theories of learning and development

EV681 – session 1Julie canavan (jc145@brighton.ac.uk)

To date…..• Week 1 teaching and learning – dispositions to

learning and characteristics of effective learning.• Blog post 1

• Paul Dix - behaviour lecture- feedback

Session1 where• 1) Introduce EYFS docs, key

principles/EPPE , observation of the unique child

• 2) analysis of observations, formative and summative assessment , planning quality, inclusive environments; SEND task

• 3) Theoretical frameworks for inclusion, completing the planning cycle

• 4) management and leadership

• 30/9 11-1pm BE102

• 11/11 1-3pm A402

• 25/11 1-3 A402

Key web sites and documentation

• Department for Education educationhttps://www.gov.uk/search?q=early+years

• Foundation Years Statutory framework for EYFS (2014)

• Early education Development Matters (2012)

Why study child development?

• Time of most rapid growth and change• Milestones• Informs our role• Understanding learning• Interpretation of theorists• Teaching style. . . and research tells us that teachers with a

sound knowledge are good teachers!

EYFS (DCSF, 2008)

Effective Practice: Child Development

“Development is the process from conception to birth and beyond, in which the body, brain, abilities and behaviour of the infant, child and adult become more complex, and continue to mature through life”

“Learning is the acquisition of knowledge, abilities and skills; early learning is closely linked with growth and development”

Holistic Development – The whole Child

Emotional Developmen

t

Language Developmen

t

Physical Development

Social Developmen

t

Spiritual Developmen

t

IntellectualDevelopme

nt

The genetic theory Socio-cultural theory• born with a personality • determines how we

respond and behave • our temperament,

sociability, emotional responses and intelligence are inherited,

• Our disposition and development are pre-determined

• We learn, and develop, according to our experiences

• The environment is of the greatest importance in determining how children develop emotionally

Powerful maturational timetables

Emergence of languagePowerful

internal force to learn

Attachment, temperament?

Diet, exercise, exploration, safe

environmentStimulation and encouragement

Influence of the environment, relationships, security, basic

needs

Motor

Cognitive Affective

Nur

tur

eN

atur

eResearch recognises both

Emotional Regulation...

babies cannot manage their own feelings, they just feel.

rely on primary carer to met needs, learn ways to wait for awhile

increasing need for independence- test the boundaries

different expectations around how to express emotions in different contexts (home/school)

and links to the development of attention

• Stage 1 – 1st year – high level of distractibility towards dominant stimuli.

• Stage 2 – 2nd year – rigid attention on task of their own choice. Resistant to interference.

• Stage 3 – 3rd year (Single channelled attention). Attention must be fully obtained to shift to a different task.

• Stage 4 – 4th year (Early integrated attention). Children can control their own focus of attention – need to look towards the carer to listen.

• Stage 5 – 5th year (Mature integrated attention) Can perform an activity while listening to the carer/teacher giving instructions

Understanding others’ feelings • Requires both cognitive skill and social

information• Need to identify body signals, including facial

expressions• Need to understand various kinds of emotions

and that it’s possible for people to feel several emotions at the same time

Behaviour - Key principles

• Behaviour can change

• Behaviour has a function

• What we do affects what children do

Challenging behaviour or . . . ?

• Anxiety - almost always present within children who present as a challenge

• Speech and Language Difficulties - 95% of challenging children will have a speech and language difficulty

• Mental Health Difficulties – increase in diagnosis in under 5s

• Alienation - a young child who feels that they are different or do not belong will find it very hard to form solid friendships.

Attachment(see Bowlby; Ainsworth; Main; etc)

Key factors

Attachment

Proximity maintenanc

e

Safe haven

Secure base

Separation distress

Attachment• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnFKaaOSPmk

&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js2XdP9FL5Q&feature=fvwrel

Resilient children

“Resilient children are better equipped to resist stress and adversity, cope with change and uncertainty, and to recover faster and more completely from traumatic events or episodes.”

(Newman and Blackburn, 2004)

DCSF (2008) pp27-36

“If we want children to develop . . . a strong moral code for themselves then their behaviour must come from the pull of their own conscience rather than simply from complying with being told to do something.”

