Problem
Overview
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development, including sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
Watch the video A Class Divided (53:05).
This video portrays the story of a third grade classroom in a small, all-white Iowa town. The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliot, the teacher, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a lesson on discrimination. This lesson portrays the lasting impact it had on the children 30 years later.
As you watch the video, consider what stage of Piaget's developmental theory the children are in, and if this is a good way to teach children of this age group.
Task
1) Discussing the stage of Piaget's development the children in the video are in and provide evidence to support your answer.
2) How do you see self-fulfilling prophecy and learned helplessness portrayed in this video?
3) How was the self-esteem of the children affected by participating in this study?
4) Why do you think the children's test scores rose after participating in this experiment?
5) How can you use Piaget's theory and Kohlberg's theory to explain the adult and children's behavior during this study?
6) Which theory (theories) of personality can help you understand the students' behavior in this video? Find at least one resource to support your answer.