How theories of development and frameworks to support development influence current practice
Theories of development and frameworks to support development are incredibly important to us working with children and young people. They help us to understand children, how they react to things/situations, their behaviour and the ways they learn. Different theories and ways of working with children have come together to provide frameworks for children’s care, such as Early year’s foundation stage (EYFS) which is used within all child care settings. This encourages us to work together, help and check the development of babies, children and young people, to keep them healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure a child is ready for school etc. Some of the theorists and their theories that have a huge influence in current practice (where elements are also included and used within the EYFS) are: Ivan Pavlov – behaviourist
Pavlov believed in ‘conditioning’ his research started with dogs who salivated when their food was put down for them. He noted that whilst ringing a bell when the dogs’ food was put down resulted eventually in the dogs still salivating at the sound of the bell ringing even if no food was put appeared. This is because he had conditioned them to do so. Gradually after a while of just the bell ringing the dogs’ conditioned response to salivate weakened until they finally did not react – called ‘extinction’. This is a useful theory to help us understand the reasoning/behaviour of a child for example, having a phobia of going to the toilet in a new/strange place. Since he/she has been conditioned not to like the new/strange place and may refuse to go inside. This is where the conditioning is linked to an irrational fear and it is best to try to get him/her not to link the two and ‘un-condition’ him/her.
The Essay on Classical Conditioning Dog Conditioned Pavlov
When ever the bell rings in any school in any nation you are guaranteed to see students and teachers file into the hallway. This automatic response comes from something that has been around for a long time called classical conditioning. Classicalconditioning was discovered and researched by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist. His famous experiment with his dog is known to nearly everyone who has ...
B.F Skinner – behaviourist
Skinner suggested that humans and animals learn from exploring their
environment then drawing conclusions based upon consequences of their behaviour. He divided the consequences into three groups. Positive reinforcers- Likely to repeat their behaviour when they get something they desire. He suggested this was the most effective way of encouraging new learning. Positive reinforcers for children include gaining adult attention, praise, stickers, sweets and treats. Negative reinforcers- Likely to make people repeat behaviour as well but the behaviour is being repeated to stop something from happening i.e. children who are going down the slide too quickly will learn to use their hands to stop themselves as they are unhappy about the speed. Punishers- Likely to stop behaviour from being repeated i.e. staying away from the plug socket after receiving an electric shock.
Albert Bandura – social learning
Bandura suggested children learn from watching adults – referred to as ‘Bobo doll experiment’. Three groups of children watched a film of a variation in behaviour in adults towards a doll. Group A – saw the adult behave aggressively towards the doll. Group B – saw the adult behaving aggressively towards the doll and then rewarded by sweets from another adult. Group C – saw the adult being aggressive but then told off by another adult. After the film the children were observed in a playroom with toys and the bobo doll. Group A and B were similar, this telling they was not influenced by the reward but more influenced by the telling off. Afterwards they were all asked to imitate what happened to the doll and they could all copy the adult’s actions. Therefore adults within a setting are expected to act and behave in an appropriate and healthy manner, speaking politely to children and to each other and to generally act as a good role model, as the children will learn a lot of their social behaviour through observation of the adults around them.
The Essay on How communication skills support children’s learning
Speech, Language and Communication skills can support a child’s learning, emotions, behaviour and socialisation massively, and these are just a few examples. Language Language can support learning Speech, Language and Communication skills in many ways and one of these ways that they can do this is by using and making different sounds and symbols, spoke as well as signed language. This then has ...
Jean Piaget – constructivist
Piaget was a zoologist who became interested in children’s development after working on intelligence tests. He noted that children often gave similar wrong answers to some questions. He used his own children to do observations. He suggested that children constructed or built up their thoughts according to their experiences of the world around them. He felt that their learning was an ongoing process and that children may have to adapt their ideas if new information contradicted their conclusion or ‘schema’ a term Piaget used. An example of his work was, a group a toddlers receive milk in a blue beaker and become to think that milk is just served in blue beakers, until one day they are given juice in a blue beaker, then they have to reconsider and realise juice, milk and other things come in blue beakers. Stages of learning in Piaget’s theory are: Assimilation – the child constructs a theory (schema)
Equilibrium – the child experiences to date fit everything (so everything balances) Disequilibrium – an experience occurs that casts doubt on the schema (things don’t add up) Accommodation – the child changes the original schema to fit in the new piece of experience or information.
Lev Vgotsky – constructivist
Vgotsky believed children’s social environment and experiences are very important. He saw children as apprentices learning and gaining understanding through being with others (scaffolding).
He also suggested that maturation was an important element in children’s development and parent/carers should extend children’s learning so they can use emerging skills and concepts. He used the term ‘zone of proximal development’ or ‘potential’ He said that people working will children need to extend and challenge their thoughts so that their zone of proximal development can emerge. He also stressed the importance of social interaction and the need of adults to work alongside children. He thought direct teaching was important and that children should be active in their learning. Vgotsky’s theory has been extremely influential in the current practise. Children are encouraged to interact and have a ‘hands on’ approach to learning. Children and quite often given and carry out tasks together or to generally help each other out.
The Essay on Learning Experiences 3
The objectives of my learning experiences at London South Bank University, first year, I had to do a presentation on my sales pitch. My reflections I was nervous to do my presntation to the class as I’ve got to know majority of the students I thought, one of the students, might put me off. It would have been essier to do my presentation at the beginning when I started uni, as I didn’t know anyone. ...
Sigmund Freud
Freud suggested our personalities are made up of three parts, the id, ego and superego. Not all parts are present at both, only the id, but develop through childhood. The id – the instinctive part of the personality. Governed by drives and needs of body such as, hunger or finding pleasure.
The id does not consider how meeting desires and wants will affect others and is thought of as quite selfish, i.e. a baby crying and crying until it gets what it wants (food) not considering the need of the mother, needing sleep maybe. The ego – has a planning role. Works out how to meet the id’s needs and desires in the best way i.e. the baby may learn that smiling in some situations will get what he/she wants and in other situations it may be better to cry. The ego is the common sense part of the personalities and sometimes make the id wait for its demands like waiting to be offered a cake rather than snatching one as they may have it taken from them this is ‘deferred gratification’. Superego – develops later in childhood. It tries to control the go. It comprises of the conscience and the ego-ideal. The conscience will punish the ego if it misbehaves. This is where guilt comes from. The ego-ideal will reward the ego if it shows good behaviour. This is a source of pride and confidence. Freud’s theory has been criticised, however his theory is still useful to consider when observing a child’s link between our un-conscience actions and our minds.
Abraham Maslow – humanist
Maslow looked at people’s motivation and needs. He suggested that people had certain fundamental needs that had to met before they could fulfil their full potential or ‘self-actualisation’. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem then self-actualisation. If a child’s ‘basic needs’ were not met then this would cause a deficiency in that person. These needs are hierarchical but all have to met before the person can achieve self-actualisation. This is certainly influenced with current practise and extremely important and crucial whilst working with children and young people that we make sure we think about the environment around them and forming positive supportive relationships and recognising that a child needs warmth and shelter, food and love and the promoting of self-esteem for them to fulfil their full potential or ‘self-actualisation’.
The Term Paper on The Effects Of Alcoholism On Children part 1
The Effects of Alcoholism on Children Abstract Within the conceptual framework of this research, we will elaborate on the effects that alcohol has on children. The background of the problem will be given, together with the various reasons why it has become such a huge issue recently. Reasons for teenage drinking will be discussed, as well as the underlying theories behind those reasons. The ...