Welcome to

Wifi = 2mNR8xrD3

How Young People Develop and Learn

•Physical Development – Erik Erikson’s Life Cycle•Identity •Learning Styles•Multiple Intelligences•Role play...putting the theory into practice

How Young People Develop and Learn

Erikson, like Freud, was largely concerned with how personality and behaviour is influenced after birth - not

before birth - and especially during childhood. In the

'nature v nurture' (genes v experience) debate, Erikson

was firmly focused on nurture and experience.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Psychosocial Crisis Stage Life Stage age range, other descriptions

 1. Trust v Mistrust Infancy 0-1½ yrs, baby, birth to walking

 2. Autonomy v Shame and Doubt

Early Childhood

1-3 yrs, toddler, toilet training

 3. Initiative v Guilt Play Age 3-6 yrs, pre-school, nursery

 4. Industry v Inferiority School Age 5-12 yrs, early school

 5. Identity v Role Confusion Adolescence 9-18 yrs, puberty, teens

 6. Intimacy v Isolation Young Adult 18-40, courting, early parenthood

 7. Generativity v Stagnation Adulthood 30-65, middle age, parenting

 8. Integrity v Despair Mature Age 50+, old age, grandparentshttp://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm

How Young People Develop and Learn

As parents / youth workers, our own emotional triggers might be set off by the young people in our care when they go through certain stages

The young people in your youth group might have struggles which have been established in one of their childhood stages e.g. struggling to trust anyone because they developed a unhealthy sense of mistrust in stage 1.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Trust v mistrust (0-1.5years): The infant will develop a healthy balance between trust and mistrust if fed and cared for and not over-indulged or over-protected.

Automony v Shame & Doubt (1-3years)•Autonomy - self-reliance: Independence of thought, and a basic confidence to think and act for oneself. •Shame and Doubt - inhibit self-expression and developing one's own ideas, opinions and sense of self.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Initiative v Guilt (3-6years)•Initiative: capability to devise actions or projects, and a confidence and belief that it is okay to do so, even with a risk of failure or making mistakes. •Guilt means what it says, and in this context is the feeling that it is wrong or inappropriate to instigate something of one's own design.

Industry v inferiority (5-12 years)•Industry - purposeful or meaningful activity. Development of competence and skills, and a confidence to use a 'method', and is a crucial aspect of school years experience. Hard work pays off •Inferiority is feeling useless; unable to contribute, unable to cooperate or work in a team to create something, with the low self-esteem that accompanies such feelings.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Identity v Role Confusion (9-18years)•Identity - how a person sees themselves in relation to their world. sense of self or individuality in the context of life and what lies ahead•Role Confusion is the negative perspective - an absence of identity - meaning that the person cannot see clearly or at all who they are and how they can relate positively with their environment.•Young people struggle to belong and to be accepted and affirmed, and yet also to become individuals. In itself this is a big dilemma, aside from all the other distractions and confusions experienced at this life stage.

Intimacy v isolation (18-40years)•Intimacy – process of achieving relationships with family and marital / mating partner. •also in terms of sexual mutuality - the giving and receiving of physical and emotional connection, support, love, comfort, trust, and all the other elements that we would typically associate with healthy adult relationships•Isolation conversely means being and feeling excluded from the usual life experiences of dating and mating and mutually loving relationships. This logically is characterised by feelings of loneliness, alienation, social withdrawal or non-participation.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Generativity v stagnation (30-65 years)- Generativity –unconditional giving that characterizes positive parental love and care for their offspring. Potentially extends beyond one’s own children, and also to all future generations.- Stagnation – extension of intimacy which turns inward in form of self-interest and self-absorption. Lack of interest in young people and future generations and the wider world; feelings of selfishness, self-indulgence, greed etc.

Integrity v despair (50+, old age)- Integrity – feeling at peace with oneself and the world. No regrets or recriminations. More likely to look back on lives positively and happily if they have left the world a better place than they found it – in whatever way, to whatever extent.- Despair – opposite disposition – feelings of wasted opportunities, regrets, wishing to be able to turn back the clock and have a second chance.

