Lesson 5 : Child Development Center: Need and Importance
Assumptions about how children learn
The assumptions about how children learn fall under three major categories:
Environmental: It assumes that child’s learning is dependent on extrinsic motivators in the form of tokens, smiles, complements etc. What the child will learn depend upon the adult who plans lessons designed to teach content and skills. The child learns through observation and that learning is measurable by Thorndike, Watson and Skinner.
Maturational position: It assumes that there is an internal driving force that leads to the emergence of cognitive and affective systems which in turn determines the child’s readiness for mastery of developmental tasks. The theorists who are associated with the extreme maturational position are Sigmund Freud and Arnold Gesell.
Interactional position: It assumes that learning results from the dynamic interaction between the emerging cognitive and affective systems and the environment. The interaction with both the material and the human environment is not driven solely by an internal force but also is nurtured, facilitated and intensified by the timely intervention of significant adults in the environment. The child is intrinsically motivated to select appropriately from the environment, but the adult is responsible for preparing the environment and for timely and appropriate questions and ideas to alert the child to the learning opportunities in each situation. The theorists who are associated with interactional approach are Vygotsky.
Participants