Social Interactions Promotes Learning Early Childhood Education

Christina J. Groark, Stephanie K. McCarthy, Afton R. Kirk. (2014). Early Child Development: From Theory to Practice. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

DeVries et al. (2002) Developing constructivist early childhood curriculum: practical principles and activities. Teachers College Press: New YorkGagne, Robert. (1968). Contributions of Learning to Human Development. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (75): 3.

In the “Study of the Child: Theories of Development I” (Learning Seed, 1997), according to Vygotsky, the cognitive development in children is in direct relationship, and dependent on interaction with others. (Feldman 2010, pg. 20). Vygotsky believed to truly understand cognitive development; a child’s social and cultural experiences must be considered.

Social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development.. He states: “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological).” (Vygotsky, 1978).

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development was one of the first steps in understanding how children become who they are as adults. In early childhood, children begin to understand symbols and representations (Berk, 2014, p. 227). Their learning shifts from sensing the world as in the sensorimotor stage to trying to find commonalities like symbols. According to Berk (2014), Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory focused on “social context of cognitive development” (p. 234). Vygotsky incorporated social context and social interactions into childhood development; in other words, who, how, and what children interact with in their everyday social environment contributes to their mental and emotional development. When it comes to both of these cognitive theories, there are many similarities and differences between Piaget and Vygotsky.

Lev Vygotsky believed that social and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognition of the value of progressing knowledge by means of interaction with educators, peers and family (Mooney, 2000, p. 83). The major ideas of Vygotsky’s theory are scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is a process Vygotsky described as the framework or temporary support for children’s learning. In order for scaffolding to be beneficial, it must be responsive to the child’s needs (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, pp. 106-107).

The NAEYC Initial Standard #4: using developmentally effective approaches focuses on using positive interactions to develop trusting relationships with all children and their families. Efficient early childhood education (ECE) professionals must use a broad range of approaches to create developmentally and age appropriate pedagogy that supports student’s needs, interest, readiness levels, abilities, disabilities, and overall cultural identities. ECE professionals must also reflect upon their practice to ensure

Introduction: Over the past few years, research in neuroscience and developmental psychology has create a great influence to shape 21st century people’s outlook towards young children’s learning and development.“Development and learning that occurs in early childhood is now widely regarded as the foundation for future learning, health and well-being”(EDU30003,2015). Professor Loris Malaguzzi from Reggio Emilia, in Italy, championed the idea of placing the image of the child at the core of pedagogy. He prefers to consider “each child’s reality, provide comfortable environment, enjoy relationship and work together with children and become totally involved” (Malaguzzi, 1993) in children’s play. As the number of children attending child care centres has continuously increasing, it is the responsibility of the early childhood educators to provide a nurturing, high quality learning environment to the infants and toddlers. The Early Years Learning Framework [EYLF] (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2008) values that each child is an individual and calls

The Occidental Child Development Center shares the concern with other preschools in the United States to successfully socialize children to prepare them for further schooling, however this center is unique with a liberal curriculum. I point this out to clarify to the reader that the program and structure of this institution is extraordinary and is not common of all preschools. The center is concerned with providing a good stable foundation for the children to build from with a family oriented environment, committed to serving on a non-discriminatory basis, providing equal treatment and access to their services without regard to race, color, religious affiliation, or physically challenged status. This curriculum was validated by my interview with the center director. In the interview she explained how she formulated the curriculum to incorporate games and activities to academics that she believes gives children the foundation they need to continue successfully in life. She continued to say that the curriculum is built from the

The social aspect of development focus on how the child behaves with family, peers and at school. In particular how they can behave one way at home and another way at school. I found discussing the social aspect of a child behavior significant because being able to interact with peers and individuals at school remains a crucial aspect to a child’s development. In other words, learning how to be around and socialize with people at a young age, will inevitable help later in life when they enter the work force or when maneuvering through social events. Finally, at the end of the video the emphasize that is our responsibilities as educators to know the children in our care and to understand the various ages and stages of development so that we are better equipped to lead our children through their early years

What would you do if your child came home with a note from the teacher? What if the note stated that he/she does not know how to communicate or play well with others? That he/she yelled at or hit another child or teacher because he/she wanted to play with them? How would that influence your child’s life and the relationships that he/she build? How would that impact your life? Social-emotional competence plays a key factor in how children communicate with others in different environments or situations. Social-emotional development, as defined by the California Department of Education (CDE), is “a child’s experience, expression, and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others” (CDE, 2016).

The Early Childhood Education program at Carlow University focuses on educating children from birth to grade four in any context—school, family, or community. As a signature mark of the program, students learn how to honor diversity and form strong inclusive relationships between child and caregiver/teacher. They learn that a child’s environment needs to be rooted in trust; physically and psychologically safe. They learn that the caregiver/teacher relationship needs

In today’s world, possessing strong social skills is an absolute essential. And if you’re looking to gear your child up to feel free and empowered in social situations, FasTracKids is ready to help. This learning center offers a number of enrichment programs and preschool activities to help young children develop the confidence they need to blossom in social settings.

Early childhood education has not always been the top priority in the education world. Although, research has proved that it should be the top priority as the benefits of Early Childhood Education are innumerous. Extensive neuroscience research has discovered that the brain is build over time and it is built from the bottom up. Early childhood experiences directly affect the quality brain development. Establishing a sturdy foundation through a high quality early childhood education experience, will dramatically develop child's brain. As a result, they will have a brighter future. In this essay, I will propose a plan for the children of 2020 and how to ensure the best early childhood education experience. I personally believe that racially, culturally, linguistically and developmentally responsive practices parental involvement are critical to the sturdy foundation that is essential to the positive early childhood experience.

The pedagogy of listening is one that is closely intertwined with early childhood education (ECE) and, within this context, it is acknowledged as being more than the word itself implies. Listening in an early childhood setting is not merely to hear what a child says and act on it, rather, it is to open yourself to different perspectives and be willing to not only act on but also adopt new ways of thinking (Davies, 2014). To truly use this as an effective pedagogy is to turn the act of listening into an intentional and meaningful interaction (MacNaugton & Williams, 2010). In doing so, relationships you are forming with everyone that you interact with – be they two feet tall and in nappies or fully grown and in uniform – can only be strengthened as you show them the respect and reciprocity that is needed to achieve meaningful bonds (Gonzalez-Mena & Widmeyer Eyer, 2018).