Transcript theories of development

Chapter 4-3
THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT
ERIK ERIKSON (1902-1994)
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Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902
in Frankfurt, Germany.
Psychoanalyist and earned a
certificate from the Vienna
Psychoanalytic Society.
Moved to the United States in 1933;
Taught at Harvard Medical School.
Erikson’s expanded psychoanalytic
theory; Contributed to understanding
of personality development over a
lifespan.
Childhood and Society and The Life
Cycle Completed; Gandhi's Truth was
awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a
national Book Award.
THEORY –PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Stage theory of personal and social
development in which at each stage of life an
individual confronts a major challenge or “crisis”
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Stage 1: Birth to 18 months
• Psychosocial Crisis: Trust vs. mistrust
• Desired Resolution: When one has a sense of
security and some control over environment
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Stage 5: 12 to 18 years
• Psychosocial Crisis: Identity vs. role confusion
• Desired Resolution: finding sense of self and
building relationships in peer groups
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Stage 6: Young adult
• Psychosocial Crisis: intimacy vs. isolation
• Desired Resolution: building a close
relationship and connection s with sexual
partners, friends
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Stage 7:Middle adulthood
• Psychosocial Crisis: generativity vs. selfabsorption
• Desired Resolution: Satisfaction from life’s
work, nurturing future generation, and caring for
others
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Stage 8: Late adulthood
• Psychosocial Crisis: integrity vs. despair
• Desired Resolution: reflection on life with
contentment, facing death without hopelessness
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Stage 2:18 months to 3 years
• Psychosocial Crisis: Autonomy vs. doubt
• Desired Resolution: Alertness of growing
competence and separateness as human being
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Stage 3: 3 to 6 years
• Psychosocial Crisis: initiative vs. guilt
• Desired Resolution: exercising a growing sense of
power and ability to act on own without undue
risk-taking
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Stage 4: 6 to 12 years
• Psychosocial Crisis: Industry vs. inferiority
• Desired Resolution: finding satisfaction in school
achievement and mastery of new skills
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IMPORTANCE IN PRACTICE
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Many early childhood programs utilize his socialemotional theory
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EXAMPLE: Love and Learn Child Care Center teacher’s stay
with the same infants for 2-3 years in order to get to know
them personally and in order to provide consistent care.
His theory exemplifies the both/and approach.
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“Each of the crises that children must negotiate is resolved
by achieving a balance between the two poles.” (105)
EXAMPLE: You must learn to trust an adult, but you must
also be cautionary towards adults who are strangers.
ERICKSON’S THEORY IN THE CLASSROOM
 Love and Learn Child Care Center
- In this center babies and toddlers have primary caregivers who stay with
them for 2 or 3 years.
 Pre- school and Kindergarten
- Structured with extended periods of time for children to initiate their own
activities. Teachers encourage children to voice their opinions and ideas.
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After School Program
- Provides time, space and materials for primary grade children to pursue
and master hobbies and interests.
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Erickson’s theory emphasizes the role of the
sociocultural context on children’s personal and
social development, but parts of his theory
assume particular cultural perspectives.
ABRAHAM MASLOW
1908- 1970
A humanist, who studied healthy personality
development and developed the self-actualization
theory, which identifies a hierarchy of needs that
motivate people’s behavior and goals.
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MASLOW’S THEORY
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Behavior and learning are motivated by a range
of needs.
Applied this theory to the development of social
skills and personality.
Felt behavior could satisfy several needs at the
same time and accomplishing those needs
allowed for individuals to reach their individual
potential.
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MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
-Maslow developed a
self-actualization
theory with the
hierarchy of needs.
-The bottom two
layers are basic
needs required to
live.
-This hierarchy of
needs motivates
people’s behavior
and goals so they
can develop.
-Psychological
needs are in the
middle, followed by
self-fulfillment
needs.
-Maslow believed that a person could
not move up the pyramid unless basic
needs below were met.
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MASLOW: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
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Everyone has certain needs including children and for
a teacher to be most successful, one must follow these
specific needs.
Meeting children’s physical needs, emotional and
psychological safety are the three main goals for early
childhood practices.
Children must be given positive, loving relationships
between themselves and adults in order to increase
their self-esteem and to be the most successful in
learning.
