People have been studying the development of children for centuries. Their research has helped future generations understand how students learn, behave and their characteristics. There have been many theorists, but four of the most well known are Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, and Erik Erikson. Each one of these theorists has informed practice and the understanding of young children 's characteristics and needs. The understanding of each theorist “helps us to look at the facts from different perspectives” (). Erickson and Freud both believed in psychoanalytical theories whereas Vygotsky and Piaget both believed in cognitive theories. Although they all had their individual theories, each helped with the understanding of child development.
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Vygotsky also suggested that children learn in a zone of proximal development, which is, “range of tasks that are too hard for the child to do alone, but can manage with guidance” (). DAP classrooms focus on zone of proximal development because they are focused on the individual child and where their learning level is. Piaget had similar ideas to Vygotsky in child development but was still a paramount theorist. Piaget believed that children construct their knowledge and they are not born with the knowledge. He believed “the child actively seeks to understand his environment” (). Children in DAP classrooms are constantly trying to understand the environment by exploring and manipulating the objects around the classroom. Piaget also believed that children are active learners. Children also learn by being hands-on and using manipulatives. Piaget’s theory supports DAP in my ways because he believed that children needed to be active learners and not just sitting and listening to a teacher. In a DAP classroom, you will always see students playing with manipulatives and using hands-on …show more content…
If this happens, the child will miss school causing them to fall behind. A child’s health can also cause them to be tired all the time, which leads to them falling asleep in school. If a child has a disability, this may cause them to learn at a slower pace or may make it more difficult for a child to use gross and fine motor skills. Along with disabilities each child is going to learn at a different rate. In DAP, the focus is on the individual child which enables the teacher to focus on how that student learners and their individual development variations. Children’s individual development variations include their learning styles. The focus is on that not every child learns the same way. In a Developmentally Appropriate classroom, the teacher provides many different ways for students to learn such as hands-on, singing a song, drawing a picture or even acting something act. This helps to make sure that every learning style is touched
Vygotsky also suggested that children learn in a zone of proximal development, which is, “range of tasks that are too hard for the child to do alone, but can manage with guidance” (). DAP classrooms focus on zone of proximal development because they are focused on the individual child and where their learning level is. Piaget had similar ideas to Vygotsky in child development but was still a paramount theorist. Piaget believed that children construct their knowledge and they are not born with the knowledge. He believed “the child actively seeks to understand his environment” (). Children in DAP classrooms are constantly trying to understand the environment by exploring and manipulating the objects around the classroom. Piaget also believed that children are active learners. Children also learn by being hands-on and using manipulatives. Piaget’s theory supports DAP in my ways because he believed that children needed to be active learners and not just sitting and listening to a teacher. In a DAP classroom, you will always see students playing with manipulatives and using hands-on …show more content…
If this happens, the child will miss school causing them to fall behind. A child’s health can also cause them to be tired all the time, which leads to them falling asleep in school. If a child has a disability, this may cause them to learn at a slower pace or may make it more difficult for a child to use gross and fine motor skills. Along with disabilities each child is going to learn at a different rate. In DAP, the focus is on the individual child which enables the teacher to focus on how that student learners and their individual development variations. Children’s individual development variations include their learning styles. The focus is on that not every child learns the same way. In a Developmentally Appropriate classroom, the teacher provides many different ways for students to learn such as hands-on, singing a song, drawing a picture or even acting something act. This helps to make sure that every learning style is touched