Dowling, M (2000, p89)p27

Development matters • DCFS 2008 - look listen note , early learning goals

• Early Education (2012) – characteristics of learning and prime areas and specific areas P4,

• literacy and numeracy

• DfE Early years outcomes (2013)- ELG’s only

• Have a look at pp27-36 – are these principles reflected in the DM?

behav

iouris

tCONSTRUCTIVIST

Social constructivist

Social learning theory

Learning theories

behaviourists• Pavlov• Experiments with Dogs saliva and the digestion of food• ‘classical conditioning’.. Learning is equated with changes in

behaviour – stimulus - response• Skinner• Pigeons ..light switches and food .• Here the learning is based on a reaction to the environment and

as such has more useful links to a learning situation• Thorndike• Cats learning to escape from a box ‘Trial and error’ learning • Extinction occurs when a response decreases in frequency

because it no longer leads to reinforcement (Ormrod, 2008,p67)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b-NaoWUowQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhvaSEJtOV8&feature=related

Summary • Environment is key to learning• Reinforcement is achieved by rewarding

appropriate/desired behaviour• Concept of reinforcement central to Behaviourist

approaches and likened to motivation

• Therefore in a behaviourist world motivation by definition is external where learning gets encouraged by an external reward i.e. extrinsic motivators

• Can you think of examples ?• What might be some problems with this approach?

Skinner - frequency of

reinforcement Reinforcement pattern of praise Likelihood of

repetition continuous Praise given with

each utteranceLow/moderate

Fixed ratio Praise given every 4th/6th time

Low/moderate

Fixed interval Praise given if ‘please said within fixed period e.g. 10 mins

Low/moderate

Intermittent/variable Praise follows no set pattern

Moderate/high

(Gray and Blain 2012;p37) DWECK

Creating a positive learning environment

RewardsRespectRoutines

RulesRelationships

Good girl

You tr

ied re

ally h

ard t

here –

well do

ne

Dweck: intrinsic motivation Rewarding effort rather than

outcome

Social Learning Theory

• How much of what we learn, do and feel is influenced by other people close to us?

• Albert Bandura (1961) was a social psychologist who was interested in this process and set about trying to explain it.

• http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_bandura.htm

Social Learning Theory

• behaviour is learnt from the environment through the process of observational learning.

• Bandura documentary and explanation of Bobo doll experiment:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerCK0lRjp8

• MODELLING - examples?

Constructivist overview

• Active learner who participates in the learning process

• Acknowledgment of learners prior knowledge• Use of teaching strategies to organise learning• New ideas introduced through series of building

blocks

• For Piaget, assimilation, accommodation and equilibration are the “engines” of intellectual development

• Assimilation – children absorb experiences into what they already know

• Accommodation – children need to change and adjust what they already know in order to take in something that does not fit (Bruce, 2005)

Piaget (1896 – 1980)

Developing schemaBeaver p133

assimilation & accommodation

Adaptation

Equilibrium

disequilibrium

Adaptation

Accommodation & assimilation

Disequilibrium

Schema Equilibrium Schema Equilibrium

Bricks are wooden & cuboid

Arch shaped bricks

Experiments with arch Shaped bricks

Includes arch shaped bricks in play

Bricks are wooden, cuboid& arch shaped

Plastic bricks

Experiments with plastic bricks in play

Includes plastic bricks in play

Bricks are wooden,Arch shaped,cuboid &plastic

• More recent neuroscience studies have shown how the brain is more active when mistakes are made – more learning taking place?

Stages of Development

The sensorimotor period birth to about 24 monthsPre-operational thought 24 months to 7 yearsConcrete operational period

7 to 12 yearsFormal operational period12 years onwards

Vygotsky• Vygotsky believed play has a

central role in the transmission of culture through social interaction and communication

• He saw learning in early childhood as a complex process

• Unlike Piaget he believed learning leads development

• Social interaction between

peers and adults serves to create meaning, making sense and conveying culture

• Central to learning is language!

…every function in a child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological)’ .

(Vygotsky, 1978: 57)

Zone of Proxim

al Development

THE ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

diffi

cult

y of

tas

k

competence of the child

involve

mentfear of

failure

boredom

depression

Piagetian model V’s Vygotskian model?

For Piaget the child is a little scientist measuring and assessing the world.

For Vygotsky the child is an apprentice, learning to do things in the social sphere with teachers and peers and later internalising this knowledge.

While Piaget’s emphasises independent development, Vygotsky emphasises the social nature of development and

sees learning as a collaborative process

Bruner• This man is not merely one of

the foremost educational thinkers of the era; he is also an inspired learner and teacher. His infectious curiosity inspires all who are not completely jaded.

Gardner, H. (2001)

• “scaffolding”.

