I HAVE NO WORKING CAMERA WITH ME, AND MEDICOLEGAL & BIOETHICAL ISSUES WONT LET ME POST WARD PICS ANYWAY, SO THE FOLLOWING PICS ARE FROM 2006
WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF THERE WERE PICS OF UMAR AL FATIH THOUGH...SAM5 PLEASE UPLOAD SOME ONTO FACEBOOK!
I've been working in the general ward of paediatrics for a few weeks now, but truth is, i've always been a little scared of working with kids. They look up to you, and will learn everything from you, actually the part i'm worried about is hurting them in the course of treating them.
I'm starting to hate poking kids with needles, but it's part of the job. And it wont help if I just run away from doing it, for me and the patients.
Anyway, I get the feeling I can understand them a bit better, since they are, like most people, creatures of habits and patterns which can be deciphered if closely observed, and in fact it is easier as they are more straightforward. Plus they’re cute, which most people, including me, have a weakness to. Like Superman and kryptonite weakness.
Still, it scares me...how should we act in front of them? I can act cool and all, and I've been practicing some really lame daddy jokes. quotes, and magic tricks (believe me, it's as lame as it can get) but that lasts about 5-10 minutes, although that’s pretty much ok given the average attention span of a toddler, but later on it gets weird, and their quizzed looks as they look at me probably mirrors my perplexion as how to respond to them, as they really really really are responsive to our littlest body languages, something some adults lose.
Anyway, yesterday was another mini-reunion with me, usen, sam5, ete, and jimi and family..we had a great time just hanging out and went with bear’s idea of eating at an arabian restaurant eventhough the mastermind himself couldn’t manage to come. (Too bad we’ve tried so many times for a reunion, but so far we could only have part of the gang to attend..in fact, I haven’t seen the female counterparts of the gang showing up everytime we met – aren’t farah, kham, suraya, also in hkl?)
Jimi’s son is so cute..I’ll repeat myself umar’s got his father’s nose and i agree with ete, he does look a bit chinese..not that it matters much..hehe.coincidentally, all present already went through the peads rotation, and the author himself is in the peads dept, so yeah, alhamdulillah, he’s one healthy baby boy.
Hmm I did a little typing and clicked that google button..and got this from the internet on how the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) communicated with kids...the link’s
here but click
read more if you want a copy-paste version on my blog’s post – the article’s awesome, not just because I said so, but because it’s made into a scientific research paper, with a proper introduction, methods sections et cetera, and the contemporary references, and a reference section (which imo is the most important part, so others can see the source of the compiled information. Otherwise, it’s still something from the internet, where most information reliability are poor. Otherwise get a good book, with a more reliable source, or maybe a good reliable hadith book and search for the ones about kids
Actually this article is, like most scientific articles, a bit long, so I just read my favorite parts – eg the
bold fonts, the hadiths, I didnt really read anything beyond the examples of children , and I kinda know the methods listed a bit..
I’d better get back to sorting out my overdue call claims, and really should get some sleep before tomorrow comes
Prophet Muhammad Pattern of Communication towards Children
By: Ali Zohery
Introduction:
According to a companion of the prophet, he had never come across a person who was more affectionate towards children than the prophet. Collections of Traditions contain chapters on his affection for children. They reveal his amazing sympathy with the child mind and method for their informal training in daily life, which persuaded the children to cooperate in a joyous enthusiasm for their training and education.
This research addresses “the theory of learning through interaction with the environment that involves reciprocal causation of behavior, personal factors, and environmental events.” The focus is on the children as they were treated by the prophet Muhammad.
Research Questions
How did the Prophet Muhammad communicate toward the children during his time?
What was the impact of the Prophet’s way on the following generations of children?
Methodology
Content analysis is the method of data collection for this research: “ Prophet Muhammad style of Communication toward children.” This methodology is an approach to qualitative and quantitative research that is used to identify specific characteristics in textual messages (Morris R., 1994). The textual messages in this research are the speeches and conversations that the prophet had regarding children. In addition, his orations or sermons that he delivered to address the mankind in general.
