Analytical Essay on Child Development Theories

Child Development

Child development positively influences the learning process as information becomes more complex as the child develops

According to the Venn diagram above, the Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories of child development contain similarities and differences that could sufficiently determine one’s approach to interaction with children. According to Piaget’s theory, language is a consequence of child cognitive development (Nussipzhanova et al., 2018). As his or her mental cognitive structure becomes more complex, the child is in a position to learn and understand language as a consequence. On the other hand, Vygotsky’s theory suggests that language is a primary necessity for cognitive development, owing to its critical role in facilitating communication, which ultimately affects the quality of interaction between the child and his or her environment (Ellis, 2019). Despite such differences, the two scholars allude to the important relationship between child development and learning processes.

Based on the two principles, it becomes clear that children’s learning process occurs in different stages, which would determine the content included in different learning contexts. According to research, a constructivist approach to teaching takes into consideration that teaching processes ought to make an effort to increase the learners’ understanding of what they already know (Bada & Olusegun, 2015). Consequently, applying this theory to the teaching process would guarantee that neither the educator nor the student gets frustrated over the lack of retention of the different concepts taught. Additionally, this explains the importance of understanding and taking into consideration the student’s strengths on the basis of their understanding of concepts during the teaching process. Ultimately, such an understanding would be important in helping categorize the learners appropriately, in effect ensuring a smooth introduction of new concepts to the different students.

In essence, the Piaget and Vygotsky theories will be critical in future teaching due to the provided foundation on the different concepts surrounding the child development and learning process. As long as one is adequately prepared to deal with potential challenges and anticipate learner strengths based on their age and environment, then it would be possible to develop ideal lesson plans, based on such learner capabilities.

References

1. Bada, S. O., & Olusegun, S. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70.
2. Ellis, N. C. (2019). Essentials of a theory of language cognition. The Modern Language Journal, 103, 39-60.
3. Nussipzhanova, B., Berdibayeva, S., Garber, A., Tuyakova, U., Mursaliyeva, A., & Baizhumanova, B. (2018). Cognitive development of pre-school children with language and speech disorders. The European Journal of Social & Behavioral Sciences, 21(1), 2570-2583.