Theorists Connected

There are many aspects that connect these theorists, and myself, together.

The first connection I relate to is between Erickson and Vygotsky within the context of relationships. I think this is so important within the classroom to not only recognize that students learn by doing but they also learn through eachother, their family, their community, and through their teachers. Erickson talks about the relationship between the mother and baby to develop attachment - it is through this relationship that the child learns about trust. Vygotsky talks about the learning that takes place within the social interactions amongst peers. For me, I have learned a lot through the last two weeks here at Lewis and Clark from my peers and their experiences - so I do believe that great learning can take place through relations.

The second connection that is important to me is the idea of Real-life application. Dewey believed that children learn from doing and that education should include real life material and experiences because that will lead to independence and experimentation with learning. He also believed that curriculum should be based in student's real lives - what is important to them, what are they experiencing. Erickson talks about developing children's sense of initiative by focusing curriculum on 'real things' that are important to the students. Paiget talks about the construction of knowledge at a young age and how it should be based in real life - real things that the child experiences.

Leading from real life experiences is having a Child-Centered focus: I believe that all of these theorists are very child-centered. Montessori talks about having real objects, that work in their real ways, at child size for the students to experience the learning for themselves. Dewey has the children interests at the center of the curriculum, asking teachers not to subscribe to a predetermined curriculum. Erickson talks about reassuring the child's independence - recognizing that that the teacher isn't the only thing that can teach a student. He talks about giving children choices and making them in control of their own experiences (choice of course that are appropriate and somewhat determined by the adult). Piaget talks about the children have opportunities for meaningful play through which they can experience learning. And Vygotsky talks about creating curriculum that engages students and encourages their emerging abilities.

As I move towards teaching I hope to see the connections between the theorists as big ideas that I can take into my classroom and understand that there are parallels and that the theory doesn't have to be opposite and that I can incorporate aspects of all theory into my classroom, my pedagogy, and my curriculum.