INTRODUCTION TO CHILD STUDIES

CHILD DEVELOPMENT Why do we study child development?

Write down your opinion.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT Definition:

Change in the child that occurs over time. Changes follow an orderly pattern that moves toward greater complexity and enhances survival.

What does this mean?

WHAT HAS CHANGED OVER TIME WITH CHILDREN IN THE AREAS OF:

Health Education Love Work Child play

UNSCHOOLING

Unschooling is a generic term for a form of homeschooling in which, loosely speaking, education happens without the use of a schedule, curriculum, testing and grades.

Unschooling is child-led education, so if the child chooses to go to school, they are still unschooled, as they were not coerced or persuaded to go there, but chose to do so of their own free will. Unschooling is the rejection of an imposed education. http://unschooling.ca/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuhfhRLwTB0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuOyJ8C6mZM&feature=related

THEORIES Theories are ideas about development.

EXAMPLES OF THEORIES

6th - 15th centuriesMedieval period

Children were cared for until they could begin caring for themselves, around 7 years old.

Children treated as adults (e.g. their clothing, worked at adult jobs, could be married, were made into kings, were imprisoned or hanged as adults.)

16TH CENTURYREFORMATION PERIOD

Children were born evil, and must be civilized.

A goal emerged to raise children effectively.

Special books were designed for children.

URIE BRONFENBRENNER Both the environment and biology influence the child's development.

The environment affects the child and the child influences the environment.

JEAN PIAGET Children "construct" their understanding of the world through their active involvement and interactions

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORYAlbert Bandura Stressed how children learn by observation and imitation.

Believed that children gradually become more selective in what they imitate.

THEORIES Theories are ideas about development.

Which theories do you agree with?

INFLUENCES ON DEVELOPMENT Heredity – biological transfer of certain

characteristics

Environment - the people, places, and things that surround and influence a person.

PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT:

Prenatal period: from conception to birth

Infancy and toddlerhood: birth to 2 years

Early childhood: 2-6 years oldMiddle childhood: 6-12 years old

Adolescence: 12-19 years old

CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPMENT Development is similar for each

individual. Babies lift their head before they lift their bodies.

Development builds upon earlier learning.

ex. Words than sentences Development proceeds at an individual

rate.

The different areas of development are interrelated.

Body, mind, emotions

Development is a lifelong process.

DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT

Development is described in three domains, but growthin one domain influences the other domains. Physical Domain:

body size, body proportions, appearance, brain development, motor development, perception capacities, physical health.

Cognitive Domain:

thought processes and intellectual abilities including attention, memory, problem solving, imagination, creativity, academic and everyday knowledge, metacognition, and language.

Social/Emotional Domain:

self-knowledge (self-esteem, metacognition, sexual identity, ethnic identity), moral reasoning, understanding and expression of emotions, self-regulation, temperament, understanding others, interpersonal skills, and friendships.

What are some things that could keep a child from growing in these domains?

YOUR OPINION Do children around the world develop

the same?

Do children around the world have the same basic needs?

ENVIRONMENT List 5 significant events in the lives of

children that could be considered environmental influences on children’s development.

What effect would each of these events have on a child’s development?

Why would the event be important to the child?

REVIEW Why do we study child development? What were some early theories about

child development? What are two things that affect child

development?