Theories

Theories

Pedagogy

Methods and practices used by teachers to ensure that children learn effectively

Maria Montessori

Developed a child-centred approach in early years.
She believed that: children have absorbent minds, children are independent learners and go through sensitive periods where they are more likely to learn easier.
She introduced: organised classrooms, teachers as facilitators who guide children

Rudolf Steiner

Steiner early years curriculum provides: a warm nurturing environment, creative and practical activities based on every day life with literacy being introduced using stories and numeracy being based on everyday experiences.

The Period of Will (0-7)

0 to 3 - walking, speech and the ability to think in words
3 to 5 - the development of imagination and memory is important
5 to 7 - the stimulation for play tends to come less from external objects but from ideas from the child

The Period of the Heart (7-14)

The child is ready for formal learning although the role of imagination is still very important.

The Period of the Head (14+)

The adolescent stage is considered to be the period of thinking, at this stage children develop a healthy idealism and may be very sensitive about their feelings

Behaviourist Approach

Behaviourists believe that nurture is more important than nature and we are shaped by the environments we grow up in. We can understand learning by observing behaviour but need to consider internal cognitive processes when explaining learning. All behaviour is a response to a stimulus.

Classical Conditioning

All learning is the result of associating a particular stimulus with a particular response.

Operant conditioning

Behaviours that are reinforced with rewards are likely to be repeated.

Pavlov and Classical Conditioning

When investigating the digestion of dogs he found that they salivated when being fed, this is an unconditioned response (occurs naturally). He added a bell at the same time food was brought out and after this was repeated many times, the dogs would salivate at the sound of the bell even if there was no food. This is a conditioned response as it doesn't occur naturally.

Thorndike and Operant Conditioning

Thorndikes law of effect states that any behaviour that results in a positive consequence is more likely to be repeated then ones that result in a sanction. Thorndike believed that teachers should reward childrens success and encourage children who don't solve a problem to try another way.

Cognitivist Approach

The cognitive approach stresses the cognitive processes (thinking) that takes place in the brain such as memory and connecting new information to existing information. The role of memory and how information is presented is considered important.

Key Principles of the Cognitivist Approach

The act of knowing is driven by mental processes rather than the environment. Individuals process new information by making links with prior knowledge. Learning is measured by a change in schemas.

Robert Gagne

Gagne suggests that there are different types of learning as well as different levels of learning. He believes that instruction is more effective if the teacher has identified a clear and detailed objective

Gagne's 5 types of learning

verbal information, intellectual skill, cognitive strategy, attitude, motor skill

Schemas

A pattern of thought or behaviour that is repeatable. they become generalised and tried out in a variety of situations. They become coordinated with each other and complex as children learn.

Internal Conditions

Things the learner already knows, feels or can do

External Conditions

Things the teacher needs to provide

Carol Dweck

Proposed the mindset theory which focuses on the beliefs that children have about intelligence. It doesn't consider the cognitive processes in which children process information.

Growth Mindset

The belief that with effort, practice and support they will be able to achieve.

Fixed Mindset

The belief that a person's ability and intelligence cannot be altered.

Carol Dweck - Links to educational practice

Some children give up quickly if they believe they cannot achieve, adults should praise effort rather than results. Teachers can help develop a Growth Mindset by supporting them to set themselves achievable goals and encouraging a step-by-step approach so these are met.

Scaffolding

The way an adult supports children and young peoples learning through questions and comments

Constructivist and Social Constructivist Approach

Both agree that children are active learners and construct their own thinking as a result of experiences. Social constructivists believe that interactions between adults and children are important.

Key principles of the Constructivist Approach

Constructivists believe that students create their own understanding by linking new information to previous experiences and cultural factors. They believe that knowledge is constructed through interactions between the teacher and the students, in which teachers scaffold learning to encourage greater independence.

John Dewey

He believed children can and should be active in their learning. Teaching should be based on real-life experiences and centered around children's experiences. Experiential learning is linked with Dewey's work. The roles of adults were important, they would assist children in problem-solving rather than dictate how something should be learned.

John Dewey - Links to educational practice

Children and young people have the capacity to learn for themselves. It is important to make things relevant to children and young people. Activities need to be based on what is meaningful and of interest to the child.

Experiential Learning

Learning from first-hand experiences rather than just hearing about them.

Jean Piaget

Piaget proposed that children gather and construct knowledge and understanding through interacting with their environment. Piaget believed that children need to be given opportunities to actively explore the world and to do this effectively they need a stimulating environment and opportunities to play. He developed a theory that explains both how children learn and how cognitive development changes over time. Piaget came to the conclusion that children develop patterns of actions and thinking that provide them with conclusions about the world .He proposed 4 stages of cognitive development, that showed when children gained more experiences this was shown in their thinking.

Jean Piaget 1. Sensorimotor stage (0-2)

Children will use their developing senses to explore the world; develop problem solving capabilities; develop their thinking and processing abilities.

Jean Piaget 2. Preoperational stage (2-7)

Children continue in their exploration of their environment and to build and develop their thinking skills based on their experiences. They will apply language to their interpretations of their environment eg building blocks may represent a house.

Jean Piaget 3. Operation stage (7-11)

Children's ability to process their thinking deepens as they develop opinions and beliefs and they start to apply these to their thought processes. Their language skills, as does their knowledge of concepts

Jean Piaget 4. Formal operational (12+)

Children continue to develop their cognitive skills and intellectual thinking as they become adults. They continue to explore their environment and develop their interactions with them

Jean Piaget - Links to educational practice

Young children can learn from doing and are active learners. The environment is important in children's learning. A child's logic may be different from an adults.

Humanist Approach

Emphasises the importance of our values, feelings and experiences when we make sense of the world. Learning takes place in the context of individual feelings, values and experiences so nurturing children's emotional well-being is crucial to encouraging their development. Learning is student-led because it must be relevant to their values/experiences for them to be motivated to learn.

Abraham Maslow

Developed a hierarchy of needs to explain human motivation. His theory suggested that people have a number of basic needs that must be met before people move up the hierarchy to peruse more social, emotional and self-actualising needs.

Hierarchy needs

1. Self actualising - achieving one's full potential, including creative activities
2. Esteem needs - prestige and feeling of accomplishment
3. Belongingness and love needs - intimate relationships and friends
4. Safety needs - security and safety
5. Physiological needs - food, water, warmth and rest

Urie Bronfenbrenner

Bronfrenners ecological system theory is one of the most accepted explanations regarding the influence of social environments on human development. This theory argues that the environment you grow up in affects every facet of life.

Ecological system theory

1. Chronosystems - changes over time
2. Macrosystems - social and cultural values
3. Exosystems - indirect environments
4. Mesosystems - connections
5. Microsystems - immediate environment

Connectivist approach

Linked to modern technology because of the internet and social media. The idea behind this approach is that children and young people are reliant on teachers and adults as their only source of information. Technology has created new ways for people to share knowledge and learn from others. Teachers facilitate students in independently seeking out new information online.

Stephen Downes and George Siemons

Connectivity was referred to by George siemons as 'a theory of learning in the digital age'. The key point of this approach is an understanding that different pieces of knowledge are held in many places and can be accessed by many people.