the older and younger students in a school context, the context does not feature the workplace accountabilities and responsibilities that the students would encounter at work. Part-time work plays a pivotal role in addressing the gap witnessed by the students in experiencing what the workplace requires from them while still schooling. The development of the educators should also integrate financial management skills to ensure that the educators impart relevant skills associated with financial management to the students. The educators should also use innovation projects and commercial developments to instill workplace skills to the students thus enable them to strike the balance between workplace, family and schooling. As a middle school teacher I will orient my leaners on the need for them to finish school before looking for a job. The young people essentially indigenous youths exhibit the propensity to join the adult workforce earlier than it was the case in the traditional setup. They enter paid unskilled employment at the tender age of about fourteen years. Therefore, young people face the task of balancing part-time work, their families and schooling (Cuervo & Wyn, 2011). Therefore, negotiating the transition of the students from childhood to adulthood necessitates considering the balance achieved by the students in their part-time life, their families and schooling. (Bahr, 2005). I will therefore advocate that my leaners should focus on school and not the labour market. References Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2004). Schools Australia. (Cat. 4221.0). Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2006a). Population Clock. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/ 1647509ef7e25faaca2568a900154b63? 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