WEEK 9

WEEK 9: EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Continuing with childhood development Types of environments beneficial for child’s early development Pre-school age kids and an interesting time when forming friendships and sense of self Gender: area of lots research and parenting styles Vygotsky and Early Childhood education Vygotsky is a recent theorist who talked about the sociocultural aspect of cog, development Learn from older and wiser people Vygostkian classrooms promote assisted discovery: Teachers guide children’s learning with explanations, demonstrations and verbal prompts (work together to come up with ideas and solutions) Reciprocal teaching/learning/collaborative Challenges to Vygotsky’s theory: Verbal communication/private speech but doesn't account for other ways of learning such as: social modelling or learning those skills in different ways Natural line of development and cultural line of development (this is explained REALLY WELL) Natural line isn’t discussed well such as: motor, perception, attention, memory and problem-solving skills Because he is a recent theorist, there hasn't been any proper critic to challenge, but with Piaget, it was possible to challenge his findings Piaget and Education: Active learning: Children encouraged to discover/individual’s effort E.g: Child led activities in classroom and strong emphasis on individuals progress Discovery learning: spontaneous interaction with environment Sensitivity to children’s readiness to learn: Building on Children’s current thinking Acceptance of individual differences: Activities for individual children/groups Types of preschool and kindergarten: Different styles/theories on cog development Decision of care, back at work, option of being home/day care Formal education for ¾ year old’s Child- centred programs: Teachers provide activities of choice (play day) Academic programs: Formal lessons structured though teachers Montessori education: Child-centred and about balance of social and emotional development as well as academic Rudolf Steiner: Similar as they look at holistic education rather than academia Childcare: Debate about going back to work/staying/day care Stimulating Home care/ day care equally important and effective It is the type of care is bad/ not substandard Impoverished/poor standard of care/unsafe will impact social/ emotional and cognitive development It is about the quality of care Good childcare enhances language, cognitive and social development especially for low SES children Center- based care is more strongly linked to cognitive gains than home-based care Signs of Developmentally Appropriate Early Childhood programs Research conducted on such stuff Learning environments Differences in student and teacher ratio/types of classroom/interaction between staff and student Different cultural interaction No more than 18-20 children with 2 teachers No more than 8-10 with each teacher Early education programs are strictly monitored Academic Achievement and Class Size Small size class from kindergarten through 3rd grade Greater likelihood of graduating from high school Is associated with better academic progress Teachers in small classes: Spend less time disciplining More time teaching and giving individual attention Children who learn in smaller groups show: Better concentration Higher quality class participation Favourable attitudes towards school Educational Philosophies Traditional vs constructivist classrooms Piaget and Vygotsky: Constructivists (active in learning) Social constructivist classrooms: community of learners, learn from each other, reciprocal learning/teaching Teacher student interactions: More interactions, children contribute = higher level of academic self-esteem, sense of achievement Self-fulfilling prophecies: Self talk, beliefs around learning and experiences Grouping practices: Vygotsky’s idea mixed groups with children who are finding content difficult vs easy (homogenous vs heterogenous Cooperative learning Special needs children Inclusive education: Children in classes teaching in development typical Children with mild intellectual disability may be included in mainstream classroom Experience for other children in classroom with children with special needs Benefits such as prosocial behaviour, positive peer relationships Students with learning disabilities Difficulty with one or more aspects of learning, usually learning Some benefit inclusion, some don't Achievement gains depends on severity of disability and support services available Adequate staff needed to provide the care Erikson’s Theory: Initiative vs guilt Initiative: Eagerness to try new tasks, join activities with peers Try new skills through play Acting out family scenes and visible occupations Guilt: Psychoanalytic perspective (overly strict, superego or conscience, too much guilt) Excessive threats, criticisms, punishment from adults Self-concept: Based on observable characteristics Appearance Possessions Everyday behaviours By age 3.5 self-concept includes emotions and attitudes Warm, sensitive parent-child relationship foster +ve, coherent self-concept Elaborative reminiscing focuses on children’s