Communication through oral language gives a person a way to connect with others either as an individual or in social groups and settings (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014, p18). Language and cognitive development could be considered as a partnership or as something that is to be learnt at different stages. Nature could be considered a maturational and nativist perspective while nurture could be considered a behaviourist and social interactionist perspective. Theorists such as Jean Piaget (cognitive) and Lev Vygotsky (social & cognitive) have contributed to childhood education with their theories. Do children learn language first through cognitive development or through cognition and social interaction?
Both Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have valid theories
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Chromsky argued that the human brain is structured to acquire and use language and found it to astonishing how the human mind is able to create and understand syntactic systems or grammatical rules (as cited by Chromsky in Fellowes and Oakley, 2014, p49). Example; children use words they have heard and then place them into grammatically incorrect sentences i.e, A 3 year old could say “I can catched the balloon” after they let it go.
Vygotsky suggested children could develop their speech with the assistance of their peers, parents and teachers. When placed in a social situation children will interact with others and these interactions will result in learning (Oakley, 2004, p37). John Dewey believed children learn best when interacting with others working side by side and cooperatively with each other (Garhart Mooney, 2013, p16).
Children placed in social groups of a nurturing nature will find their peers scaffolding their learning. Example; Adults are able to communicate with each other using words children may not know how to say or know the semantics of each sentence. Children who are in the beginning stages of communication could require shorter words in shorter sentences thus enabling children to communicate with their
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It is believed children learn language through a nurturing environment. Where language is made up of phonemes, syntax and semantics communication through interactions with others will assist children in understanding pragmatics. Pragmatics could occur in children as early as 3 or 4 years of age (Hill, 2012).
Children who are involved in a nurturing environment where positive reinforcement is ample could see children continuing with the same words and actions and developing new words used from their social network. Example; children who say “mumma” and are positively greeted with “Mummy is here. Give Mummy cuddles” and is given kisses could soon learn how to say mummy and could associate cuddles with kisses (Fellowes and Oakley, 2014, p48).
Theorists such as Maria Montessori believed it was not only the environment children were in, but also the people who were around the children. Children who are in an environment which has been specifically adapted for the children were able to learn oral language. It can be suggested that by developing an environment where children can socially interact with their peers allows for cognitive development and language acquisition (Garhart Mooney,
Lev Vygotsky’s theory of learning begins with the idea that cognitive development occurs from sociocultural origins, that through social interaction children learn how to think (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner & Krause pp. 84) and how to use and access language and communication skills specifically as members of their culture and society.
Garton, A. (1992). Essays in developmental psychology: Social Interaction and the development of language and cognition. (p.9). United Kingdom: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Limited.
Simone Weil once said, "The destruction of the past is perhaps the greatest of all crimes." There have been countless prosperous civilizations, exquisite pieces of art, and fascinating artifacts that have been either lost or destroyed in history. The Mayans. The Library of Alexandria. Ancient tombs in China. What about Pompeii? In the year 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted causing the ancient Roman city of Pompeii to be blanketed in a think layer of volcanic ash. Two thousand people died, leaving the once flourishing resort to become abandoned for almost as many years. Pompeii, however, was still intact sealed in it's own time capsule of dust and debris.
Cognitive Development and Language Skills Development “Cognitive development underpins all the other aspects of development as children start to explore and make sense of the world around them. It is closely linked to the development of language and communication skills as children interact with the people around them.” There are many theories written on the subjects of cognitive development and language and communication. These theories vary in several ways, but they all seem to make the link between the too subjects. Childcare settings put these theories into practise in a lot of ways, sometimes without even realising it, just through conversation.
This essay is about a child’s development and learning, focusing primarily on language development. It will describe the main stages of developmental "milestones" and the key concepts involved for children to develop their language skills, discussing language acquisition and social learning theory. The essay will also look into the key theorists involved in language development, primarily Vygotsky and Chomsky, and how these theories have had an impact on the way society views language and their implementation within schools. The essay will describe the factors affecting language development, both biological and environmental. While also discussing key arguments among theorists, one being the nature vs nurture debate, and how these play a part in the teaching in schools.
