We live in an era that changes so quickly. The access to information is wider and greater than before, which makes people ask themselves a lot of questions about themselves too. Who am I? What do I like doing? What are my values, my goals? How do I make sense of my emotions? These are only a few of the questions that might run through students’ minds, questions that might not come with an immediate answer. Finding and knowing your identity, and knowing who you really are is crucial and it helps you choose the right opportunities for yourself, but also make the best and wisest decisions.
However, life in college can be challenging too and you might lose sight of the real questions. As an educator, you can support students in finding their identity, and finding who they really are or want to be. College realities are sometimes harsh for some students, as discrimination and stereotypes are still very present in college life. So, how can you teach students and help them learn about identity in college 2022? Here are some suggestions.
What Makes People’s Identities?
We can hear various talks about people’s identities, but what exactly makes an identity? What is an identity composed of? Or how can you describe it? Or, more importantly, how can you discover your identity? These questions might seem simple to some students, but the great majority still struggle to find out who they really are. Even though this is a process that happens throughout the entire life, college is the best place to start thinking about it. And as an educator, you have a great influence over this.
One of the first things you could do is to start a warm-up discussion with the students about identity. Let them know that identity consists of their gender, personality, religion, abilities, and so on. They could start thinking about these aspects when it comes to their individual self and analyze their way of being, behaving, and thinking. You can encourage them to write an essay on this topic, as this will force them to expand their critical thinking skills and analyze their personality. There are many essay examples or essay samples students can check to see how to organize their essays. But a lot of information can be found by checking a free essay on personal identity online, which is available online. This is an effective way of encouraging students to think about themselves and their identities and to discover their personalities and abilities. Sparking and encouraging open discussions within the class is one of the first steps you can do so that you teach and learn about identity within the college.
Analyzing Characters and Historical Figures
However, sometimes, looking at yourself and finding what you like and dislike or the things that make you up as a person might feel challenging. So, if some students struggle with this, you can add other activities to the classroom.
For example, you could pick a character from a book, a historical figure, or even a celebrity or public persona. And, of course, encourage students to discover their identity. You can take a look at how this persona behaves or behaved, how is its personality, and what are its abilities. In this quest of supporting students to discover their own identities by analyzing others first, you need to be careful. It is crucial to spot any stereotypes and prejudices that might intervene in the analysis process.
There are a lot of these that simply direct our way of thinking and behaving, but also affect the learning process. So, help students become aware of them and go beyond these stereotypes that are encouraged by the family, media, businesses, or society. For example, if you are a girl, it does not mean that you love to play with dolls. You can play with cars too, as society says only boys do. And there is nothing wrong with this. For sure a lot of stereotypes will make room in the analysis process, but it is crucial to spot and discuss them within the classroom.
Final Thoughts
The topic of identity is crucial these days, as society is changing constantly. What makes me who I am? How am I different from other people and what makes me this way? What do my thoughts and behaviors say about me? What are my abilities, and what do I like and dislike? What are my values? These are just some of the questions that students might ask themselves. And as an educator, you have the power to help them discover their identities by creating the perfect and safe context to analyze themselves.
Bio lines: Helen Birk is a content writer and blogger. She is passionate about sociology and psychology and often writes articles on topics such as society, college realities, stereotypes, and many more. Helen’s passion is reading and traveling.
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