Meg Dailey
EDUC 314
Homework 6
2-28-06
In preparation of someday having my own class of third graders, I am beginning
to contemplate what to expect from them. Different theorists have proposed multitudes of
ideas explaining children’s development. By combining the ideas we have studied in
class, I will expect independence, intelligence, and industry from my future third graders.
By the age of nine, my future students will be fairly independent. Students have
had at least three years in a formal school setting and will begin to understand what is
expected of them. I expect that most students will at least be able to work well in a zone
of proximal development (Vygotsky). While this is not completely independent, it is a
step towards independence, and students can help one other into the zone of proximal
development without the help of the teacher. As independent students, third graders may
have a tendency to be overly independent to the point of selfishness. I expect that they
may rationalize based on only their feelings, without thinking about how their decisions
affect others. They may try to bargain with me to get out of a punishment, without
realizing how that will affect me or their fellow students (Kohlburg). While the students
are independent, they are also very social creatures and need the reassurance of one
another in order to develop, as according to the sociocultural theory of development
(Vygotsky). The social setting of a classroom will nurture cognitive development by
helping children learn social interaction and language skills.
Each of the students in this social setting will contribute to the learning of all the
other students. This is because each student has a unique type of intelligence to
contribute. I believe that along the lines of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory, each
student will have different strengths and weaknesses. Since students will be interacting
