Theories of Child Development

1. Theories of Child Development Jean Piaget • Lev VygotskyAbraham Maslow • B.F. Skinner • Erik Erickson • Howard Gardner

2. Why Study Child & Parenting Development Theories? Theories help people: • Organize their ideas about raising children. • Understand influences on parenting. • Discover more than one way to interact with children. • Analyze the benefits and consequences of using more than one theory.

3. Why Study the Selected Theories? The selected theories: • Have been popular and influential. • Represent different approaches to parent-child interaction. • Offer help in the “real world” of daily child-rearing. • Make good common sense.

4. Lev Vygotsky - 1896-1934 The cultures in which children are raised and the ways in which they interact with people influence their intellectual development. From their cultural environments, children learn values, beliefs, skills, and traditions that they will eventually pass on to their own children. Through cooperative play, children learn to behave according to the rules of their cultures. Learning is an active process. Learning is constructed. Main points • Development is primarily driven by language, social context and adult guidance. Key Words • Zone of proximal development • Scaffolding

5. What is: Zone of Proximal Development It is a range of tasks that a child cannot yet do alone but can accomplish when assisted by a more skilled partner. There is a zone of proximal development for each task. When learners are in the zone, they can benefit from the teacher’s assistance. Learners develop at different rates so they may differ in their ability to benefit from instructions.

8. What is: Scaffolding • Assistance that allows students to complete tasks that they are not able to complete independently. • Effective scaffolding is responsive to students’ needs. In classroom, teachers’ provide scaffolding by: • Breaking content into manageable pieces • Modeling skills • Provide practice and examples with prompts • Letting go when students are ready

9. Life is a series of stages. Each individual must pass through each stage. The way in which a person handles each of these stages affects the person’s identity and self-concept. These psychosocial stages are: Psychosocial Theory of Human Development – Erik Erikson • Trust vs. mistrust (birth to 1 year) • Autonomy vs. shame & doubt (2 to 3 years) • Initiative vs. guilt (4 to 5 years) • Industry vs. inferiority (6 to 11 years) • Identity vs. role confusion (12 to 18 years) • Intimacy vs. isolation (young adulthood) • Generativity vs. stagnation (middle adulthood) • Integrity vs. despair (older adulthood)

11. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Human Development Ego Integrity vs. Despair Generativity vs. Stagnation Intimacy vs. Isolation Identity vs. Role Confusion Industry vs. Inferiority Initiative vs. Guilt Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt Trust vs. Mistrust

12. Critique of Erik Erikson • Supporters of this Eriksonian theory, suggest that those best equipped to resolve the crisis of early adulthood are those who have most successfully resolved the crisis of adolescence. • On the other hand, Erikson's theory may be questioned as to whether his stages must be regarded as sequential, and only occurring within the age ranges he suggests. There is debate as to whether people only search for identity during the adolescent years or if one stage needs to happen before other stages can be completed.

13. Theory of Behaviorism- B.F Skinner & others Based on Locke’s tabula rasa (“clean slate”) idea, Skinner theorized that a child is an “empty organism” --- that is, an empty vessel --- waiting to be filled through learning experiences. Any behavior can be changed through the use of positive and negative reinforcement. Behaviorism is based on cause-and-effect relationships. Pavlo's dog game

14. Classical Conditioning Pavlov's Dogs

15. Major elements of behaviorism include: • Positive and negative reinforcement • Use of stimulus and response • Modeling • Conditioning. B.F. Skinner Albert Bandura Ivan Pavlov

16. Skinner Box Operant Conditioning

18. Theory of Multiple Intelligence Howard Gardner

19. Howard Gardner’s theory Howard Gardner defines intelligence as "the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural setting" (Gardner & Hatch, 1989). Using biological as well as cultural research, he formulated a list of seven intelligences. This new outlook on intelligence differs greatly from the traditional view that usually recognizes only two intelligences, verbal and mathematical.

20. Who is Howard Gardner? • Howard Gardner is a psychologist and Professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. • Based on his study of many people, Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences. • Gardner defines intelligence as “ability to solve problems or to create products which are valued in one or more cultural settings.” • According to Gardner, 8 different types of intelligence are displayed by humans.

21. Gardner’s Intelligences:

22. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence consists of the ability to: • detect patterns • reason deductively • think logically This intelligence is most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking. Famous examples: Albert Einstein, John Dewey.