During the twenty-three years of the prophethood of Muhammad, there were many of the speeches, orations or sermons that Prophet Muhammad communicated through to deliver his message to people. The message of Islam was not only for the people of the Arabia, but also was intended to be universal.
Contents analysis looks at the characteristics of communication messages, their contents and the producers of these messages ( Rubin, R.B., Rubin, A.M. & Piele, L.J. 1996). The study is analyzing some of the speeches and events through which the prophet communicated messages related to children’s bringing and education.
The unit of analysis of this study is the Prophet Muhammad’s individual speeches. Codes such as dates, events, locations and circumstances. Using the content analysis, as a method to collect the data requires defining the categories involved in the research study. The definition of the categories will help to clarify the coding scheme and that will lead to the reliability of the research. (Hamza, M. J., May 1997)
The researcher is investigating the effects that the Communication Pattern of the prophet had on children. This will shed the light on the communication techniques and strategies that the prophet used to attract children to learn about Islam and to become good and productive individuals in the society.
Literature Review:
According to the prophet’s guidance, listed below are some of the ways of instilling strength and honor in children’s character:
Taking them to gatherings and letting them sit with grown-ups (row models).(blog author's not: role models?)
This will increase their understanding and wisdom, and make them try to imitate adults. The followers of the prophet used to bring their children with them when they went and sat with the Prophet. One of the stories that describe this was narrated by Mu’aawiyah ibn Qurrah from his father, who said: "The Prophet used to sit with a group of his Companions. One man had his little son with him; the prophet would bring the child from behind and make him sit in front of him…"
Teaching them good manners
Among the manners that should be taught are those described in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet: "The young should greet the old, the passerby should greet one who is sitting, and the small group should greet the larger group." (Al-Bukhaari, 5736).
Giving them the praise and respect they deserve in front of others
This is made clear by the following hadeeth: Sahl ibn Sa’d said that the Prophet was brought a cup and he drank from it. There was a boy, the youngest of all the people, on his right and some elders on his left. He said, "O young boy, will you allow me to give this to these elders?" The boy said, "I will not give away my share of your blessings to anyone, O Messenger of Allaah," so he gave the cup to him. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2180)
Teaching them sports
Avoiding humiliating them, especially in front of others
Never belittling their ideas, and encouraging them to take part
Consulting them and asking for their opinions
Giving them responsibilities in accordance with their age and abilities
Teaching them to be brave as appropriate – including how to speak in public
Making sure their clothes are modest and protecting them from inappropriate clothing, hairstyles, movements and ways of walking
Avoiding extravagance, luxury, laziness and idleness
‘Umar said: "Get used to a rough life, for luxury does not last forever."
Avoiding wastes of time, because these go against strength, honor and seriousness
These are some of the ways and means which will increase strength and honor, and protect children.
Teach them the Qur’aan and the correct sayings of the prophet, and the good manners of Islam, such as honoring one’s parents, upholding ties of kinship, honesty, trustworthiness, etc. Make sure that they regularly pray in a group. Also teach them the Islamic etiquette of eating, drinking, speaking, etc. If they grow up with these good manners, they will be guided and will remain steadfast, by the permission of Allaah, and they will grow up in a good way that will benefit them and their nation. (From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 12/261-262)
Allaah has enjoined upon children to honor and respect their parents. He has made the parents’ rights very great and has connected duties towards to parents to duties towards Him and the obligation to worship Him alone. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Worship Allaah and join none with Him (in worship); and do good to parents…” [al-Nisaa’ 4:36] And Allaah has given the children rights over their parents, such as education and a good upbringing, spending on their needs, and treating them fairly.
One of the bad social phenomena that are to be found in some families is the lack of fair treatment towards the children. Some fathers and mothers deliberately give gifts to some of their children and not others. According to the correct view, this is unjust action, unless there is some justification for it, such as one child having a need that the others do not have, e.g., sickness; debt; a reward for memorizing the Qur’aan; not being able to find work; having a large family; full-time studies, etc. The parent should have the intention – when giving something to one of his children for a legitimate reason – that he will do the same of any of his other children should the need arise. The general evidence for this is the verse from Quran (interpretation of the meaning):
“Be just: that is nearer to piety; and fear Allaah.” [al-Maa’idah 5:8].
