My Beliefs Regarding How Children Grow, Develop, and Learn

Lev Vygotsky focused on the social world of people and viewed cognitive abilities as the
product of cultural history. A childs mind grows through interaction with other minds in the
culture. Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory - This theory suggests that social interaction leads to
continuous step-by-step changes in children's thought and behavior that can vary greatly from
culture to culture. He believed the language is a big part in mental development. According to
Berk (2013), Vygotsky believed that as adults and more-expert peers help children master
culturally meaningful activities, the communication between them becomes part of childrens
thinking (p. 25).
Vygotsky believed that conflict and problem solving in a social situations are essential
features child development .Rather than focusing on what children know he focused on what
they are capable of knowing .According to Vygotsky all children are capable of learning skills to
which they have not yet been exposed. The zone of proximal development is defined as the
distance between what a child can do independently, and what the child can do in interaction
with an adult or a more advanced peer, (Berk,2013,pg.267).
Another theorist is Bronfenbrenner. Bronfenbrenner ecological system consists of the
mesosystem, macrosystem, microsystem, chronosystem and the exosystem. The Environment
and everyone in a childs life plays a vital role in the childs growth and development. As an
educator, I will promote social development and respect each individual child.
Another theory is Bandura theory of social learning. I believe that environment plays
an important role in how children interact with each other. Therefore, I will provide a warm,
caring, and nurturing environment that promotes social interactions. Berk (2013) explains how
social learning theory recognizes that children acquire many skills through modeling, observing
and imitating (p. 18).
Of course there is Kohlberg theory of moral development. He believes that children
learn through social and moral reasoning. Social interaction requires the assumption of a variety
of roles and the entering into a variety of reciprocal relationships; such relationships demand that
one take others perspectives (Kohlberg & Hesh, 1977). As a caregiver I would encourage
children to solve their problems by reasoning and listening to others as they become problem
solvers.
Erikson psychosocial theory is another theory that I like. Erikson believed there are
stages children go through before entering adulthood. He divulges that when problems are not
resolved during childhood, they will still exist as an adult. He believed development happens
within the social environment in which a person lived, primary focusing on relationship with
others. Erikson believed that there are certain periods of time in which humans must gain
insights. If those insights are not gained, the development of personality will suffer.

Another great theorist is B.F. Skinner .Skinner is known for radical behaviorism. B. F.
Skinner founded both radical behaviorism and behavior analysis. His founding innovations
included: a versatile preparation for studying behavior; explicating the generic nature of stimulus
and response; a pragmatic criterion for defining behavioral units; response rate as a datum; the
concept of stimulus control; the concept of verbal behavior; and explicating the explanatory
power of contingencies,( Baum,2011). His theory focuses on operant conditioning. There are
causes to why children behave the way they do. According to Skinner, the frequency of a
behavior can be increased by following it with a wide variety of reinforcers such as smile or
praise or decreased through punishment such as disapproval withdrawal or privileges (Berk,
2013, p. 17).
All of the theorists are very influential in their study of social, cognitive and behavioral
development. The theorist that had the most influence while working with early childhood to me
would be Piaget. Piaget theory demonstrates how children are active learners through play and
how children acquire knowledge by making hands on experiences. When children are given the
opportunity to move freely, they are able to make a world of wonderful new discoveries.
Through infancy, children use their senses to gain a sense of the world around them and as they
get older, they use symbols, language and their imagination. According to Berk, (2013)
Children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world, (p. 19).
Some children exhibit behaviors that fall outside of the normal, or expected, range of
development. These behaviors emerge in a way or at a pace that is different from their peers,
(WETA, 2015). Atypical behaviors should be noted and carefully recorded. They may be
isolated events that have little or no impact on later development. They might, however, be early
warning signs of later and more significant problems. Atypical describes children with
developmental differences or marked delays. The childrens development may be inconsistent or
incomplete in the patterns or sequences of development. They could be strong in one
development but week in others. .Knowing these theories and how and when children develop
will help us as teaches/caregivers to give children the best education possible.