Identity Formation

Dear New Teacher,

Identity can be a complex idea to think about, though whether you realize it or not, your role as an educator is helping adolescents to form their own identities. There is far too much to cover in regards to identity in one post, so we will devote a little time each week to discussing various components of identity.

One of the best ways I think teacher’s can help support students in their identity development is being aware of the formal operational stage of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, and creating lessons that emphasize some of the key components of this stage. According to Dolgin (2011), adolescents in the format operational stage “become inventive, imaginative, and original in their thinking. Possibility dominates reality” (p. 123). This really struck me as I feel that much of current day education encourages just the opposite, standard based reform and high stakes testing does little to encourage inventive, imaginative and original thinkers.

Identity is largely tied to decision-making ability in adolescents. In terms of decision-making skills, teachers are able to support students by including critical thinking skills in their curriculum. Not only is critical thinking crucial in schools, Dolgin suggests that adolescents who are involved in the family decision making process are often more successful at making good decisions as well (p. 135). Also mentioned by Dolgin is the common occurrence of stereotyping as a barrier to good decision-making. Examining stereotypes is an easy lesson for a teacher to deliver, and can be utilized within many subjects. I think on a larger scale, teachers can encourage and students in their identity formation by not letting their personal biases influence the way in which they teach and interact with students, and also by providing a variety of perspectives in the classroom.

Have you thought much about the identity formation process of you students? What about your own personal identity formation? What can you do as an educator to help guide adolescents through this process?

Best,

Mallory

Dolgin, K.G. (2011). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13thed.).              Boston, MA: Pearson.