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ALEX AND MAYRA:

Maya children today
Maya populations are present today in many areas of Central and South America, such as Guatemala. There is limited research on the lives of Maya children, mostly because developmental research has primarily involved European-American children. However, it is evident that the goals for Maya children's socialization and daily activities differ from those of other cultures, especially those that are most studied.

Learning
Research suggests that children in many Maya communities often engage in different socialization patterns than those commonly found in European-American communities. Specifically, Maya cultures commonly emphasize the primacy of adult activities, the importance of parental beliefs, and the independence of children's motivation in their socialization. The daily activities that Maya children partake in have important effects on their development. Children in Maya communities develop within the context of work and other family activities. They commonly learn through observing and engaging in the work of others.

Children in modern-day Maya communities observe and participate in work with people of all ages. Young children in Maya communities such as San Pedro La Laguna have been observed listening in on the work of older children, adults, and elders. These children are expected to observe the activities going on around them in order for their learning to take place. The mix of interaction between age groups in Maya communities is important to their learning. Age segregation does not play an active role in the learning patterns of Maya children, as they interact with both adults and children of all ages. Maya siblings also play an active role in directing each other’s learning.

Children in Maya communities also observe and participate in adult work in order to become active members in their community. Though children in European American communities do not engage in as much productive or goal-driven work, Maya children see this work as embodying their sense of self worth. Maya children engage in less imaginary play than children from many middle-class Western communities. When European-American adults play with children, the play is seen as an educational exercise, but play that Maya children partake in is often an emulation of mature work happening around them For example, a child will pretend to "weave" on a make-believe loom, or "wash clothes" by pouring water on a cloth. In this way, Maya children are learning through play.

Partaking in play that emulates work, and providing actual contributions to work, are characteristic of a style of learning referred to as Intent Community Participation. Intent community participation involves the learner’s observation and listening, directed by their own initiative and concentration. This individual drive to learn is coupled with the learner’s expected participation in shared endeavors. In other words, Maya children learn through Intent Community Participation because they are self-motivated to learn, and are included and given responsibilities. Maya children are respected as capable contributors to their community from as young as age 3 or 4. This style of learning can be contrasted with other learning styles, such as assembly-line instruction. Assembly-line instruction is the approach taken by most Westernized schooling. Assembly-line instruction is based on the transmission of knowledge from experts to subordinates, in a way that does not facilitate purposeful activity. Maya Children do not participate primarily in this style of learning, because they learn through inclusion and hands-on experience. Through methods such as ICP ,Maya children work as a community to build their skills for both survival and inclusion in their community.

Children's Learning
Indigenous people of the Americas are groups that learn in different ways than other more common western traditional ways of learning. Most of these groups learn in collaborative ways, meaning that they integrate their community of children and adults into one working group. Thare are similarities between the collaborative learning style and observational learning. There is less of an age segregation among the community which means that children have the opportunity to engage in more parallel ways with adults and learn from their experience and also learn through observation. Children engage in house chores and work within the community in which they learn through the experience of their elders to do the things they do and therefore contribute to their community in similar ways adults do.

Children in these communities learn through the work they engage in, such as translation. Translation is considered a job where people are hired and paid to translate. However, the children in these communities do this type of job without getting paid, instead they translate to help their family. Through their work as translators, these children learn to be close listeners and engage in keen observation to know when and what they will have to translate. Children who translate for their parents tend to do better in school and have higher test scores in reading than children who do not translate for their family. Therefore, children are able to gain knowledge through their family work.

Through working in their community and helping in chores around the house these children learn. This type of informal learning is helpful for the child to learn social skills and community integration throughout their development as a child. This type of work for indigenous families is valued by parents, because children are able to contribute and help in the family. Children having this type of motivation by their community, in most cases their parents, will voluntarily contribute to work and be interested in learning new things. Children in indigenous communities engaging in these practices such as helping out in chores and working in their community, learn to be responsible and better socially fit to resolve future problems.