Outline and evaluate Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development In order to put Piaget's model into context it is useful to consider what intellect is, and some of the factors that influence cognitive development of the child. Additionally I will briefly discuss the term ‘constructivist’. Child development is generally concerned with how the child learns and expresses themselves at various ages. Typically studies are carried out on children from birth to adolescence. Specifically, most psychologists are interested in the processes that occur at particular ages, and what the child's capabilities are at each stage of their childhood.
It will then briefly describe Piaget’s theory by providing an overview of the four stages of cognitive development which include sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational, before presenting two of the most common criticisms of his theory. Finally the essay will conclude with a brief summary of the points discussed. Prior to the development of his theory, Piaget worked for Albert Binet, a psychologist who was working to test the intelligence of both adults and children. During this time Piaget’s role was to conduct tests on children. His interest in children’s cognitive processes developed when he started to notice that children of similar ages made the same kinds of mistakes on test questions.
Proving that our intelligence was inherent, however the research was found to be inaccurate. On the other hand, the nurture side of the discussion said that intelligence was learnt from the environment. Jean Piaget claimed that your intelligence is developed in stages as your brain matures and children are “little scientists “discovering their own knowledge via their environment. Another developmental stage that the nurture-nurture debate comes up in is language. The
Structuralism was developed by a man named Edward Titchener who was a student of Wilhem Wundt. Titchener was extremely interested in learning about the structure of the consciousness. He believed in the use of experimentation for the science of psychology (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). The second school of thought, functionalism, along with structuralism was the two schools of thought which were dominant in the beginning of psychology (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Functionalism studied the psychological processes which enable individuals to be able to adapt to their environments; each psychological process has an important role which is their main point of focus.
Considering the work of key pioneers and current experts with links to child development theory. There are many theories about how children learn and develop. This area of study is called developmental psychology which covers subjects such as cognitive, language and emotional development. The research methods are based heavily on the on going assessments carried out by observing children over a period of time. Assessment is part of the process of understanding what children know, understand and can do so that future teaching steps can be appropriately planned.
CYP Core 3.1 unit 2.3 Explain how theories of development and frameworks to support development influence current practice. Theories of development are very important as they influence current practice and help us to understand why children behave and react the way that they do. It can also help us to figure out different and new ways of learning. The theories of development are: * Cognitive ( e.g. Paiget) * Psychoanalytic (e.g.
Shereatta Willis Kaplan University PS220 Unit 9 Assignment Early childhood development is defined as ,a set of concepts, principles, and facts that explain, describe and account for the processes involved in change from immature to mature status and functioning (Bukatko, 2008),development is also generally divided into three broad categories, physical development, cognitive development, and social emotional development. Physical development addresses any change in the body, including how children grow, how they move, and how they perceive their environment. Cognitive development pertains to the mental processes like, language, memory, and problem solving, that children use to acquire and use knowledge. Emotional and social development addresses how children handle relationships with others, as well as understand of their own feelings. Physical development in children follows a directional pattern, large muscles develop before small muscles, legs and arms develop before those in the fingers and hands, and children learn how to perform gross ,or large motor skills such as walking before they learn to perform fine ,or small, motor skills such as drawing.
Explain how to monitor children and young people’s development using different methods Observation: Observations can be taken during lessons or in the playground. They record what the child is doing in a subjective way. It's most appropriate to use this method when child's development is causing concern. Assessment framework: It is the way in which child is assessed to decide whether they have any particular needs and what these needs may be. It is useful in deciding whether the child is reaching expected milestones of development in different areas.
Erikson for his theory of psychosocial development, who believed that personality develops in a series of stages. However, each author has their own view regarding the educational implication of the various processes, as well as, the role of various environmental components. The following articles (Horn 2009), will attempt to support and the educational implications of each theory. The articles highlight the major theories, research and opinions of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erik Erikson’ on how children develop and learn. The first article by (Webb 1980) talks about Piaget belief that within each person there is an internal self-regulation mechanism that responds to environmental stimulation by constantly fitting new experiences into existing cognitive structures called schemas developmental stages in teaching.
Social Learning Theory and Child Development Name: Institution: Social Learning Theory and Child Development Albert Bandura is the theorist who proposed the social learning theory, which has become one of the most significant theories of human learning and development. He believed that direct reinforcement cannot explain all categories of learning. This theory added a new component, holding that individuals can learn new behaviors, values, and information through watching other individuals. Modeling or observational learning can be utilized in explaining a range of human behavior (Akers, 2009). Bandura holds that behavior is learnt through observational learning process from the environment.