EDP 3273 Blog Post #1

One key concept from our readings that I have observed in the classroom is the fourth stage of Erikson’s theory. The fourth stage is industry versus inferiority. Students who develop a sense of industry when they have parents and teachers who provide opportunity to successfully complete tasks. Students feel inferior when they believe that they are not competent in school or home functions. My CT is very good about minimizing comparisons of ability among her students. From what I noticed, my CT congrats the students on their mastery of skills that are in their reach. She never compares them as a whole group. The students understand that they have different capabilities in different subjects.

Another key concept from the readings that I have observed in the classroom is the level of self-esteem the students have. In the readings, it said that global self-esteem develops at the age of 8. In my observations, I am in a fourth-grade classroom where the students are typically 8-10 years old. I have observed a particular student that has very low self-esteem and it is based on a relatively stable characteristic of herself. My CT brought it to my attention that she has very authoritarian parents at home that are strict on her with no emotional connectedness. This is another key concept that can have an effect on self-esteem. If parents do not build that emotional connectedness, that can affect the student’s overall well-being and prevent them from being confident in themselves.

Two reflective questions I have to think about in my future observations:

1. Looking at the statistics from the reading about what factors affect self-esteem, are they accurate for the students in my classroom?

2. What is another thing that can be done to promote industry over inferiority?