Stages of Adult Development And Needs

Identity Vs. Role Confusion (13-21 years) Concerns and Characteristics:  Struggle for identity (who am I?)  Changing self-image  Breaking away from parents and transferring need to parental guidance to mentors  Very active socially  Considers possibility of teaching

Implications for Staff Development (needs)  Provide clear expectations  Provide opportunities for independence, but recognize the need for dependence  Be sensitive to the ups and downs of intimate relationships  During student teaching, provide support and feedback

Intimacy Vs. Isolation (21-39 years) Concerns and Characteristics (the 20s):  Searching for a partner  Parenting may begin for some  Focus on education and careers  Wanting to demonstrate competence on the job

Implications for Staff Development (needs):  Provide mentor for new teachers  Clearly define limitations of the job  Offer on-site and specific training (classroom management, working with parents, etc.)  Provide social activities for staff

Concerns and Characteristics (30s):  Social life revolves around partnerships and family or around close friends  More men and women choosing to postpone marriage  Both men and women concerned about balancing work and family responsibilities  Job advancement may be a goal for some

Implications for Staff Development (needs):  Discuss relationship between career and family  Build trust and respect  Offer staff development, portfolio development, college-level coursework  Encourage staff to become involved in professional associations  Encourage staff to pursue graduate education  Provide teacher leadership roles (head teach, advisor, or coordinator, administrator/supervisor internships, for those who are ready)

Generativity Vs. Stagnation (40-65 years) Concerns and Characteristics:  Marriage – each partner respects autonomy of the other  Continues to try to balance work and family responsibilities  Mental activities still in place  Becoming a model in the next generation‘s eyes

 Friends are important  Signs of aging  43% of marriages break up within first 15 years  Feeling creative, productive, and self- satisfied  Begins to think about retirement

Implications for Staff Development (needs):  Know teachers; individualize to meet teachers’ needs  Jointly plan teacher development to facilitate growth  Respect differences, skills, and knowledge base among teachers  Offer training and support for those reentering the field  Include teachers in decision making  Encourage teachers to lead staff development, workshops

Integrity Vs. Despair (65 and older)

Concerns and Characteristics  Beginning to accept self as part of elder generation  Sharing wisdom  Mental ability may diminish, but still effective  Health and aging issues  Enjoys old friends, family, grandchildren  Still seeks work creative, or learning opportunities

 Prepare teachers for retirement  Explore ways that teachers can pass on knowledge and expertise  Provide individualized professional development and learning  Help teachers recognize accomplishments Implications for Staff Development (needs):

 Support intergenerational community- wide programs and activities that bring children, teachers, and seniors together  Offer part-time volunteer opportunities with training and support  Teach children to care

Stages of Supervisors Supervisors undergo a process of growth and development over time. They face similar problems and frustrations in each phase, but their ability to handle problems changes as they gain experience and move towards maturity.

Phase/ Stage 1: Beginning/Survival Concerned with self:  Anxious (will I be able to carry out the responsibilities?)  Critical of self  Seeks support from many sources

Copes in several ways:  Plays the role of supervisor  Avoids responsibility  Uses trial and error  Uncomfortable with authority  Develops new realizations about self

Phase /Stage 2: Extending/Consolidation  “If only I…”  Accepts leadership with uncertainty  Can discuss problems and concerns more objectively  Concerns are centered on others  Better understanding of others and of program  More comfortable with authority  High expectations for self  More confident, more relaxed

Phase/Stage 3: Maturity  Knows self and can evaluate self openly  Sense of being in charge  Greater sensitivity toward and understanding of supervisees

 Recognizes expertise of supervisees  More realistic about job and what can be done  Concerned with ideas  Stimulated by outside contracts, gets rewards from solving problems  Continues to be critical, but sees self as learner