Practitioners

• Piaget

  • Children are active learners
  • A Schema is a repeated action to create a mental structure
  • Schemas help children make sense of the world
  • Learners need activities for new situations to explore with
  • Real life/past experiences support learning through schemas
  • Four stages to a Schema
  • Open ended questions help with the process
  • Children need time to explore
  • Cognitive before Language
• Vygotsky

  • Age of child (what can they do?)
  • Knowing that MKOs need to support learning (reference scaffolding)
  • Vygotsky's theory has a ZAD and a ZPD
  • Knowing a child's ZAD e.g. by assessing their skills
  • Help get the child to their ZPD (with help of an MKO)
  • Understanding the importance of the resources they are given (plan relevant activities)
  • Understanding the importance of the time to consolidate learning
  • Adult can use questions to share ideas
• Bruner

  • Repeating activities - children learn through repetition
  • Active learning - Piaget
  • Identify the mode - Enactive, Iconic, Symbolic
  • Discuss implications of said mode
  • Nursery provides a wide range of activities for active learning
  • Giving adult support to help develop (scaffolding, Vygotsky)
  • Scaffolding can support learning
• Chomsky - Theory into practice

  • Children need sufficient opportunities to interact with you
  • Length of interactions with children should allow language acquirement
  • Speak grammatically correct and clear
  • Do not correct child's mistakes, repeat it back correctly
  • Reduce levels of background noise to avoid distraction
  • Encourage parent to use home language while children are young
• Chomsky

  • Critical period (birth - 10 years), adults should take all opportunities to talk to children
  • Provide a language rich environment to extend their vocabulary
  • Language Acquisition Device means learning language by absorbing it from hearing others
  • Language is innate
• Skinner - Operant Conditioning

  • Positive reinforcement to encourage trying new things
  • Non-verbal communication e.g. Smiles, reward, appreciation
  • Use verbal praise so child is more likely to repeat
  • If the teacher praises the child they will keep trying to please them
• Bowlby - Transition

  • Child will form an attachment to their main carer
  • Child may not understand what is happening
  • Effects of transition on developmental areas
  • Child may get upset
  • Child needs attachment to their key person
  • Child needs to be settled in
  • Child may not sleep if unhappy
  • Child needs to learn routines
  • Home visits with key person
  • Key person provides continuity
• Ainsworth

  • Child will have an attachment to their main carer
  • Effects of transition on areas of development
  • Make reference to 'The Strange Situation'
  • Child May get upset/show distress
  • Attachment types: Insecure Anxious/avoidant, insecure ambivalent/resistant, secure, disoriented/disorganised
  • Child needs to form an attachment with key person
  • Child needs to be settled in to help emotional development
  • If transition is managed well, negative effects will be short-term
• Bandura

  • Children remember behaviour that they have observed (encoding)
  • Children learn behaviour from copying other children
  • Adults/other children can act as role models
  • Children want to please their role model
• Bronfenbrenner

  • Understanding of systems (Micro, meso, exo, macro, chrono)
  • Impact of family/friends/others on child's development
  • Impact of environment and setting on child's growth and development
  • Parent act as role model (Family activities)
  • Family dynamics/positions/socioeconomic status/education of parents/parenting style/lifestyle choices
  • Impact of society systems (sanctions/norms/values/attitudes/beliefs/culture)
• Links to make

  Piaget - anyone

  Vygotsky - Piaget, Bruner, Skinner, Bandura

  Bruner - Vygotsky, Piaget, areas of development

  Chomsky - Skinner, Age of child

  Skinner - Attachment

  Bowlby - Ainsworth, attachment

  Ainsworth - Bowlby, emotional development

  Bandura - Bobo doll

  Bronfenbrenner - other theorists, areas of development