Chapter 9 Children Under Magnifying Glass Summary

AbstractVery few theorists have impacted and influenced child development as did the work of Jean Piaget and Arnold Gesell. Although they stand at opposite poles, both have recorded facts useful to parents and professionals alike. This paper presents the highlights of their theories and focuses on their major differences.

The purpose of this assignment is to closely observe the development of a child through an interview and apply the theories and concept of child development in his particular cultural and educational context. I selected the child who lives in my neighborhood for the interview and began with seeking the permission from his parents. The child’s name is ‘Abdullah’ and he is seven years old. He lives with his family in Terre Haute and his family consists of parents and two sisters. Abdullah goes to Sugar Grove Elementary School in the Terre Haute city along with his two sisters and he is in grade 2. The interview was conducted at his home and I ensured his convenience. He was cooperative and provided insightful responses to the questions and he provided significant detail in the interview. I was able to track his development stages and connect it to different theories of Developmental Psychology including psychoanalytical perspectives and Piaget’s stages of development. In the following paragraphs, I will explain my observations about Abdullah’s development in the light of developmental theories with special focus on cognitive, social, linguistic, and emotional development followed by making connections between his socioeconomic and cultural background and development. Lastly, I will conclude paper by highlighting that the observations during the interview can facilitate my future practice as a teacher.

Developmental psychology is the study of how human beings age and transform throughout the eight major stages of life. This paper will focus on the physical, cognitive, social, moral, and personality development of individuals found in stage two, (early childhood 1-6 year olds). Through exploring, and examining the countless influences that affect their growth development.

Child development was largely ignored throughout much of history as children were often viewed simply as smaller versions of adults. It was once researchers recognised the direct effect that development has on individuals that its relevance became important. Childhood development begins from infancy to adolescent and follows a predictable sequence yet progresses through a unique form of growth within each child. Understanding childhood development is essential because it allows us to fully appreciate the cognitive, emotional and physical growth that children experience, Some of the major theories of child development are Gesell, Piaget, Erikson and Bronfenfrenner.

The reason I chose that topic is that because of the huge importance of learning over centuries. the precise arrangement of learning procedures to most kids has been an advancement of the last 200 years or even most recent 50 years in a few nations. Schools for the youthful have generally been supplemented with cutting edge preparing for ministers, officials and experts.

The theories/approaches established by historical and contemporary pioneers provide valuable insight, underpinning the understanding of how children develop, allowing teachers to enhance the holistic development of every child. This essay will analyse the: behaviourist theory; cognitive-developmental theory; and socio-cultural theory.

Bee H., & Boyd D. ( 2003). The Developing Child, 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Prior to the early 20th century little interest was paid to how a child developed; indeed most early research appears to be based on abnormal childhood behaviour (Oates et al. 2005). However, over time researchers began to acknowledge that both genetics and environment factors impacted on the way a child developed. Although there are many theories of child development, in particular constructivism, behaviourism, social constructivism and social learning have influenced developmental psychology enormously (Oates et al. 2005).

As we grow older we change; these changes are most visible during infancy and childhood. From birth, babies grow larger and show noticeable development in both their social and intellectual competence. The study of age-related changes in human behaviour is referred to as developmental psychology. Child development refers to the psychological and biological changes that occur in individuals from birth to adolescence. By understanding child development, psychologists know what to expect in infants and children at each developmental stage, and can therefore establish the limitations in infant’s and children’s

Both of these speculations look at the issue of formative brain research utilizing stages to clarify the procedure. Each of the speculations sets that every stage has diverse difficulties in the improvement process. Consequently, progressive stages expand upon one another to the degree that disappointment in the previous stage likewise hastens disappointment in the following stage.

The processes and theories in child development can be taught in classes and explored through textbooks, but real word observation is essential to truly understanding how significant this information is in daily life. Each child’s development is unique, and subtle differences in life experiences can dramatically alter their development both positively and negatively. For my observation, I chose to attend one of my close friends’ family nights where her brother and his wife brought their three young children, ages 8, 3, and 4 months. To get a glimpse both of the two main stages of human development we’ve been studying, birth through infancy and early childhood, I got permission from each parent to observe and write about both their three-year-old daughter and four-month-old son. To protect their privacy I will refer to the 3 year old girl as Anna and the 4-month-old baby boy as Adam.

Everyday we are developing no matter our age, but it is how we develop children that will tell a tremendous amount an individual. How a child developments is fundamentally important at a young age as it affects all aspect of their lives once the child matures. Throughout the class, we looked at many theorists during the course of the semester as well as looked at many articles pertaining to the concepts of the development of children. The theorists and articles opened up our minds to a world that we have never seen before and concepts about child development we have never been taught but have seen in the practical work we do every week. What makes humans unique is the ability that we have to interpret the language being used, as Lois Bloom

Human Development attracts a wide range of researches which play a crucial role in defining the stages between childhood and adolescence. In the Human Development course, educational practitioners must pay special attention to the highly pronounced differences in physical, spiritual, and cognitive needs of children. They should come up with appropriate educational practices that deal with students’ developmental requirements. Therefore, it is not right to judge students’ progress using

The disciplines as provided in the readings are very wide, and conflictual in many ways; hence there are some common lines that every discipline crosses. The major trends and theories developed to shape the educational arena in the United States throughout history, had different purposes and goals of education; from religious, utilitarian, to civic, and social developments. However the conflicts generated by the various disciplines lead every time throughout history to create compromises, in order to maintain the stability of the social order in the country. They defended in a way similar causes and beliefs by work to establish a better society, thus they usually seek intellectual excellence, equity, excellence, child centered educational environment.

The Role of Methodology in Developmental Research Developmental psychology may be defined as a branch psychology devoted to understanding all changes that human beings, experience throughout the lifespan (Berk. E. L 2003). Developmental psychology focuses hugely on development in childhood, as major changes occur in childhood, it is the scientific study of ‘how we grow and develop’, (Davenport 1994). Developmental psychology aims to understand the important aspects of cognition, socialisation, emotional development, and personality development through childhood to adulthood. ‘Researchers are captivated by and want to understand the fascinating, complex, and often surprising arrays of behaviours