How to be a great teacher: Lessons learned from Erikson & Piaget

How to be a great teacher: Lessons learned from Erikson & Piaget

By Kimberly Maher

EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education

School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
September 22, 2008

Having studied the theories of Vygotsky, Piaget, and Erikson in the past I was excited to see how I could apply their theories to the realm of education. I thought it was really fun to use the memory exercise to begin looking at Piaget’s theories on memory, learning and development. It was interesting to see that most of the individuals who remembered the most words used the technique of putting the words into categories.

I think it is very important to understand how students learn and remember to be efficient teachers. We must understand how students are developing cognitively and psychologically to be the best teacher possible. By understanding the changes they are going through, a teacher can tailor lessons and themes so they will not only relate to the students but also give them a sense of achievement while still challenging them.

I loved the quotation by Erikson in the beginning and thought it is the perfect starting point for a personal teaching philosophy. By constantly reinforcing positive behaviors and letting children get joy out of their achievements and most importantly giving them love we can help develop strong and stable students and children. By balancing the love and achievement emphasized in Erikson’s theory with the disequilibrium in Piaget’s one can create a classroom that fosters learning and development, while still allowing for personal achievement.