Personhood Curriculum 8th Grade

 

Overcoming Your Egocentric Thinking

Lesson Plan

aphg8-10

Provide a single document that outlines how to overcome egocentric tendencies, including a list of other documents to read and study.

This lesson (aphg8-10) and the previous (aphg8-9) are part of a set of two lesson plans that should be presented during the same class period.

The previous few classes (lessons aphg8-5 through aphg8-8) have slowly laid the groundwork for students to recognize their own egocentric tendencies. As we have gone through those lessons, some students may have been slowly coming to realize they are egocentric.

This set of two lessons are the culmination of that effort. Lesson Plan aphg8-9 is a quiz designed to produce the final step in recognizing one's own egocentricity. Lesson aphg8-10 is basically "What to do about it if you are." It is not really a class lesson, but the dissemination of the essay for self-study.

The teacher extends an offer to privately help any student who asks for help. Therefore, the teacher should prepare, in case there is any such request. It is recommended the teacher visit the Internet resources given near the end of the essay "Overcoming Your Egocentric Thinking."

Print the essay "Overcoming Your Egocentric Thinking." - - - kill-ego.rtf

Make copies for each student.

 

If you don't have this from an earlier class, print the slide no-panic.htm - - - no-panic.rtf

Make a projection transparency from it.

 

Have extra copies of the class essays defined in "Overcoming Your Egocentric Thinking." These will be given to any student who has lost theirs, who want them.

Introduction

This time we look at...

Presentation

In way of review - - -

• What is egocentricity? Describe it.
• What is sociocentricity? Describe it.
• What is wrong with using these viewpoints?

Hand out copies of the essay "Overcoming Your Egocentric Thinking."

If you realize that you have egocentric tendencies, and have decided you want to grow out of them, then this essay will help you. It is a guide on how to overcome egocentricity.

The essay lists other essays we have looked at in class, and that you should still have in your class folder. If you are missing one or more, see me for a duplicate. They are also available on line. Their web addresses are included in the essay.

Relevancy

Egocentricity is a thought pattern that gets in the way of good thinking. It also gets in the way of a good life! It often prevents people from finding out what is really true in the world, or in understanding another person's behavior. It is especially troublesome when trying to get along with other people.

 

If we are egocentric, other people will find us difficult to get along with.

 

It cuts us off from even considering viewpoints different from our own, and thus prevents us from learning from each other and prevents us from growing.

 

Each of us should have a Life-Goal to achieve honesty in our own thinking. Egocentricity prevents that from happening.

 

As we go through life, we need to understand what thinking position other people are in. This helps us pick out strategies for dealing with them.

 

We are not going to do anything more in class on this subject.

 

Project the large slide (no-panic) offering to help.

 

If any of you want copies of papers you no longer have, see me.

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Periodically

Teacher Follow-up

Be prepared to help any student who wants your help in overcoming his or her egocentricity.

Be primed to recognize egocentricity in a student. If you see it, take him or her aside, privately, to discuss it. Try to bring them to see it in themselves, that is it is something that should be fixed, and to take action to fix it. Emphasize that egocentricity is just one of the natural steps of development we go through, but need to move on. Offer to help.

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As of: 26 Dec 2002