The specific evidence is the saying of the prophet narrated from al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer, who said that his father brought him to the Messenger of Allaah and said: “I have given this son of mine a slave that I had.” The Messenger of Allaah said: “Have you given something similar to all of your children?” He said, “No.” So the Messenger of Allaah said: “Then take (the slave) back.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 5/211). According to another report, the Messenger of Allaah said: “Fear Allaah and be fair to your children.” He said: so he came back and took his gift back. (al-Fath, 5/211). According to another report, “Do not ask me to bear witness to this, for I will not bear witness to injustice.” (Saheeh Muslim, 3/1243).
Undoubtedly some children are better than others; this is well known. But the father has no right to show favouritism because of that. On the contrary, he has to treat them all fairly because the Prophet said: “Fear Allaah and treat your children equally.” So it is not permissible for him to prefer one child over another because he is better or honors his parents more. He has to treat them all equally and be sincere towards all of them, so that they will all be steadfast in honoring their parents and in obeying Allaah and His Messenger. He should not favor some over others in gift-giving, or bequeath wealth to some of them and not others. All of them should be equal in inheritance and in gift-giving, according to what is prescribed in the Islamic law concerning inheritance and gift-giving. If they are wise and tolerant, and they say, Give our brother such-and-such, and they clearly do not mind, and they say, We don’t mind if you give him a car or whatever… and this is clearly done freely and not because they are too shy or are afraid of him, then that is OK.
The point is that they must be treated fairly. But if they are wise, whether they are male or female, if they have no objection to one of them being given something for special reasons, then that is OK and they have the right to do that.
(Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz, vol. 9, p. 234)
Examples of children were brought up around the Prophet:
1. Fatima ( the daughter of the prophet)
Aishah. (the wife of the Prophet) said when the Prophet use to see his daughter (Fatima) approaching, he would welcome her, stand up and kiss her, take her by the hand and sit her down in the place where he was sitting." She would do the same when the Prophet came to her. She would stand up and welcome him with joy and kiss him.
Fatimah's fine manners and gentle speech were part of her lovely and endearing personality. She was especially kind to poor and indigent folk and would often give all the food she had to those in need even if she herself remained hungry. She inherited from her father a persuasive eloquence that was rooted in wisdom. When she spoke, people would often be moved to tears. She had the ability and the sincerity to stir the emotions, move people to tears and fill their hearts with praise and gratitude to God for His grace. (Internet, Alim on line)
2. Jafar ibn Abi Talib
Jafar ibn Abi Talib was a brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib, both were cousins of the prophet. Because of the mistreatment that the Muslims received from Quraish, Jafar asked the prophet if he and some other Muslims could emigrate to Abasynia. Its king was famous for being fair and just. Under the leadership of young Jafar the Muslims group arrived to Abasynia and the king granted them his protection. Quraysh did not let them stay without attempt to bring them back to Makka. Both groups, Quraish representatives and the Muslims were in front of the king to decide about the finial status of the Muslims. Jafar advanced and made a speech that was moving and eloquent and which is still one of the most compelling descriptions of Islam. the appeal of the noble Prophet and the condition of Makkan society at the time. He said: "O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds. breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong among us exploited the weak. "We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were well-known to us. "He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.
"He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed. to avoid obscenities and false witness, not to appropriate an orphan's property nor slander chaste women. "He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with him, to uphold prayer (Salat), to give (help to poor) Zakat and fast in the month of Ramadan. "We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from doing.
"Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us to make us renounce our religion and take us back to the old immorality and the worship of idols. "They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us and obstructed us from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in Justice and in peace among your midst."
The Negus was impressed and was eager to hear more. He asked Jafar: "Do you have with you something of what your Prophet brought concerning God?" "Yes," replied Jafar.
