Historical Theories and Reflection

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Details:

Child development theories provide frameworks to understand human change across the lifespan. This topic will review the basic issues, historical foundations, and theoretical frameworks that underpin the field of early childhood education. Topic materials in this topic address physical and cognitive growth of children and how individual patterns and experiences can affect the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development of children.

Complete the “Historical Theories and Reflection Template” and include the following information in your template:

  • Five major child development theories that have shaped early childhood education from the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s through contemporary times.
  • Time period when the theory was widely applied in early childhood education.
  • Description of each theory including how the theory relates to early childhood development.
  • Influence on early childhood education, including how the theory addresses the basic issues of child development (nature versus nurture, continuous or discontinuous development, one or many courses of development), and the historical views that educators and/or philosophers had regarding how young children learn.

In conjunction with the template, write a 250-500 word reflection describing how you would like to incorporate aspects of these theories into your future teaching practice. Describe examples of instructional or environmental strategies that are aligned to theories of child development and can be used to promote the growth and well-being of young children in early childhood educational settings.

Support your findings with 3-4 scholarly resources.