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HOW THEORY WORKS IN PRACTICE:
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Be authentic
Know that life is precious
See that basic needs are satisfied
Be good choosers
JEAN PIAGET
(1896-1980)
Swiss –born
Spent majority of his life
listening to and observing
children, began with detailed
observations of his 3 children
when they were infants
Valentine, his wife, did the dayby-day observing and recording
beginning at birth
Jamie VanDuzer, Chelsea
Hunt, Kellie Smith, Maggie
Leggour, and Noelle Rosen
Piaget’s Theory
“Children
don’t think like adults”
Constructivism: Children actively build their knowledge
from firsthand experiences in stimulating environments
How Development Occurs
Children come up with schemes, or concepts, that guide behavior
These schemes alter in response to experiences through the
process of adaptation.
New information can either be assimilated, or connected to an
existing scheme, or it can be accommodated, or constructed into a
new scheme.
Disequilibrium
equilibration
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
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Physical Knowledge- How objects move and function
and how the physical world works
Logico-Mathematical Knowledge- The relationships
that are constructed in our minds between objects
and concepts
Social-Conventional Knowledge- Culturally agreed-on
names and symbols that are directly transmitted to
the learner
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
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Sensorimotor (birth-age 2): Children learn through their
senses and motor skills. They cannot comprehend object
permanence and are very egocentric.
Preoperational (2-7): cognitive developments occur,
language explodes. These children don’t understand
conservation.
Concrete Operational (7-11): thinking becomes more
logical, children are able to mentally solve problems. Most
successful at solving problems they can directly experience,
rather than abstract concepts, such as death.
HOW THEORY WORKS IN PRACTICE
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Children are active
learners, meaning they
are not sitting listening to
a teacher lecture all day
Classrooms have a variety
of concrete learning
materials
The environment itself
promotes learning
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How is this important to
teachers?
Be aware that children learn
best through active
experiences,
Provide activities to promote
their learning and
development.
Teacher’s should have
knowledge of the stages of
development to provide
challenging, yet achievable
goals.
LEV VYGOTSKY (1896-1934)
Born in Russia.
 Prolific writer and after his
death his students further
developed his theories.
 Work was not translated
into English until 1962.
 What children learned is
determined by the culture
in which they grow up.
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VYGOTSKY’S THEORY
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is based on his belief that
children learn from social interaction within a culture context.
• What children learn is determined by culture in which they
grow up
• Viewed development basically as a continuous process driven
by learning
• Cognitive development involves the zone of proximal
development, social construction of knowledge, language, selfregulation, and play.
VYGOTSKY’S THEORY
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Zone of proximal development- distance between the actual
developmental level an individual has achieved and the level
of potential development with adult guidance
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Social construction of knowledge- children learn by solving
problems collaboratively with the teacher’s support or by
working with peers
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Self-Regulation- ability to adapt or control behavior,
emotions and thinking
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Speech is the most important tool for learning
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Make-believe play is the leading activity in children’s
development from about ages 2-5
HOW THEORY WORKS IN PRACTICE
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Play creates a zone of proximal development.
When children pretend to be adults, they use more
sophisticated language and behavior.
In small groups, pretend play promotes self-regulation.
Requires children to regulate themselves, be regulated by
others, and regulate others.
Theories are practiced by teachers who guide and support
student learning and problem solving through play or
collaboration with peers.
IMPORTANCE FOR PRACTICE
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Teaching in the zone of proximal development requires children
to experience a challenging curriculum
 Content should move them ahead in thinking and problem
solving
The teacher’s role is even more important than ever
 They are not only the controller of the classroom, but as a
collaborator with children in constructing their learning
B.F. Skinner
•Born in Susquehanna, PA
•Psychologist
•One of the most influential
Learning Theorist
•Theory of Behaviorism
•Developed the theory of
Operant Condition
•Experimented with animals
and humans to explain Operant
Conditioning
THEORY
- Developed the theory Operant conditioning
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*Using pleasant or unpleasant consequences to control
behavior
Systematic experiment
Discovered he could train rats to press a lever by rewarding them
with food
From experiment with animal and people he developed the core
principles
B.F SKINNER
How his theory worked in practice
•Most famous for “Skinner box”
•Operant conditioning will change behavior based on immediate
consequences
•Even used today, positive & negative reinforces, punishment,
consequences, and extinction all result from his conclusions
Importance for Practice
• Operant conditioning effects the way a child will motivate
towards learning
•Positive reinforcements strengthen behavior
•Unpleasant consequences decrease frequency of a behavior
•Learning how the child reacts to specific consequences allows
the teacher to know which consequences to use