Monday, September 16, 2013
Prompt for the week of September 16th
Now that we have talked about a few developmental theories, we can also think about their application. Take Montessori, Freud, or Erikson and provide two insights from their theories for either parents, teachers, or law-makers. After each "nugget of wisdom" or insight taken from one of these theorists, provide a concrete recommendation ("you should do this....because....") from that theory.
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Once again, I apologize for not knowing how to post this as a new blog, I tried.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Freud's psychosexual development theory, children are able to achieve autonomy after going through the anal stage during 18-36 months of age because this is when they are potty trained and forced to control their bowel movements, thus having more control over their body and life. Parents should not be overly strict regarding their child's potty training because this will lead to a child who is anally retentive. Freud would say that this may lead to an "anal" adult, or someone who shows traits of OCD. Parents should strive to not be too crazy about potty training, but balanced and in the middle of the road of strictness and enforcement, and at the right time for the child, in order to allow optimal advancement through the anal stage.
According to Montessori, children are independently driven to master certain things. Therefore, as a parent or educator, you should not tell a child what to do, but simply guide them and allow them to lead the way in their own education and development. Parents should give children opportunities to explore the world and learn what is most important to them, by watching what they spontaneously engage in and giving them a chance to pursue that. When children do something for themselves, they usually feel free and proud that they were able to accomplish something that was important to them. However, when a child is not allowed to freely pursue what they want to learn and are forced to learn, they may feel that their ideas were inadequate and they may be inhibited from being original and pursuing what drives them. Therefore, as parents or educators, we should let children lead the way because they are their own persons who have their own ideas and ways of doing things.
I believe both Freud and Montessori had great points in their beliefs. I concurred with some of each of their view points, in that they both had validity regarding behaviors of children. I thought Montessori was correct in her view that children aspire to figure things out on their own. By letting children show by activity what their interests are, it creates a conducive environment to learning. I think a lot of these techniques could and should be used in public learning centers.
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