Belonging, Being and Becoming by Commonwealth of Australia - Essay Example

Summary Writing The book Belonging, Being and Becoming by Commonwealth of Australia (2009) presents a critical view on the steps involved in a child’s development, in understanding the reasons behind values acquired by any particular child. Children’s lives are fundamentally dictated by a process of belonging, being, and becoming. As early as before birth, children are already connected with community, family, culture, and place. Learning in children takes place through relationships that occur among these factors.

The family and the society at large are the foremost child’s educator; the child has to develop day after day in such a society, and will embrace values and characters that manifest in the society. As children grow, they develop interests leading to construction of their own identities, and how they understand their world and surroundings. Therefore, the three stages in a child’s development determine the development of a child in his/her later lives, and the value acquired and practiced by the child.

The belonging stage is critical in the existence of any individual. Children have to learn where they belong, and with whom they have to share their existence. A child has to belong to a family, to a community, a cultural group, and has to belong to the wider community. Such sense of belonging is critical in identifying the child’s interdependence with others, and how such relationships are based in defining their identities. Relationships in this case are critical in determining the sense of identity in children.

Therefore, belonging is critical in a child’s life as it determines the being of a child and their becoming. In the being stage, the child has to be, seek meanings, and interpretations of all phenomena they encounter in the world. Being is a representation of here and now; it reflects the present, and how the children identify and know themselves regarding the current society and surroundings, from which they make meanings. The child has to be actively engaged with other people, the environment, with complexities and uncertainties of life, and meeting ample challenges every day.

It is through the being that a child learns in preparation for the present and for the becoming stage. Becoming reflects how the experiences, understandings, skills, capacities, and the realities that a child develops change with time in their development process. Becoming is a reflection of the numerous changes that take place in the child’s life, their experiences, knowledge and all aspects that help the child to shape their future life. As the child develops and grows within a society, they have to learn values and other aspects of a society.

Learning such aspects makes the child to be ready in taking part and plying an important role in the society. Through the concepts learned early in life, children prepare themselves to take specific roles and participate actively in the society that defines their identities. A child’s development is a process marked by being, belonging, and becoming. As children perceive and decode their surroundings to form meanings, they get deeper in touch with reality of life, learning skills and experiences to cope up with difficulties.

The family, cultural orientation and societal dynamics are important in determining the growth and development of a child, and the values a child assumes in the development process. As a child grows, they develop understanding, knowledge, relationships, and capacities. Effective interactions of these factors offer the child a robust development atmosphere, and ensure the child is integrated in the society to perform certain duties and roles as required by the community. Work Cited Commonwealth of Australia (2009) Belonging, Being and Becoming, Barton: Australian Government Department of Education