This week we focused on developmental theory. Please write a post about how studying theory can inform your practice as an educator or professional.
Studying theory can help me as a teacher get the basic groundwork of how human development works and in turn, can help me know what to expect of each of my grade levels. Being able to know what is going on in my students’ heads can help me understand how to frame my teaching for them. It can help tell me what they can understand, how far they can be pushed, and what is impractical to teach them. It also tells me what their building blocks to becoming an adult are and can tell me what I am responsible for teaching them in order to keep them on track to becoming a human adult.
Knowing developmental theories can also help me as an educator tailor my lessons to how students at each grade level can learn best. For example, younger children can benefit from teaching through play and gamifying instruction. They are also less able to sit still, so that can let me know how to arrange my classroom to adjust for that aspect. At this age, they may not be able to understand other points of view outside of their own, so helping them develop that instead of criticizing them for not already knowing it is essential to make them better human beings.
At the middle school level, students are able to understand more abstract concepts but still may have struggle focusing on one topic. They have more knowledge on how their actions impact others, but they still have trouble making good decisions and want to test the rules. Students at this level are still trying to figure out who they are and why they need to do certain things. Therefore, instruction at this level should be more focused on why students need to do this and creating good human beings. While teaching content is important at this level, it is equally important to be a good support system for these students as they are trying to figure out who they are.
Finally, at the high school level, they have typically a stronger sense of self and more knowledge of others and how their actions impact others. They still may struggle with following rules and understanding why to do certain things; therefore, as a teacher, there still may be pushback from students on certain aspects of school and learning. At this stage, teachers are more essential than ever to be a strong support system and to prepare students for the world. These students are four or less years away from getting thrown into the real world, so it is our job to make sure they are prepared and feel ready and confident to face the world. It is also our job to ensure they are good humans for society.
