1. DED 101 Educational psychology, guidance and counseling
THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF ZANIZBAR
17th June, 2011

2. OUTLINE Meaning of Child Development
Important Theorists of Child Development
Periods of Child Development
Domains of Child Development
Importance of studying Children

3. Definition of Development
(Oxford Concise Dictionary;2009) defines development as a specified state of growth or advancement
(Michelle;2000) defines development as the pattern of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that begins at conception and continues through the life span.
(Berk;2007) defines development as the transformation or pattern of changes that are orderly, cumulative and directional
Orderly: there is logical sequence to change
Cumulative: includes all that was there plus something new (value added)
Directional: moves toward greater complexity

4. Child Development vs. Developmental Psychology
Child Development – a field devoted to understanding all aspects of human growth and change from conception through adolescence.
Developmental Psychology – the more general field of study, that includes child development, and is devoted to understanding all aspects of human growth and change across the entire lifespan.

5. Child Development is what happens when. . .
A dependent new born baby develops
Language, self-awareness, a personality, and physical abilities, among other things
To become a capable independent young person

6. How it happens Certain aspects of development are predictable.
Focus their eyes
Sit up
Learn to walk
Begin to speak
Develop logical reasoning skills
Around the world most infants and children do the following at about the same time.
Development proceeds through a certain sequence

7. Periods of Development
Source: Dr. Mandana Ahsani (2009)

8. Periods of Child Development
The Prenatal Period – from conception to birth.
Infancy and Toddlerhood – from birth to 2 years.
Early Childhood – from 2 to 6 years.
Middle Childhood – from 6 to 11 years.
Adolescence – from 11 to 20 years.

9. How we Study Children
Mainly through observations which result into theories proposed by psychologists.
Theorists propose explanations for how children grow and develop.
Focus on different aspects of development (moral, physical, intellectual, etc.)

10. The Three Questions
Is development continuous or discontinuous? Or both?
Is there a single, universal course of development, or are there many?
Is “nature” or “nurture” more important for development?
*Theories in development answer these questions

11. REMAIN THE SAME AT LATER STAGE
CONTINUITY VERSUS DISCONTINUITY
GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT
STAGES
NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
HEREDITY BIOLOGY GENETICS
ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
KNOWLEDGE GENERATION
STABILITY
VERSUS
CHANGE
REMAIN THE SAME AT LATER STAGE
CHANGES AT LATER STAGE

12. THEMES OF DEVELOPMENT Continuity Vs. Discontinuity
Continuous theory of development: development follows a smooth progression from infancy to adulthood, with a single quantitative dimension
Discontinuous (stage) theory of development:
development occurs in stages, each qualitatively different from the one before

13. CONTINOUS AND DISCONTINOUS
Figure 2.2 The course of development as described by continuity and discontinuity (stage) theorists.
Source; (Huitt;2009)

14. THEMES OF DEVELOPMENT Nature vs. Nurture
Nature – inborn biological givens – the hereditary information children receive from their parents at the moment of concept that signals the body to grow and affects all their characteristics and skills.
Nurture – the complex forces of the physical and social world that influence children’s biological make up and psychological experiences before and after birth.

15. THEMES OF DEVELOPMENT Stability v. Change
Stability – children who are high or low in a characteristic will remain so at later ages.
Change – children who are high or low in a characteristic can change at later ages, typically due to changes in the environment in either a positive or negative way.

16. SOME IMPORTANT THEORISTS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT

17. Sigmund Freud Psychosexual
Was based on his therapy with troubled adults.
He emphasized that a child's personality is formed by the ways which his parents managed his sexual and aggressive drives.

18. Erik Erikson Psychosocial
Personality develops in eight psychosocial stages through the life span.
Social relationships and conscious thought are important.
Nurture, but nature also important
Stages build on each other
Child Active in development

19. Jean Piaget Cognitive Developmental
Children "construct" their understanding of the world through their active involvement and interactions.
Studied his 3 children to focus not on what they knew but how they knew it.
Described children's understanding as their "schemas” and how they use:
assimilation
accommodation.

20. Psychosocial Development
Lev Vygotsky
Psychosocial Development
Agreed that children are active learners, but their knowledge is socially constructed.
Cultural values and customs dictate what is important to learn.
Children learn from more expert members of the society.
Vygotsky described the "zone of proximal development", where learning occurs.

21. BF Skinner Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement (rewards) increase a desired behavior
Negative Reinforcement (punishment) decrease an undesired behavior
Rewards and punishments shape behavior when given right after the behavior is demonstrated

22. Bandura Social Learning
Bandura believed that people learn behavior by observing and imitating others
“Monkey see, Monkey do”
Typical Social Learning Theory comment:
“You can teach a dog new tricks if you show him how to do it, and reward him each time he does a good job.”

23. Domains of Development
Physical Development – changes in body size, proportions, appearances, and the functioning of various body systems – brain development, perceptual and motor capabilities, and physical health.
Cognitive Development – development of a wide variety of thought processes and intellectual abilities, including attention, memory, academic and everyday knowledge, problem solving, imagination, creativity, and the uniquely human capacity to represent the world through language.
Emotional and Social Development – development of emotional communication, self-understanding, ability to manage one’s own feelings, knowledge about other people, interpersonal skills, friendships, intimate relationships, and moral reasoning and behavior.
Moral Development – development of personal rules and conventions regarding one’s interactions with others

24. Characteristics of Domains of Development

25. Characteristics of Domains of Development

26. Importance of childhood time
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Importance of childhood time
Childhood, a crucial time
Self-esteem developed in childhood
A child who feels good about themselves is more likely to be able to overcome problems later in life.
Developmental tasks occur in succession.
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27. Why study child development?
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Why study child development?
Guidance for parents and other care-givers
Helps society to support healthy growth.
Helps identify and help children with special needs
Contributes to self-understanding
Understanding the influences and experiences that shaped you
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28. Why study Child development?
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Why study Child development?
It is possible for effective teaching to take place when the teacher understands how students think and how they view the world.
Effective teaching strategies must take into account students’ ages and stages of development.
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29. Microsoft Engineering Excellence
Questions?
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30. Microsoft Engineering Excellence
End of lecture four
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