internal states especially important Cultural variations in Personal Storytelling Children telling a story, relying on their language Difference between different cultures Autobiographical memory: see themselves and role in socialising children in meaning of their cultures Example: Irish- American parents attributed transgressions to spunk and assertiveness, downplayed seriousness (individualistic: child misbehaved, you talk to them about it) Chinese parents emphasized severity of children’s misbehaviour and its impact on others Differing emphasis in Children’s self-image Chinese children: Belonging, obligations to others Irish American: Autonomy Self esteem Children: evaluative self-judgments Young children’s self-judgements: Making friends Getting along with parents Treating others kindly Learning in school Cognitive and physical confidence (puzzle solving/runners) As they develop self-esteem, they are confident to explore world and move out independently (Initiative vs guilt) Emotional Development in Early Childhood Supported by mental representation/language develops As they get older, they gain emotional confidence (emotional self-regulate/recognise emotions) Parenting strongly influences pre-schoolers’ emotional competence (helping children navigate and understand those emotions and learning ways to manage them) Cognitive Development and Emotional Understanding As pre-schoolers age, they Better able to judge causes and consequences of emotions (recognise if someone is upset or why they are upset)- theory of mind starting to develop Infer how others are feeling based on their behaviour Effective ways to relieve other’s negative emotions. Social Experience and Emotional Understanding For children to learn, they need experience from parents Labelling and explain emotions Expressing warmth and enthusiasm when conversing with children Engaging in elaborative discussions about causes of emotions Talk about the causes of emotions (angry/happy/sad) Emotional Self-Regulation Language helps children manage experience and expression of emotion Effortful control is vital to manage emotions Inhibiting impulses Shifting attention Temperament and parent – child interaction affect development of emotional self-regulation Looking at a chart for children’s behaviours and emotional regulation (“Looks like and I can”)- colour coded in terms of red, orange, yellow, green and blue) e.g: Kids at 5, not learning, not destressing Common fears of Early C.H (2.5- 4 y.o) Monsters Ghosts Darkness Preschool/childcare Animals Phobias (less common) Fears become realistic as children age and mature Self- conscious Emotions Pre-schoolers becomes sensitive to praise and blame Secondary emotions where pre-schoolers feel the sense of shame (susceptible to self-conscious emotions linked to their own evaluations) Parents can promote adaptive levels of pride and shame by focusing on how to improve performance, not on child’s worth Consequences of shame for adjustment vary across cultures Empathy and Sympathy After 1 year a child can show awareness 2-3-year old will comfort someone who is distressed By 4-7 they will want to do these helping behaviours (help clean up classroom/or help mum/dad in class Prosocial or altruistic, behaviour benefits another person with no expected reward for the self For children with poor emotion regulation, empathy leads to personal distress, not to sympathy Development of empathy is promoted by: Sociable, assertive temperament Secure parent-child attachment relationship Peer sociability in play: They are in a particular order The way they interact with one another Non-social is seen in 3-4-year old’s: play by themselves Parallel: Play together, using different toys, alongside each other Associative play: Exchanging and sharing Cooperative play: 5-year-old having a story and rules with games Puzzles etc..: non-social and constructive 2110164625700 Cognitive play categories: Creating and constructing something 15811514653900 Follow up research on peer sociability Pre-schoolers move between play types Parallel play often serves as a respite Type of solitary ad parallel play changes during early childhood Certain types of non-social activity are cause for concern: Aimless wandering Hovering near peers Functional play involving immature, repetitive motor action Cultural variation in peer sociability Different cultural context/social norms/interaction with peers C.V depends on relative importance cultures place on group vs individual autonomy The types of games and activities children engage in Village/tribal cultures: Interpretive play (reflecting everyday roles and experiences) Industrialized/urban cultures: Inventive play (generating make-believe scenarios unconstrained by experience) Friendships in Early Childhood Friendships with young kids change several times a day Not based on enduring qualities like adolescence person With little kids if they like you and you have similar interests, then you are friends Pre-schoolers give more reinforcement to friends- greetings, praise, compliance and receive more from them Early childhood friendships offer social support Friendships change quite a lot Peer Relations and