Urie Bronfenbrenner and his Ecological Systems Theory

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A great deal of consideration needs to go into preparing a child for the change that occurs when going from a home/child care atmosphere into a school environment. The Teacher needs to consider the child in its entirety throughout the changeover to scholarly activities. This must include the child’s physical readiness, socio-emotional, and cognitive abilities for learning. It is equally essential to discover ways in which to involve the children's first and most important teachers, their families. The families have the most information about their child's strengths, weaknesses as well as the challenges the child faces. Being able to communicate with the families is vital to teachers in collecting in depth information about their students in order to be better equipped to meet the needs of the children.

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory “looks at children’s development within the context of the systems of relationships that form their environment.” (MORRISON, 2009) This theory describes multifaceted tiers within the environment, where each layer has a specific influence upon a child’s development.

Within Bronfenbrenner theory there are five interconnecting ecological systems:

I. Microsystem: this tier is the closest one to the child and consists of the things the child has direct interactions with. It includes all the relationships and contacts the child has with their immediate surroundings, such as family, neighborhood, school, and childcare settings. There are two directions in which these relationships within this tier impacts the child, towards and away from the child. For instance: a child’s parents influence their actions and beliefs; then again, the child likewise influences the beliefs and actions of the pare...

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...ts them know how important it is and how much their parents care about them and their education.

Works Cited

Aldridge, J. S. (1997). Examining contributions of child development theories to early childhood education. College Student Journal Vol. 31 Issue 4 , p453, 7p.

MORRISON, G. S. (2009). URIE BRONFENBRENNER AND ECOLOGICAL THEORY. In G. S. MORRISON, Early Childhood Education Today 11th. Edition (p. 129). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

MORRISON, G. S. (2009). URIE BRONFENBRENNER AND ECOLOGICAL THEORY. In G. S. MORRISON, Early Childhood Education Today 11th. Edition (p. 131). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

Ryan, D. P.–J. (2001, 12 07). Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Retrieved 06 27, 2011, from National-Louis University's PT3 Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to use Technology.: http://pt3.nl.edu/paquetteryanwebquest.pdf

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