Reflection...

- Can you see any of these ‘crisis’ in yourself? Or in any of your young people?

- How have other people helped you through these crisis?

- Do you think the age brackets for each stage are correct?

How Young People Develop and Learn

Identity v Role Confusion•Identity - how a person sees themselves in relation to their world. Sense of self or individuality in the context of life and what lies ahead•Role Confusion is the negative perspective - an absence of identity - meaning that the person cannot see clearly or at all who they are and how they can relate positively with their environment.•Young people struggle to belong and to be accepted and affirmed, and yet also to become individuals. In itself this is a big dilemma, aside from all the other distractions and confusions experienced at this life stage.

Where did we get our identify from when we going through

this stage?

Where can / do our young people get their identify from

today?

Are they different places? Do our young people have more or less options than we did?

Why / why not?

How Young People Develop and Learn

Identity represents a sense of self that includes a conscious sense of one’s individual uniqueness and a sense of solidarity with a group’s ideals (Erikson, 1968). It embodies an understanding of how one is like all other people, like some other people and not like any other person...’ – Kerry Young, Art of Youth work, p34

-We all....(in school) have to do homework, have to go to school, do PE etc...-Like some people...hobbies, style of clothing, music, type of social media you’re into...-Not like any other person...what 1 things makes you you? What are you known for? Do you want to be known for anything?

How Young People Develop and Learn

Sexuality and IdentityWhat does culture say about it?

SexualityWhat does the Church say about it?(or...what is the Church known for saying about it?)

The Church is confused...and yet, if we avoid talking about it, who are we helping?

How Young People Develop and Learn

Kerry Young – The Art of Youth Work ‘’Adolescence’ represents the first phase of life during which the individual develops a clear personal and social identity that persists throughout life. This makes the issue of identity central to youth work as an age specific activity.’ p35

‘Within youth work, the development or preservation of identity is, therefore, not about judging young people but rather providing information and supporting them to understand what (for instance) being [‘Christian’] means to them.’ p36

Therefore, a central part of being a ‘Christian’ youth worker should be about helping our young people work through their Christian identity.

Is that why it’s harder to become a

Christian and form a Christian

identity after your teenage

years?

How Young People Develop and Learn

What does being ‘Christian’ actually mean?

Does it mean the same to everyone on your team of volunteers?

Does everyone place the same emphasis on the same things?

In 1 sentence, what does being a Christian mean to you?

How Young People Develop and Learn

We’ll all bring aspects of our own faith identity and what’s important to us to our youth work:

- Evangelism v discipleship

- Being a Mary v being a Martha

- Helping young Christians to be good Christians v helping young people to be good people

How Young People Develop and Learn

Best way to help young people work out how to form their own identity in different contexts & settings?

Invite them to come watch how you form your identity in different contexts & settings – including in

the difficult settings of life.

Paul: ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.’ 1 Cor 11:1

Are you bold enough to invite your young people to join you and your partner on your next ‘Date’ night, and to use that as a way to explore

sex and relationships from a Christian viewpoint?

How Young People Develop and Learn

‘And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and

man.’ Luke 2:52

How long for?

A sign of hope....

We don’t need to have all the answers straight away...and neither do – nor will – our young people

How Young People Develop and Learn

Learning

‘Learning in schools [churches / youth groups] does not happen by chance, though children will learn many things that are not planned for, and an understanding of the ways in which we believe learning takes place is really an essential for those responsible for planning and implementing programmes of learning – teachers [church leaders, youth workers...]’ ‘Learning is not exclusive to the domain of an education system. Learning begins a very long time before school; continues for even longer after school; and happens rapidly, and in parallel with school, in a great number of different ways and settings.’

How Young People Develop and Learn

If you were a young person attending your youth group, what

would you learn – either intentionally or unintentionally?