School Readiness If children find it easy to make friends, then it can predict experiences in formal education More likely to be cooperative in classrooms (self-directed learner) Socially competent pre-schoolers students do better academically than those less socially skilled peers Kindergarten programs that promote social competence have: Children model behaviour Sensitive teachers who provide emotional support Small group sizes Generous teacher-child ratios developmentally appropriate daily activities Social Problem Solving Generating and applying strategies that prevent or resolve disagreements Achieving outcomes that are acceptable to others and beneficial to self Crick & Dodge’s model takes information-processing approach to social problem solving Social problem solving improves greatly in early childhood 2984545656500Interventions such as Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) teach children the ingredients of social problem solving Looks at social cues- interpret social cues- formulate social goal (acceptable)- generate- evaluate effectiveness and then respond Poor self-impulse- grab the shovel and hurt someone with it in order to respond that way Helping them recognise and understand what that means and interpreting it Working out social goals Develop ideas Impulse control How to monitor their behaviour against others Parental Influences on Early Peer Relations Direct influence: Arranging informal peer activities Encouraging a child to be good host Indirect Influences Secure attachment Sensitive, emotionally +ve parent-child conversations and play Parent-child play as a model of good interaction Gender-Stereotyped Beliefs and Behaviours Children view gender in terms of activities and behaviours Pre-schoolers associate common objects, occupations, colours and behaviours with gender (they do this through social modelling: viewing and watching their parents “mum: girl and dad: boy”) Gender- stereotyped beliefs influence play preferences and personality traits Pink for girls and blue for boys: Subjected to those stereotypes Influences are from a huge variety of sources (children play differently according to gender of the baby). Strengthen in early childhood as a product of Gender stereotyping in the environment Young children’s cognitive limitations Can’t make sense of those things Influences on Gender Typing Association of objects, activities, roles or traits with one sex or the other in ways that conform to cultural stereotypes Children gender typed from birth Biological: Anatomy and prenatal hormones Environmental: Family: expectations of sons vs daughters Teachers: actions that extend gender role learning Peers: Reinforcement for gender- typed play Broader social environment Children Learn about Gender through Mother-Child conversations Mothers often affirm gender stereotypes voiced by children and call attention to gender unnecessarily To combat stereotypical thinking, parents can Refrain from labelling order gender unnecessarily Substitute references to individuals or qualified statements for generic expressions Monitor their inclination to affirm children’s stereotypical claims Discuss gender biases language: ask them to avoid using gender labels We are socialised from birth in terms of the jobs we can do, opportunities we have, types of language, dress etc... Changing the language so children do not feel restricted Study looked at word’s mothers used (Stories mum told- Bob the Builder: language was stereotyped) 628657862200 -20256527622500Theories of Gender identity in Early Childhood Example: Caitlyn Jenner (her change and comfort, we can form and identify a particular way)- S.L.T Gender constancy: Full understanding of the biologically based permanence of their gender including the realisation that sex remains the same overtime even if clothing, style and plan activities change Gender constancy video: JAMES -5334036014900Cognitive Pathways for Gender- schematic and Gender-Aschematic Children Ideas for reducing Gender Stereotyping in Young Children Delay pre-schoolers exposure to gender stereotyped messages Model non-traditional gender roles and provide non- traditional alternatives Children spend time in mixed gender activities Point out exceptions to gender stereotypes Lesbian and Gay Families: 20-35% of lesbians and 5-15% gay couples are parents They are committed to and effective at parenting as heterosexual parents Children of same sex and opposite sex parents develop similarity -28702056934400Major concern of lesbian/gay parents is that their children will be stigmatised by parents’ sexual orientation. Child rearing styles What makes Authoritative Child Rearing Effective -22387414166400 Cultural Variations in Child Rearing Ethnic minority parents often have distinct child rearing beliefs and practices Chinese parents: more controlling Hispanic, Asian Pacific Island and Caribbean families combine insistence on respect for parental authority with high parental warmth Low SES African American: Expect immediate obedience, strict parenting fosters self- control and vigilance Child Maltreatment: -2235208953500 -22420023754900Factors related to Child Maltreatment -35115520193000