Why should psychology be given in schools?
Since the last educational reforms, the need to expand areas of knowledge and action by the student to adapt to current cognitive needs has been highlighted. New subjects such as knowledge of the environment go in that line, also the ethics course has been introduced to promote social values.
In the field of personal development and self-knowledge, as well as in social interaction, is the subject of psychology. Its main function would be to promote social-cultural coexistence, self-knowledge, reduce personal and external conflicts, socialization, prevention of mental illnesses, analyzing symptoms and identifying them before a disease appears. Treating psychological and behavioral disorders from an early stage is vital and the best way to do this would be at school.
We live in a psychologically neglected society and the knowledge of psychology from childhood and youth are valuable tools to face vital stages of development in which difficulties appear, and that through self-knowledge can be addressed.
Psychology before the 80s
In the early days of education, parents had all their trust in the teacher and gave him authority for everything. First understanding that, although they could teach him ways of respecting, they had some certainty that the teacher could teach him other new ways of respecting and behaving, in addition to teaching the different subjects, giving their children the privilege of being able to study which they they did not have in their childhood because the circumstances were very precarious.
In the educational and respect work, parents would never face the teacher giving their child an overprotection which was not beneficial since a child is that, a child who does not know life. But if the child misbehaved and somehow tried to confront the parents with the teacher in a wise decision, the parents were sure that the child was responsible for the misbehavior. And thus being able to apply the teacher a series of punishments that changed the behavior of the children for the better.
And in this way the teacher could continue quietly exercising his educational work and taking the subject as settled and forgotten.
Psychology after the 80s
The Madrid Official College of Psychologists was founded in 1980. And thanks to its 16,000 members, it has become the largest autonomous school of psychologists in Spain with the effort and participation of its members throughout this time. The school and psychology of Madrid have undergone a great advance.
In 1990 the researcher Martín Seligman, after highlighting the need to decisively investigate the healthy aspects of the human being, proposed the choice of positive psychology.
In 1980 they focused on depression, anxiety and stress and in 1990 this researcher focused on positive psychology that is based on investigating the healthy aspects of the human being. This psychology has had as many detractors as sympathizers.
Psychology in the present. (The importance of the therapist)
In a current study published in the First National Meeting of Professionals of Educational Psychology, in which 502 teachers of Compulsory Secondary Education of the Community of Madrid have participated, in which the result says that: 4 out of 10 students have little motivation to study, 3 out of 10 do not strain and almost 4 out of 10 have difficulty concentrating.
In this sense, they establish an average estimate of the school failure of their students at 18%. In addition, 35% consider that many or enough students obtain the graduate degree in ESO without being prepared for it, and 40% believe that many or enough students pass the course improperly.
On the other hand, they point out that 7% of the students maintain an attitude of rejection or defiance of the rules. Thus, almost half of ESO teachers (48%) acknowledged having faced at least one attempt to boycott the class by a student during the past academic year and a percentage of teachers claim to have heard of a case of bullying. school among his students.
Role of the psychologist in education:
Prevention and detection of mental health problems and their possible referral and follow-up of cases.
Early detection and diagnosis of developmental disorders.
Psychological evaluation of the student using the specific psychological instruments and techniques, as well as the preparation of the corresponding psychological report.
Diagnosis of mental disabilities, intellectual endowment, disorders of behavior and emotions and specific learning disorders.
Psychological intervention with students who have sensory and motor disabilities that require it.
Psychological intervention with students or with a group in conflict situations: school violence, bullying, aggressive behavior, etc.
Advice to teachers for group management: conflict resolution, improvement of social skills, bullying, etc.
Advice to teachers, families and students about psychological problems and processes that affect learning: sleep disorders, eating disorders, toilet training and other conduct disorders.
Advice to families, teachers and students who have been exposed to traumatic situations: death of a family member, mistreatment, sexual abuse, terrorism, catastrophes, etc. and their subsequent intervention and referral.
The ideal school in which psychology will be taught in schools in the future.
Currently, the psychologist is a key figure in the functional and balanced development of an educational center at all levels: Primary, Secondary and Bachelor Early Childhood Education.
Its priority function is to attend to and promote psychological development in all its components: psychomotor, intellectual, social, emotional-emotional in the three main agents of the educational system, students, parents and teachers.
There is something fundamental in everything I am that educational psychology is very important in the career of any student. In a supposed ideal school in which psychology was taught as a subject, I would try to create a series of specialties that provide what is necessary to create a network of connection between the subject, the teacher and the student-parents, with which the students get to know each other better themselves and better understand the people with whom they live daily. Thus achieving a place where everything feels better.
Group opinion.
Our opinion is that teaching children psychology would give us tools to help us in life and thus we would better bear the suffering and would make school and our world a better place.
In schools there is only one psychologist for all classes, however there are no individual sessions for each student. With psychology as a subject combined with several individual sessions, students would be able to get to know themselves better and empathize with both their parents and their teachers.
We have gone from a type of education of extreme authority to a type of education where the leading role is played by the student and the teacher often has to withdraw. With which, becoming aware of the psychoeducational importance is highlighted as a vital need for coexistence and the proper functioning of the educational system.
Questions.
What does psychology contribute to social well-being in the early stages of children’s life cycle?
Do you think psychology should be a subject? . Would psychology be another subject or a kind of beneficial therapy for the student?
Do you think it would bring something positive to your child?
Do you think that psychology would promote education in values?
Do you think that having psychologically educated children would help a social balance ?.
Observer’s gaze
My name is Francisco and I have been a teacher until recently when I retired. In my childhood, all my classmates and I had enormous respect for the figure of the teacher and fear of some of his punishments. Over time I have seen how a good relationship has been established between teachers and students, until today the role has been turned around and in some cases the teacher has had to withdraw, due to numerous failures regarding different problems students, unable to exercise the profession.
