Running head: MY PERSONAL PARADIGM 1

My Personal Paradigm

Emily Shumway

BYU-I
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Introduction

A child’s ability to learn is powerful beyond measure. I believe in addressing the “whole

child”, physical, social, cognitive, and emotional needs. This belief has not come to me all at

once like an explosion of fireworks on the fourth of July, but more gradual like how a child

learns to walk. It has taken me many years to enrich my mind and grasp how children learn best.

My philosophy about children has been shaped by educated philosophers and theorists like

Maslow, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bandura. Each one has contributed to my new way of thinking.

Maslow

During my youth my parents were very successful in addressing to my physical, emotional,

and social needs. They provide the necessities of life for me to succeed. I admire Maslow’s

hierarchy of needs because it naturally supports how I was raised and how I view the raising and

the teaching children.

Maslow’s pyramid has five different levels of how to meet the human needs. It is like

climbing a ladder, each step eventually leads you to the top. In order to reaching the top of the

ladder, a person must start at the bottom. At the base of the pyramid, “Physical” needs must be

met first such as food and shelter. Then a person can move on to the second step which is more

“Safe and Secure.” Once a person feels protected in their environment he can allow the third

level of “Love and Belonging” to come into his life. Everyone wants to feel loved. Once this

need is met then they can move onto the next level of “Esteem.” This means a person can be

successful, admired and respected. The last level of Hierarchy of needs is “Self- actualization.”

This is when a person finally reaches his unique self and he becomes who he is meant to be

(Berger, 2015, p. 56). I feel that this is the most important trait a person can have in their life. I

want children to reach the level of “Self-actualization” that they can have confidence in
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themselves. There are countless children in the world today, who barley have their basic needs

met. My desire is to be an advocate for children in communities and orphanages around the

world, to help them with their basic needs, so that they can development success.

Piaget

Piaget has four stages of development from infant to adolescent ages. According to Piaget,

real development comes from a child’s own effort in making sense of the world and making their

own discovery (Crain, 2011, p. 125). This idea describes his first stage from birth to two years

old. I am intrigued by his different stages of development. Piaget mentioned that each child will

reach these stages at different rates (Crain, 2011, p.141). I love the idea to allow children to

explore and learn on their own. This means that people need to allow children to be in control

and to guide their own learning. As adults, it is our job to be intune with the child’s interest and

teach to their needs. I want to apply Piaget’s s developmental stages to my philosophy about

children. I can apply his method by creating an environment for children to want to explore and

ask questions. There is a special power in discovering hidden treasures on our own; it gives us

the motivation to keep learning. In my profession, I want to expand the individual’s cognitive

mind and help him make sense of things. Allowing children to connect the dots together and

make sense of the world around them is a beautiful process.

Vygotsky

“Human development is a part of a dynamic interaction with their surroundings in society”

(Berger, 2005, p. 52). Culture plays a vital part externally and internally on a child’s

development. Vygotsky believed that the interaction between the environment and behavior
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affect how a child develops and learn (Crain, 2011, p. 229). I believe as a society and people

need to defend children and create healthy environments for them to grow and interact.

Scaffolding is one of Vygotsky theories that focus on teaching to the needs of a child.

Scaffolding is simply adjusting to the child’s level of performance (Berk, 2012, p.331). Each

child has their own unique way of learning. I am passionate about teaching to the child’s needs.

From personal experience, I have seen the affects in my performance in school when a teacher

scaffolds to my learning. I want to be that same teacher for my students and children. I want

them to love learning because they can do it in their own way. Also, I want to incorporate

Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development in my teaching. It is when the child is being

challenged in their learning and understanding with adult guidance (Berger, 2005, p. 45). I

believe strongly in challenging children to reach their fullest potential by stretching their

cognitive thinking.

Bandura

Bandura said, “We learn though imitation that involves cognitive processing” (Crain, 2011,

p. 204). Bandura believed strongly in learning through modeling and observation in society. I

also agree with him. It is amazing what a child can learn by imitating someone. For example, the

only way a child can learn to speak is by observing how others speak and try to imitate that same

behavior. We live in a world that children learn through modeling and observation. I want to

apply Bandura’s wisdom in my personal life. I know that what I do and say will have an impact

on my children and the children I work with. In order for children to learn correct behavior, I

must act in a way that brings positive results for them.

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Conclusion

After my journey through Maslow, Piaget, Vygotsky and Bandura’s theories, I have come to

the conclusion that I have a deep love for the development of cognition. I am passionate about

brain development and individual learning. The environment and culture play a crucial part in

developing the “whole child.” I know as I continue to gain more knowledge in the child

development realm, my philosophy about children will continue to progress.

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References

Berger, K.S. (2015). The developing person (10th ed.). New York: Worth Publisher.

Berk, E. L. (2012). Infants, children, and adolescents (7th ed.). Boston, MS: Pearson.

Crain, W. (2011) Theories of development (concepts and applications) (6th ed.) New Jersey:

Pearson.