23. Linguistic Intelligence • involves having a mastery of language • This intelligence includes the ability to effectively manipulate language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically. • It also allows one to use language as a means to remember information. Famous examples: Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln, T.S. Eliot, Sir Winston Churchill.

24. Spatial Intelligence • gives one the ability to manipulate and create mental images in order to solve problems. • This intelligence is not limited to visual domains--Gardner notes that spatial intelligence is also formed in blind children. Famous examples: Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright

25. Musical Intelligence • encompasses the capability to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. (Auditory functions are required for a person to develop this intelligence in relation to pitch and tone, but these functions would not be needed for the knowledge of rhythm.) Famous examples: Mozart, Leonard Bernstein, Ray Charles.

26. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence • is the ability to use one's mental abilities to coordinate one's own bodily movements. • This intelligence challenges the popular belief that mental and physical activity are unrelated. • The ability to use your body skillfully to solve problems, create products or present ideas and emotions. • An ability obviously displayed for athletic pursuits, dancing, acting, artistically, or in building and construction. • You can include surgeons in this category but many people who are physically talented–"good with their hands"–don't recognize that this form of intelligence is of equal value to the other intelligences. Famous examples: Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jordan.

27. InterpersonalIntelligence • The ability to work effectively with others • to relate to other people • display empathy and understanding • notice their motivations and goals. This is a vital human intelligence displayed by good teachers, facilitators, therapists, politicians, religious leaders and sales people. Famous examples: Gandhi, Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, Oprah Winfrey.

28. Intrapersonal Intelligence The ability for self-analysis and reflection–to be able to: • quietly contemplate and assess one's accomplishments • review one's behavior and innermost feelings • make plans and set goals • know oneself Philosophers, counselors, and many peak performers in all fields of endeavor have this form of intelligence. Famous examples: Freud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Plato.

29. Naturalist intelligence designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations). to make distinctions in the natural world and to use this ability productively–for example in hunting, farming, or biological science. Farmers, botanists, conservationists, biologists, environmentalists would all display aspects of the intelligence. Famous examples: Charles Darwin, Rachel Carson.

30. Can we be more than one? Yes! • Although the intelligences are anatomically separated from each other, Gardner claims that the eight intelligences very rarely operate independently. • Rather, the intelligences are used concurrently and typically complement each other as individuals develop skills or solve problems. For example, a dancer can excel in his art only if he/she has  • strong musical intelligence to understand the rhythm and variations of the music  • bodily-kinesthetic intelligence to provide him with the agility and coordination to complete the movements successfully • interpersonal intelligence to understand how he can inspire or emotionally move his audience through his movements

31. Jean Piaget - 1896-1980 The behavior of children and the development of their thinking can only be explained by the interaction of nature (intrinsic development) and nurture (extrinsic environmental factors). Goal of cognitive development – Biological survival Cognitive development as biological adaptation – Adaptation of mental constructs from experiences – Learner as ‘the little scientist’ Knowledge originates from the environment – Assimilation + accommodation lead to equilibrium – Cognitive development involves active selection, interpretation, and construction of knowledge Key words Cognitive learning theory; assimilate; symbolism; accommodate; egocentric; decentre; conservatism; active learners; schemata; sensory-motor; stages; pre-operational; animism; moral realism; concrete operations; formal operations

32. Cognitive Development Theory Two processes are essential for development: • Assimilation • Learning to understand events or objects, based on existing structure. • Accommodation • Expanding understanding, based on new information. Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

33. Piaget • Children pass through specific stages as they develop their Cognitive Development skills: • Sensorimotor – birth - 2 years – infants develop their intellect • Preoperational – 2-7 years – children begin to think symbolically and imaginatively • Concrete operational – 7-12 years – children learn to think logically • Formal operational – 12 years – adulthood – adults develop critical thinking skills

34. Maslow’s Theory Maslow’s theory maintains that a person does not feel a higher need until the needs of the current level have been satisfied. Maslow's basic needs are as follows:

36. PhysiologicalNeeds Basic Human Needs • Food • Air • Water • Clothing • Sex

37. Safety Needs Safety and Security • Protection • Stability • Pain Avoidance • Routine/Order

38. Social Needs Love and Belonging • Affection • Acceptance • Inclusion

39. Esteem Needs Esteem • Self-Respect • Self-Esteem • Respected by Others

40. Self-Actualization • Achieve full potential • Fulfillment