Language plays an important in our lives, for children this is a critical time for them to learn how they can use language to communicate effectively from the when they learn through school and into adulthood. While a child goes through school they are exposed to Standard English, but there are diversities that appear in the classroom for example culture plays a part in language development. Gee and Hayes (2011) stated that there are many things that language can be including; a set of rules, a cognitive experience, a social tool or an object, but overall language is something that changed based on culture and social context. Acknowledging and accepting diversity in the classroom in relation to language and language learning is important
The basic principal of the sociocultural theory is the belief that intellectual development is “highly influenced by language, social interaction, and cul...
“Because brain development is so heavily dependent on early experience, most babies will receive the right kind of nurturing from their earliest days, through our loving urges and parenting instincts. “there are so many things that I’ve read that could make a baby smarter like reading to them while pregnant or even talking to them so the brain can develop the right way while in the womb but loving your child and catering to them is the right way and will eventually lead them to the right path to learn. Yes, speaking to your child and listening to them can and will critically develop the brains –building years. Parents do forget that a child’s developments are not when school begins but before that. If a child comes from a home that listens and speaks when the other one is done and knows manners the child will develop that and learn that is the right way to go about things as oppose to a house hold who may talk over each, shout or even hit their brains will pick all that up like a sponge. So talking to your child and actually listening to them is one of the best brain developments. “Language is fundamental to most of the rest of cognitive development, this simple action—talking and listening to your child—is one of the best ways to make the most of his or her critical brain-building years.” (Zero to
Nearly every member of the human race learns a language or more to the degree of proficiency only in the first few years of life. How children achieve this astonishing skill in such little time has sparked controversial debates among linguists, psychologists, and scientists throughout centuries. Some believe that language is an innate ability possessed by all human beings due to the remarkable function of the brain, while others maintain that language is learned from childhood experience. However, many are beginning to realize that nature and nurture go hand-in-hand when explaining how children develop their language(s). Despite the claims that language is either pre-learned or environmentally learned alone, the combination of both genes and experience better explains the aspects of first language acquisition.
Language Development in Children Language is a multifaceted instrument used to communicate an unbelievable number of different things. Primary categories are information, direction, emotion, and ceremony. While information and direction define cognitive meaning, emotional language expresses emotional meaning. Ceremonial language is mostly engaged with emotions, but at some level information and direction collection may be used to define a deeper meaning and purpose. There is perhaps nothing more amazing than the surfacing of language in children.
Child development language is a process by which children come to communicate and understand language during early childhood. This usually occurs from birth up to the age of five. The rate of development is usually fast during this period. However, the pace and age of language development vary greatly among children. Thus, the language development of a child is usually compared with norms rather than with other individual children. It is scientifically proven that development of girls language is usually at a faster rate than that of boys. (Berk, 2010) In other terms language development is also a crucial factor that reflects the growth and maturation of the brain. However, this development usually retards after the age of five making it very difficult for most children to continue learning language. There are two major types of language development in children. These include referential and expressive language development styles. In referential language development, children often first speak single words and then join the words together, first into –word sentences and then into th...
There are three main theories of child language acquisition; Cognitive Theory, Imitation and Positive Reinforcement, and Innateness of Certain Linguistic Features (Linguistics 201). All three theories offer a substantial amount of proof and experiments, but none of them have been proven entirely correct. The search for how children acquire their native language in such a short period of time has been studied for many centuries. In a changing world, it is difficult to pinpoint any definite specifics of language because of the diversity and modification throughout thousands of millions of years.
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is one of the key theories that early childhood educators implement in their practices. In his theory he emphasises the significance that language plays in children’s development (Pound L, 2012). Although Piaget’s theory to...
Children’s acquisition of language has long been considered one of the uniquely defining characteristics of human behaviour.
This way the child would gradually learn to speak and use language. The child would respond to the smiles and approval of the parents. Skinner explained this as operant conditioning; the reinforcement of a random response by a reward. By trial and error the child would learn to communicate. The child would repeat verbal behaviour that was rewarded and drop sounds or speech that did not work in terms of getting a pleasurable response.