Erikson/Marcia TIPR
THE QUESTION: Which of Erikson's psychosocial crises are the children in the class facing (may be more than one)? Which of Marcia's identity states seem(s) to be most prevalent? What specific teacher behaviors do you observe that either help or hinder the students to successfully navigate this crisis? What more could or should be done? Be sure to include a reference in your response.
I am currently observing three different cooperating teachers. Mr. J teaches CE US Government and American History. Mrs. O teaches across the spectrum of theatre classes, including one CE Theatre class. Mrs. M teaches Study Skills and other remedial courses. I see a wide variety of students in every class.
A surprise to see is how many students actually struggle with autonomy. Many students have no desire to do their homework on their own. Mr. J actually related several cheating stories to me and I witnessed Mrs. M confront two students on sharing homework. Mr. J related that many of them don't seem to see it as cheating, but just helping their friends out. This lack of autonomy also ties into Industry vs. Inferiority. Many students also cheat because they have no desire to persist through difficult work and want the easier way out.
However the greatest stages I see of Erikson's is Initiative vs. Guilt and Identity vs. Role Confusion. Many students are focused on what is coming next in their lives. Particularly in the CE classes, I see many students setting goals and making choices about the next places they are going. All three cooperating teachers are incredibly involved in this aspect of their students lives. Mrs. O especially consistently talks with her students about colleges they are interested in and guiding her theatre students in the skills that will help them succeed there.
Many of Mrs. O's theatre students have seemed to establish their identities as a theatre people, taking any and all of her classes that they possibly can. For some of these students there seems to be an identity foreclosure but other genuinely seem to have an identity achievement. I see in these theatre students a great deal of identity diffusion on other aspects of their lives. Some have no interest in being identified as a good overall student and would rather focus only on theater. Others are experiencing identity moratorium on their sexual identity. One student explored this aspect of herself through writing a monologue and was encouraged to perform it by Mrs. O for competition.
In regard to what could or should be done for these students, I see a great deal of sarcasm from Mr. J. For some students this is a mode of communication that they can operate in but for some it seems to be very foreign and frustrating. Mr. J recently told one of his students that they may be one of the weirdest students he's ever had. I don't think this helps a student establish good self-esteem or a positive identity. Actually I think it promotes a great deal of role confusion, with some students left pondering if being weird is a good or a bad thing or something they actually identify with. This article (https://www.verywell.com/identity-versus-confusion-2795735) from verywell.com actually discusses the need for adolescents to receive positive encouragement to successfully navigate this crisis, not something I think sarcasm and teasing does.
I am currently observing three different cooperating teachers. Mr. J teaches CE US Government and American History. Mrs. O teaches across the spectrum of theatre classes, including one CE Theatre class. Mrs. M teaches Study Skills and other remedial courses. I see a wide variety of students in every class.
A surprise to see is how many students actually struggle with autonomy. Many students have no desire to do their homework on their own. Mr. J actually related several cheating stories to me and I witnessed Mrs. M confront two students on sharing homework. Mr. J related that many of them don't seem to see it as cheating, but just helping their friends out. This lack of autonomy also ties into Industry vs. Inferiority. Many students also cheat because they have no desire to persist through difficult work and want the easier way out.
However the greatest stages I see of Erikson's is Initiative vs. Guilt and Identity vs. Role Confusion. Many students are focused on what is coming next in their lives. Particularly in the CE classes, I see many students setting goals and making choices about the next places they are going. All three cooperating teachers are incredibly involved in this aspect of their students lives. Mrs. O especially consistently talks with her students about colleges they are interested in and guiding her theatre students in the skills that will help them succeed there.
Many of Mrs. O's theatre students have seemed to establish their identities as a theatre people, taking any and all of her classes that they possibly can. For some of these students there seems to be an identity foreclosure but other genuinely seem to have an identity achievement. I see in these theatre students a great deal of identity diffusion on other aspects of their lives. Some have no interest in being identified as a good overall student and would rather focus only on theater. Others are experiencing identity moratorium on their sexual identity. One student explored this aspect of herself through writing a monologue and was encouraged to perform it by Mrs. O for competition.
In regard to what could or should be done for these students, I see a great deal of sarcasm from Mr. J. For some students this is a mode of communication that they can operate in but for some it seems to be very foreign and frustrating. Mr. J recently told one of his students that they may be one of the weirdest students he's ever had. I don't think this helps a student establish good self-esteem or a positive identity. Actually I think it promotes a great deal of role confusion, with some students left pondering if being weird is a good or a bad thing or something they actually identify with. This article (https://www.verywell.com/identity-versus-confusion-2795735) from verywell.com actually discusses the need for adolescents to receive positive encouragement to successfully navigate this crisis, not something I think sarcasm and teasing does.
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