Development Activity – Your Baby
Purpose of activity: This activity creates a bridge between biological development and cognitive development. Students apply previously learned material to a real world problem. It allows students to explore the nature-nurture relationship with in development and use information about biological development to inform arguments. Students present their position based in logic and support from research, but must also identify and integrate their values. Finally, students are invited to analyze their own arguments based on Kohlberg’s moral development stages.
Objectives:
- Make a decision about an imagined future scenario involving the student’s child and support that decision based on logic and evidence.
- Identify and incorporate individual values into the argument.
- Discuss these personal decisions within a small group and be able to present the students decision during a discussion with the entire class.
- Identify personal values within the argument and understand that others may have differing values.
- Students privately evaluate their own arguments to identify different stages of moral development based on Kohlberg’s theories.
Student preparation: Students have previously studied biological and cognitive development through assigned readings and a computer based activity.
Materials: Enough 3X5 cards for each group of 3-4 students to have a card. On the cards are printed “Your baby will likely…” after the phrase one or more characteristics are printed. Some of the characteristics are valued by society such as “Your baby will likely grow up to be a genius.” Other characteristics are considered deficits by society such as “Your baby will like to grow up to be deaf.”
Procedure:
1. Students are divided into groups of 3-4 and each group is given one of the cards described in the materials section. Explain to the students the purpose of the exercise.
2. Students are asked to imagine that the statement on the card is about their child and that the information was learned through genetic testing.
3. Students are asked to discuss their ideas about what they would do if their child were prenatally diagnosed with this problem.
4. After students have discussed their decisions in groups, each group is invited to present their decision and their rationale for their decision to the entire class.
5. After a group has explained their rationale, the instructor helps the group to clarify their arguments through appropriate questions. Additionally, the instructor asks the group to identify the values that were involved in their decision-making. Sometimes this discussion takes some in-depth questioning because students at this level may not have ever been asked to identify their values.
6. After the group as a whole has presented, the instructor asks individuals within the group if anyone disagrees and gives that individual a chance to present his/her opposing argument.
7. After the class has listened to the group and understood the group’s decision, students from other groups are invited to make additions. Usually at this point the class begins to take over the direction of the class with discussion. Once everyone has had a chance to participate in the discussion the next group will present their decision. This process continues until every group has presented.
8. Students are asked to write a short (3-4 minute) essay about their personal decision.
9. The Heinz Dilemma is read to students. The students are asked to write a brief essay about what they think Heinz should do and why.
10. A brief review of Kolberg’s stages of moral development is presented.
11. Students are invited to reflect on the level of moral reasoning exhibited in their essay.
12. Students are invited privately to review their personal essays and statements made during small group and class discussions of the “Your baby…” exercise to identify examples of each stage of Kohlberg’s moral development.
Debriefing: Beginning students often need direction to be able to use these types of less controlled learning experiences.Explain to the students that they will not be expected to memorize the individual statements made by students during discussions, but that the activity will be included in their class participation grade, and that the activity was an opportunity to apply information learned in biological development, apply Kohlberg’s stages of moral development and learn to recognize these stages. Students will be required to be able to answer questions about biological development and Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. The activity was designed to help students to understand and apply the material and be able integrate their personal values with the material. Explain to the students that although the skill of judgment would be difficult to assess on an exam, they will need this type of skill in their future roles as parents and/or in their career.
Adapted from:
Ely, R. (2008). In Benjamin L. T. Jr. (Ed.), Favorite activities for the teaching of psychology. Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association.