Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Pets in the Classroom: The Difference They Can Make
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Dancer, Ashlea |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | This review observes the potential effects on students by having pets in the classroom. The author considers the effects of pets in the everyday classroom setting and through Animal Assisted Therapy Programs. It discusses what can be learned from an animal and concerns that may arise by exposing students to various animals. This review contrasts the many types of animals that may be found in the classroom to select the appropriate pet for the given environment. Twelve individuals participated in a survey to share their opinions of pets in the classroom. All participants stated that pets were in fact appropriate in the classroom, however, only two participants have pets in their classroom. This review challenges teachers to compare the potential benefits and concerns of having a pet in the classroom. It encourages teachers to carefully consider adding a classroom pet to each classroom. Document Type Thesis Degree Name MS in Special Education Department Education Subject Categories Education This thesis is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/252 Running Head: PETS IN THE CLASSROOM Pets in the Classroom The Difference They Can Make By Ashlea Dancer Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree M.S. Special Education Supervised by Dr. David Rostetter Dr. Susan M. Schultz School of Education St. John Fisher College April 2012 PETS IN THE CLASSROOM 1 Abstract This review observes the potential effects on students by having pets in the classroom. The author considers the effects of pets in the everyday classroom setting and through Animal Assisted Therapy Programs. It discusses what can be learned from an animal and concerns that may arise by exposing students to various animals. This review contrasts the many types of animals that may be found in the classroom to select the appropriate pet for the given environment. Twelve individuals participated in a survey to share their opinions of pets in the classroom. All participants stated that pets were in fact appropriate in the classroom, however, only two participants have pets in their classroom. This review challenges teachers to compare the potential benefits and concerns of having a pet in the classroom. It encourages teachers to carefully consider adding a classroom pet to each classroom.This review observes the potential effects on students by having pets in the classroom. The author considers the effects of pets in the everyday classroom setting and through Animal Assisted Therapy Programs. It discusses what can be learned from an animal and concerns that may arise by exposing students to various animals. This review contrasts the many types of animals that may be found in the classroom to select the appropriate pet for the given environment. Twelve individuals participated in a survey to share their opinions of pets in the classroom. All participants stated that pets were in fact appropriate in the classroom, however, only two participants have pets in their classroom. This review challenges teachers to compare the potential benefits and concerns of having a pet in the classroom. It encourages teachers to carefully consider adding a classroom pet to each classroom. PETS IN THE CLASSROOM 2 Pets in the Classroom: The Difference They Can Make When people look back at their childhood memories of pets in the classroom, are they thinking of the impact that those pets had on their learning process? The purpose of this research is to find correlation between pets in a classroom setting and the impact that it has on the students learning and the classroom environment. The reviewed literature is focused on the potential benefits and concerns of bringing a pet into the classroom. It also looks at alternatives or additions to having pets and the classroom in bringing pet therapy programs into action. The author’s purpose is to educate individuals on the affects that pets can have on students and the various ways in which to implement pets appropriately into the classroom. Benefits of Having Pets in the Classroom A classroom is a community of learners. What better way to bring a community of learners together, than to take care of something. Having a classroom pet requires the classroom to care for one specific thing. They must work together to care for the pet, take responsibility and communicate with one another to accomplish tasks or discuss concerns about the pet creating positive relationships (Meadan & Jegatheesan, 2010). Students will naturally build relationships in this community of learners, but for some children this is not as easy. Animals establish a companionship if not because they demand care, but they create a nonjudgmental environment for students to talk to their pets about their many feelings (Meadan & Jegatheesan, 2010). This type of conversation can be beneficial in many situations including students who are feeling angry and need time away to calm, students that are shy and struggle communicating with friends and teachers, a child who is feeling lonely and is in need of someone to talk to, or a child who has a speech disorder and wants to talk to someone without concern for correction or judgment. PETS IN THE CLASSROOM 3 Students get a sense of understanding of the needs of others in their relationship with pets. They may wonder why the classroom gerbil is not coming over to the side of the cage like he typically does. They can discuss with one another and ask questions to check if the gerbil is okay. By responding to these needs and questioning they are making connections with the animal and building an understanding of communications of needs. They also can practice appropriate protocol of interaction, taking turns, being kind and gentle, appropriate behaviors in different situations like feeding time or letting an animal rest when needing rest (Meadan & Jegatheesan, 2010; Brous, 2010). Students learn to read the needs of the animals in their posture, reactions, and absence of typical response. In caring for the pet and discovering the pet’s needs the students are taking initiative to satisfy the pet. This encourages self-reliance as well as self-confidence. These skills can be passed on to behaviors not only with other animals, but with people (Brous, 2010). Social interaction is important in so many ways. Working with pets as stated builds positive relationships, communication skills, and self-confidence all of which are improving social skills. They have found that even eye contact and spontaneous conversation can improve while working with animals. There is a motivation to working with animals and children are likely to respond well. This includes some children that may have difficulty speaking, it motivates them to express their feelings and concerns and needs to the pet or teacher to represent the desire to help or work with the pet (Stone, 2010). Students can show and receive affection from pets relating to feelings of others and taking on perspectives of another as well. They can rehearse multiple directions and skills in taking on responsibilities of the pets (Stone, 2010). By taking on responsibility of caring for the pet the student gains a sense of control and self-confidence. Often times children are not given PETS IN THE CLASSROOM 4 the option to make choices or are not trusted to do something correctly. By giving the child the proper instruction and rehearsing appropriate interactions with pets the child is confident in their role as caretaker. Some students will need assistance and jobs may be altered depending on the pet, but by giving a child responsibility over another living thing is showing them that they are trusted. When a child feels confident enough to take care of another living being they have the opportunity for the confidence to take care of his or herself (Brous, 2010). The child is learning how to care for something so fragile practicing self-monitoring skills to be sure that they are not hurting the animal. I have seen in my own classroom of two year olds the sense of community and self-control in taking care of our classroom fish Butterfly and Mermaid. The children remind each other not to touch the fish tank or to tap on it. They are not only taking responsibility for themselves, but also for the other students in the classroom. Animals can have a calming effect on a child. Sometimes just watching the pet is enough to relax even the most excitable child (Burch, 2003; Ross 2005). By taking children away from other stimuli and bringing them to a pet you can bring the child back into a working state of mind after multiple emotions are displayed such as anger, sadness, or distracting excitement. Classroom pets can be brought into the curriculum in many ways to make connections to learning in a fun and motivating way. Concepts can be taught by using the relationships and interest that students have with the pets. For example, discuss the differences, similarities, and diversity of different pets and people. This can also bring up the discussion of diversity, different needs of different beings, and acceptance (Meadan & Jegatheesan). Pets in the classroom can benefit all learners in the community including students with disabilities. Some students will have programs set up for them in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) but sometimes a simple interaction with the classroom pet can have a significant PETS IN THE CLASSROOM 5 impact on the student. It has been found that students with sensory issues at times can overcome their concerns with time and desire to participate in working with pets. This includes touching the pets, brushing the pets, and feeding the pets (Brous, 2010; Stone, 2010). Pets also can give the students motivation and comfort to push through physical barriers to do unwanted exercises or movements. Give students the motivation and acceptance to participate in activities, use language skills, and become a leader or teacher whe |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1253&context=education_ETD_masters&httpsredir=1&referer= |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
