A Teacher's Use of the Environment To Facilitate the Social Development of Children

In the mid-1600s, when schooling became compulsory and the public support of schools was mandated, its socialization function was forthright. Curriculum and instruction were designed for both academic and social development. Today, in the morass of high-stakes testing and the all-encompassing emphasis upon academic achievement, socialization via schooling is masked. In this case study, the efforts of a 4th/15th-grade teacher were examined. The environment the teacher created was viewed in relation to the teacher's declared goals of socially developing students, Erikson's industry versus inferiority crisis, and empowerment via shared authority by teacher and student.