Name:

short-answer questions

My Virtual Child Reflection 3: 16 year old

1.) Have there been any physical changes related to pubertal development? If
the changes are not explicit in the program, what changes would you expect
based on the age and sex of your teen? What challenges or benefits are they
experiencing due to their current state of pubertal development?
At this age, William should have pubic hair, gone through a growth spurt,
have deep voice, secretion of skin oil, and facial hair. He is experiencing
problems with his voice deepening. He has been singing with the piano and
has now had problems doing that because his voice has been deepening and
cracking. He is getting taller and more muscular which makes him more
appealing to girls. He has a girlfriend now that he has been dating for two
months. He still is not showing any signs of secretion of skin oil or facial hair.
2.) Are there particular sports or academic subjects that your teen is especially
good at or interested in? What are they? Did you promote interest in these
areas or did your teen come to their interest and skill level on their own?
Using concepts from Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory, describe how you
promoted their interest/skill level. If you did not promote their interest/skill
level what might be the consequences for their upper and lower limits?
William is really serious about playing piano. He has been practicing a lot
over the last two years and is now starting to sing along with the piano. He is
now the lead soloist in the school orchestra. He is very interested in music,
and he was even offered to be a part of a quartet that is organized by his
private teacher. He came to this skill on his own, and I was surprised to read
about it. According to Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory, children learn through
interactions with others and require assistance from others in order to learn
what they need to know. Also, the zone of proximal development says that
there is a gap between what adolescents can accomplish alone and what
they are capable of doing if guided by an adult or a more competent peer. I
would say that through those two things, William saw his peers being
involved in chorus and orchestra and fostered his interest off of that. Also, we
gave William private lessons in piano so his zone of proximal development
could be reached. He is being helped in areas that he needs the help in, but is
also learning on his own. Since I did not specifically help to promote his
interest in this, I think that a consequence could be that his peers are
directing his interests too much. Right now, he is involved in music because
he was influenced by his peers. If his peers try to do something dangerous,
though, he might also be drawn to it because his peers are doing it.
3.) How has the amount of time spent at home with you compared to time out of
the house at school and with friends changed since reflection 1? Give one
example. Using ideas and concepts from the text and lecture, explain why
these changes are happening. How do you feel about these changes?
William is spending a lot of time outside of the house. On the weekends, he is
spending time with his friends and sometimes goes to the occasional party.

Name:
short-answer questions

My Virtual Child Reflection 3: 16 year old

He spends time with his girlfriend doing community service. He will

sometimes call to say that he is going to be late for curfew, but he is always
conscious about the decisions that he is making outside of the house. In the
text, it says that these changes are happening because William is trying to be
independent. At this age, teenagers are trying to make their own decisions
and find their own interests. I think that these changes are a positive thing.
He is making decisions about being safe about his choices. Even though he is
spending a lot of time outside of the house, he is still making good decisions
and letting me know where he is going. I believe that this is a positive thing
for William. However, I am worried that he will not do well under certain
circumstances with his friends. He was caught drinking once and hit another
car in the parking lot once. Even though these were isolated incidences, I am
still worried that his independence is not leading him to making the smartest
decisions.

4.) How would you characterize your teen with respect to their levels of
optimistic bias and personal fable? (high, medium, low, etc.) How are
optimistic bias and personal fable related to risk behaviors? How is your teen
doing with respect to risk behaviors (drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.)? Give one
example. How are you responding to your teens risk behaviors?
I think that William has a medium level of optimistic bias and personal fable.
Personal fable is the belief that an imaginary audience that is highly
conscious of how you look and act leads to the belief that there must be
something special or unique about you. Optimistic bias means that there is a
tendency to assume that accidents are more likely to happen to others than
ourselves. William is participating in risk behaviors including getting too close
to his girlfriend, getting caught drinking, and hitting another car in the
parking lot. He was caught drinking at a party one time, but he called me to
pick him up instead of driving himself home. His father talked to him about
sex and the consequences of sex, He also prepared him with the knowledge
of safe sex. We are being extremely cautious of his risk behaviors. I know that
he is doing it, but he is being safe when he does. If he gets caught, his
punishment is reasonable and understood. There is an open communication
that is occurring between both of us that I think helps him know that we trust
him to make good decisions.

5.) How important have your teens relationships with peers been to their social
development, emotional well-being and school achievement since reflection
2? Give one example in support of your position for social development, one
for emotional well-being and one for school achievement.

Name:
short-answer questions

My Virtual Child Reflection 3: 16 year old

In the second reflection, he was not spending a lot of time with his peers.
Now, he is spending a lot of time out with his peers. He spends the weekends
with his friends, time with his girlfriend, and often relaxes with the help of his
friends. He is doing worse in school because he is not managing his time well.
He is spending more time with his peers and less time with his studies. In the
summer, he used to spend time leisure reading, but he is now spending all of
his time downloading games and music, watching tv, and social networking.
His social development is thriving. He is constantly with his friends and
dealing with situations that are arising. He is making good choices when it
comes to solving problems with his peers. He has some arguments with his
friends and temporarily has no one to hang out with, but this resolves quickly.
He also was really involved in studying for the ACT and the SAT and now he is
less eager to learn about those subjects. His emotional well-being is what I
am most worried about. He hit a car and ended up with a dent in his own car
and then lied about it. He is breaking curfew and lying about where his going.
When he is in an argument with his peers, he mopes around the house
instead of solving the problem. He was doing really well, but the amount of
social time he is spending has caused problems in all three of these areas.