- Internal Code :
- Subject Code : EDC135
- University : Curtin College
- Subject Name : Early Childhood
Child Development for Educators - Answer to Question 1
- Introduction
The early stage of brain development has a direct influence on one's learning capacity. Human advancement is a nonstop; it depicts a unique exchange among science and the environment. There are critical periods where the development of the brain is particularly receptive to early encounters of life.
Early encounters influence how the cerebrum creates. They additionally influence quality articulation, which implies that they influence a quality's guidelines for making proteins or different items that lead to development and advancement. Natural components may influence kid advancement contrastingly relying upon fundamental individual hereditary attributes.
The financial difficulty may prompt more pressure-related disturbances in the improvement of cerebrum zones related to significant self-administrative and psychological capacities, weakening the ability to manage different detriments or social challenges youngsters may understand. A few kids are more receptive to the social condition and are influenced by both negative and positive natural elements.
- The factors may have potential to promote or slow down brain development.
Good nourishment and balanced nutrition play a significant role in brain development or for example the development of the fetuses other parts of the body is impacted by the nature of a prenatal eating routine. Liquor and cigarettes ought to be kept away from because these can weaken the development and connectivity of brain cells. A few chemicals and types of radiation are possibly unsafe for fetal brain development. Parent Behaviors towards drinking and smoking habits have a disastrous impact on child growth associated with behavioral and cognitive development. Parenting Factors which include the Absence of personalized care during the early long periods of life devastatingly affect the youngster's wellbeing, development, character change, and intellectual limit (Pem, 2012). Toxic Stress can cause severe damage to brain development during early childhood. It's the consequence of continuous difficulties—things like maltreatment, disregard, or fixation. Harmful stress can adversely influence your youngster's brain, memory, and long-lasting wellbeing, particularly when it's consistent and extraordinary, and kids face issues to manage it (Sciaraffa et al, 2017).
- The methodologies that can be incorporated in classroom environment to support brain development.
Habit Formation and Conditioning
Habits will in general act naturally strengthening; since they accomplish some momentary objective and are authorized moderately consequently, negative behavior patterns particularly are famously difficult to unlearn. Great habits, when built up, can develop into rich examples of conduct that help the student succeed.
Observational Learning
Individuals likewise learn by watching and demonstrating others' conduct, mentalities, or passionate articulations, with or without emulating the conduct or aptitude.
Implicit Pattern Learning
Implicit pattern learning, likewise called statistical learning, includes the learning of ordinary patterns in a specific situation without effectively expecting to do as such. This sort of learning requires stretched out an introduction to a pattern adequate for oblivious acknowledgment of regularities in a generally sporadic setting, without cognizant consideration and reflection
Learning by Making Inferences
The essential favorable position of model-based learning is that the student who is outfitted with a well-suited model can make reliable predictions about new circumstances that work out positively.
- Conclusion
Children during the early years old go through fast development furthermore, an improvement that is enormously affected by previously mentioned factors. Select breastfeeding, satisfactory corresponding taking care of, incitement, safe condition, and care should be guaranteed for an ideal physical, mental, social, and intellectual turn of events and to forestall to unfavorable effects on momentary endurance just as long haul wellbeing what's more, advancement. Youngsters who have a decent beginning in their life will be more advantageous grown-ups bringing about a superior social, financial, physical, and perception and they live better for their families and their networks also, advancing the Gross National Happiness of the nation.
Child Development for Educators - Answer to Question 2
1.0 Introduction
The mode of learning varies with age and interaction based on grasping power of individual, work of a teacher involves delivering knowledge with an approach to make the students learn and acquire knowledge fast. Keeping all the principles of learning curves in a student’s mind many theories have been put forward as a part of constructivist teaching and learning theories. (Fernando & Marikar, 2017) A learning hypothesis of Jean Piaget and Vygotsky involves in building genuine materials to build up students listening skill. Piaget’s theory laid emphasis on prior knowledge of child’s mind through possessed schemata, by the process of constructing schemata, assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium (Nurkholida, 2018). On the other hand Vygotsky’s theory claims that a child’s mind should escape from the environment of isolation skill of learning and engage in more meaningful ventures where they learn by social skills (Nurfaidah, 2018).
1.1 Piaget and Vygotsky’s difference in terms of learning process
Piaget theory was based on cognitive development of child in stages of development. He proposed that there were four primary stages in which development takes place, these are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. (Lourenco, 2016) Vygotsky had more of sociocultural perspective, he believed that by constant interaction and problem solving techniques, students gain more experience. (Nurfaidah, 2018)
1.2 Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories in study areas with responsibilities of both teacher & learner
Piaget’s theory applied on various stages of child as childhood, primary and secondary education and found that by applying stage-appropriate activity Piaget theory yield significant results to prove the theory. Teachers can apply this theory to effectively understand the cognitive progress of mind in various stages and adjust her teaching pattern to match child’s development. While a child can be encouraged to actively self-analyze, reflect and reason with lessons being taught. (Lourenco, 2016) Vygotsky was concerned more about social constructivism in child growth but did not denied the cognitive factors either. Vygotsky observed classrooms as a setting of a dynamic integration platform of teacher and learner, ZPD (zone of proximal development) introduced by him keeping in mind student’s problem solving skills alone and under the adult guidance. A teacher should be aware of the environment in which a child is exposed given the material in hand, and child should interact about the difficulty they are facing as every student carries particular schema and prior emotion. (Smagorinsky, 2018)
1.3 Conclusion
The studies on both the theories have shown their relevant significance in terms of child’s learning and development in various stages. Piaget which emphasized on individual growth pattern and learning curve whereas Vygotsky suggested of social attributes of child with environment. Both the theories differ in ideologies intercepted at a point as both were constructivists and believe that social forces set the parameter of development. Therefore, it could facilitate the teachers and educational program to apply improved approaches in the curriculum to create more reflective skills and develop a critical teacher who can generate real instructional context within wider society and a more dynamic educational setting.