"Then read it to me," requested the Negus. Jafar, in his rich, melodious voice recited for him the first portion of Surah Maryam which deals with the story of Jesus and his mother Mary. On hearing the words of the Quran, the Negus was moved to tears. To the Muslims, he said: "The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source..." To Amr and his companion, he said:" Go. For, by God, I will never surrender them to you." (internet, the companions of the prophet)
3. Abdullah ibn Abbas
Abdullah was the son of Abbas, an uncle of the noble Prophet. He was born just three years before the Hijrah. When the Prophet died, Abdullah was thus only thirteen years old.
When he was born, his mother took him to the blessed Prophet who put some of his saliva on the babe's tongue even before he began to suckle. This was the beginning of the close and intimate tie between Abdullah ibn Abbas and the Prophet that was to be part of a life-long love and devotion. When Abdullah reached the age of discretion, he attached himself to the service of the Prophet. He would run to fetch water for him when he wanted to make ablution (wudu). During prayer (Salat), he would stand behind the Prophet in prayer and when the Prophet went on journeys or expeditions, he would follow next in line to him. Abdullah thus became like the shadow of the Prophet, constantly in his company.
In all these situations he was attentive and alert to whatever the Prophet did and said. His heart was enthusiastic and his young mind was pure and uncluttered, committing the Prophet's words to memory with the capacity and accuracy of a recording instrument. In this way and through his constant researches later, as we shall see, Abdullah became one of the most learned companions of the Prophet, preserving on behalf of later generations of Muslims, the priceless words of the Messenger of God. It is said that he committed to memory about one thousand, six hundred and sixty sayings of the Prophet which are recorded and authenticated in the collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Prophet would often draw Abdullah as a child close to him, pat him on the shoulder and pray: "O Lord, make him acquire a deep understanding of the religion of Islam and instruct him in the meaning and interpretation of things."
There were many occasions thereafter when the blessed Prophet would repeat this dua or prayer for his cousin and before long Abdullah ibn Abbas realized that his life was to be devoted to the pursuit of learning and knowledge.
The Prophet moreover prayed that he be granted not just knowledge and understanding but wisdom. Abdullah related the following incident about himself: "Once the Prophet, peace be upon him, was on the point of performing ablution (wudu). I hurried to get water ready for him. He was pleased with what I was doing. As he was about to begin prayer (Salat), he indicated that I should stand at his side. However, I stood behind him. When the prayer (Salat) was finished, he turned to me and said: 'What prevented you from being at my side, O Abdullah?' 'You are too illustrious and too great in my eyes for me to stand side by side with you,' I replied. Raising his hands to the heavens, the Prophet then prayed: 'O Lord, grant him wisdom." The Prophet's prayer undoubtedly was granted for the young Abdullah was to prove time and again that he possessed a wisdom beyond his years. But it was a wisdom that came only with devotion and the dogged pursuit of knowledge both during the Prophet's lifetime and after his death.
During the lifetime of the Prophet, Abdullah would not miss any of his assemblies and he would commit to memory whatever he said. After the Prophet passed away, he would take care to go to as many companions as possible especially those who knew the Prophet longer and learn from them what the Prophet had taught them. Whenever he heard that someone knew a hadith of the Prophet which he did not know he would go quickly to him and record it. He would subject whatever he heard to close scrutiny and check it against other reports. He would go to as many as thirty companions to verify a single matter.
Abdullah described what he once did on hearing that a companion of the Prophet knew a hadith unknown to him: "I went to him during the time of the afternoon siesta and spread my cloak in front of his door. The wind blew dust on me (as I sat waiting for him). If I wished I could have sought his permission to enter and he would certainly have given me permission. But I preferred to wait on him so that he could be completely refreshed. Coming out of his house and seeing me in that condition he said: 'O cousin of the Prophet! What's the matter with you? If you had sent for me I would have come to you.' 'I am the one who should come to you, for knowledge is sought, it does not just come,' I said. I asked him about the saying of the prophet (hadith) and learnt from him."
