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theories and models of child development to support children’s development
theories on child development
theories and models of child development to support children’s development
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There have been many visionaries that have developed theoretical frameworks which give a basic, general approach to understanding the ways in which children develop. Doherty and Hughes (2009) recall that early childhood progression is most commonly presented in terms of specific periods of time. Therefore, this tends to relate to the idea of fixed and limited stages that are strongly linked with chronological age, moreover, providing a very specific ordering of change. The most frequently identified periods of development are prenatal, infancy and toddlerhood, early childhood, later childhood and adolescence. Generalised theories on child development came about in the 17th century, with John Locke’s ‘Some Thoughts Concerning Education’ (1693) forming a foundation where a child was born as a “blank slate.” Contrastingly, Jean- Jacques Rousseau’s ‘Emile’ (1762) explored the idea that children were born with a sense of morality. These two theorists provide the origins of generalised development, meaning that within these theories, children develop in the same way. However, using Gewirtz and Pelaez-Nogueras’ (1992) criteria for evaluating theories, generalised theories do not take account for individual differences that exist as children grow and develop. Thus, it could be suggested that these broad patterns are not likely to be very helpful.
Behaviourism, on the other hand, asserts that development of the individual can be achieved through observation of, and experiences in, the environment. It stipulates that development has to be based on observations rather than speculations about cognitive processes, which are by their nature unobservable.
One early proponent of this theory was John Watson, who, in 1913, published a paper ...
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...t reflects slow and steady change over time, or it goes through distinctly defined stages. Arguably, development should be considered as being largely continuous but having certain stages characterised by ‘milestone’ stages such as beginning to walk, where this new skill is clearly different from the child’s previous abilities. The development within early childhood can be seen to be due to many factors that have some clear effects upon some aspect of their progression, such as diverse environments and social settings. Every child experiences a unique combination of genetic and environmental influences that show how children have their own distinctive abilities, suggesting that generalised patterns are not very helpful indicators in considering the development of an individual child except as a loose framework within which to child’s development can be monitored.
From the video observation, the two three-year old children, Thomas and Riley set off on a bus journey along with their childminder; it is observed that both the children speak about their journey, in which they are able to identify various features, which include the passengers; various buildings and different types of buses. Both children observe many of the features by taking photographs to highlight what they have observed on their journey. From observation, the video looks at the way the childminder plans the experience from a child-initiated stance, which directs the children’s learning in addition with assisting them with role-play and symbolic play, which is shown towards the end of the video. Thus, this essay will focus on the importance of early physical development within the Early Years framework, as well as the influence of the family with reference to the children along with the childminder. I shall link theory to practice from observation, by recounting both the boy’s bus journey, using a number of hypothetical methods, as well as emphasising the social and emotional development equally with cognitive development. However in particular, I will address the cognitive development, by doing so, a whole approach is required regarding both the children’s development, as children are seen as individuals and that each area of their development cannot be divided into different sections.
Over time, there has been an expansion in our knowledge of the ways in which humans develop and learn. It is now known that babies are beginning to learn even before they are born. I often find myself wishing I had known these things when my children were developing. We all want our children to be the best that they can be; with some knowledge of how children learn and the sequential steps they must go through in many areas of development, we can provide many experiences at home to help them reach their potential. When educators discuss children 's development, they usually talk about physical, mental, social, and emotional development.
A human being begins life as a single cell. This cell changes throughout its life time to develop into a unique individual. Human development is the scientific study of the patterns associated with this change in accordance with the internal and external conditions of its existence (Papalia, Olds & Feldman, 2009). In exploring human development, there are three key areas that need to be addressed. These comprise of physical development, cognitive development and finally psychosocial development. Within each of these areas, it is apparent that most address three key issues. Firstly, is the development process continuous or a series of discontinuous stages? Secondly is there one path of development characteristics or does the individual take an active or passive role resulting in several possible paths and directions? Thirdly how do the genetic or environmental factors influence development? “Theorists such as Erikson and Piaget assume that developmental change occurs in distinct, discontinuous stages and all individuals follow the same sequence and order”(Hoffnung, Seifert, Smith, Hine, Ward & Quinn, 2010, p.34). While Brofenbrenner’s, ecological systems theory emphasises the broad range of situations and contexts in which development occurs making it a continuous process guided by the individual (Hoffnung,et al., 2010, p.35).
