Assignment:
This assignment addresses the following NAEYC Standards:
- Knowing and understanding of the multiple influences on the development and learning of children.
- Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments
- Demonstrate your professionalism, through continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice.
- Mastering and applying foundational concepts from general education
- Written and verbal skills
- Making connections between prior knowledgeable/experience and new learning
- Identifying and using professional resources
For this assignment you will compose your own theory of child development.
Your paper will be a minimum of 2 pages [less than 2 pages will not be graded] in length and include the following:
An interesting and thoughtful Introduction:
Name your theory of child development. Briefly describe the main concepts in three to five sentences. Provide a transition into the main body of report.
Main Body of Report:
Your views of the issues impacting development:
Explain and reflect:
- Do you believe early experiences (especially in infancy) or later experiences have more of an impact on a child's development?
- If young children experience negative circumstances early in life, can they be overcome by later, positive ones?
Your views of the determinants of development:
Explain and reflect:
- How do you feel about the nature vs. nurture controversy?
- Do you think nature/genetics plays a part in development or nurture/environment or both?
Your views of the Theories of Influence:
- Why are you influenced by certain concepts/theories and why you omitted others?
- Are there certain theorists ex. Freud, Erikson, Piaget, etc. that you agree with or disagree with and why?
- Which theory best reflects your own theory of child development and why?
A Conclusion which:
- Summarizes how you would use your own theory in everyday work to support young children
- How your theory of child development relates back to your own personal experiences
- Explain your views citing at least two references from your assigned reading
Information for your paper will be based upon any of the following sources:
- Class discussions, activities, and lectures
- Readings from the textbook
- Readings from research article
- Readings from internet research articles