Developmental Theory
Piaget: Cognitive Development
Erikson: Psychosocial
Vygotsky: Socio Cultural
Montessori: The Absorbent Mind
Dewey: Experience in Education
Children don't usually begin to reason like adults until the Formal Operational stage and their development only grows from there.
Children give meaning to the people, places, and things in their world, therefore constructing their own knowledge.
Children do not always develop abilities within their certain age bracket, but their development does progress in a predictable way.
Children learn best when doing the work themselves rather than simply being given explanations by adults.
Piaget's theory involves four stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational.
Like Montessori and other theorists, Piaget believed children needed every possible opportunity to do things for themselves.
Children are actively constructing their own knowledge as they grow and develop.
Piaget believed that children's curiosity drives their learning and that they can only learn when their curiosity is not fully satisfied.
Piaget argues that children reason very differently than adults.
Piaget emphasized play as one of the most important avenues for learning.
All eight of Erikson's stages of development include negative outcomes such as fear, shame, rebellion, unhappiness, etc.
Erikson believes there is a task that must be accomplished at each stage of development.
A person forms personality strengths and weaknesses as they pass through each stage, depending on their development during that stage.
Erikson believes there is ample amount of room for growth in personality throughout one's life.
Teachers who apply Erikson's theory of development will create environments in which children are able to do things for themselves.
Erikson believes it is critical for parents to allow children to explore autonomy within an encouraging environment.
Erikson believed that tasks of each stage present themselves at times of crisis in love and work throughout our lives.
Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory was greatly influenced by Freud's Psychosexual Development Theory with a focus on culture and society.
Erikson felt that the early childhood years were crucial in a child's development, but difficulty in the first three stages were not detrimental.
Montessori's approach focuses on a child-centered classroom in which the child is placed as the central focus.
A Montessori classroom encourages productive play by providing puzzles, games, and art supplies.
Montessori opened her own school in which she was able to focus on the natural patterns of child development.
Montessori's early work provided a foundation for the work of theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky.
Montessori was first a physician, which then led her towards studying psychiatry and pediatrics, allowing her to work with disadvantaged children.
People identify her method by the emphasis placed on the preparation of the environment.
Montessori's theory focuses on a child's natural interests and curiosity.
A Montessori environment focuses not only on the space, furniture and materials used by children, but also the adults and children who spend each day with one another.
Dewey believed that if a learning activity does not qualify as purposeful and organized, it is not a learning activity.
Teachers are responsible for observing children and then using those observations to determine what experiences the children are interested in and ready for.
Dewey believed that teachers were responsible for not only teaching subject matter, but also teaching how to live in society and shaping the society.
Dewey believed that a child learned best when they were able to interact with others, including both peers and adults.
Dewey's main ideas were similar to those of Montessori, Piaget, and Vygotsky in that education should be child-centered and must be both active and interactive.
Experiential learning is not only good for practicing and acquiring new skills, but also studying subjects such as science, math, the humanities, and abstract art.
Experiential learning is also used to become better a skill we already enjoy or learn a completely new skill.
The earliest signs of experiential learning can occur during infancy, usually by the age of 1.
Experience offers the most natural and powerful form of learning.
Vygotsky believed that language is the main way adults transmit information and knowledge to children.
The Zone of Proximal Development is the area in which the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given.
He thought research should be both qualitative and quantitative and objected to the analysis of children's abilities based on intelligence tests.
Vygotsky's work showed that both cognitive and social development build upon each other and work together,
Vygotsky defines MKO as a More Knowledgeable Other, or someone who has a better understanding than the learner.
Like other theorists, Vygotsky believed that learning takes place when children are at play.
Vygotsky said that babies have four elementary mental functions: attention, sensation, perception, and memory.
A child on the edge of learning a new concept could benefit from the interaction with a peer or a teacher.
Vygotsky focused on the social interactions of children and how that related to the development of their cognition.
Teachers can support children's learning through information gathered from observations.
Throughout each stage of development, one gains various virtues such as hope, purpose, care, wisdom, etc.
Montessori believed that teachers should provide real tools that work, keep material accessible to children, and create organization within the classroom.
Montessori believed that children learn best by repetition and doing things independently.
Experiential learning is all about reflecting on past actions and deciding what to do differently next time to produce a better outcome.