Theorists help us to learn about play and help us progress in relation to approaches and future planning. Vygotsky believed that imaginative play and relationships are important in relation to a child’s learning, and his theory was called the social constructivist theory. He believed that through play a ‘zone of proximal development’ is created, in which a child’s learns at the height of their potential. He argued against Piaget’s theory. Piaget argued that children did not necessarily learn through play but play just showcases and applies what they have already learnt. Piaget’s theory stated that there was two aspects to play – sensory and movement play and imagination, pretend and symbolic play. The McMillian sisters theorised the idea that children would find it extremely difficult to learn, play and develop without good hygiene and good health. Froebel also had strong opinions on the role of play. He believed in the importance of symbolic play, and imaginative play - stating it was one of the best ways for …show more content…
a child to learn. Influenced by Frobel, Isaacs raised the idea that children make sense of the world through play, she believed that a childs curiosity should be embraced and encouraged and that a child should be free to be active within play, not sat at a desk. Summarise how theories impact on own understanding of play The Dictionary of National Biogroaphy stated Susan Isaacs (1885-1948) as the greatest influence on British Education in the twentieth century. I believe that Isaacs child-centered theory is informative and it is helpful to have an understanding of when working with young children. Isaacs stated that she was a strong believer in imaginative and fantasy play and she supported children to learn through doing rather than being told. I believe treasure baskets are a very valuable way of letting infants explore through their senses and curiosity and it supports Isaacs theory in that sense and in relation to doing rather than being rold and imaginative play. While in placement I have used treasure baskets for children aged 8-10 months, the children find it exciting and seem to express real curiosity while exploring through the basket. "Through play.. he adds to his knowledge of the world...No experimental scientist has a greater thirst for new facts than an ordinary healthy active child." [Susan Isaacs 1929, p10-11] One of Froebel's (1782-1852) most commonly known ideas was the introduction of 'gifts'. Gifts were a set of blocks that encourage exploring and understanding mathematical concepts through play. Although, the gifts are a clever and interesting way to teach children a basic understanding of mathematics I have noticed that they also teach young children more about the understanding of the world and the interrelationships of the objects and tools that they use. For example, while I was in placement working with children between the ages of 3-5 I noticed while the children were stacking the building blocks they began to understand that the more aligned the blocks were, the taller they could make it without falling. Piaget (1896-1980) believed in staged intellectual development. He identified four stages - Sensorimotor stage, Preoperational stage, Concrete operational stage and finally, Formal operations stage. Piagets theory has helped me in the classroom, and within settings. I find Piagets theory most useful when planning activities and observing different age groups, his stages provide a good outline for assessing the capabilities of a child, and the stages of development they are at. Analyse how theoretical perspectives on play inform practice. "Albert Einstein said that Piaget's work was 'a discovery so simple that only a genius could have thought of it'." [Pound 2006 p38] Many theorists were influenced by Piaget, such as Isaacs and Bruner and he has been extremely influential throughout early years settings. Piagets work was crucial in developing the educational system that we have today i.e assessing what stage a child is at and providing appropriate activies. Piagets theory still has great impact on our schooling system, the way practitioners view children's learning and the way we teach them. Piaget thought it was important for children to have a comfortable and safe environment to optimise their abilities to explore and interact with practitioners, other children and objects. Free play sessions were important within his beliefs as he thought this gives children the time to practice and act out real-life situations. Piagets stages can be applied within an early years setting. At stage two: preoperational children may have a basic understanding of right and wrong, animism, egocentrism and take part in symbolic play. For example, in an early years setting two children are ego-centric and arguing - the practitioner must listen to both sides of the argument and offer chances for the children to resolve the conflict themselves. Piaget's theory explains while children are going through a ego-centric stage. although they might have a basic understanding of right and wrong they may not understand why they cannot have ownership of everything they may want. Piagets goal with his theory was to explain the processes which take place in order to develop the infant into an independant individual. Piagets theory differs from other theorists in quite a few ways - focusing on development in place of learning and he was more concentrated on children rather than how we learn. Also he focused on actual stages of development not gradual development. Piagets theory has helped our understanding of cognitive development and helped to develop new methods of studying and observing children. Practitioners working with early years must understand Piaget's fundamental concepts such as object permanence. Some critics argue that as Piaget was very concentrated on cognitive development and even some adults cannot complete the final stage. "Keating (1979) reported that 40-60% of college students fail at formal operation tasks, and Dasen (1994) states that only one-third of adults ever reach the formal operational stage. " [Saul McLeod 2009] ------------ 2.1 Identify philosophical approaches which influence play provision Philosophical approaches focus on knowledge, reality and existance. Most approaches believe what children should be in control of their learning, with adults providing a safe and stimulating environment for them. The Reggio Emilia approach orginates in a small Italian town and it was inspired by Loris Malaguzzi (author of 'the hundred languages of children'). In 1945 the first centers were founded by parents who felt the church was too restricting for educators, and they wanted a different style of education. Settings are typically placed in a large open area, with a child-centered approach and no set curriculum the key elements of this approach would be encouraging the childs interests and creativity. Reggio Emilia approach believes that environment is the third educator (with parents and practitioners, first and second) and so, is extremely important. A fundamental concept of Reggio Emilia is the environment and how we use it. For example in a Reggio Emilia setting, activities are not spaced out into areas ( creative area, sand/water, role play - home corner/shops/vets etc) but are equally spaced out within a large area (resembling a town, highstreet, shopping mall or other common meeting places in their area) and children play and move freely here."A Reggio pre-school is a special