Bronfenbrenner's Learning Theory Paper

Children are, by nature, social creatures. They love to play, and they love to learn. The most obvious take-away from this would seem to be that children learn through their social interactions as well as play. In my own philosophy regarding child development, I think that children learn the most from the people they interact and have relationships with. Through my research and knowledge of developmental theories, I believe that the works of Lev Vygotsky and Urie Bronfenbrenner both play a large part in how I think about this subject. If we deeply consider Vygotsky’s learning theory, the very interactions that he felt made the greatest impact on children’s development, would fit right into the child’s interactions with us as teachers. We have the great responsibility of not only understanding child development, but also fostering that development. Vygotsky created the concept of ZPD (zone of proximal development), in which he states the idea that children are able to accomplish more with help than alone (Berk, 2013). Oftentimes we …show more content…
Bronfenbrenner’s theory closely examined how each aspect of a child’s world impacts their development (Berk, 2013). This is an important piece of my own philosophy because it gives me better insight into my student’s personalities and development. If there is negativity happening at home, or major changes happening in their lives, those moments can have a direct impact on how they learn or behave at school the next day. On the same hand, if they have a bad day at school, then they may carry those issues and feelings home with them and act out there. Having a strong understanding of how all of these relationships work together and influence behaviors, learning abilities, and development in children will allow me to be a more effective