The Theories Of Child Development

According to the statutory framework for the early year’s foundation stage, the seven areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected, the three areas ‘communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development’ are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity. So when their individual needs are met they can build their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

Theories of development and frameworks to support development are massively important to those working with children. They help us to comprehend children and understand how they react to different situations which affect their behaviour and in turn the way they learn. Theories and ways of working with children have merged to provide frameworks for children’s care, for example the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This tries to ensure everyone works together, along the same lines. Some of the theorists and their theories have had a huge influence on current practice.

Developmental theory, with Piaget as the most prominent theorist, presents the idea that children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore the world around them. Development is seen to take place in broad stages from birth through to adulthood, with each stage characterized by qualitatively distinct ways of thinking. However, some developmental theorists, in contrast to Piaget, place more emphasis on personal, social and emotional development rather than cognitive development and prefer to delay ‘academic’ experiences until later, for instance after the age of seven years in Steiner’s theory.

In order to apply theories and models of child development to support children’s development we must get to know each individual child by building a good relationship with the children through play, communication and answering to their personal needs. Observation and assessment is also key so that we know what each child is capable of and what they are working towards/could be encouraged towards. Good communication with parents is also beneficial as it helps the carer to see what the child is doing at home and to identify if there are things they do or don’t do at nursery that is different from home. It also helps to work out ways of encouraging development at home and at nursery.

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.

This assignment is intended to provide evidence of a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of children and young people’s development birth to 19 years. By completing all tasks within the assignment, the candidate will provide evidence that meets the Learning Outcomes and assessment criteria for Unit 022, Understand Child and Young Person 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 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.

This assignment is intended to provide evidence of a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of children and young people’s development birth to 19 years. By completing all tasks within the assignment, the candidate will provide evidence that meets the Learning Outcomes and assessment criteria for Unit 022, Understand Child and Young Person Development.

There is a plethora of child development theories that have a degree of influence over current practice. Each of which both have criticism and contrasting theories.

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 you begin this module, identify and write a short account of your aims and aspirations. Elaborate on the strengths and personal qualities, which you bring to this module and outline those areas where you hope your learning and development will occur. (300 words)

B) our ability to modify our behavior based on the prospect of rewards or punishment.

According to Moylett and Stewart’s (2012) Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the child observed indicated almost every area of learning and development. They successfully met all of the prime areas which are: personal, social and emotional development; physical development and communication and language (Moylett and Stewart, 2012, Neville, 2012 and Foundation Years, 2012, 2015).

In this booklet we are going to be looking a how children develop and to learn the variety of patterns in which they learn them. Each stage a child passes through are broadly the same, although all children develop differently. If you work with children or children are in your life in the same age group you may become to recognise the similarities in the levels of development. The patterns of children's development will fall into a variety of areas , although many of these may interlink with one another.