Ed Week October 13, 2010

The article in this edition of Ed Week that caught my eye is entitled "Developmental Science Seen Lacking in Education Schools" by Stephen Sawchuck.  I guess I have been thinking a lot about developmental stages and Piaget ever since we did our podcasts on development in our Educational Psychology class.  According to the article new research from the last 10 to 14 years is giving us new insights into development.  The developmental sciences are truly interdisciplinary.  They encompass the biological, emotional, ethical, linguistic, psychological, and social development of children and adolescents.  A report released by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education argues that we need greater emphasis on developmental science in teacher preparation courses.  Research indicates that teaching methodologies based on developmental science actually increase student achievement.  According to the article, however, many teacher training programs are neglecting the developmental sciences.  The report recommends that teacher prep programs focus on the developmental sciences and that developmental science be woven into existing education courses.  It also suggests that teachers already working in the classroom be encouraged to apply developmental science.  After discussing Piaget's developmental stages and researching play and development myself, I have been thinking quite a bit about how this might even apply in my current college-level teaching.  It seems to me that many of the freshman I am teaching are also in a developmental stage that has to do with gaining independence, learning to take care of themselves and live on their own.  They seem to be trying to establish their identities, find partners, build a circle of friends.  Sometimes this comes into conflict with memorizing their German irregular verbs.  I am not quite sure what to make of this, except that I do not take it personally that they would rather go to the movies than study German.  I have not really read anything scholarly on this and would like to do so.  As I may be teaching at the elementary level, I will try and make it a priority to inform myself about current research on development in the K-5 set.