JESSICA WIEDEMANN
Innovate | Resonate | Educate

ECS 200

Blog posts for ECS 200 at U of R.

What do you think of you?

What do you think of you?

Understanding the concept of self, understanding oneself and finding our identity is an everchanging process that every individual will go through at different times in their lives. our reading in the textbook this week was chapter 3, and it focused on the idea of self-concept and identity.

Erik Erikson developed a theory of stages of development. He described these stages as a developmental crisis. At each stage, there is a conflict between a positive and negative option. For example, in the 3rd stage which correlates to ages 3-6 years old, there is a conflict between initiative versus guilt. In this conflict, the child is taking initiative to make choices in activities but may be too assertive in their actions which can lead to the feeling of guilt. While reading about all these different stages I made a connection to which stage I am in currently being a young adult. It got me thinking about the actions and interactions I am struggling with or the ones I am exceeding at. This section provoked a lot of self reflection and applying some of the stages to where I am in my social development.

A concept highlighted in this chapter that I had a tough time understanding was the idea that difference between self-concept and self-esteem. I always thought that self-esteem was what I thought of myself and it was the same as this new term I learned reading this textbook, self-concept. However it is explained that they are in fact have meaning in the same realm but are two distinct things onto their own. Self-concept is a belief of who you are. It relates more to identity than to the belief of one’s self-worth. While self-esteem is the overall thought or feeling about one’s self and their worth as an individual. Self-esteem is affected by the outward environment while self-concept is more a internal idea of ones identity. The two terms seem to be interchangeable but they are different concepts of the self, one overarching the other.

Another theory that was introduced to me in this chapter was that of parenting styles and their affect on the child. I knew parents all had different ways of parenting their children, and there is no “right way” to parent. Even between my two parents there are different methods and ideologies of what works and what doesn’t, what is correct and what is wrong. The 4 types of parenting styles that were derived are authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and rejecting/neglecting. The parameters of these types came from measuring the amount of affection and control given to the child. There are speculations and generalizations made about these parenting styles saying one causes higher grades, better adjustment, and more positive self-esteem, however these do not seem to be grounded with experimental evidence.

A topic of this chapter that interested me the most was the different classifications of children in the section on cliques and friendships. There are 4 classifications of children, popular children, rejected children, controversial children, and neglected children. In reading these different classifications I made a connection to my personal experiences when I was a child and in adolescence. From elementary school to graduating high school I had issues with bullies as well as being isolated from my peers. Remembering these experiences I had I was able to put my past self into 2 of these categories. Understanding these different categories children can fall into helped in my reflection on myself, and that understanding will aid my future career as a teacher to be able to see where students are in their social interactions. With this knowledge I may be able to counteract the negative impacts these categories can bring to students who are in them.

Even with this knowledge there are still holes in the concept of social development, and this poses the question that with the interplay of development and peers and parental relationships, what is the teachers role in creating a positive experience for the child?

Featured Photo by Alina Miroshnichenko on Unsplash.

Jessica Wiedemann

Jessica is a student at University of Regina. Her passion for helping others and advocacy for the prevention of bullying in schools has lead her to a career in education. She is a dog lover, photographer, and a food lover.

Make sure to comment below and follow her on social media, she loves to reach out and connect with you!

Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development

3… 2… 1… GO!

In chapter 2 of our textbook, Educational Psychology by Woolfolk, Winne and Perry, the main focus is cognitive development and two theories by two psychologists, Piaget and Vygotsky, are explained. In reading this chapter I learned three things about cognitive development and the way students learn at different times in their lives. I made two connections in reading this chapter; one to something I had learned before and one to the style of learning I had experienced in elementary school and junior high school.

I learned in Piaget’s theory why adolescents are so self-conscious about what others think and believe everyone is watching. Woolfolk, Winne and Perry explain that in early adolescence between the ages of 14 and 15, there is a constant worry about their peers seeing them make a mistake or wearing the same outfit as last week. This is due to the concept of adolescent egocentrism and imaginary audience. With these concepts in mind, it is easier to understand why a simple mistake or getting an answer wrong in from of their peers in class can have such a deep impact on their self-image and psyche (p.44-45).

The second thing I learned in Vygotsky’s theory that social interactions can be important in learning. Woolfolk, Winne and Perry describe Vygotsky’s theory of the co-construction of knowledge between a teacher and the learner, where a teacher is another individual who has more knowledge on the subject being learned. After the interaction between the teacher and the leaner the learner internalizes the experience and the knowledge gain. This process of learning is more focused on social interactions between individuals rather than Piaget’s concept of stages of development (p. 50).

The last thing I learned was the role of the teacher to be scaffolding for the student. In the last pages of the chapter, Woolfolk, Winne and Perry clarify Vygotsky’s theory of teachers being the “scaffolding” for students’ learning. Learning is not a solitary experience for the child or learner. The teacher is there to hold up the student and give them support in the learning process while the student firms up their learning of a subject. Vygotsky thought the student cannot go through learning by themselves and teachers are there to be a guide when learning (p. 58).

When reading this chapter I was able to relate the content back to an experience I had at a youth camp called EagleU. There was a heavy emphasis on mentorship in this program. To be mentored is to learn from someone else’s experience and draw from their knowledge. This learning relationship is the same as the one described by Woolfolk, Winne and Perry in this chapter, Vygotsky’s “co-construction” of knowledge between two people (p. 50).

Another connection I was able to make while reading this chapter is the concept of putting students into groups so they could collaborate and share knowledge. I remember being put into table groups in elementary school and knowing now that my teachers could have been trying to implement Vygotsky’s methods and learning theories is exciting. Looking back I feel as though I learned better from my classmates in these social situations that were created. I learned the formal curriculum of content for school as well as an informal curriculum of how to interact with others from my peers.

Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s theories have worth in explaining potential learning processes but there is still lots to question in both of their ideas. For example, “could these two theories work together and play off one another to create a combined theory of learning?”

Woolfolk, A. H., Winne, P. H., & Perry N. (2013). Educational Psychology (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Featured Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash.

Jessica Wiedemann

Jessica is a student at University of Regina. Her passion for helping others and advocacy for the prevention of bullying in schools has lead her to a career in education. She is a dog lover, photographer, and a food lover.

Make sure to comment below and follow her on social media, she loves to reach out and connect with you!