Getting+to+Know+Your+Students

==== The students in my classroom are comprised of 15-18 year old students who all have different needs. Cognitively, Piaget would state that the students at this time are the period of formal operations. According to Piaget, the students are in the highest stage of cognitive functioning before they enter into adulthood (Candell, 2009). At this stage, unlike in the previous stages, the students have the capability now of reasoning and thinking in more complexity. They understand more abstract items than what they were able to do in the past. When thinking in terms of the Spanish 4 curriculum, we are able to evaluate the students at a higher level of questioning and expectations on the Blooms scale rather than just asking them for knowledge based/comprehension generated questions. In addition to what they are able to do in the classroom, the students have many other worries than what is going on in the class. David Elkind extended Piaget's views of egocentrism by describing adolescents at this stage as having a personal fable and an imaginary audience (Candell, 2009). An example of the personal fable is the students perception of their parents/guardians, teachers, guidance counselors etc... to think that no one can understand what is happening in their life. This is where I believe the students can use their counselors to their advantage to talk about things that are going on their life (home/school) as this needs to be confidential. An example of an imaginary audience is the perception the child has because they believe that everyone is always looking and judging them.====

==== According to Erickson, he classifies the fifth stage of development that the students are searching for is their identity. In this stage, the students in the classroom are attempting to search within themselves who they are and identify the roles in which they should take. During this time, students tend to identify themselves with a clique. According to Erickson, the adolescents at this time are undergoing rapid physical change while confronting imminent adult tasks and decisions (Candell, 2009). In addition to this, the students need to be having all of their basic needs as Malow would demonstrate in his hierarchy of needs. They need the basic shelter, love, food and attention that we all need. The teacher could have the best lesson in school, however, if you do not know where your students are developmentally, they will not learn in the classroom. ====

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