In this way, the dedicated Abdullah would ask, and ask, and go on asking. And he would sift and scrutinize the information he had collected with his keen and meticulous mind.
It was not only in the collection of hadith that Abdullah specialized. He devoted himself to acquiring knowledge in a wide variety of fields. He had a special admiration for persons like Zayd ibn Thabit, the recorder of the revelation, the leading judge and jurist consult in Madinah, an expert in the laws of inheritance and in reading the Quran. When Zayd intended to go on a trip, the young Abdullah would stand humbly at his side and taking hold of the reins of his mount would adopt the attitude of a humble servant in the presence of his master. Zayd would say to him: "Don't, O cousin of the Prophet."
"Thus we were commanded to treat the learned ones among us," Abdullah would say. "And Zayd would say to him in turn: "Let me see your hand." Abdullah would stretch out his hand. Zayd, taking it, would kiss it and say: "Thus we were commanded to treat the family (ahl al-bayt) members of the household of the Prophet."
As Abdullah's knowledge grew, he grew in stature. Masruq ibn al Ajda said of him: "Whenever I saw Ibn Abbas, I would say: He is the most handsome of men. When he spoke, I would say: He is the most eloquent of men. And when he held a conversation, I would say: He is the most knowledgeable of men." ( internet, Compoinians of the Prophet)
4. Abdullah ibn Umar:
From an early age, Abdullah ibn Umar thus demonstrated his keenness to be associated with the Prophet in all his undertakings. He had accepted Islam before he was ten years old and had made the Hijrah with his father and his sister, Hafsah, who was later to become a wife of the Prophet. Before Uhud he was also turned away from the Battle of Badr and it was not until the Battle of the Ditch the he and Usamah, both now fifteen years old and others of their age were allowed to join the ranks of the men not only for the digging of the trench but for the battle when it came.
From the time of his hijrah till the time of his death more than seventy years later, Abdullah ibn Umar distinguished himself in the service of Islam and was regarded among Muslims as "the Good One, son of the Good One", according to Abu Musa al-Ashari. H e was known for his knowledge, his humility, his generosity, his piety, his truthfulness, his incorruptibility and his constancy in acts of worshiping Allah (ibadah).
From his great and illustrious father, Umar, he learnt a great deal and both he and his father had the benefit of learning from the greatest teacher of all, Muhammad the Messenger of God. Abdullah would observe and scrutinize closely every saying and act ion of the Prophet in various situations and he would practice what he observed closely and with devotion. For example, if Abdullah saw the Prophet performing Salat in a particular place, he would later pray in the same place. If he saw the Prophet making a supplication while standing, he would also make a supplication (dua) while standing. If he saw him making a dua while sitting, he would do the same. On a journey if he saw the Prophet descend from his camel at a particular place and pray two rakats, and he had
occasion to pass on the same route, he would stop at the same place and pray two rakats. In a particular place in Makkah, he once observed the Prophet's camel making two complete turns before he dismounted and prayed two rakats. It might be that the camel did that involuntarily but Abdullah ibn Umar when he happened to be in the same place at another time, made his camel complete two turns before making it kneel and dismounting. He then prayed two rakats in precisely the same manner as he had seen the Prophet do.
Aishah, (the wife of the Prophet) noticed this devotion of Abdullah to the Prophet and remarked: "There was no one who followed the footsteps of the Prophet, in the places where he alighted as did Ibn Umar." (internet, Compinions of the Prophet)
Theoretical framework:
How Do Children Learn?
