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Social Context Of The Classroom

Satisfactory Essays

According to Dictionary.com, a microcosm is defined as a “little world.” An educational classroom is the epitome of this term. Within a classroom, there are children of varying age, race, religion, culture and other demographic categories, just as one would find in society. A child, in himself, is a microcosm of his parents, often displaying similar characteristics and mimicking behaviors. A society “refers not to a group of people but to a system of social relationships,” social relationships that are first introduced by parents, then developed and exercised in the classroom (Yogesh, 2012). As students, children develop with their fellow classmates, creating friendships and collaborating on projects just as an adult would in the professional workplace. The classroom is a microcosm in which young children first begin to develop a sense of societal morals, rights and wrongs, which guide them through life. For this reason, acknowledging the social context of the classroom is critical to the adequacy and development of correct social behaviors of the students within. Based off of our visit to Southport Middle School, I firmly believe that in order for there to be a successful learning environment for both the students and the teacher, the social context of the classroom must be greatly considered. I visited an eighth grade art class, observing the social context and the diverse learners within it. The gender makeup of the classroom was primarily boys, making a for a rather

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