Human Development Theories Flashcards
Constructivist Theory
Learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information. People experience the world and reflect on those experiences to inform their understanding.
Environmentalist Theory
The belief that learning is the reaction to the environment. A child’s experiences shapes their behavior and learning.
Social Learning Theory
Considers how environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behavior. Emphasizes the importance of observing, modeling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional rxns of others.
Cognitive Stages of Development (Piaget)
Sensorimotor Stage (birth-2 y.o) - object permanence, reflexes, self-soothing, and mobility.
Pre-operational Stage (2-7 y.o) - pretend play, imaginary friends, egocentric, object representation, and curiosity.
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 y.o) - classifying objects, ideas of conservation, inductive logic, less egocentric.
Formal Operational (12+) - Abstract Thinking, Application of Knowledge to complex problems, sense of identity,and social and moral questions.
Bruner’s Theory of Constructivism
Inactive (0-1y.o) - The child’s thinking is based entirely on physical actions, and infants learn by doing, rather than by internal representation
Iconic (1-6 y.o) - This representation is imaged-based. The iconic mode suggests why it is helpful for learners to have diagrams or other sensory supports such as hearing smell and touch.
Symbolic (7+) - In the symbolic stage, knowledge is stored primarily as words, mathematical symbols, or in other symbol systems, such as music.
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
Culture-Specific: real tools and symbolic tools play very important roles in cognitive development.
Private Speech is the act of communicating with oneself for the purposes of self-guidance and self-regulation.
Zone of Proximal Development. The Zone of Proximal Development is defined as the space between what a learner can do without assistance and what a learner can do with adult guidance.
Maria Montessori
The Montessori Stages of Development and method of education was developed by Maria Montessori.
- Fosters children to seek to develop natural interests and activities
- Fosters a sense of independence with each child
-Classrooms place an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills
Emilia’s Educational Philosophy
-Students can construct their own learning.
-Children learn their place in the world through interactions; it focuses heavily on social collaboration, encouraging children to work in groups and develop knowledge through communicating with others.
-the focus is on encouraging children to explore all of these various aspects and learn how to communicate not only through speech but also through art and play.
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory
Views children as active learners who both influence and are influenced by their environment.
A major component of the Social Cognitive Theory is observational learning: the process of learning desirable and undesirable behaviors by observing others.
Reproducing learned behaviors in order to maximize rewards.
Individuals’ beliefs in their own self-efficacy influence whether or not they will reproduce an observed behavior.
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
Level 1: Preconventional Morality (birth- 9y.o) -
- Stage 1 (Obedience and Punishment)
- Stage 2 (Individualism and Exchange)
Level 2: Conventional Morality
- Stage 3 (Developing Good Interpersonal Relationships)
- Stage 4 (Maintaining Social Order)
Level 3: Post-Conventional Morality
- Stage 5 (Social Contract and Individual Rights)
- Stage 6 (Universal Principles)