This semester in Child Development has helped me a great deal. I came into this class wanting to be a Child Development teacher at the high school level. I am leaving this class with the same ambition to become a Child Development teacher. I have learned so much by taking this class and I know it will all be helpful in the future once I am standing at the front of a classroom. Also, just by watching the way Mary teaches the class, I have learned things that I want to take into my own style of teaching.
Compare and contrast a child from younger age group with a child from an older age group.
Behaviourism is where a person learns through responding to stimuli so as to optimise their own situation. This means that humans have a need to learn so by adapting to a changing environment around to be able to survive. For instance a learner who has some sensory impairment will adapt their own learning styles to accommodate for this barrier by adapting method and using experience they are able to achieve the same learning outcomes as other learners.
...s in this field. Behaviorism can be used to improve our understanding of children and the learning process. However, factors other than environmental need to be taken into account. Children’s natural curiosity, prior knowledge, and early nurturing also play important roles in how children learn and behave (education website).
One precious little girl, charming responses, and thirty well spent minutes adds up to a successful Piaget project. The time spent on interviewing a child for cognitive development was insightful, and gave me a first hand look at how a child’s mind matures with age.
Growth and development is an ongoing process that begins at conception and continues through the remainder of our lives. The rate of development and growth varies dependent on many factors such as age and genetic disposition. There is a broad spectrum of physical and psychological changes that are part of the maturation and life of the individual. Growth is a physical change that can be weighed and measured. Development is a person’s behaviors and thinking patterns. Growth and development are processes that together make up the individual.
Child development and growth observation can be quite fascinating considering the uniqueness of each child. As children grow, they normally develop and acquire new skills whether complex or not. The abilities experienced by each child progresses differently that is it depends on the nurturing given by the parent or guardian and on the characteristics that they inherit. Proper development and growth of the child occurs when basic needs are provided by the reliable adult guardians, including such things as love, food, encouragement, shelter and warmth. The essay evaluates child development and growth through observation conducted by myself on my nephew. The essay will include physical development, general health, emotional development,
Child growth and development is a process that consists of some building blocks, which are components that combine in an infinite number of ways (Cherry, n.d.). As a result of the variations of building blocks in a child’s development, educators, psychologists, and philosophers have been constantly engaged in the debate of nature versus nurture debate. Many researchers agree that child development is a complex interaction between his/her genetic background (nature) and his/her environment (nurture). In essence, some developmental aspects are strongly affected by biology whereas other aspects are influenced by environmental factors. From the onset of an individu...
Child psychology, also known as child development, is the study of psychological growth of children; how these mechanisms develop from infancy to adolescence and why they deviate from one child to the next. Child development is associated with biological, psychological, and emotional diversity that occur in humans. Although there is a different advancement for each child, these developmental changes may be greatly determined by genetic factors and experience during prenatal life. The early years of a child’s life are very important for his or her health and development. Parents, health professionals, educators, and others can work together as partners to help children grow up to reach their full potential.
Behaviorism is a learning theory or a developmental theory that measures observable behaviors that are produced by the learner’s response to stimuli. On one end of the spectrum behaviorism is known as an attitude. At the other end, it is known as a doctrine. According to the behavioral views of human development, behaviorists argued that to focus attention on unobservable constructs, such as emotions, thoughts, or the unconscious, was an unscientific approach.(Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010)
Human development has been a subject of interest since ancient Greece and Rome. Different approaches derive from two basic directions: the nativists` and empiricists` ones. The latter method is to regard human development as a gradual change which has been influenced by the individual`s experience .On the other hand, the former approach has found its roots in the biological structure of the human organism which considers our development as a series of stages. However, referring to human development only as continuous or gradual would produce inconsistent and insufficient understanding of the developmental process .As a result, combining ideas of both viewpoints(continuity and phases) will provide a more explicit of understanding of the developmental processes and their final aim which is to create individual`s integrity within the social norms.
As I personally take the time to have a reflection over the course of “Child and Adolescent Development” I find myself intrigued with the amount of knowledge I gained during this course this semester. I wanted to take the time to concentrate on three specific areas in which I felt I had the most growth, but also came as a challenge to me as well. It is important when reflecting over a course that I look at what I found to be challenging, as this was an opportunity of growth for me individually. In this paper I will review some of the main topics that I found to be interesting but also resourceful for my future aspiration not only as a family life educator but also a mother one day.