Psychology



Psychology

Part 1:

Good teachers understand the content that they teach, and also the children who they teach it to. Children are not small adults. Their brains do not fully develop until after they leave elementary school, and all through elementary school they go through major developments in physical, cognitive, social and moral development that influence how they learn. Teachers need to be aware of the stages their students go through so that they can take adequate responsibility for every aspect of their students' development. It is my position that the three most important cognitive developments that influence classroom learning among elementary school children ages 5 - 11 years are as follows:

Progression into the formal operational stage, as defined by Piaget. This stage starts around the age of eleven and continues into adulthood. According to Piaget, grade 5 children enter this stage when they have been successful in the concrete operational stage.

The internalization of private speech, as defined by Vygotsky. Vygotsky believed that cognitive development follows the development of language. Children ages 5 - 11 years imitate and respond to the people around them and use their new communication tools to think aloud. The foundation of their thought processes lie in relationships. They learn to internalize their private speech, and socially-shared activities become internalized thought processes.

It is my position that the three milestones in social development that most influence classroom learning among secondary school children ages 5 - 11 years are as follows:

Entry into the watershed stage of identity versus role confusion, as defined by Erikson. According to Ericson, people go through eight hierarchical developmental crises which affect them at all later stages if they are left unresolved. In elementary school, grade 5 children focus on developing a unique personality over time by discovering their strengths and limitation and setting goals.

It is my position that the three factors in our culture that most influence the cognitive and social development of children ages 5 - 11 years are as follows:

The media. Vygotsky believed in the power of relationships to influence the cognitive development of children. The media is a form of relationship in the way that it disseminates information and influences people. grade 5 Children learn by imitating behavior around them, particularly the behavior of people or characters that they identify with. This is why the media has so much power.

Primary care-givers. According to Erikson, the foundation for all of our later social development is the stage called “trust versus mistrust” during which time children ages 5 - 11 years should develop a sense of safety from their primary care-givers. If grade 5 children's physical and emotional needs are met, they develop a healthy template for the rest of their relationships in life. Primary care-givers are also essential to the development of independence and a sense of purpose during the first five years of life.

My classroom management and teaching style: As a elementary school teacher, it is important to remember that the class is likely to use mostly conventional ...