1. Identify the child development theory you most support and explain it in detail. Include relevant details that support your understanding of young children’s characteristics and needs. Constructivism is a theory associated with Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Its maid idea was that knowledge was constructed through ones experience and build on from prior knowledge. The construction that the theory name speaks of is learning (Hein, 1991). This theory asserts that knowledge comes from personal experiences and a person’s interpretation of an experience.
Piaget built this theory off of the idea that there are definite stages of development, but each child will reach them at a different time and in a different way because development and knowledge a dependent on ones experiences. Though Vygotsky and Piaget are the founders of this theory they did differ slightly in opinion. Piaget believed that development would often come before learning, but Vygotsky argued that social learning typically happens before and leads into development (McLeod, 2014). Another important part of this theory came from Lev Vygotsky regarding the importance of play for young children.
According the constructivism play it’s a vital part of development. It is a model of what a child knows and has experienced as well as a way for children to experience and learn new things (Charlesworth, p. 54). 2. Why did you choose the theory specifically I choose Piaget and Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory because its overarching focus and idea is that all children go through certain stages in life and each stage is brought on as children build on their prior knowledge and experience and construct new ones.
Working with children, it is easy to see development all around me, however it also very evident that children of the same age are not always at the same place developmentally. I find that constructivism explains and supports the idea that eventually all children will reach developmental land marks, but at their own pace. The theory asserts that “children construct their own knowledge through their interactions with the environment” (Charlesworth p. 2, 33) which is something that I witness on a day today basis when observing and interacting with children at my job.
3. What do you plan to do in the future (related to children and families)? My plans for the future no longer include a career in early childhood education. I would like to continue working with children and families a bit, but in the field of psychology. Constructivist theory can be useful for psychology because it encourages growth by participation of the person, in this case child or family, seeking help.
Constructivism in psychology follows the same basic principle in that it is believe each person constructs their own knowledge and reality based on his or her own experiences (“Constructivism” 2015), so having knowledge of this theory will help me to aid children and families in reconstructing their realties to yield healthier and more functional family units. 4. How does this theory explain how children develop across all domains? This theory addresses how children develop in three of the four domains; cognitive, affective, and motor.
Cognitive development is explained in constructivism as children building on their knowledge and experiences to learn new things. Affective development is explained in the constructivist theory by the idea that children learn their social skills through their experiences and their social surrounding. Motor development is explained in this theory by explaining that learning can be a physical experience and more importantly with the idea that play greatly impacts learning. 5. How does this theory explain the role nature and nurture has on development?
The constructivist theory explains the role nature and nurture has on development by incorporating both side of the debate into the theory. Other theories like the maturation theory claim that a child is 100% preprogrammed at birth and will develop in a predetermined way according to genes. On the other side of the nature versus nurture debate are theories like behaviorist and social cognitive theory that assert that a child’s development is not at all preprogrammed and determined entirely by their environment.
Constructivism meets these theories somewhere in the middle with the idea that there are developmental milestones that children will meet no matter what, but how they develop along the way is dependent on their experiences and the knowledge they acquire. 6. How would you plan to use this ‘theory’ to support your work with young children? Though this theory is useful to have knowledge of going into a career in psychology it is not something that I would use on a day to day basis.
I would like to work with children and families in one way or another, but not in a teacher or mentor type position. Although the constructivist theory has many points that can be helpful when working with children in any capacity, the only thing that I think I would find useful is the idea that changing someone’s knowledge can change their outlook on life. The constructivist theory works well with the humanistic model of psychology which I find interesting to study but not always helpful.
7. How would this theory be reflected in the way you would interact with children and families? After learning about constructivism, I found that it is reflected in my interactions with children and families not only at work but also in my day to day personal life. At my job I try to be aware of each child’s level of development and work in any way that I can to increase their cognitive, affective, and motor development. In my personal life I find that am more conscious and sensitive to the children I see around me in my neighborhood and community.
I think it is important for everyone to learn that children are still developing at their own pace and will all develop differently according to their experiences at home, at school and anywhere else they are being socialized and having experiences. Each child will eventually meet milestones in their own way. 8. What are the opposing viewpoints of this theory? Many people critique constructivism for lacking structure, this may be due to the mix of ideas and principles that it incorporates. Others criticize constructivist theory because they feel it places too strong of a focus on play and independent learning by the child.
Some of the greatest aspects of this theory according to its supporters are its greatest drawbacks in the eyes of its opposition. Often people will argue that constructivism in a classroom encourages so much freedom that doing something the “right way” is overlooked. However I this creates and environment of independent, free thinkers that will learn to solve problems and address issues in effective ways that no one else considered.
9. What challenges do you think you would face using this theory in the future? Using constructive theory in the future will be difficult for me because I do not know how to use it effectively in the field that I plan to go into. I strongly believe that the knowledge I have gained about constructivism is valuable and can be an asset to me but I think I will have problems knowing how and when to use it. Because constructivism in closely related to humanistic psychology, and that is not my preferred method of psychology, I think it will be most challenging for me to find where my belief in this theory fit with my preferred psychological philosophy of treatment.