In Islam there are several kinds of methods to educate children, some of which are: Observational learning (modeling and imitation); learning from advice; learning by way of orientation, which includes knowledge acquired from recreational and leisurely activities and parables; learning by doing and repetition; and learning through reward and punishment. ((Khouj, Education in Islam, 1987)
A. Bandura and Observational Learning
Some psychological theories emphasize that humans learn by observing and imitating others. Theorists such as Bandura, Twain, and skinner have discussed observational learning in their works. Bandura (1961) theorized that children learn morality from imitating and observing the behavior of others. In general, role models can be either good or bad examples of human behavior, depending on the particular orientation of the role model. In this way, role models in Islam must exhibit good behavior, which comes from an integrated and balanced personality. (Khouj, Education in Islam, 1987)
Observational learning, also called social learning theory, occurs when an observer's behavior changes after viewing the behavior of a model. In this study, the two elements of the theory are Prophet Muhammad as the model and the followers of the prophet as the observers. An observer's behavior can be affected by the positive or negative consequences--called vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment-- of a model's behavior. In this case, only positive consequences were the results of the observation process between the followers and the Prophet. The social learning theory of Bandura emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Bandura (1977) states: "Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.". Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, an environmental influences. The component processes underlying observational learning are: (1) Attention, including modeled events and observer characteristics, (2) Retention, including symbolic coding, cognitive organization, symbolic rehearsal, motor rehearsal), (3) Motor Reproduction, including physical capabilities, self-observation of reproduction, accuracy of feedback, and (4) Motivation, including external, vicarious and self reinforcement.
Because it encompasses attention, memory and motivation, social learning theory spans both cognitive and behavioral frameworks. Bandura's theory improves upon the strictly behavioral interpretation of modeling provided by Miller & Dollard (1941).
Social learning theory has been applied extensively to the understanding of aggression (Bandura, 1973) and psychological disorders, particularly in the context of behavior modification (Bandura, 1969). It is also the theoretical foundation for the technique of behavior modeling, which is widely used, in training programs. In recent years, Bandura has focused his work on the concept of self-efficacy in a variety of contexts (e.g., Bandura, 1993).
Principles:
1. The highest level of observational learning is achieved by first organizing and rehearsing the modeled behavior symbolically and then enacting it overtly. Coding modeled behavior into words (statements of the Prophet Muhammad) labels or images results in better retention than simply observing.
2. Individuals are more likely to adopt a modeled behavior if it results in outcomes they value.
3. Individuals are more likely to adopt a modeled behavior if the model is similar to the observer and has admired status and the behavior has functional value.
There are several guiding principles behind observational learning, or social learning theory:
1. The observer will imitate the model's behavior if the model possesses characteristics-- things such as talent, intelligence, power, good looks, or popularity--that the observer finds attractive or desirable. That was the case between the children and the Prophet Muhammad.
2. The observer will react to the way the model is treated and mimic the model's behavior. When the model's behavior is rewarded, the observer is more likely to reproduce the rewarded behavior. When the model is punished, an example of vicarious punishment, the observer is less likely to reproduce the same behavior.
3. A distinction exists between an observer's "acquiring" a behavior and "performing" a behavior. Through observation, the observer can acquire the behavior without performing it. The observer may then later, in situations where there is an incentive to do so, display the behavior. The Muslims children were trying to imitate the prophet in his behaviors.
4. Learning by observation involves four separate processes: attention, retention, production and motivation.
• Attention: Observers cannot learn unless they pay attention to what's happening around them. This process is influenced by characteristics of the model, such as how much one likes or identifies with the model, and by characteristics of the observer, such as the observer's expectations or level of emotional arousal. Every word or action of the Prophet was recorded because of the extreme attention of the followers.
• Retention: Observers must not only recognize the observed behavior but also remember it at some later time. This process depends on the observer's ability to code or structure the information in an easily remembered form or to mentally or physically rehearse the model's actions. The Holy Qur’an and the statements of the prophet were retained and remembered. There are now 1.2 billion Muslims on the earth.
• Production: Observers must be physically and/intellectually capable of producing the act. In many cases, the observer possesses the necessary responses. However, sometimes, reproducing the model's actions may involve skills the observer has not yet acquired. Because of the effort of the followers of the prophet, the message of Islam spread around the world.
• Motivation: In general, observers will perform the act only if they have some motivation or reason to do so. The presence of reinforcement or punishment, either to the model or directly to the observer, becomes most important in this process.
5. Attention and retention account for acquisition or learning of a model's behavior; production and motivation control the performance.
