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 Developmental Theory |
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Students of early childhood education must be aware of
many developmental theories. I have prepared these additional readings on infant development,
but they are also important for all ages:
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Child Development, Some Basic Assumptions, from Teaching Adults:
An Active Learning Approach, Elizabeth Jones (1986), Washington
D.C., NAEYC, p. 138)
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Margaret Mahler
is an important theorist for infant and toddler study. We will discuss
her in class, and you can learn more about her work from the
Margaret Mahler Foundation.
You may want to spend some time exploring the many exciting articles and
information throughout this website.
- An exceptional article by David Elkind on Erik
Erikson is available online:
Erik Erikson's Eight Ages of Man.
I strongly recommend this reading. I developed a chart of
Erik Erikson's Eight Stages which represents how each stage has a
critical period, but we are all working on all stages throughout our
lives.
- Many ECE students are aware of
Jean Piaget and his
work describing cognitive development in young children. I am especially
fond of him because he made many observations directly with young
children and their play. A summary of
Piaget's Sensorimotor Period, cognitive development in the first two
years of life, is available here.
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Abraham Maslow
is a well-known theorist of human development. His ideas also align with
other theorists, and he provides yet another piece of the "human pie."
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Developmental
Theorists by Ages and Stages This is a chart I created to compare
several important early childhood theorists.
- A comprehensive activity guide on
Temperament is available from the Program for Infant/Toddler
Caregivers (pitc.org). This guide
includes exercises to identify your own temperament, as well as
individual children.
- Some excellent resources are available at
Zero to Three after you have registered on their web site. Be sure
to scroll down to read the journal articles on Temperament.
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