How can eriksons theory be applied in the classroom

However, unlike his predecessor, Erikson gave a great deal of importance to the social environment in a person's psychological development. Thus his theory is generally called a psychosocial theory of personality development. Erikson's theory posits that every human being passes through several distinct and qualitatively different stages in life, frombirth to death. According to him, the stages are universal, and the ages at which one is said to have passed from one to another stage are also fairly universal.

However, it must be kept in mind that Erikson did not have much knowledge of cultures and societies other than his own, and thus the universality of his theory can and must be questioned. The key idea in Erikson's theory is that the individual faces a conflict at each stage, which may or may not be successfully resolved within that stage. For example, he called the first stage 'Trust vs Mistrust'. If the quality of care is good in infancy, the child learns to trust the world to meet her needs.

If not, trust remains an unresolved issue throughout succeeding stages of development. According to Erikson, although there is a predominant issue at each stage, the stages are not watertight. Issues of one stage overlap with issues of another; how one has dealt with earlier issues determines how one will resolve later issues.

Most important, there is a connection between present patterns of thinking and feeling, and earlier unresolved or resolved developmental issues. But Erikson also said that developmental blocks at any stage can be resolved at any point. I shall now present a brief sketch of those parts of Erikson's theory of developmental stages that are relevant to schooling, and what each of these means for me as a teacher.

Trust comes from the consistent meeting of needs. An infant who can trust the mother or father to meet her needs, will take from this stage a basic sense of trust in the world to meet her needs. A sense of trust helps the acceptance of limits and boundaries.

A child of this age is beginning to explore the world at will. This is the age commonly known as the 'terrible twos'. The very young child learns by feeling with all the senses, and an expression of autonomy in this process seems very relevant to the child's growth. If this autonomy is thwarted, three consequences may ensue:. I have personally never been able to understand why a child is restricted from touching various objects at home, and then sent to a Montessori school to play 'sensorial' games!

This is also the age when feelings are beginning to be expressed. It is important not to condemn feelings the child may hold, such as anger or jealousy, but to help the child be sensitive to his behavioural expressions in a particular situation.

Children learn through imitation and play during this stage. They begin to use reasoning; however it is mainly intuitive, instead of logical. Stage 3—Concrete Operational Stage Age 7- Proficient in: Human Development. Can thinks logically about objects and events. However this is confined to their level. Stage 4—Formal Operational Stage Age adulthood.

Can think logically about conceptual scheme and test hypotheses systematically. These conflicts arise at eight stages over the entire life cycle. These crises if resolve or unresolved can result in a greater sense of self or can lead to maladjustment respectively.

Below is an outline of the steps and psychosocial interactions involved. Basic Trust vs. Mistrust Birth to Year. Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliability, care, and affection. Autonomy vs. Shame years. Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Initiative vs. Guilt Preschooler , years. Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment.

Industry vs. Inferiority School-Age Child, years. Children need to cope with new social and academic demands. Identity vs. Identity Confusion Adolescent, years. Have them create academic and personal goals for each quarter and revisit those goals every few weeks to monitor their own progress.

Break down each assignment into parts so the students can learn how to set time management goals. For instance, instead of collecting all parts of a project at once, collect a brainstorming worksheet on a certain date, a rough draft two weeks later and a final draft the next week. If a child successfully navigates the crisis of industry vs. If not, he will feel that he is a helpless observer of his life.

Assign jobs to the students. Let them stack chairs, feed class pets, hand out and collect papers, take attendance sheets to the office and so on. Rotate these jobs regularly so all students have a chance to participate. This will give the students a sense of accomplishment. Teach children study skills.

Explain how to budget time and keep notebooks, binders and folders organized. If students fail at these organizational skills, their grades will suffer and they may feel that they are stupid or doomed to failure.

Provide regular feedback to students, particularly those who seem discouraged. Focus on guiding her to a solution, not on criticizing her as a person. Know the difference between misbehavior and an exploratory misfire. A child learns by experimenting, so do not punish a child for trying something that did not go as planned.

A simple, "Oops! That didn't work out like you planned, huh? How can you fix it? Include children in setting classroom rules and discuss what it looks and sounds like when everyone is following those rules. Make a list of classroom duties, and let students take charge of these jobs to help the classroom run smoothly. Model empathy to teach children to be sensitive to the needs of others. Role-play different situations with children, and discuss how they want to be treated when they are in like circumstances.

This encourages them to think beyond themselves.