EXAMPLES OF DIANE LEVIN’S

RECENT KEYNOTE TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

“SO SEXY, SO SOON:

THE SEXUALIZATION OF CHILDHOOD AND WHAT WE CAN DO”

Today’s children are growing up in an environment saturated with images of sexual appearance and behavior that they cannot fully understand. It can influence how they think about being male and female, their bodies and what they want to be, do, and wear. It can confuse children about the nature of adult relationships and promote precious sexuality. Based on work Dr. Levin has done for her new book, So Sexy So Soon, this talk explores the current situation, how it is affecting children, and what we can do to promote healthy development in these times.  

"REMOTE CONTROL CHILDHOOD:

HELPING CHILDREN GROW UP IN A MEDIA-SATURATED WORLD"

TV, videos, computer games and movies, with their violent, sexual, and stereotyped images and commercials, play a bigger role in children’s lives now than ever before. Media culture affects their development, learning, behavior, and play. It makes the job of parenting and teaching harder. Based on work for her book, Remote Control Childhood, Dr. Levin explores how this exposure affects children and what we can do help them deal with this powerful influence in their lives?

"BUY BUY CHILDHOOD:

HOW MEDIA AND MARKETING AFFECT CHILDREN IN SCHOOL."

Media and commercial culture influences most aspects of who today's children are in classrooms and in school—from how and what they learn, to the nature of their relationships with teachers and peers, to how they solve their conflicts, to what they eat and how they want to look. Diane Levin will explore the challenges media and commercial culture creates for us in our work with children and show how we need to adapt current approaches to take into account the ways commercialism is changing childhood.

“WHEN THE WORLD IS A DANGEROUS PLACE:

BUILDING PEACEABLE CLASSROOMS IN VIOLENT TIMES”

Children are growing up in a world permeated by violence—in their immediate lives and in media and toys. It affects what they learn about the world and how people treat each other. Too often we feel inadequately prepared for helping children deal with or learn alternatives to the violence they see. Using stories from teachers and parents about children's responses to violence collected for her book, Teaching Young Children in Violent Times, Dr. Levin examines how young children are affected by entertainment, news and real world violence and the challenges this creates for us in our work with them. It also outlines positive, developmentally sound strategies for building peaceful classrooms that counteract the harmful effects of violence. 

“THE WAR PLAY DILEMMA AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT”

War play seems to have a special appeal to many children, especially boys. Adults often worry about the impact this play has on children’s developing behavior and ideas about violence. Based Dr. Levin’s work for her book, The War Play Dilemma, this session looks at why the play is so appealing to children, how the barrage of violence in contemporary media and the real world affects war play, and what parents and teachers can do to meet children’s needs and influence the lessons children learn about violence. It helps participants work on connecting the content of the session to their own experiences with children's war play.

PROBLEM SOLVING DEFICIT DISORDER:

HOW DO CHILDREN GET IT AND HOW CAN YOU PREVENT IT

Problem solving is a cumulative skill that gives chidlren a sense of inner power. Knowing how to find and solve interesting problems is central of all aspects of learning. Many factors in the lives of children growing up today, such as media, commercialism, highly structured toys, the decline of play and a growing emphasis on prescribed academic skill based curriculum in schools, can undermine creative problem solving ability. As a result, many children are developing what Diane Levin calls “Problem Solving Deficit Disorder” (PSDD). Metaphorically speaking, PSDD can lead to many symptoms in children, including frequent boredom, a lack of creativity, imagination and open-ended play, and difficulty working cooperatively with others or resolving conflicts without aggression. It can lead to more stress for everyone at home and at school. Learn more about the causes of PSDD and the many powerful ways you can counteract it at home and school and in the wider society. And learn why doing so will lead to smarter, happier children.

“ANTI-BIAS EDUCATION:

HELPING CHILDREN UNDERSTAND AND VALUE DIVERSITY”

How do children’s ideas about similarities and differences among people develop? Using examples from children, teachers, and the wider community, we will explore: How does what children see and hear at home, in the media and popular culture, and in the wider community affect what they learn about gender, race, class, ethnic groups, and religion? How does it affect their attitudes and behavior and how they deal with differences among people? How does what they learn contribute to violence or non-violence? What can families and schools do to promote an appreciation of diversity? How can our work on these issues promote a more peaceful and just world? We will look at specific strategies for counteracting stereotypes and infusing anti-bias education in the home and school.

“HOW COMMERCIALISM IMPACTS CHILDREN IN SCHOOL”

The commercial culture influences most aspects of who children are in classrooms and in school—from how and what they learn, to the nature of their relationships with teachers and peers, to how they solve their conflicts, to what they eat and how they look. This session explores the challenges commercialism creates for us in our work with children and show how we need to adapt current approaches to take into account the ways commercialism is changing childhood.

“PROBLEM SOLVING DEFICIT DISORDER?

HOW MODERN TIMES ARE CHANGING HOW CHILDREN LEARN

This session explores how the problem solving process is central to children's optimal development, learning, behavior, and relationships.  It shows how many factors in today's society—such as media, highly structured toys, the decline of play, and growing emphasis on prescribed academic skill-based curriculum—are undermining children's creative problem solving ability.  As a result, many children are developing what Levin calls, "Problem Solving Deficit Disorder" [PSDD], which can lead to a short attention span, frequent boredom, the need for highly structured activities, lack of creativity and imagination, difficulty engaging in open-ended play or working cooperatively with others and resolving conflicts without aggression.  There is much we can do to counteract PSDD and Levin shows how. 

“TOY STORY:

A PARENT’S GUIDE TO MAKING GOOD TOY CHOICES"

The toy choices parents make can have a big impact on their children’s play, development, and learning. And it gets harder and harder for parents to sort through the onslaught of new toys and seductive advertising that assail them and their children. This presentation will look at why play is important and how toys influence play. It will help parents choose toys that promote constructive play and match their children’s interests and development. It will also provide suggestions about how to resist the commercial pressure while keeping peace in the family.