Child Development

Theorists

Complete the Front of the worksheet

• Worksheet can be found on brown table under the bulletin board

• On the back, identify and explain the five areas of development.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

• Findings & Ideas– Believed that

personality develops through a series of stages

– Experiences in childhood profoundly affect adult life

• Significance – Childhood is much

more important than previously thought and its effects are longer lasting

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

• Findings & Ideas– The first to study

children scientifically– Focused on how

children learned– Believed that children

go through four stages of learning

• Significance – Children must be

given learning tasks appropriate to their level of development

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

• Findings & Ideas– Wrote that biological

development and cultural experience influence children’s ability to learn

– Social contact is essential to intellectual development

• Significance – Children should be

given the opportunity for frequent social interaction

Eric Ericson (1902-1994)

• Findings & Ideas– Like Freud, said that

personality develops in stages

– Thought that each stage includes a unique psychological crisis

– If that crisis is met in a positive way, the individual develops normally

• Significance – Parents and

caregivers must be aware of, and sensitive to, children’s needs at each stage of development and support them through crises.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

• Findings & Ideas– Argued that when a

child’s have positive results, they will be repeated.

– Negative results will make the actions stop

• Significance – Parents and other

caregivers can affect a child’s behavior through the use of negative and positive feedback

Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005)

• Findings & Ideas– Outlined layers of

environment that affect a child’s development, such as the child’s own biology, family/community environment, and society.

• Significance – Child’s primary

relationship with a caregiver needs to be stable, loving and lasting

Albert Bandura (b. 1925)

• Findings & Ideas– Said that children learn

by imitating others– Disagreed with Skinner.– Pointed out that

although the environment shapes behavior, behavior also affects environment

• Significance – Caregivers must

provide good examples for children to follow

Educational Video

What are the four observation records?

Why observe children?• Offers you the chance to see children as individuals• Meeting the challenges of development in their own

way & in their own time– See a child’s personality

• Adapt activities to a child’s needs• Identify children who may have disabilities or require

extra care • Research – early intervention – do better over the long

term • Feedback

How to Observe Young Children

• Knowing what to observe & how to analyze it

• Observing – more than just watching

• Written record – analyze

• Separate fact (objective (seen & heard)) from opinion (subjective) – Assumption – fact taken for granted– You think you know, but do you really??– Do not make judgments

• Smiling does not mean happy

Observations

• What down what you see when you see it

• Wait – forget

• Write down:– Date, time, # of children, # of adults,

names and ages • Wait down exact ages • 2 year old (is she 2 years and 1 month, 2 years

and 10 months = BIG difference)

Running Record

• Record of everything for a set period of time

• Useful

• Just getting to know the child/children

• Concentrating on a certain type of development/area

Anecdotal Record

• Report of a child’s actions that concentrates on a specific behavior or area of development

• Ex: adjustment to a new child care center. Every morning (two weeks) the observer could record how a child behaves upon arriving at the center

Frequency Count • A tally of how often a certain behavior occurs

• Useful: when trying to change unwanted behavior

• First – observer find a baseline – a count made before any steps are taken to try to change behavior

• After attempts to change behavior – additional frequency counts – is it working?

Developmental Checklists

• List of skills children should master or behaviors they should exhibit at a certain age

When observing

• Must keep everything CONFIDENTIAL – protection of another person’s privacy by limiting access to personal information