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Three Basic Issues in Child Development

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Discuss the growth and development patterns of school-age students

Examine biological and environmental factors affecting the development of school-age students

Apply educational development theories to school-age students in a real-world scenario

Identify the ethical issues within the field of educational development of school-age students

Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original material in Standard American English

How do you plan to meet the course outcomes?

Introduce Yourself Review Final Project Information Complete Readings Review Web Resources Participate in this week’s Discussion

Thread under Discussion Either attend Seminar OR complete

Seminar Option 2

• Microsoft Word is required for all KU classes.

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*Begin Discussion thread posts as early in the week as possible in order to build a substantial discussion.

*Assignments are due on Tuesdays by 12 midnight ET. Points will be deducted for late assignments as explained in the syllabus.

* Compose assignments, including discussion, in MS Word and use Spell-check. Cut and paste discussion back to the discussion board.

* Make every attempt to complete readings prior to seminar.

* Remember that no question is too small-ask!

The fields of Child Development and Education are studied as separate fields. But in order to truly understand the child, knowledge of both fields is vital. To teach a child, one must understand his growth and development. To understand a child’s growth and development, one must understand how he learns.

Child Development Education

Goal: to identify and explain persistent, cumulative, & progressive changes in physical, cognitive, & social-emotional development of children & adolescents

Three key factors◦ Nature – genetics◦ Nurture – environment◦ The child’s own activity – choices and efforts

Physical◦ genetics◦ prenatal growth & birth process◦ body/brain changes & motor skills ◦ health-promoting behaviors

Cognitive◦ concepts, language, memory, reasoning

Social/Emotional◦ emotions, self-concept, motivation, social

relationships, moral reasoning & behavior

“Three basic issues characterize developmental change during childhood and adolescence:

(1) nature and nurture (the extent to which development involves a genetically controlled unfolding of characteristics and is guided by environmental factors);

(2) universality and diversity (cases in which developmental progressions are common to all young people and others for which individuals differ because of inherited endowments and unique environmental conditions)

(3) qualitative and quantitative change (the extent to which development involves major reorganizations in functioning and other minor, trendlike modictions.”

MCDevritt and Ormrod (2007)

Nature: inherited (genetic) characteristics & tendencies

Nurture: environmental conditions Separate and combined effects

◦ relative effects vary for different areas of development

◦ inherited tendencies affect responsiveness to environment

◦ extreme environments may play greater role in development

◦ timing of environmental exposure matters◦ children’s natural tendencies affect their

environments

Universality – commonalities seen in all individuals

Diversity – different individuals progress in different ways

Qualitative – dramatic change in essence or underlying structure ◦ stage theories (Piaget, Erikson)

hierarchical often universal

Quantitative – gradual progression with many small additions and modifications

Nature and nurture Universality and diversity Qualitative and quantitative change

Biological Behaviorism and social learning Psychodynamic Cognitive-developmental Cognitive process Sociocultural Developmental systems

Emphasize bodily maturation & motor abilities

Historically, overlooked effects of experience

Darwin, Montessori, Lorenz, Bowlby

Key principles:◦ maturational levels impose limits on abilities &

interests ◦ physical abilities serve valuable functions

Behaviorism: visible, external behaviors & environmental influences ◦ Skinner, Pavlov

Social learning: beliefs and goals◦ Bandura

Interaction between internal conflicts & environment

Role of early experience Social/personality, abnormal development

◦ Freud, Erikson

Qualitative changes in thinking processes Children play an active role

◦ Piaget, Kohlberg, Flavell

Detailed analyses of what children think and do◦ Siegler

Impact of social and cultural systems “process of children becoming full adult

participants in the society into which they are born”◦ Vygotsky, Greenfield, Gauvain

Dynamic relation among systems ◦ child’s body ◦ physical environment ◦ multiple, interconnected social systems◦ Bronfenbrenner, Thelen

McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child Development and Education. Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.