Child Development for Educators - Answer to Question 3
- Introduction
Vygotsky proposes the concept of (ZPD) zone proximal development to enhance and promote child development, the concept when applied to child showed a significant difference in terms of challenging tasks performed alone or with the cooperation of adults. A task too easy creates a less challenging environment whereas a hard task paralyzes the imagination, ZPD promotes educational practice where the capable individual in collaboration with adult guidance can effectively perform a challenging problem. The concept of ZPD helps assess the futuristic learning pattern and provides a blueprint to design instruction and observe learning. (Guseva & Solomonovich, 2017)
1.1 Zone of proximal development in light of the child’s development
In early childhood, it is imperative to include the theory of socio-cultural activities to develop the mind to the possibility of a growth mindset. Child’s early activities illustrate mostly by play, learn, and development condition as Vygotsky proposed. (Fleer & Veresov, 2018) Children of various age groups possess the fundamental skill to perform according to their intellectual abilities, prior knowledge provides a base to the structure of further development. Vygotsky was able to examine the concept to population which has not matured and is in the budding stage to the population which is matured enough and is in the flowering stage. There lie different approaches depending on teacher-learner interrelation along with the mindset of each individual. (Scantlebury & Milne, 2015)
1.2 Assessment of instruction in terms of Students’ ZPD
It is the primary focus of the teacher to assess the developmental phases a learner or child go through to understand the potential for development in the future. There are different tools for assessment that are used such as, Imitation tool where a learner best achieves a sense of true development by effectively imitating the activity which can be called an emulation of work. Instructional assessment differs on the child to child basis as two students differ in their ability to grasp the challenging problem, a teacher must follow the rule of focusing on future development rather than past’s performances. (Aggarwal, 2016). In preschoolers engaged in storytelling could co-construct their ZPD areas, enhance memorizing skills and vocabulary when teamed with their respective parents. (Garcia-Alvarado & Arreguin, 2020)
1.3 Specific teaching strategies to maximize learning
The zone of proximal development can be implemented in classroom teaching as the instructions can be provided in hints and prompt to improve the instruction provided. Scaffolding is a scheme that proposes to provide hints and prompts by instructors on the basis of their zone of proximal development. Another effective way to provide learning is by cooperative learning amongst children of different ZPD, where they help each other learn. (Mattar, 2018)
1.4 Conclusion
ZPD concept developed by Vygotsky proved to be very essential in the psychological development of learners in different ZPD stages of life, where they learn cognitive, emotional, and socio-cultural skills. In the instructive learning approach, children learn according to their ZPD, and each child gain benefits from a capable peer, which helps and encourages the learning by necessary aid possible. Individual assessment must be given to yield effective results by using Vygotsky's theory of development.
References for Implementing the Zone of Proximal Development
Aggarwal, S. (2016). The Zone of Proximal Development: A Tool of teaching. Bhartiyam International Journal of Education & Research. 5(2), 47-54.
Garcia-Alvarado, S., & Arreguin, M.G. (2020). Mexican-American preschoolers as co-creators of zones of proximal development during retellings of culturally relevant stories: A participatory study. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. 1(4), 1-22. Retrieved from doi: 10.1177/1468798420930339
Guseva, L., & Solomonovich, M. (2017). Implementing the Zone of Proximal Development: From the Pedagogical Experiment to the Developmental Education System of Leonid Zankov. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education. 9(4), 775-786.
Fleer, M., & Veresov, N. (2018). Cultural-Historical and Activity Theories Informing Early Childhood Education. In: Fleer M., van Oers B. (eds) International Handbook of Early Childhood Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Dordrecht. 47-76. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0927-73)
Scantlebury, K., & Milne, C. (2015). Using Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development to propose and test an explanatory model for conceptualising coteaching in pre-service science teacher education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. 43(4), 281-295. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2015.1060291
Mattar, J. (2018). Constructivism and connectivism in education technology: Active, situated, authentic, experiential, and anchored learning. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia. 21(2), 201-217. Retrieved from Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/ried.21.2.20055
Pem D (2012) Factors Affecting Early Childhood Growth and Development: Golden 1000 Days. Practice Nurse, 1, 101. Retrieved from : doi: 10.4172/2573- 0347.1000101
"3 Types of Learning and the Developing Brain." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from: doi: 10.17226/24783.
Sciaraffa, M., Zeanah, P., & Zeanah, C. (2017). Understanding and Promoting Resilience in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46(3), 343-353. Retrieved from: 10.1007/s10643-017-0869-3
Fernando, S.Y.J.N., & Marikar, F.M.M.T. (2017). Constructivist Teaching/Learning Theory and Participatory Teaching Methods. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching. 6(1), 110-122. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v6n1p110
Nurkholida, E. (2018). Developing authentic material of listening on higher education based on constructive learning of jean Piaget and Vygotsky theory. Journal Bahasa dan Sastra,12(1), 60-74. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v12i1.1762
Nurfaidah, S. (2018).Vygotsky’s Legacy on Teaching and Learning Writing as Social Process. Langkawi Journal, 4(2), 149-156. Retrieved from: DOI: 10.31332/lkw.v4i2.1038
Lourenco, O.M. (2016). Developmental stages, Piagetian stages in particular: A critical review. Elsevier. 40, 123-137. Retrieved from: DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2015.08.002
Smagorinsky, P. (2018). Deconflating the ZPD and instructional scaffolding: Retranslating and reconceiving the zone of proximal development as the zone of next development. Elsevier. 16(18), 70-75. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.756
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