The Developing Child

1. The Developing Child Ms. Brown 133-B

2. Chapter OneLearning About Children • 1-1 Beginning Your Study of Children • 1-2 Understanding Childhood • 1-3 Observing Young Children • 1-4 Working with Children

3. 1-1 Beginning Your Study of Children • Explain why childhood is an important time in development. • Identify ways that play benefits children. • Describe reasons for studying children.

4. Why is Childhood Crucial? • Childhood is a time of preparation. • Scientists are finding that it may be the most important stage in a person’s life. • They have learned that in the first few years of life, the brain develops connections/links between nerve cells that allow it to think and control the body in certain ways.

5. Why is Childhood Crucial? Cont. • These connections or links do not simply happen on their own. • They can be encouraged by caregivers through the stimulation of talking or by playing. • Caregivers- parents or others who take care of children

6. Why is Childhood Crucial?Cont. • Researchers have learned a great deal about child development (the study of how children master new skills). • They have found children benefit from play in five different areas- physically, socially, emotionally, morally, and intellectually.

7. Why Study Children? • Improve your understanding of how children grow and change. • Improve your understanding of yourself. • Help you think about your future.

8. To Understand Children • You will better understand why children act, feel, and think as they do. Behaviors- ways of acting or responding • You will understand the importance of caregivers.

9. Children and You • You are in an excellent position to study children. • You are close to adulthood but young enough that you can still remember what it is like to be a child. • You’ll discover answers to questions that puzzled you. • You will have new questions that do not have answers yet.

10. 1-1 Review • Why is childhood an important time in life? • What is one way parents and other caregivers able to stimulate the development of connections/links in a child’s brain? • Name the five areas in which children benefit from play? • Identify four reasons to study children? • Why is it helpful if caregivers are confident? • Would you assume two-year-olds and four-year-olds act the same when frustrated? Why or why not?

11. 1-2 Understanding Childhood • Compare childhood in the past and present. • Outline the leading ideas about how child develop. • Describe five principles of development. • Explain influences on development. • Explain the role of self-esteem in development.

12. What is Childhood? • Childhood is a period of time separate from adulthood. • Development occurs very rapidly. • Babies are almost completely dependent on adults for every need. • When childhood ends, people begin to prepare to be independent.

13. What is childhood?Cont. • Researcher have developed a special study of how children develop, what their needs are, and how those needs can best be met. • Researchers have found that childhood has a profound influence on later life. • Childhood has not always been considered a separate, important stage of life.

14. Childhood Past and Present • Until the twentieth century, few people believed that there was anything unusual or important about the early years in life. • Adults knew very little about the special needs of children. • Changes resulted from changing attitudes and advances in technology or social changes.

15. Five areas childhood differs from the past and today • Work • Play • Education • Health • Dress

16. The Study of Children • Many researchers have studied children and their development. • Not everyone agrees on how parents and educators should apply their findings. • Taken together, these scientists have made great strides in understanding how children develop.

17. The Study of Children Cont. • Brain research has been one of the most important areas of recent studies. • At birth, the brain has billions of nerve cells called neurons. • Babies immediately begin to develop pathways that link their neurons. • The links “wire” or program the brain so that it can control different body functions and thinking processes. • The wiring of the brain takes place very quickly. • The areas of the brain that control different kinds of learning reach their peak at different times.

18. Major Theorists of Child Development • None of these researchers has provided all the answers to questions about how children develop. • Taken together, their findings and ideas have revealed much.

19. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • Childhood experiences affect adult’s personality. • A child goes through stages of development. • A son competes with his father for his mother’s attention. • A daughter competes with her mother for her father’s attention.

20. B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) • Operant conditioning- behavior is reinforced by praise, etc. • A man acts the way he does because he has been rewarded or punished for his behavior.

21. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) • Children learn in stages. (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations) • Children need rich and stimulating things to play with.

22. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) • Children proceed at their own pace. • Children are self correcting. • She was the first to have the child size tables and chairs. • Children learn from their senses. • The Montessori program in many schools are based off of her beliefs on learning.

23. Characteristics of Development • Development is similar for everyone. • Development builds on earlier learning. • Development proceeds at individual rate. • The different areas of development are interrelated. • Development is continuous throughout life.

24. Influences on Development • Heredity- the passing on of certain characteristics from earlier generations. • Environment- the people, places, and things that surround and influence a person. (Your family, home, friends, and community are part of your environment)

25. Lifelong Growth and Development • Development continues throughout life. • Each person passes through carious stages after childhood. (This is called the human life cycle) • As with the stages of childhood , people follow typical patterns of development through these stages. • People differ in how each individual experiences this pattern.

