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ED299 Study Trips: Overview of Critical Self-Reflection: A. Description of The Critical Incident or Practice

1) The author observed a 4th grade art class and had in-depth conversations with four girls about their interests, goals, and accomplishments. 2) The author was initially surprised by how much the girls knew about themselves but realized this self-awareness is developmentally appropriate for their age. 3) The author gained a new appreciation for how students of all ages think critically and discover themselves, not just in high school as previously thought. The experience provided a more well-rounded understanding of child development.

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ED299 Study Trips: Overview of Critical Self-Reflection: A. Description of The Critical Incident or Practice

1) The author observed a 4th grade art class and had in-depth conversations with four girls about their interests, goals, and accomplishments. 2) The author was initially surprised by how much the girls knew about themselves but realized this self-awareness is developmentally appropriate for their age. 3) The author gained a new appreciation for how students of all ages think critically and discover themselves, not just in high school as previously thought. The experience provided a more well-rounded understanding of child development.

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IPS 70 / Center for Inquiry

ED299 Study Trips: Overview of Critical Self-Reflection


A. Description of the Critical Incident or Practice
The second day I was at IPS/ CPI 70, I followed Mr. Cole’s class through their schedule (which included
math, art class, and the start of book club meetings). I sat at with four girls at their art table and chatted the
entire hour with them as they worked on Robert Indiana projects. The conversation ranged from discussions of
different types of slime to what the students wanted to be when they grew up to what the students already
accomplished. Halia wanted to be a movie director. Anastasia has a notebook at home filled with memoirs. Shania
loves filling her notebook at school with comics and journal entries about her life.
What I loved about the conversations we had was that I did nothing to invite discussion of these topics; it
was totally student-directed. With these conversations, the students came to respect and value me, simply
because I said their names correctly and cared about their interests.

B. Feelings
The conversation that I had with these four girls made me so happy. On Tuesday, I had a very negative
interaction with one fifth grader. He wanted to cause stress and anxiety, and he accomplished that when he
spoke to me. In comparison, the interaction I had with four girls at an art table today filled my heart with joy and
peace.

C. Thoughts
Upon talking with these students, I appreciated nothing more than the fact that they seemed to happy,
intelligent ladies who were proud of their work. I loved that the girls accepted me and were willing to talk with
me. However, I also (momentarily) thought that these students were a little selfish for only talking about
themselves, until I remembered that they were fourth graders and that’s simply what fourth graders do.
As the conversation continued and the girls continued to chat—a little with me and a little with each
other—I realized that their conversation topics were so self-focused because the developmental stage they are at
is totally focused on learning about the self, one’s interests, one’s capabilities, etc. This realization made me so
much more invested in the conversation. I was thrilled to be a part of such an intricate developmental stage.

D. Deconstruction
D1) Underlying Assumptions
It appears as though I had an almost degrading view of children—I seemed to believe they weren’t
complex enough to speak intellectually about their interests.
D2) Multiple Perspectives
The simple fact that these students knew themselves so well was truly impressive. I certainly didn’t know
myself as well as these children did. What separates my younger self and these fourth graders was the
freedom they were given within the learner profile to discover their interests.
Erik Erikson would tell me that children aged six to eleven struggle in finding industry or experiencing
inferiority. This is the stage in life when children begin learning more complex ideas, so they must cope
with increasing social and academic demands. While Erikson’s theory is often more applicable to boys
than girls, the idea of children seeking out industry in this time of their life was palpable in the girls I
chatted with at the art table. Their entire focus was on figuring out what it meant to be “Halia,”
“Anastasia,” or “Shania.”

Lev Vygotsky would have explained to me not the developmental levels of these children, but rather the
importance a social influence has on these children. Just like the school as a whole, Vygotsky believes that
the college students who come into the classroom, modelling proper dialogue and curiosity, are
beneficial to the younger students. Even more wonderfully, IPS/ CFI 70 clearly believes, like Vygotsky,
IPS 70 / Center for Inquiry

“learning occurs when a child interacts with a skillful tutor.” However, the freedom of discussion in the
classroom—specifically Mr. Cole’s math lesson and the art classroom—proves that teachers believe
students can be skillful students to one another. By observing others’ social and academic interactions,
students can better understand how to be socially and academically successful.

Maria Montessori’s beliefs seem to connect Vygotsky and Erikson’s theories. Montessori sees ages 6-12
age the time period where children are “driven to understand the world around them, how things work,
and why.” Additionally, one of the greatest tools for development is social acceptance and the
development. The teachers working with this age group clearly understand and embrace this idea
because they do not yell at children to stop talking or stop doodling while the teacher was talking (unless
a very important instruction was given). The teachers understand that students in this age group cannot
staunch their curiosity or simply stop talking with others. Communication with others is the most
important thing at this moment in children’s lives.

D3) Further Analysis


The reason I want to teach high school students is because I think the time when students begin
discovering who they are is fascinating. I always thought that high school was the time when students
began to truly discover themselves, formulate complex ideas, and learn how to give voice to those ideas.
However, I’m now coming to realize that there is not only one stage of complex development that
students experience. The older students are not the only ones who think critically and discover their
personalities. I always respected high school students the most because of their critical thinking, but I can
no longer think this way. I saw and experienced last Thursday how move development fourth graders
alone experience in art class! I feel like I’m in the process of developing a deeper respect for students of
all ages and am creating a more professional viewpoint of classrooms by learning more about the
developmental levels of all students.

E. Reframing and Taking Action


After observing Mr. Cole and the art teacher (as well as the students’ interactions), I better understand the
importance of allowing students time to talk. The social development of this age is crucial, and the teacher I got to
observe absolutely understood this. However, the teachers also understood the importance of building a firm
academic foundation, and they clearly worked to make lessons applicable to students, at least slightly fun, and
embrace the different learning styles each student had. The ability of teachers to modify their lessons for the
good of the students was inspiring: (from what I saw) students were meeting mathematical standards, enjoying
and respecting their teachers and their lessons, and were growing socially.

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