PHILOSOPHY

Two theorists that have influenced me, and my beliefs on development are Erik Erikson and
Lev Vygotsky.
Erik Erikson has influenced my beliefs on personality and development by introducing the
eight psychosocial stages. I believe that each of these stages influenced my beliefs on how children
learn. These stages show how children face different challenges in life and now they learn from
them. They can choose which path they take on each of these stages.
Next is Lev Vygotsky. Lev has influenced my beliefs on how children learn by doing things
on their own and through play. Vygotsky also introduced the Zone of Proximal Development. I
believe that children learn a lot on their own but will sometimes need the extra help on certain tasks.
Even when these children grow up, they will still need a little help at certain tasks.
I believe children learn their best through playing. They learn communication skills, how to
interact with others, and social skills through playing. Children also learn how to accomplish tasks on
their own through play. Most people feel like children should not play all day, but they can; it has to
be proactive and helping develop the child. By working at a daycare, I see a lot of learning taking
place in the dramatic play area. The children are using their imagination and social skills to create
different scenarios. They learn to talk to each other, to share, and they learn about the other children.
I also believe that children learn through the environment around them. They pick up on what
happens around them and mirror what they see and hear. This is why it is important to have children
in a learning atmosphere. There are many different ways children learn and the more ways we are
knowledgeable about, the more children we can help learn, and help them learn in different ways