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Essay on Child Development Theory in the Classroom
Research also tells us how young children learn most effectively through interactions with others. Based on developmental theories that emphasize the role of learning in social contexts, we know that caregivers and teachers are a critical source of stimulation for young children. The way in which more competent others are able to support young children's learning has been described as "scaffolding" and includes a broad range of interactive styles that are consistently reported to enhance children's ability to learn because they provide support for the young child's less mature attention, cognitive, and language skills. Scaffolding occurs in everyday situations when caregivers or teachers notice a child's interest in a toy or book and help him/her hold the object and talk about how it works and what it is called.
Cognitive Theory in Classroom
For students in stage 1, knowledge is external, it comes from authoritative others, and the concept of interpreting doesn’t really make sense. Knowledge is certain, answers absolute, and instructors have all the answers. Teachers who won’t tell students exactly what “they want” are incompetent or unfair. Grades are like hourly wages. These students don’t know how to try to understand: either you get it right away or not at all. Critical thinking, for these students, is finding the right answer by following formulas from authority. Moral choices are always right or wrong (Fisher, 1995). These students are often intelligent, but for them being smart means being able to absorb lots of right information. And women are less likely to identify with authority than are men. The transition to stage 2 usually comes with the awareness that even good authorities disagree and that diverse perspectives among peers must be managed somehow. Many women begin to recognize the emergence of an individual voice.........
