assembled by diana e. knauf, ph.d. professor of psychology
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OUR STUDENTS - Who are they? What do they want ?! How can we help them?! A Developmental Perspective. Assembled by Diana E. Knauf, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology. Overview. Our Students WHO are they? Why are they HERE? What do they want and need? Developmental Theory What does it say? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
OUR STUDENTS -
Who are they? What do they want?!
How can we help them?!
A Developmental Perspective
Assembled by Diana E. Knauf, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology
Overview• Our Students
– WHO are they?– Why are they HERE?– What do they want and need?
• Developmental Theory– What does it say?– How can it help?
• How this translates to our students.
• Questions
WHO ARE THEY?!
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
MEN WOMEN NOT TELLING *
• There are about 12,200 of them.
• All with differing dreams and goals.
• All come hoping to have a great experience. (And some of them even get one.)
WHO ARE THEY?!
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
AGE
0-18
18-24
25-39
40+
Not saying.
WHO ARE THEY?!
3%
6%
3%
1%
6%
13%19%
49%
Asian
African American
American Indian
Hispanic
White
Multiracial
Other
Not Reported
WHY ARE THEY HERE?!
6%15%
39% 40%
Transfer
Basic Skills
Other
ProfessionalTechnical
WHAT DO THEY NEED?Developmental Education
• MATH – We KNOW that a large proportion of our students need developmental math (they are not college-ready).
• READING – We KNOW that a large group of our students cannot read at the college level.
• WRITING – We KNOW a similar group cannot write at the college level.
• WHY can’t we be more specific?– The Testing Center software used for data collection does not
currently distinguish between our students and people taking these tests for other reasons.
WHAT DO THEY NEED?Financial Assistance
• About 25% of our students receive some type of aid.– 62% receive a federal or state grant– 40% have borrowed from a loan program– Some receive both types
• Many of our students work part- or full-time.
• Many of our students receive some “help from home.”
HOW CAN DEVELOPMENTAL
THEORY HELP?• Theories are the closet organizers of life.
– We need to know where things go; how things fit.
• Students deserve our recognition of the life issues that face them in and out of the classroom.
• PIAGET ERIKSON LABOUVIE-VIEF BIOLOGICAL FINDINGS LERNER
PIAGET’S THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
• Formal Operational Stage– begins at approx. age twelve and lasts into adulthood.
• Ability to think abstractly and to manipulate abstract concepts.
– adolescents begin to consider possible outcomes and consequences of actions
• Logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning also emerge during this stage.
• Problem-solving – movement from trial-and-error to an organized approach. Develop the skills to solve problems more methodically.
LABOUVIE-VIEF’S POST FORMAL THOUGHT
• Adult thinking that does not rely SOLELY on logic or reason.– takes into account the relativistic nature of
problems and solutions.– sees gray areas.– Incorporates flexible thinking that
acknowledges the world as complex and contradictory.
ERIKSON’S DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY
InfantTrust vs. Mistrust
ToddlerAutonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
PreschoolerInitiative vs. Guilt
School-Age ChildIndustry vs. Inferiority
Older AdultIntegrity vs. Despair
AdolescentIdentity vs. Role Confusion
Young AdultIntimacy vs. Isolation
Middle-Age AdultGenerativity vs. Stagnation
CURRENT BIOLOGICAL TRENDS
• Adolescent brains– Growth and pruning
• Ability to generate all of the possibilities.• Difficulty in selecting the “best” one.
– Id, ego and superego – see Freud still matters.
– “My mother got smarter as I grew older.”or the “I know everything already” syndrome.
What?! MORE BIOLOGY?!
– “Blooming” of psychopathology
– The hormone parade
– Risky behaviors
Adult Brains
– Development of flexibility.
– The effect of stress.
– The “menopause” effect.
– Cognitive decline as myth.
SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR STUDENTS?
• Let’s look at resulting issues.
• A few profiles.
TYPICAL ISSUES OF ADOLESCENCE
• AUTONOMY – school, moving out, car, social life, partner, cooking and shopping.
• BIOLOGY AND THE BRAIN - neuron growth, the development of complex thought, the ability to generate multiple alternatives paired with the inability to choose wisely, raging hormones, and a difficulty/unwillingness to question.
• IDENTITY- Who AM I; descriptively, vocationally, politically, sexually, morally, religiously, culturally, racially, peer groups (drugs, alcohol, sexual behaviors).
POSSIBLE ISSUES OF THE NON- TRADITIONAL STUDENT
• Insecure• Persistent• Unsure of skills• Feelings of a lack of
self worth• Embarrassment• Feeling out of place
(among the trads)• Financial concerns• Need to update skills• Fear that one cannot
learn anymore• Determined
• Articulate• Demanding• Excited• Feelings of
unworthiness• Doubts• Fears• Uncertainty• Feeling “behind”/late
bloomer• Difficulty of finding life
balance• Financial issues
PROFILES
•Amanda•Andy•George •Marion
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT
Skills & SmartsSkills & Smarts
What happened yesterday.
What happened yesterday.
Support System
Support System
ResourcesResources
My 3rd grade teacher said...My 3rd grade teacher said...
DevelopmentDevelopment
Where I came from.Where I
came from.
Needed Skills
Needed Skills
Earlier EducationEarlier
Education
Important people
Important people
Goals Goals
Who am I?Who am I?
When we consider our students and their stories,
we can serve them in the most helpful ways.
QUESTIONS?
• You will receive a copy of this PowerPoint.
• I am happy to answer any questions you have right now.
Thank you.
Thanks especially to Jim James, Ted Haase and Catherine Mohr for their invaluable assistance.