NAEYC standards and implications for early learning and teaching practices
Psycho analytical theories explain a Childs development using psychological states that are characterized by conflicts and tensions. Developed by Sigmund Freud and Eric Erickson, the psycho analytical theory views early childhood development as psycho sexual in that sexuality and aggression were the major motivation for early childhood development. Eric Ericson however believed that the social context and environment in which a child is brought up has a lot of impact on the development of the child.
Current research in this field however tend to differ with the assertions of Sigmund. Modern psycho analytics explain childhood development in terms of cognitive, attachment theory and also neuroscience. They postulate that the mind is dynamic as opposed to being static. This means that development of the child occurs in the context of relationships in that emotion and cognition in children is motivated by the need to get connected to the others and not due to sexuality and aggression as explained by the early psychoanalytical theorists.
Behaviorist theorists
According to the behaviorist theories, the children’s mind is a blank slate that is usually filled in by the environment through what they refer to as conditioning. B.F Skinner, the most famous behaviorists based his theory on operant conditioning on rewards and punishments. This method was for many years used to study the development of human brain. According to operant conditioning, the human mind changes behavior by the use of a reinforcement which is given after some desirable response. In his study, Skinner identified three types of responses which included
Skinner coined the term operant conditioning; it means roughly changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response. Skinner identified three types of responses or operant that can follow: behavior rein forcers, punishers and neutral operant’s.
Basically, skinner was trying to explain that whatever the Child’s mind learns is as a result of the conditioning that the society has on the mind. For instance if a particular behavior is punished, then the child will try to avoid such a behavior. Modern research however indicates that the brain is not a passive element in the learning process as stated by the likes of skinner. It’s a very active element as explained by
Albert Bandura who claimed that children learn through imitation
Maturational theories- this theory postulates that a child develops from the perspective of natural progression and biological potential. Arnold Gessel, a recent researcher studied the behavior of Children and developed a set of specific milestones for each year from birth till around age ten. He also noted that a Childs growth is related to its genetic makeup.
Constructivists postulate that children gain their knowledge from their interaction with the outside world. Jean Piaget developed a theory that shows the stages in cognitive development. Modern researchers however suggest that the stages that were developed by the early constructivists’ were not universal but are determined majorly by the cultural set ups and experiences of each particular individual. They argue that children construct their learning from their own experiences and view the world from their own frames of references and not through any other person’s experiences. To understand a child,, one must examine how the child receives, processes and internalizes information.
Contextualists theorists, just like the behaviorists believe that the environment plays a very important role in the development of the child, they however differ in that the latter focuses on the child’s experiences with regard to people, the environment and also the socio-historical context in which the child lives. This means that each child is unique from the next and seeks to explain these variations.
Modern research today borrows a lot from LeV Vygotsdy who combined this theory with Marxism and postulated that learning in children takes place with the help of adults.
Humanist theories explain that we learn from our relationships with others. Children, according to this theory have a positive direction and adults can only facilitate their growth process. It’s asserted that children learn through aligning themselves with the good of others through understanding and empathy. Abraham Maslow’s theory of needs also falls in this category. Maslow explained that needs are motivators and one need has to be satisfied before the next one.
According to the intelligence theory that was fronted by Howard Gardner, there are multiple intelligences other than the usual IQ sores and verbal and math abilities. Key among his intelligence’s is the existentialist and naturalist.
The first NAEYC standard stipulates that in order to develop the Childs learning at an early stage, teachers should know and understand the young ones characteristics and also their needs. It’s also advisable that the teachers have a deep understanding of the many influences that impact on the learning of the child. Lastly, the teachers should use this knowledge to create a supportive, healthy and challenging environment that stimulates learning for the young ones.
This means that, most of Freud and Ericson’s ideas have fallen out of the favor of modern policies and practices as new research becomes available.
With this understanding, the standards have come in handy in assisting the modern childhood teacher in developing teaching methods and creating an environment that nurtures the talent of the young ones at the earliest levels of development.
As explained earlier, the first standard indicates that the teacher should understand the needs and requirements of the child. Since according to behaviorists the child learns from conditioning, the teacher should be willing to create an environment of learning that has a positive impact on the mind of the child. This means that the teacher must learn to use positive language when communicating with the young ones as they will be conditioned to what they are taught.
As modern research has explained, children learn through imitation. It’s in this vein that the standard requires that the teachers create an environment where the child has role models of people that he or she can emulate. This will ensure that the child grows up having emulated good and positive behavior from his or her environment.
According to the national Academies of sciences. From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, recommendation, early environment matters and nurturing relationships is essential. This is in support of the above standard where the teachers are expected to provide a great environment for learning of the little ones.
This theory is not very much used in modern learning as we have more advanced research in the field of child development. However, according to the fourth standard, the teacher should use a broad repertoire of learning approaches so as to be able to reach to each and every child regardless of their stage in development and make an impact at an early stage. Secondly, the teacher should reflect on their own practice and promote a positive outcome for each child regardless of the Childs stage in development as this goes a long way in shaping the future of the young ones.
Going back to the first standard, teachers should be able to use their knowledge to create a healrthy, respectful, supportive and challenging learning environment. This will enable the child to gather positive experiences that will enable him or her to learn only beneficial ideas that would help in future. Since the environment, as explained by the constructivists plays such an important role in the development of the child, the teacher should emphasize on creating conducive environment for learning at a very early stage of the Child’s development.
Moreover, the understanding that a child sees the world through his or he lenses should inform the teacher of the need to create an environment where children understand that the views of others, even when different from their own are not necessarily wrong, just different which is a step towards appreciating diversity (Copple,2011)
The contextualists theory is very widely used today as adults seek to understand children’s behavior through the examination of the children’s families, cultures etc (Trawick, 2007). Teachers of today arrange the classrooms environment so as to suit each child; teachers also give guidance’s and instructions so that kids can understand complex ideas and also assist the child in problem solving.
The fifth standard requires that teachers use their knowledge and other resources to design implement and evaluate a challenging curricula for each child. This will help guide the child in gathering knowledge from challenging materials.
As per the first standard, the teacher should be able to identify the needs of each child and ensure that such needs are met. For instance, taking care of even the most basic needs such as hunger and their wellness allows children to attain the highest learning potential
While some scientists argue that Gardners theories are not quantifiable and therefore not useful, teachers should be able to understand this theory as a guide to identifying the needs of each learner depending on their intelligence and design tools or learning that will be beneficial to all learners as explained in the fourth standard
References
Electronic Resource
1. Executive Summary
"Executive Summary," from From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, Adopted from: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9824&page=1
"From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development" podcast, Adopted from
http://www.nap.edu/audioplayer.php?record_id=9824&n=0
"NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs," Adopted from:
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ProfPrepStandards09.pdf
Trawick,S (2007). Early childhood development: A multicultural perspective. University of Michigan
Copple, C (2011). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: National association for the education of young children