6. Human development reflects the complex interaction of the person, the person's behavior, and the environment. The relationship between these elements is called reciprocal determinism. (www.funderstanding.com)
B. Vygotsky and Social Cognition
The social cognition learning model asserts that culture is the prime determinant of individual development. Humans are the only species to have created culture, and every human child develops in the context of a culture. Therefore, a child's learning development is affected in ways large and small by the culture--including the culture of family environment--in which he or she is enmeshed.
1. Culture makes two sorts of contributions to a child's intellectual development. First, through culture children acquire much of the content of their thinking, that is, their knowledge. Second, the surrounding culture provides a child with the processes or means of their thinking, what Vygotskians call the tools of intellectual adaptation. In short, according to the social cognition learning model, culture teaches children both what to think and how to think.
2. Cognitive development results from a dialectical process whereby a child learns through problem-solving experiences shared with someone else, usually a parent or teacher but sometimes a sibling or peer.
3. Initially, the person interacting with child assumes most of the responsibility for guiding the problem solving, but gradually this responsibility transfers to the child.
4. Language is a primary form of interaction through which adults transmit to the child the rich body of knowledge that exists in the culture.
5. As learning progresses, the child's own language comes to serve as her/his primary tool of intellectual adaptation. Eventually, children can use internal language to direct their own behavior.
6. Internalization refers to the process of learning--and thereby internalizing--a rich body of knowledge and tools of thought that first exist outside the child. This happens primarily through language.
7. A difference exists between what child can do on her/his own and what the child can do with help. Vygotskians call this difference the zone of proximal development.
8. Since much of what a child learns comes form the culture around her/his and much of the child's problem solving is mediated through an adult's help, it is wrong to focus on a child in isolation. Such focus does not reveal the processes by which children acquire new skills.
9. Interactions with surrounding culture and social agents, such as parents and more competent peers, contribute significantly to a child's intellectual development.
How Vygotsky Impacts Learning:
Curriculum--Since children learn much through interaction, curricula should be designed to emphasize interaction between learners and learning tasks.
Instruction--With appropriate adult help, children can often perform tasks that they are incapable of completing on their own. With this in mind, scaffolding--where the adult continually adjusts the level of his or her help in response to the child's level of performance--is an effective form of teaching. Scaffolding not only produces immediate results, but also instills the skills necessary for independent problem solving in the future.
Assessment--Assessment methods must take into account the zone of proximal development. What children can do on their own is their level of actual development and what they can do with help is their level of potential development. Two children might have the same level of actual development, but given the appropriate help from an adult, one might be able to solve many more problems than the other. Assessment methods must target both the level of actual development and the level of potential development. (see references related to Vygotsky Theory of Learning)
Definitions of major terms and concepts
1. Ali: Muhammad’s cousin, one of his first followers and the 4th Muslim caliph. Married to Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima.
2. Hadith: the statements of the Prophet Muhammad.
3. Hajj: The Pilgrimage to Mecca. Hajj or Hajji, one who has completed the pilgrimage.
4. Hijrah: Muhammad’s flight from Mecca (AD 622), from which Muslim dates are calculated.
5. Islam: The faith revealed by the Prophet Muhammad
6. Kabah: The house of God at Mecca, toward which the Muslims from around the world face during their prayers.
7. Khadijah: First wife of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
8. Medina: The city that prophet Muhammad emigrated to from Mecca.
9. Mecca: The most holy city of Islam, Mecca is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.
10. Negus: King of Abyssinia (Ethuopia)
11. Sunnah: Deeds, actions, way of life and the statements of the Prophet.
12. Quraish: The tribe of Prophet Muhammad
Summary
Prophet Muhammad communication style toward children during his time produced educated and knowledgeable Muslims who spread the religion of Islam, not only within the Arabia but also outside to the north, south, east, west and southwest of the Arabia. His pattern of communication toward the children made them to love him, to learn his teachings and later to be great teachers themselves. They spread the teachings of the prophet to the following generations to come.
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Gandhi Mahatma, (Young India)
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me assisting an amputation in my student years
