Erikson's Contributions to Early Childhood Education

Erikson's influence is seen in preschool through the initiative stage (three). It is the exertion of independence that identifies this stage. The goal of ECE is to help children find their independence apart from parents. They begin to discover themselves and assert their new found abilities. The challenge of this stage is to maintain a zest for activity and at the same time understand that not every impulse can be acted on. Teachers and parents must tread a fine line, providing supervision without interference. Much of this discovery is made through role playing. The children need to pretend to be others in order to find their own independence and identity. The following are suggestions for encouraging initiative in the preschool child.

1. Encourage children to make and to act on choices, such as allowing free choice time when the children can select an activity or game.

2. Encourage make-believe with a wide variety of roles by having costumes and props available in the classroom. Monitor the children's play to be sure no one monopolizes the role of teacher, Mommy, Daddy or other heroes.

3. Be tolerant of accidents and mistakes, especially when children are attempting to do something on their own.



Additional Resources
ChildDevelopmentInfo.com
LearningPlaceOnline.com
vtaide.com/png/Erikson.html
vtaide.com/blessing/ERIK3.htm
vtaide.com/blessing/ERIK4.htm

How we use Eriksons Theory in Education

We may not label some of the topics that we teach as "Erickson's Theory" but when we teach about "Bully Proofing" or Character Building" or "Equity Building" we are teaching his theory. He would see that what we are doing is helping these children to succesfully get through their "developmental crisis". The school culture teaches us about relationships with others as well as about our identiity and the role of culture in our lives. These are big markers in his theory. These are being taught through classes like the Character Education classes Denver Public Schools www.cetac.org/Resourses/current and the Climate and Culture classes that Cherry Creek Schools require all of their students to attend in junior high. These teach conflict resolution, citizenship, controlling anger along with other issues that help children make good choices. There are lesson plans for elementary schools that can be downloaded www.goodcharater.com/EStopics.html that teach about life skills, and the six pillars of character. Erikson called the school years "industry verses inferiority", this is because students begin to see the relationship between perserverance and the pleasure of a job well done. As Erikson said "How well students do in the primary grades matters more for their future success than does their school performance at any other time."

additional sites:
www.teacher.scholastic.com/professional/todayschild/comeback.htm
www.goodcharacter.com/article_4.html

article points out why we should teach charater building www.colorado.org/character

Erik Erikson Biography

20th century theorist Erik Erikson had strong influences throughout his youth pointing him in the direction of his lifelong passion toward psychoanalytic theories on child behavior. Erikson conducted research on identity which was an issue he faced as a young child. Erikson was raised Jewish yet had the appearance of a Scandinavian. This may have sparked his inner desire to conduct research on identity. He lost his father at a young age and subsequently was raised by his mother who later remarried. Erikson began to identify himself as an outsider. Erikson’s stepfather refused to accept his intense artistic inclinations and later Erikson abandoned his stepfather’s wishes to attend medical school and attended the Baden State Art School. Throughout Erikson’s educational journey he encountered many obstacles. After painting children’s portraits in Vienna he moved on to tutor/teach art at a school run by Dorothy Burlington, a friend of Anna Freud (an Austrian Psychanalyst.) In the 1920's his skill with children became apparent and Anna Freud began mentoring him. With Anna's encouragement Erikson began to study childpsychanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. At this point he became interested in the influence of society/culture on child development. He studied American Indian groups of children helping him formulate his theories, enabling him to correlate personality growth with parental and societal values. Erikson published "Childhood and Society" in 1950 and went on to develop and publish "The 8 Stages of Development" (his most famous piece,) developed the "identity crisis" concept, just to name a few among many other works that greatly influenced the development of the field of psychoanalysis.

Erikson immigrated to the U.S. in 1933

Erikson taught at Yale University and Harvard University

Erikson was born on June 15, 1902 in Germany and died on May 12, 1994 in Massachusetts leaving behind significant theories on child development.

Erikson's Theories parents may find helpful

Psychoanalyst Erik Eriksson states that an individual experiences eight stages of development:
1. Infant: Trust vs. Mistrust
2. Toddler: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
3. Preschooler: Initiative vs. Guilt
4. School age Child: Industry vs. Inferiority
5. Adolescent: Industry vs. Role confusion
6. Young adult: Intimacy vs. Isolation
7. Middle-Age Adult: Generativity vs. Stagnation
8. Older Adult: Integrity vs. Despair


In each stage, challenges – psychological crises are faced that require individuals to change their concepts of themselves and the world around them. The individual’s identity emerges out of a series of challenges and conflict that make children and adolescents especially vulnerable during particular periods. Each stage the individual has specific needs that must be met if it is not met these needs are carried to the next stage.

At the fourth stage: Industry vs. inferiority (6 to 11) during the elementary grades, children’s behavior is characterized by active curiosity and a sense of how they stand in relation to others. Children want to win recognition and praise through the things they do.
If this occurs they develop a sense of industry. The potential danger of this stage is that the child will not experience success and will develop feelings of in adequacy or inferiority. If children are encouraged to succeed, if those around them praise their efforts, and if they feel competent, they will develop a sense of industry or confidence. If their attempts to succeed fail .if the adults around them give little feedback or negative feedback, and if they feel incompetent they will develop a sense of inferiority. Schools are the social institution where these out comes occur and their consequences are seen most clearly.

A child’s sense of industry can be built at home and in the community as well. Parents may assign appropriate chores to their children and praise or reward them on completion. The parent may encourage the child to partake of children’s activities e.g. Plays or volunteer programs held in church, synagogue, temple, mosque or community centers and libraries. Such activities will help build their child’s confidence and sense of industry. Parents or guardians should always show an interest in the child’s school work and make sure that the child completes his or her home work. Parents may take an active part in the childs education by attending parents-teachers conferences; assist in obtaining the appropriate tutoring for the child when necessary and helping with school projects. Encouraging a child to be punctual at school will also help build his or her ethics thus preparing him or her for the future.


Other Links
www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/
http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory.htm