BrunerThe Spiral

Curriculum:• Learning is not a

forward progression • Young children have

bursts of learning and progress and may then plateau or even regress

• Learning is impacted by capabilities, intentions and needs

Sustained Shared Thinking (SST)

• ‘Sustained shared thinking’ occurs when two or more individuals ‘work together’ in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend the understanding.

http://eppe.ioe.ac.uk/eppe/eppepdfs/RBTec1223sept0412.pdf

Goswami 2015

Current research from Neuroscience has highlighted that learning takes place in four ways;1. Statistical learning- visual, auditory (Piaget calls

sensory learning) Prototype/schema2. Analogy – comparisons with other types for

similarities and differences (Piaget: accommodation and assimilation- schema development)

3. Imitation – watching and repeating what others do (social learning theory)

4. Causal – problem solving

Connectionist

• All four are important for learning - how they interact with each other varies from person to person (genetics, experience)

• Learning is unique to each individual

Observation“Observation is the foundation of education in the early years. It is through recording and reflecting on children’s activities and interests that we can gather the information necessary for the construction of an appropriate curriculum for them. Observation is also the way in which we can gather the material from which to make informed professional judgements about children’s progress, and about how to help them best. Observation, assessment and the development of an appropriate curriculum all fit together”Hurst, 1991

revised EYFS 2012On-going formative assessment is at the heart of effective early years practice.Practitioners can:• Observe children as they act and interact intheir play, everyday activities and plannedactivities, and learn from parents about whatthe child does at home

(Early Education, 2012)

EE (2014) P3

What do you think is important to record?

• Observe AVA, 35 months, in nursery

• What did you notice ?

• using DM - 3 prime areas- • Group 1 PSE p 27-36• Group 2 CLL p 42-49• Group 3 physical p 93-96

• Key issues?

What to record‘the focus of the assessment depends on its

purpose’ (Dunphy 2008: p3)

• Accountability – govt, school league tables, parents/carers,

• Raising standards• Children’s progress

Katz (2011)• Knowledge and understanding• Skills• Dispositions• Feelings

Keating (2002): p153

• recording Significant achievements – where a child has

achieved something for the first time• has consolidated a concept after

demonstrating proficiency on several occasions

• Demonstrated clear understanding of a process

• What the child him/herself feels is significant

What sort of observations?• Narrative observation – observing and

recording a particular child• Tracking – use a plan of the environment to

record a child’s movement from one activity to another

• Frequency/event sampling – observing and recording a particular behaviour when it occurs

• Time sampling – observing and recording at regular intervals over a set period of time

• Group observation – observing and recording a group of children taking part in an activity – and the learning taking place

Observations...• Should be for a reason – are purposeful • Should focus on what a child CAN do• Should record what actually happens• Should be objective and unbiased – the

observer should stand back from personal values and beliefs (avoiding value-laden emotional language)

• Observers should try to avoid ‘influencing’ the child/interpreting behaviours

• Needs to be ethical and respectful (Nutbrown)

Presenting an observation for University assignments

• Always include the context – where, when, whom, child(ren’s) age, gender(s) how long the observation is

• Include a brief analysis/evaluation at the end (ways forward/next steps)

• Try to put separate speech on separate lines e.g.Annie: ‘How are you going to make the cat?’C1 picks up a toilet roll tube and the brown paper.C1: ‘With this tube and this paper’Annie: ‘That will make a very big cat.’

• Try to write it all in the same tense (usually the present tense)ALWAYS PRESERVE ANONYMITY OF CHILDREN, ADULTS AND SETTING!

What do you see? The power of our language...

• ‘He was kicking-off as always because he wanted his own way.’

• ‘His mum just threw him in the door because she’s a working mum.’

• ‘She was whining.’

• ‘She’s arrived dirty in the same clothes she always wears.’

• Conclude:• summary of what you see ‘spent a lot of time

outdoors’, ‘played alone for much of observation’, ‘talked confidently to adult about a range of topics’

• Analyse: why???• Following friend, enjoys physical? • Shy? New? Content? Self regulating?

• Next steps? How will I confirm my analysis?• Observe outdoors? • Plan an activity with one other-observe

references• Gray and Blain (2012) How Children Learn

London:Sage

Some useful research links• http://

www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/evidence/a0068162/effective-provision-of-pre-school-education-eppe EPPE 2004

• http://www.ttrb3.org.uk/effective-pre-school-and-primary-education-3-11-project-eppe-3-11-influences-on-childrens-cognitive-and-social-development-in-year-6/ EPPE 2008

• http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/early-intervention-next-steps.pdf Allen report

• http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110120090128/http:/povertyreview.independent.gov.uk/media/20254/poverty-report.pdf Field report

• http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/attachment-supporting-young-childrens-emotional-wellbeing-2358 Attachment theory

Some useful reading• Gerhardt, S (2006) Why Love Matters• Bomber, L (2007) Inside I’m Hurting• Dowling, M (2010) Young Children’s Personal,

Social and Emotional Development• SEAL materials: http://

webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110809101133/nsonline.org.uk/node/87009

• SEAD materials: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110809091832/teachingandlearningresources.org.uk/collection/24946