Module 1: Discussion 1
For this synchronous Discussion, you will create a narrated PowerPoint or PechaKucha presentation. If you are interested in learning more about PechaKucha, review the PechaKuchaLinks to an external site. website titled Visual Storytelling That Celebrates Humanity. Also, review the video How to Make a Presentation With PechaKuchaLinks to an external site.. Whichever type of presentation you choose, aim for 10-20 photographs with accompanying narration of approximately 20 seconds per photograph.Take time to think about what family means to you. Think about relationships, individuals, traditions, rituals, roles, characteristics, influences, and more. Then, take time to choose photos and write a brief accompanying narration to illustrate “family”—your own, one on which you choose to focus, or families in general. The idea is to convey your own understanding of family—conceptually, personally, or both.
Post your narrated PowerPoint or PechaKucha family presentation. Remember, it should include photos and narration to illustrate your own understanding of the concept of family—your family, one on which you choose to focus, or families in general—as it relates to relationships, individuals, traditions, rituals, roles, characteristics, influences, and more.
Module 1: Discussion 2
SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT Discussion 2: Bronfenbrenner and You
Families help define who we are and who we are not. Families do not exist in a vacuum as a separate unit, but rather they are intricately connected to the complex webs of their larger communities. These communities could include extended kinships networks, neighbors, friends, educational systems, work, and other social networks, such as faith-based organizations. It is from within these larger community frameworks that families thrive in a bidirectional and transactional nature—both influencing and being influenced by the collective practices, values, and beliefs of their communities.
Take time to consider who and what influenced you as you grew up and how. Your family and close friends? Their traditions, values, and cultures? Your schooling? Your community? Review the resources about Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model. Then use the Bronfenbrenner and You template Download Bronfenbrenner and You templateto create your Bronfenbrenner model. If you prefer not to focus on yourself, you can focus on someone else, such as a child or adult, who you know well.
By Wednesday of Week 2:
Post your Bronfenbrenner model and:
- Using examples, explain the microsystem in your model, highlighting some of the relationships and their influences.
- Sharing examples, explain the connections, interactions, and influences you see among the Micro, Exo and the Macrosystems.
- Explain how the interplay of the systems in your model helps you better understand children and families within the context of their own communities as well as the overall societal influences at large.
References:
- PechaKucha. (n.d.).
- Bronfenbrenner Project. (2013, October 26). Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systemLinks to an external site..
- Brooks, D. (2020, March). The nuclear family was a mistakeLinks to an external site.. The Atlantic.
- Swick, K. J., & Williams, R. D. (2006). An analysis of Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological perspective for early childhood educators: Implications for working with families experiencing stressLinks to an external site.. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(5), 371–378.
- Wright, B. L. (2020, July 6). Understanding the sociocultural context of families is more important than everLinks to an external site.. National Association for the Education of Young Children.
- Child Trends. (2014, July). Family structure: Indicators on children and youthLinks to an external site.
- Kramer, S. (2019, December 12). U.S. has world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent householdsLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.
- Barroso, A., Parker, K., & Bennett, J. (2020, May 27). As millennials near 40, they’re approaching family life differently than previous generationsLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.
- Livingston, G., & Parker, K. (2019, June 12). 8 facts about American dadsLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.
- Geiger, A. W., Livingston, G., & Bialik, K. (2019, May 8). 6 facts about U.S. momsLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.
- Brown, J. (n.d.). Father-absent homes: Implications for criminal justice and mental health professionalsLinks to an external site.. Minnesota Psychological Association.
- Christian, L. G. (2006, January). Understanding families: Applying family systems theory to early childhood practiceLinks to an external site.. YC: Young Children, 61(1), 12–20.
- Helm, K. M. (2019). Family systems theoryLinks to an external site.. In Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health.
