From: Miguel Berkstrom
Submit: Post Field Note
VisitDate: 10/25/96
Adult-Run:
Children-Run:
Collaborative: Selected
Unclear-Philosophy:
Bottom-up:
Top-down: Selected
Unclear-Approach: Selected
Informal: Selected
Formal: Selected
Unclear-Type:
Date: 27 Oct 1996
Time: 23:22:19
Remote Name: mingong-mac-11.ucsc.edu
miguel,20,male ?,?,female
Friday was very hectic. It did not appear that any of the kids really wanted to be there. And I am sure that some of us didn't either. This combination resulted in two girls who's names I don't know running through the room screaming in to the hall. I persued them and controlled them , but not before a B.U. employee approached us and informed the girls that people were trying to work and that they were being disruptive. I did not like this at all because of several reasons. First, I feel that it is a judgement on us of our ability to control the children. Secondly, these kids are there to have a good time and enjoy themselves, so I don't want have to reprimand or discipline them. Also, I feel that since a few computers weren't working it left us with even less options to entertain them. This may have helped fuel their energy.
I understand that they are kids and that they want to be wild and have fun because I did the same stuff. However, When I was younger and would goof off I would get disciplined so I feel this is neccesary at times. I feel that the learning on this day was collaborative even in the incident above. I learned some behavioral qualities about these girls and they learned what boundaries I have for their behavior. I feel that the approach was Top-down because I tried to explain how they were to behave and why. I feel that I was facilitating informal learning with the computer but once I had to discipline them it had to be formal with boundaries and rules.
I noticed these events because they really disturbed the learning environment and made for a bad situation. I am interested in knowing if it is reasonable to discipline them and to what extreme that discipline can go.