Psychology Applied Essay Research Paper The ClassroomI

Psychology Applied Essay, Research Paper

The Classroom

I was placed in an eighth grade English class that is an inclusion classroom. Inclusion classrooms are general education classrooms that include children with special needs. These classrooms typically have one subject oriented teacher and one special education teacher. The classroom I was assigned to had an English teacher (Mrs. V.) and a Special Education teacher (Mrs. S.). The English teacher gave the day to day assignments and instructed the class, while the Special Education teacher acted as a resource teacher for all of the students. There were three different classes held during the school day and each class contained it s own culture, norms and rules. The classes are scheduled for two periods and have five-minute breaks in between each class. The school uses skills testing to place the student in a particular class setting that is closest to the student s ability. The schedule of the classes is as follows:

Class #1 Periods 1 and 2 Inclusion class

Class #2 Periods 4 and 6 Inclusion class

Class #3 Periods 7 and 8 Not an inclusion class

The school racial makeup is approximately 60% Caucasian, 20% African American, and 18% Latino American. The first two classes have a higher concentration of African and Latino Americans, while the third class is closer to the school ratios.

Application of Stage Theories of Development

There are several different stage theories in use today. Erikson s theory of psychosocial development, Piaget s theory of cognitive development and the theories of moral development presented by Piaget, Kohlberg and Gilligan; allow for a greater understanding of why the students behave and learn in a particular manner.

According to Erikson s theory, students in the middle school years are experiencing a transition from Erikson s industry vs. inferiority stage to his identity vs. role confusion. This can be seen in all three of the English classes, however it is most visible in Class #3. The students in Class #3 show a greater concern towards their appearance, with all of the students utilizing good hygiene, freshly laundered clothes and conformity to the other student s style. They appear to have a smoother transition, showing signs of emerging identities during discussion and projects while continuing to have some sense of industry or recognition of the relationship between performance and praise. Examples of their discussion include inquiries into the reasoning behind drug use after reading Go Ask Alice, a book about a teenagers drug abuse and the consequences that followed. The discussion amongst the students in Class #3 varied between their own reactions and what they might do in the same situation; and realistic suggestions on what Alice might have done differently. Class #1 and Class #2 had a harder time individualizing the discussion, allowing Mrs. V. to bring up the salient points and then giving safe answers to the questions. Class #1 and Class #2 also had a wider variety of students in transition, with several showing difficulty in the transition. An example of this would be the student (without special needs) who wore his pants inside out, was disruptive in class, did not participate in classroom discussion, and did not seem to understand the purpose of industry or have the ability to obtain appropriate attention. In applying Erikson s theory, it might be said that the student has not successfully conquered the industry vs. inferiority stage and is now struggling with the identity stage, instead forming a negative identity. Using the knowledge of Erikson s theory of psychosocial development, the student could be given tasks that the teacher knew the student was capable of achieving. This would allow the student to begin to see the relationship between successful completion and positive attention. The student could be encouraged to focus on his own abilities versus comparing the student to others, which could cause inferiority. Helping the student experience a sense of industry will allow the student to begin to focus on his own sense of identity without feeling inferior or negative.

In Piaget s theory of moral realism vs. moral relativism, moral relativism looks at intent while moral realism looks at facts. According to Piaget s theory the students in all of Mrs. V. s English classes should be using moral relativism (or moral cooperation). Many of the students show a belief that rules are mutual agreements instead of laws given to them by those in authority. However a few of the students would still be classified as exhibiting moral realism (or morality of constraint). Several of the students in Class #1 could not understand why they were reprimanded for talking in class (the talk centered around plans for after school) and other students were not reprimanded (their conversation was about the assignment).

The application of these theories can help the teacher know how the students reason and why they behave and learn in a particular way. For example, students who have difficulty understanding moral relativism might have a better understanding after discussion that involve making moral decisions. Mrs. V. s discussion of decision-making based on Go Ask Alice would be one way to help the students begin to understand moral relativism. In one section of Go Ask Alice, Alice is placed in a situation where she mu