26. Development After Childhood • Each stage of life has particular challenges called developmental tasks. • Meeting those challenges –mastering those tasks- prepares a person for the next stage.

27. Adolescence • The stage between childhood and adulthood. • There are three developmental tasks to be completed: • Finding your identity • Becoming independent • Planning for your life’s work

28. Young Adult • This stage is after adolescence • In your twenties • Finishes preparing for a career and begins working in it • Many marry during this time

29. Middle Life • From thirties to fifties • Establishing roots • Reevaluating life • Finding stability and peace

30. Late Life • Sixties and later • Come to terms with life

31. The Role of Self-Esteem in Development • Self-Esteem is how you value yourself • A resource that can help you meet these developmental tasks (in both childhood and adulthood) • High self-esteem can push you to achieve more • Low self-esteem can change to high

32. 1-2 Review • In what five areas does childhood today differ from childhood past? • What work does the pathway in the brain perform? • Identify the five principles of development and explain one. • What two factors influence development? Give an example of each. • What are the stages of life after childhood? • How can self-esteem affect development?

33. 1-3 Observing Young Children • Explain the importance of observing young children. • Evaluate four methods of observation. • Discuss guidelines for observing young children. • Explain why confidentiality is essential when observing and interpreting the behavior of children.

34. Why Is Observing Children Important? • To better understand their development • Helps you learn about individual children • Helps you identify children who have special needs or disabilities • Gives you important feedback about your own approach to parenting or teaching

35. How to Observe Young Children • Observing children goes far beyond just watching what children do. • Knowing how to observe effectively will make your observations more valuable.

36. Objective Versus Subjective Observations • Subjective observation- one that uses personal opinions and feelings rather than facts, to judge or describe things. • Not as valuable as an Objective observation. • Based on false assumptions. • Hard for others to use. • Objective Observation- one that uses facts, not personal feelings or prejudices, to describe things. • The observation describes what the observer saw and heard-and nothing more. • Easy for others to use.

37. 4 Types of Observation Records • Running record • Anecdotal record • Frequency count • Developmental checklist

38. Running Record • Involves writing down for a set period of time everything observed about a particular child, group, or teacher. • Useful if you are just getting to know a child or group. • Useful for analyzing a certain area of development, such as social interaction or motor skills.

39. Anecdotal Record • Is similar to a running record, but the behavior recorded all has to do with the same issue.

40. Frequency Count • Is a tally of how often a certain behavior occurs. • Useful when you are trying to change an undesirable behavior. • Have to have a baseline (a count taken before any methods are made to change the behavior).

41. Developmental Checklist • Identifies a series of specific skills or behaviors that a child of a certain age should master. • Simply check off skills or behaviors you observe in a particular child.

42. When Making Observations • It is important to write down what you see as you see it otherwise information may be forgotten. • Each record should include basic information: the date and time of the observation, the number of children present, their names and ages, and the number of adults working with them. Tell exactly where the observation took place.

43. How to Act While Observing • You do not want to be noticed. (Your presence can affect their behavior) • Blend into the background. • Read observation assignment before beginning to observe. • If asked questions give a brief and polite answer. • Avoid asking them questions.

44. Using Observations • Interpret results (find meaning in, explain, or make sense of something). • Now is the time to express your ideas and opinions about what you observed. • Use confidentiality (privacy) • Share only with the child’s main caregivers or your child development teacher. • If you have questions about the child’s behavior then speak to your child development teacher-and no one else.

45. 1-3 Review • List four reasons for observing children. • What is the difference between subjective and objective observation? • Describe the four types of observation records. • What basic facts should an observation record include? • List three things an observer can do to avoid disrupting children he or she is observing. • What does it mean to interpret an observation?

46. 1-4 Working with Children • Give examples of three different levels of jobs. • Describe different methods of researching jobs. • Identify factors that can be used to analyze careers. • Describe skills needed to prepare for jobs of the future.

47. Your Career Options • Choosing a career may seem very difficult. • Most people begin by choosing a career area or career field-a group of similar careers. • Later choose a specific career to prepare for. • This class helps prepare and give skills that would benefit you if you work with children or become a parent.

48. Opportunities Working with Children • People interested in working directly with children often choose careers related to child development or child care. -Pediatricians -Teachers

49. Levels of Jobs • Within a career area, there are usually jobs available at several levels. • These levels correspond to the amount of education and training required and the degree of responsibility the job carries.

50. Entry-level Jobs • People take when they first enter a career area. • People don’t tend to stay at this level. • People move up with more experience or education. • People may use entry-level jobs to try out their interest in that field.