Integrate Strategies That Support Diversity and Anti-Bias Perspectives
Integrate Strategies That Support Diversity and Anti-Bias Perspectives
Integrate Strategies That Support Diversity and Anti-Bias Perspectives
to the infants development to form a bond with their parent soon after birth. They
argue that this bond will lead to optimal development in the years to come.
4 Summarize child development theories:
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Jean Piaget is one major contributor in the work of child development. He
believed that children go through 4 stages: sensorimotor stage, preoperational
stage, concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. In the
sensorimotor stage, birth to 2 years, the child learns through interactions with their
environment. At this stage they do not understand about object permanence. Or
that an object that is no longer in sight still exists. In the preoperational stage, 2 to
7 years, the child does not understand abstract ideas and thinking and relies upon
the concrete physical environment to gain understanding. In the concrete
operational stage, 7 to 11 years, the child is able to understand abstract reasoning
and create logical conclusions through their many years of interaction with the
concrete environment. In the formal operational stage, 11 into adulthood, the child
is able to function in their environment and make new conclusions as they
encounter new experiences. Another prominent figure in child development
theories is Lev Vygotsky. He believed that a childs development is inseparable
from the culture and society in which they grow. In his theory there is great value
placed on the interaction between the child and skilled adults who teach the child
within their cultural, social group. Another important figure in child development
theories is Erik Erikson. Erikson puts forth the idea that a child progresses through
8 stages. Within each stage the child is confronted with a unique developmental
task. For example, when children are between 1 and 3 they go through the
autonomy versus shame and doubt stage. At this age the child starts to become
more autonomous, but if they are punished or restrained too harshly they will likely
develop a sense of shame or doubt.
5
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Children are genetic combinations of their parents genes. They receive half
of their genes from their mother and half from their father. So, obviously genes
play a role in how a child develops and acts. However, scientists struggle to distill
exact correlations between genes and behaviors and attributes shown in children.
If the effects of environmental factors are added in the complexity only grows. It is
clear, however, as I related earlier in previous reflection that adverse
environmental conditions adversely affect children in and out of the womb. There
is so much evidence to support this and common sense that I dont feel I need to
explain further. Of course, there is the ever present debate of how much the
environment shapes a person or how much heredity does. Many scientists across
different disciplines still cannot discern the ratio. I dont concern myself with these
debates beyond knowing that children are very sensitive to good and bad
environments. They model behaviors naturally. All children do, despite each having
a unique heredity. It is also true that genes can predispose people to certain
addictions or skills. Is it any wonder that so many talents like musicality and other
creative traits seems to follow family lines. While children raised around music
growing up young will be more inclined to appreciate music, this does preclude the
possibility that their genes also predisposed them to have the skills to create and
understand music or math in an extraordinary way.
6. Examine culturally and developmentally appropriate environments for infants and toddlers:
An infant is born with billions of nerve cells, but their brains are not fully
developed until adulthood. The number of nerve cells does not increase during the
first year, but the weight of the brain can double. During the first years of life the
brain is busy building a foundation network upon which it will build for the rest of
their lives. Each neuron is communicating with its neighbors through their
receptors called dendrites. As the child encounters new experiences they build
networks between neurons in general areas of the brain. A childs brain does not
develop in a step by step process, but it does have prime windows of time to learn
skills. By the age of three childrens brains are twice as active as adults. No doubt
on account of all the new information and inputs they are trying to process and put
in order in their brains. Children make meaning out of their experiences by
understanding larger patterns and connection new knowledge with already learned
knowledge. The more the brain works and connects experiences together the
better it is able to process and understand and create ab even larger network. In
order to excel children need challenges that are not way beyond their abilities, but
just enough out of their realm to stimulate growth and create varied pathways of
thought.
8. Examine caregiving routines as curriculum:
Since so much of an infants day is spent in caregiving routines like feeding,
diapering, and sleeping that it is a wonderful and consistent opportunity to create
a trusting bond between the child and caregiver. I always felt it a privilege to care
for childrens basic needs. Just because they are basic and not always pleasant
doesnt lessen their value. If done with care and respect the child will easily come
to trust you. I appreciated the introduction to Magda Gerbers philosophy this
semester. She put forth that a child should be told what is going to happen. Instead
of coming up behind an infant and grabbing them, they should be asked to be
picked up and spoken to all through diapering, telling the infant what you are going
to do next. It is during diapering and meals and rocking children or soothing them
so sleep that you are given the time to speak with them and introduce them to
new sounds and interactions. Interaction and observation with and of the
environment is the tool that educates young children according to Piaget. My
feeling is, if this is the case, then we should give the infant and toddler varied and
interesting interactions to learn with.