Early Childhood Theories

1. Early Childhood Theories Child Care Mrs. Tucker

2. Early Childhood • Refers to the period of time from infancy through third grade (or from birth to age 8 or 9)

3. Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827) • Swiss educator • Formed the basis of many common teaching practices still used today • Believed that the curriculum should develop the whole child (not just intellect) • Believed children should be taught in groups not individually

4. Friedrich Froebel (1792-1852) • Known as the “Father of Kindergarten” • Believed that a child’s first educational experience should be like a garden full of discoveries and adventure • Also believed that the adults should set the stage and that children should use materials in their own manner (freeplay)

5. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) • Worked with Binet to develop the first intelligence (IQ) tests • Discovered a pattern among the wrong answers on IQ tests • Therefore believed that children think in fundamentally different ways than adults do.

6. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development • Stage I - Sensorimotor Age: from birth to 2 *Uses senses to learn *Out of sight, out of mind *Learns object permanence by age 1

7. Piaget’s Stages (continued) • Stage II – Preoperational *Age: from 2-6 *Learns symbolic play (balloons=party) *Very egocentric *Judges by appearance (dime is less than penny because of size)

8. Piaget’s Stages (continued) • Stage III – Concrete operational *Ages: from 6-12 *Understands rules *Understands how some rules can reverse (addition/substraction) *Can now understand other’s points of view

9. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) • First female physician in Italy • Worked with socially economic children in Rome when she opened Casa di Bambini • Believed that any task could be taught to a child is broken into a series of small steps

10. Maia Montessori (continued) • Believed that children “LEARN BY DOING” • Believed that children learn at their own individual pace • Thought that teachers should not interfere or push children but just observe. Little social interaction with children.

11. Four Limitations of Montessori Method • Lack of social interaction among children and teachers (no dramatic play) • Lack of self-expression (no creative arts in pure Montessori schools) • Lack of verbal or language development opportunities • Lack of gross-motor emphasis

12. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • Studied irrational side of human behavior • Believed that personality developed in a fixed pattern of stages • Emphasized the mother/child relationship

13. Freud’s Stages of Personality Development • Oral (Stage One) *Ages: birth – 2 *Mouth is source of pleasure or pain *Example: eating, biting, teething, sucking

14. Freud’s Stages (continued) • Anal (Stage Two) *Ages: 2 – 3 *Bowel movements source of pleasure and control *Toilet training

15. Freud’s Stages (continued) • Phallic (Stage Three) *Ages: 3 – 6 *Genitals source of pleasure *Discover differences between boys and girls *Develops sexual identity *Develops conscience

16. Freud’s Stages (continued) • Latency (Stage Four) *Ages: 6 – 12 *Sexual forces are dormant *Energy put into school or sports

17. Freud’s Stages (continued) • Genital *Ages: 12 – 18 *Gain satisfaction from relationship with others *Puberty and sexual development is forefront

18. Erik Erikson (1902-1994) • Studied under Freud • Believed that people experience a crisis at each stage • How the crisis is handled influences personality development (See PowerPoint on Stages of Personality Development)