kind of place, one in which young human beings are invited to grow in mind, in sensibility and in belonging to a broader community." [Jerome S Bruner 1998 p137] Forest schools orginate in Sweden in 1950, and adopted by Denmark soon after, becoming an intrigral part of early years education. Forest Schools help to build independence and confidence. "It focuses on the core ability and qualities of a person and helps create a sense of self awareness, which then becomes a foundation for personal development." [https://www.forestschools.com/values/] Forest Schools emphasise the importance of outdoor play for children of all ages but also the children's understanding of maths, physical, personal and social, languages and creativity is worked towards throughout their time at a Forest School and represent the philosophy behind it. The High/Scope approach orginated in 1970's america, and is based on Piaget's intellectual development theory. It focuses on children being active learners often giving them opportunities to direct their own learning while still following a routine. Although the adults provide activities and equipment, the responsibility for the control of the activities lies with both children and adults. Children are encouraged to 'PLAN, DO & REVIEW', planning what they want to do, then reviewing what went well, and what they learnt. Staff encourage students to become successful future learners by helping them to develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. 2.1 Summarise how philosophical approaches impact on own understanding of play provision Forest Schools can be deeply beneficial for both children and their families.
I believe this because I think that often parents might take more interest in Forest Schools and outdoor play as their children are more enthusiastic and encouraging after attending. Parents can often see more risks when their children play outside apposed to inside a classroom, therefore Forest Schools can show parents another side of play which I believe is important. While in placement we took the children on a school trip to a local woodland, they all found it very exciting and they began collecting leaves and pebbles. We reminded the children to stay hydrated as it was a hot day - when the parents came to collect the children, one child asked his father if they could go again and reminded him that if it was a hot day they must make sure they have water. I think that shows how educational and stimulating it can be for a child, just by playing outside in a different
environment. Within a Reggio Emilia based setting there are different staff members and responsilbities compared to a standard UK early years setting. For example, an atelierista could be a computer expert, musician, dancer, or artist and they would work together with the staff and children to share their chosen skill and plan effective projects for the long and short term. In my setting, we have a professional dancer attend every tuesday and throughout the day the children are spilt into groups and taught another dance which they then have chances to practice and perform for the rest of the setting at another time. I think this is really valuable as the children become excited about taking part in something new, staying fit and exercising and also taking pride in their learning.
Dr. Alison Gopnik’s drew the following truth that “children are intellectually more skilled and far more sophisticated in their thinking then we ever imagined”(Gopnik2009). Gopnik also stated preschoolers are extremely well designed for learning. They are naturally curious. They learn through exploring and playing. “The value of play” was also presented in Gopnik’s research. He clarified that when children engage in pretend play, they will have imaginary characters and explore other world. They are learning peoples’ nature, how people think, do, and work. This helps them understand themselves and other people, to improve their social traits or in balancing school, and to increase their social competences in life. Gopnik demonstrated the idea
No single development theory satisfactorily explains behavior; however, a more comprehensive picture of child development emerges when Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is integrated with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development identifies four stages of development associated with age (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs “posited a hierarchy of human needs based on two groupings: deficiency needs and growth needs” (Huitt, 2007). Comparatively, both theories argue that humans need a series of environmental and psychological support to meet our needs. Integrated, these two theories together enable teachers to understand which stage of development students are at and to create teaching
In chapter one, cognitive development was briefly discussed and now in chapter 5 it goes a little deeper. One of the first names that comes to mind when thinking of cognitive development is Piaget. Piaget’s theory is described as constructivist view to cognitive development. A constructivist view is that people create or “construct” their own view and knowledge of the world by the information they already know. They view life through the experiences and knowledge they already obtain. The essential building block to Piaget’s theory is schemes which are patterns of physical or mental action. Throughout life people just build on the schemes when they experience something new they relate it an old experience. An example would be an animal that
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
For this assignment I have chosen Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory and Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory.
My choice of research was in the play behaviors of children as well as aggression. Breaking the topic down more, behavior relates to the psychology and the psyche of each individual. The definition of psychology is “science of mind and behavior” (Clavijo, 2013). After reading the article by Clavijo, I have realized that psychology can be defined in three ways such as the study of the mind, the study of behavior, and the study of the mind and behavior. In the text “The Developing Person” by Berger, behavior is learned through social learning. Children learn different behaviors through the observation of others, others being children and adults. Different people have affects on a child’s life that can affect their behavior. A child’s behavior is heavily influenced by their parents. A son may speak aggressively and without respect towards his mother because this is the way that his father speaks to her therefore he feels that is how to communicate with his mother (Berger, 200, 2012). Moving into play behaviors, children learn from other children in how to play. Most believe cognitive growth relies on child’s play time. Vygotsky and Piaget both believe that when children play it is beneficial, but according to Vygotsky, playing enables a child to think outside the box and create their own meaning from objects, using their imagination. Piaget believes that child benefit from playing together because children and sharing their knowledge and making it more concrete ideas and thoughts. There are four stages of plays, with the fourth stage being the highest most complicated play which consists of rules and guidelines for the game. The lowest level or play would be functional play being infants shaking rattles, clapping their hands, or blow...