Young person

How Young People Develop and Learn

Honey & Mumford’s learning styles.

Theorist: - relate how different theories / observations relate to each other. Tidy and well-organised minds…and e-mail inboxes. Can’t relax until they get to the bottom of situation in question and can explain their observations in basic terms. Uncomfortable with anything subjective or ambiguous. Usually sound in their approach to problem-solving – take a logical, one step at a time approach.

Pragmatist: Seek out and make use of new ideas. Look for the practical implications of any new ideas or theories before making a judgment. If something works – all is well and good. If doesn’t work – little point in spending time on the analysis of its failure. Strength – confident in use of new ideas and will incorporate them into their thinking. Most at home in problem-solving situations.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Activist: - learn by doing. Novelty; will ‘give anything a go’. Get on with things – not interested in planning. Bored by repetition – most often open-minded and enthusiastic. Reflector: - stand back and observe. Collect as much info as possible before making decision; ‘look before they leap’. Look at big picture, inc. previous experiences. Strength – will painstakingly collect data and subsequent analysis before they reach any conclusion. Slow to make up their minds…but when they do, decisions based on sound consideration, knowledge and opinions.

Which one are you?

How Young People Develop and Learn

Module 2 portfolio task

Learning Styles – Ask a handful of your young people and fellow leaders to complete the Learning Style questionnaire you completed at Cliff College. Produce a reflection upon the learning styles of your youth team and the learning styles of your young people. The Questionnaire can be found in the Files section of Portfolio 2.

How Young People Develop and Learn

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

1900 – IQ test developed to identify how ‘clever’ people were.

But, argues Gardner, it doesn’t recognise that different people have different learning strengths and different learning styles. Gardner’s definition of intelligence: ‘the ability to solve problems, or to fashion products, that are valued in one or more cultural or community setting.’

How Young People Develop and Learn

7 types of intelligence increased to 9....

Linguistic - enjoyment of and facility with reading, poetry and all things literacy / linguistic

Logical / mathematical - enjoyment of and facility with maths and science, games of strategy and any logic-based pursuits.

Musical – enjoyment of and facility with music – listening, playing and perhaps composing.

Spatial / visual – enjoyment of and facility with images, drawing, construction, games and tactile puzzles such as jigsaws

How Young People Develop and Learn

Kinaesthetic – enjoyment of and facility with activities that involve touch and movement, dance, sport and other practical activities

Interpersonal – enjoyment of and facility with other people, communication, leadership and the ability to empathise

Intrapersonal – enjoyment of and facility with self-motivation, no dependence on others, awareness of one’s own feelings more than those of others – often seen as shyness

Naturalistic – enjoyment of and facility with the natural world, with ability in recognizing patterns and classification

Existential – enjoyment of and facility with asking and examining questions about life, death and ultimate realities.

How Young People Develop and Learn

‘... An individual may not be particularly gifted in any intelligence; and yet, because of a particular combination or blend of skills, he or she may be able to fill some niche uniquely well.’ – p27

How Young People Develop and Learn

Resources:http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm - article about Erikison’s life cycle

http://infed.org/mobi/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-and-education/ - a good background article to Gardner's 7 multiple intelligences, and an outline of some of the arguments against his work.

http://www.ericdigests.org/1998-1/multiple.htm - another background articles to Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory

There is a word document in the files section of today's session which is a conversation between Howard Gardner and students about how the principles from his theory of Multiple Intelligences would play out in reality.

‘Ways of Learning’ by Alan Pritchard – chapter on Learning Styles is on the portal

How Young People Develop and Learn

Group Work

In groups of 4 or 5, start to plan some activities that you could use in your youth work setting which cover the topics we have covered today, including:

- Different learning styles and intelligences- Meet your young people’s needs- Help young people explore their faith

NB: This is very similar to one of the portfolio questions, so make sure you make notes...

Welcome to

WIFI = 2mNR8xrD3