Fleer claims “there are many theoretical voices within Te Whāriki,” the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum document (Nuttall, 2003, p.254). However two are predominant and stand symbiotically on the pages and in the intent of the curriculum. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological, system’s theory, which emphasises how the quality and setting of the child’s environment influences the child (Ministry of Education, 1996; Paquette, & Ryan, 2001) and Vygotsky’s ‘sociocultural theory,’ which describes learning as a social process originating in society or culture and passed through generations (UNESCO, 2004). Discussed within this essay will be a review of these theoretical perspectives illustrating their explanations for how each influences the child, …show more content…
Importantly, Vygotsky believed socially rich environments increased cognitive progress when the child was helped or scaffolded by a more experienced “other” in the form of an adult or a more knowledgeable peer (Berk, 2008). Particularly relevant, in a New Zealand context, within this concept, comes kaupapa Māori theory, where reciprocal teaching as demonstrated in ako, and the occurrence of peer tutoring in the form of tuakana and teina relationships will impact positively on the classroom setting. Interestingly, Vygotsky advocated, with his term ‘zone of proximal development’ that the planned learning should be slightly above where the child was at, to encourage their progression and was achieved by social interaction (McLachlan, Fleer, & Edwards, 2010). Following on from this, Vygotsky believed learning occurred on two fronts, initially through interaction with others (intermental), followed on by it being internalised (intramental). This intramental learning is revealed when children verbalise aloud, talking through instructions using the ‘voice’ of the more ‘competent other’ and the shared meanings which they have internalised (Robbins, 2007). Also, while actively constructing knowledge with their peers, friendships with other children can lead to rich opportunities for learning (Copple, 2003). Subsequently, for children in the early years, Vygotsky believed role play and socio-dramatic play motivated them and served as the leading source of learning and development to engage them in cognitive and affective development (Wood, & Attfield,
...n, 1996. Te Whãriki: He whãriki mãtauranga mõ ngã mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early childhood curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
A child’s development and learning commences from the earliest days of their lives. The unique identity of each individual stems from the relationships with people who provide love, care and emotional support. These relationships can be within the home environment, school playground or with extended family members and friends. Children respond to stimuli which in turn form the ‘internal working model’ (K101, Unit 5). This can be described as how we view ourselves and others within society; it influences what we expect and how we respond to situations.
(Hyson, 2008) In her book, she stated that once the child was born, they are already connected with the world. According to Urie Bronfenbrenner, he emphasized that children are not only being affected but also they are affecting those that surrounds them. The members of those settings are also connected and influenced one another, he called this theory as ecological system theory. The ecological system theory was used by Marilou Hyson as a framework on the factors that influences the children’s approaches to learning and she named it as “Circle of Influence on Children’s Approaches to Learning”. The “Circle of Influence on Children’s Approaches to Learning” includes the family, school, culture, politics and policies. She believed that the family
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory will be applied throughout this essay to delve into the reasoning behind particular behavioural issues. According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, an individual has multiple environments known as their ecological systems (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Bronfenbrenner (1994) suggests that a developing child is influenced by the relationships surrounding them and the best way to understand a child’s behaviour is to look at the numerous aspects of the child’s environment and how they interact with each other. The relationships and environments that the child interacts with have been separated into layers known as the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and the overarching chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The microsystem is the environment where the child has direct face-to-face relationships such as at home, day care and school (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The relationships formed within the microsystem directly impact the development of a child (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). It is through the processes of repeated interactions with people, objects and symbols that the human develops (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The second layer in the ecological model is the mesosystem, which is the interaction between two of the microsystems such as the relationship between a parent and a teacher (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The exosystem is an external environment, with which the
Te Whᾱriki is the New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, which was developed in 1996. Compared with Reggio Emilia Approach, they have similarities as focus on children’s interests; develop children’s learning though interacting in relationship with others, emphasise the importance of environment and adults’ active responding. They also differ in many ways, such as teacher’s role, culture background and documentation and Assessment.
Demonstrate a strong understanding of current Australian early childhood education and care reform agenda in Australia since 2007. The Australian ECE and care reform agenda was initiated, in 2007, due to a concern for the wellbeing and increasingly poor outcomes for children in several key areas. Evidence confirmed the importance and impact of a child’s health, well-being, development and learning in the early years, therefore the need for an NQF and NQS was initiated. The impact of social change over recent decades has shown families struggling to function and aid in their child’s development.
..., & Hammer, M. (2006). The foundations of early childhood eduction: Historically situated practice. In M. Fleer, et al. (Eds). Early childhood learning communities: Sociocultural research in practice (pp. 193-208). Frenchs Forrest, Australia: Person Education Australia.
Human development issues have remained critical in understanding how and why people behave the way they do. Several human development theories exist to explain human development from birth through to death. Some of these have focused on the psychological aspects of human development while others on the cognitive aspect (Piaget, 1971; Lerner, 2001; Swick and Williams, 2006). Other human development theories have also focused on the social and environmental aspects (Bronfenbrenner & Bronfenbrenner, 2009; Swick, 2004). This current essay examines one of the major social theories relating to child development. The theory to be examined is the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development. The essay will further examine the applicability of the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to my personal development, growing up as a child between the ages of 4 years and 12 years. In the first instance, the essay will focus on explaining the – Bronfenbrenner’s theory including the four types of systems described by the theory. Subsequently, the essay will examine how these systems apply to my life in relation to the social systems in which I grew in South Sudan in Africa. It will be seen that the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory
In this assessment I will be talking about the principles and philosophy of Frobel and Montessori, what they have in common and differences, there contributions to Siolta and my own thoughts in relation to early childhood education and their impact on the learning environment
Children are products of their environment. There are several factors that determine the future outcome of the child. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model breaks down the components that effect the child. This model contains several layers; the inner most layer is called the microsystem, then comes the mesosystem, the exosystem, and the macrosystem. Each layer describes different factors that explain how and why the child behaves or grows up to be a certain way.
Bronfenbrenner theorised that there are many different influences that affect a child’s development, forming 5 systems to categorise certain events, or environments into. This theory helps me to understand the theme of Nature Vs Nurture, as it gives some context as to what environments can affect a child's development. From this, we can work out solutions for each child's situation, to ensure that their development is still progressing.
Kei Tua o te Pae/Assessment for learning: Early Childhood Exemplars take on a sociocultural approach to assessment. The early childhood exmplars are based on the philosophies of Te Whāriki, New Zealand's bicultural early childhood curriculum. The four principals of Te Whāriki, Empowerment/Whakamana, Holistic development/Kotahitanga, Family and community/Whānau tangata, and Relationships/Ngā hononga, are the principles for assessment. Interwoven within the philosophy and the four principals are the five strands of Te Whāriki which are: Wellbeing/Mana Atua, Belonging/Mana Whenua, Contribution/Mana Tangata, Communication/Mana Reo, and Exploration/Mana Aotūroa (Ministry of Education. (2010).
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te whāriki early childhood curriculum: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum.Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
The purpose of early childhood education is to firstly learn about one’s self and agency, how one’s actions can affect and impact others; to develop a sense of identity; who you are and how you fit into this world. Experience a sense of belonging through interactions with peers and teachers whilst celebrating and sharing diverse cultures whilst embracing others. Children need to have opportunities to explore, experiment, to gain insight and knowledge in numeracy, literacy, science and social structure through innovative and richly supported curriculums (DEEWR, 2009). I have very high expectations of all children as I believe that this assists in building self-confidence and