- B.F. Skinner's theory is based around positive & negative reinforcement & Presentation & Removal punishment. Positive reinforcement and Negative reinforcement are methods used to strengthen a consequence. For positive reinforcement a consequence is added as in getting something for a behavior. An example of this would be if a child did well on their test and the parent rewards them by buying them an ice cream. They have received positive reinforcement for their good behavior. Negative reinforcement is the opposite. Instead of adding consequences, they are being subtracted, as in something being taken away. An example of this would be if a child helped their sibling or classmate out and so the parent/teacher could reward them by subtracting 30 minutes of their daily study time for their good behavior. Punishment however is used to decrease or suppress a behavior. Presentation Punishment is when a child does something wrong and receives a punishment. An example is that a child mouths off during a basketball practice so the coach uses presentation punishment and gives him 5 more sprints to run then the rest of his teammates. The child has received punishment. Removal punishment is when punishment of wrong behavior is enforced by taking away a privilege. An example of this would be that a child didn't finish their homework so the parent took away his favorite toy for a week.
- Lev Vygotsky's most famous theory is Zone of Proximal Development. Zone of Proximal Development assists children to improve their learning by using a method called scaffolding. He saw that to teach children he needed to know where they were at in their learning or in other words their level or ability. A teacher must always know what their students are capable of. Then he used scaffolding which is where a teacher takes what the child already knows and creates a learning opportunity that is little bit above that child's level but achievable in their ZPD. They are taking reasonable, developmentally appropriate steps to raising/building the child's knowledge. This is really how all teachers should teach because it is impossible to teach someone something if they don't have the basic knowledge needed to learn it first. For example a child can't learn to ride a bike without first having mastered walking, running, and balance. The same could really be said for adults as well. I could not become a veterinarian without having knowledge of science first and then having gone to school and learned about animal anatomy and medicine. Also the child can't reach new knowledge if the child is constantly being given things that the child has already mastered. If it is too easy there is nothing there to mastered. The point is to take those steps of learning by using skills a child already has then adding something challenging to support their skills and improve upon them.
Albert Bandura's theory was social cognitive theory or social learning theory. Bandura's social
theory is important because the first and primary teacher of a child
is their parent/guardian and the second their school teachers and
peers. Social environment is where children watch their peers to
determine the cultural norm of their community. For example a child
growing up in Okinawa sees that when crossing the street most
children raise their hand to show drivers that they are crossing and
copy that behavior. However an American child growing up in the
states would not understand this norm because it is not taught or
used there. It is their environment and culture that influences
these differences. For example on a reality show there were a bunch of vulgar
children who claimed to enjoy beating their parents, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, being sexy, etc. Those children have been exposed to bad or
misguided parenting and peers and adult content that should not be
seen by children such as adult social media (tv, music, magazines,
videogames, radio, etc). They have also been exposed to
peers/parents who have done things like drink and smoke near them,
which is highly inappropriate. The obvious result is that the
children see these things and copy that behavior because it is all
that they know. As caregivers we know that proper behavior needs to
be modeled for children regularly. When children are exposed to
positive environments they have a much better chance of becoming
good citizens while those who are exposed to harmful environments
are at risk and do not have as much of an opportunity to learn the
difference between right and wrong.
Jean Piaget's theory was cognitive-development theory. He was one of the most influential theorists of all. He believed that children went through four stages of cognitive development which were sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. In the sensorimotor the child is learning through their natural senses & exploring the world through physical movement. In preoperational the child is learning to recognize symbols and is soaking up language and perceiving things through how they see the world rather then what is really logical. In concrete operational children start to become more logical but are still unable to to think abstractly as they are still gaining that concrete experience. Formal operational is when children can finally solve problems without having everything laid out for them because they have already grasped a lot of the concrete experience needed. Jean Piaget is famous for his "discovery learning" techniques in which he allows children to gain knowledge step by step by being explorers and learning first hand. He believed that without first hand knowledge the child would not understand it because they had no experienced it. For example a child can't really understand that a pot is hot and they shouldn't touch it unless they've touched one before and burnt their hand. The child needs to know from experience first before the concept is fully grasped. His four stages work in this way because while the children are being explorers they go through the stages and eventually have that formal knowledge needed to become adults.
Abraham Maslow is famous for his self-actualization theory. He was a psychologist who studied healthy personality development. Most psychologists of his time studied mental illness but he decided to step out of box and study something different. He developed the self-actualization theory which is a hierarchy of needs. It is a pyramid that shows human needs that are most motivational and influential on a person's behavior and goals. It starts off with basic needs that influence people, the first being physical needs: air, water, food, shelter, and sex. The second layer is psychological safety and security. After that there are three layers of growth needs. The first is sense of belonging and love, the second self-esteem and respect for others, and the third and final step is self-actualzation. His theory is based on social and physical development.
Erik Erikson is well known for his Psychosocial Theory of Human Development. He created an eight-stage theory of personal and social development. Each stage represents a major challenge in an individual's life. To continue on to the next stage a person must find a balance between two possible extremes. Once the crisis is resolved in a positive way the child can grow to be a normal, healthy person. If the challenges are not resolved when they are supposed to be resolved there will be problems later. Stage one: Trust Vs. Mistrust - Acquiring a sense of security and some control over environment. Stage two: Autonomy vs. doubt - Awareness of growing competence and separateness as human being. Stage three: Initiative vs. Guilt - Exercising a growing sense of power and ability to act on own without undue risk-taking. Stage four: Industry vs. Inferiority - Finding satisfaction in school achievement and mastery of new skills. Stage five: Identity vs. Role confusion - Finding sense of self and building relationships in peer group. Stage six: Intimacy vs. Isolation - Building close relationships and connections with sexual partners, friends. Stage seven: Generativity vs. Self-Absorption - Gaining satisfaction from life's work, nurturing future generations, and caring for others. Stage eight: Integrity vs. Despair - Reflecting on life with contentment, facing death without hopelessness. AGES of STAGES: #1 Birth to 18 months. #2 18 months to 3 years. #3 3 to 6 years #4 6 to 12 years #5 12 to 18 years #6 Young adult #7 Middle adulthood #8 Late adulthood.