Right now, I am torn between working in elementary or special education. As I am leaning more toward the elementary field, I'll use that for my answer. I feel that Erikson is the "best" theorist for this age group. I want to work with third and fourth graders, and that puts them in the "Industry vs Inferiority" stage. The text stated that "if they are encouraged to make and do things, well, helped to persevere, allowed to finish tasks, and praised for trying, industry results. If the children's efforts are unsuccessful or if they are treated as bothersome, feelings of inferiority result." This statement is so true, in that at this age, they are eager to learn. They want approval, to know that they are doing right. They want to know that they are important. To brush a child's questions aside because you, the teacher, are busy, that makes the child feel inferior, and if done enough, the child will not want to learn, because he feels he whatever he learns isn't important.
Using this theory in technology in the classroom will be interesting. Giving the students a chance to use the computer by themselves, especially if they know more about computers that you do, will be both frustrating and rewarding. We will have to learn from them at times how to do something. Also, it will be a great tool for them to learn more about how things are done in other cultures. I would like to try to find another class in the same grade level in another state, or even country, to let the students link with, and find out more about how they learn, what they learn, and what their life is like. I think technology can be a great tool, if used correctly.
Compare what you have learned from the reading with what you have experienced in life so far.
I am the mother of a fourth grader. I have seen this principle come forth in his life. This doesn't apply just to education, as far as being in a school, but also at home. For example, over the last few months, we have had some very difficult financial problems with my husband losing his job, and then after several months, finding one at a fraction of what he was making before. Over the summer, S (my son) would ask me if they could go somewhere or go do something, usually involving money. I had to tell him no, because we could not afford it. Over time, he stopped asking. Over the last two weeks, fliers have been coming home from school about a father-son camp out sponsored by the PTA. Knowing how much he enjoys spending time with his dad, he still did not ask to go. Last night, I asked him why he hasn't asked, and he said that he didn't want to ask because he knew the answer would be no, because we don't have the money. I quickly informed him that in this case, because it did not involve money, and because it was promoting father-son time, he would be allowed to go if he wanted to. When he heard the reply, he was happy, and excited and felt important, because we made it a point to show that he is important. Never in anyway do i want to make my son, or my future students, feel inferior. Praise their efforts, even if they aren't doing something right, find something to praise them for. There is always something you can encourage them on, even if it is just for them trying.
A summary of what you have learned from the chapter readings.
In my readings this week, I learned about the theories of Erikson, Piaget and other psychologists. Erikson believed that people play an active role in their own psychological development. He said there are 8 stages of psychological development. Trust versus Mistrust is from birth to one year and is where infants learn if their world is safe and dependable or not. Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt is from 2 to 3 years or preschoolers. It is about encouraging toddlers to do what they are capable of doing, at their own pace and in their own way, with adult supervision of course. Initiative versus guilt is next and is 4 and 5 year old, or preschool to kindergarten. This is the time when questions abound, and as long as their questions are encouraged or answered, they will continue to learn. If they are not, then they will start feeling guilty about learning things on their own. Industry versus inferiority is the fourth stage and is from 6 to 11 years of age, or elementary to middle school. This is the stage where intellectual curiosity takes place. They need to be encouraged to do things, persevere, finish tasks, and more praise than you ever thought possible. If they are treated as bothersome for trying to learn something by asking questions, they will feel inferior. They need to be able to take pride in doing at least one thing really well and not to feel like they will never excel. The fifth stage is Identity versus role confusion and is 12 to 18 year old or middle through high school. This is one of the most important stages as it is a development of the roles and skills that prepare adolescents to take a meaningful place in adult society. Having no clear concept of appropriate types of behavior that others will react to favorably leads to role confusion. They need to know who they are. Intimacy versus isolation takes place in young adulthood. Young adults in this stage need to establish close and committed, intimate relationships and partnerships with other people. Middle age brings generativity versus stagnation. Generativity is establishing and guiding the next generation. This means having kids, raising them. Those unable or unwilling to "establish" and "guide" the next generation will be stagnant or deal with self-absorption. The final stage is integrity versus despair and occurs in old age. Integrity is the accepting the only life you have to live, and there are no substitutions. Despair is the feeling that time is too short and you aren't able to attempt to start another life and try alternate roads to integrity. Piaget assumed people inherit two basic tendencies: organization and adaptation. He believed that these two tendencies governed both physiological and mental functioning. He had for stages of development. Sensorimotor stage is during infancy and toddlerhood. Up until the age of 2, children acquire understanding primarily through sensory impressions and motor activities. Preoperational stage is preschool and primary grades. He believed in this stage that children form many new schemes but do not think logically. He said that children center on mastery of symbols (words). He believed that symbols are derived from mental imitation and involved both visual images and bodily sensation. The third stage is for elementary to early middle school children, and is called concrete operational stage. A child is capable of mentally reversing actions, but generalizes only from concrete experiences. The final stage is called the formal operational stage and is from middle school and beyond. Basically, a child is able to deal with abstract ideas, form hypotheses, and engage in mental manipulations. Vysotsky parents and schools shape children's thought processes to reflect what the culture values. He believed that cognitive development is influenced by those more intellectually advanced.
Comment on anything new and exciting you have learned from the discussion boards that you feel will help you in becoming a teacher. After reading the discussion board, and there were a lot of good discussions, I have to say that it is a good idea to incorporate more than one theorist into your teaching. I can relate to the scaffolding technique discussed on the boards, where a child learns by observing those older than he is. I can see that technique between my two kids. I also believe that you can combine Piaget and Erikson's teachings, especially in the special education field. Students can be in the "correct" stage in one theorists developmental stage, but be in a lower or higher stage in another theorist. I observed that in my own kids, as well as the kids i observed this past week for another class.
Describe why you think keeping this blog/journal will help you with teaching. This blog has been excellent in helping me plot my teaching plan for my future class. It is allowing me to think about the approach I want to take (which theorist to use) as well as the type of teacher i want to be (reflecting on past teachers i have encountered, good or bad.
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