Nuggets of wisdom from the theorists

All of these theorists had valuable insights into how children develop and progress through certain phases. I believe that they all may be correct. Everyone is different, so why should we all necessarily progress through the same phases of development? Not to say that there isn't tremendous overlap, but isn't it possible that everyone's development is a hybrid of these ideas? That being said, two things I definitely think should be taken from these theorists are: 1. Montessori's notion of letting children direct their own learning. Just as the article said, the Montessori student who taugh his/herself to read was extremely proud of that fact and accomplished it just as well if not better than children following regular curriculum. My experience teaching children from PreK-2nd grade in Vacation Bible School every summer has made me keenly aware of the fact that children do much better when the activity is "their" idea. Even if it is something they would have probably wanted to do anyways, being forced to do something reduces their enthusiam and pleasure in the activity. I would suggest that communities support Montessori schools more vehemently, or develop similar techniques in daycares and preschools to take advantage of every learning opportunity. 2. Erikson's Industry vs. Inferiority stage is also a very important one to focus on. I think that providing middle school aged children with more important and satisfying daily work would encourage them to see themselves as industrious. Not only would this combat feelings of inferiority frequently experienced by socially focused and emotionally maturing middle schoolers but it would also help them to better find their identity in Erikson's next phase. One way to do this would be to do more large projects like science or history fairs, speeches, plays, vignettes or other large undertakings of the student's choosing. This will peak their interest in a particular subject or develop their skills in a certain area such as research, speaking, or acting. All of these achievements will help them gain a feeling of industriousness.