Piaget versus Vygotsky: Similarities and Differences This paper explores the ideas of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Exploring their philosophies and how they impact us today. The two scholarly articles show similarities and differences in their works and explore what they each mean. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two of the most influential philosophers in the field of cognitive development.
• Describe how a child’s mind develops according to Piaget. Include a description of the four stages and the developmental phenomenon that accompany each stage.
Parten’s idea of child lead stages of play would support JNTCP ‘behaviour that is freely chosen, personally directed’ as when the child is ready to progress they make the personal decision. It could be said that Parten’s job would have influenced the way she views play. Being a psychologist may have led her to believe that child led play is more beneficial for the child’s development as they are able to figure it out for themselves, thus making the child more independent. A teacher idea of play however, would be the opposite to that of a child psychologist, as a teacher would believe that adult led play is more beneficial for a child, as it can have a planned outcome and consequently better the child’s social, emotional and physical development. The Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY, 2002) research clearly states that there becomes a point where children need to be supported by an adult in order to further their thinking. Vygotsky theory of proximal development would support the teacher’s idea of child lead play. Proximal development represents the gap between what a child can accomplish alone, and what they can do with the guidance of an adult. Similarly, Bruner’s theory of scaffolding mimics the same idea as Vygotsky, the adult giving a helping hand to the child’s play to better their learning and
...ng in the educational context requires teachers as the competent adults or instructors, it demonstrates the importance of teacher presence in all areas of the curriculum especially in play. Whether through Piaget’s cognitive constructivism or Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, it is important for teachers to actively participate and interact with the children to foster their cognitive and social development. To scaffold children’s play, the teacher is important in roles such as creating the right play environment by preparing adequate materials, designing the playing space and ensuring adequate play materials, designing appropriate play experiences to structure and facilitate the children’s development and facilitating interactions among the children and between themselves and the children to facilitate and support meaning making (Module 2 & Module 3, 2012).
Children have a natural inclination to play, alongside a natural instinct to learn and to be curious and inventive, which are characteristics of the human race in general. This quote taken from Janet Moyles is a good starting point for this essay. It is well known that children love to play. If a child were to be left to his/her own devices they would happily play and create new worlds anywhere they were left. It has been well documented and researched that children learn excellently through play. However they are not always given the opportunity to do so, instead being told to, ‘finish your work and then you can go play’. Obviously this is not always the case, but the fact that it is a common practice shows that we do not all fully appreciate the importance of play to children’s learning. This essay will attempt to show how children learn through play, making reference to current theory and practice. I will also give examples from my own first-hand experience of how children learn and develop as people through play.
The Critique of Piaget's Theories Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) was a constructivist theorist. He saw children as constructing their own world, playing an active part in their own development. Piaget’s insight opened up a new window into the inner working of the mind and as a result he carried out some remarkable studies on children that had a powerful influence on theories of child thought. This essay is going to explain the main features and principles of the Piagetian theory and then provide criticism against this theory. Cognitive development refers to way in which a person’s style of thinking changes with age.
Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes his belief that children try to actively make sense of the world rather than simply absorbing knowledge as previously thought. Piaget’s theory claims that as children grow and develop they experience four different cognitive stages of life. As a child grows through each stage they not only learn new information but the way he or she thinks also changes. “In other words, each new stage represents a fundamental shift in how the child thinks and understands the world” (Hockenbury, page 368).The first stage of Piaget’s theory, known as the sensorimotor stage, begins at birth and continues on until about age 2. As the name suggest, this stage is when children begin to discover
Before diving into my research, I reflected on the knowledge I already knew regarding play and play based learning. From experience, I know that play is an enjoyable activity for children, and even some adults. I know that there are different ways one can play. For example, playing with others is known as cooperative play and playing alone is considered solitary play. There are different types of play. For example, there is dress up or pretend games, which is considered dramatic, play and there is playing with building blocks which is constructive play. After my reflection I realized that I was more knowledgeable on the action of playing rather then the benefits of it.
1). The major theorist for Piaget’s theory is pretty obvious. Jean Piaget. He was born in 1896 and died in 1980. making him a pretty contemporary theorist. The main idea behind his theory was that cognitive learning goes in stages of development. So essentially you get to the max of one stage and then move on to the next, they are not connected. Think of it like steps on a staircase, you have to go to one before you can move onto the next. The two major weaknesses for this theory is that a lot of Piaget’s research was done based on bias’s and that Piaget underestimated the knowledge children. So while one of the pros is it gives a good base of how we can teach children, some of these might actually be developmentally too low. Again while a