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Personal Paradigm

Kimberly Mackay

Brigham Young University-Idaho

CHILD 325: Professional Development

Brother McCoy

Jan. 31, 2021

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Personal Paradigm

There are many theories on children and how they develop. A lot of them are great and

they have added a lot to the science of how children grow. There are four that I especially like

and will try to base my future career of working with children on. I wish to one day run my own

preschool and I feel that if I follow Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, and Baumrind theories. I will be

able to create a great program to foster optimal development for a child.

Piaget

Jean Piaget had some great theories about children that he discovered when he was doing

psychological testing on them. He discovered that children tended to make the same mistakes

with questions that required logical reasoning. Seeing this he came up with his own cognitive

theory. Piaget said that children’s cognition develops through stages and that they acquire

knowledge through building it on their own. The stages he came up with were the “sensorimotor

stage: birth to 18-24 months; Preoperational stage: 2 to 7 years; Concrete operational stage: 7 to

11 years; and Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up” (McLeod, 2020).

Knowing what these stages of cognitive development will help me know how to plan for

preschool aged children. At age four they are at the preoperational stage, so they thinking is

through symbolism. This is when children fully immerse themselves in pretend play. They can

have things stand in place of real things. For example, they can use a stick for a wand or a baton

to lead an orchestra. Also, at this stage they have a hard time thinking logically and they cannot

understand that how they see the world may not be how it is. They are very egocentric, so they

have a hard time understanding why their comfort toy is not giving their parents comfort. Using

this knowledge I can teach them as they play. I can add props to dramatic play area and see if
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they are interested in it. Doing this will lead me to creating interesting lesson plans for them to

discover the world they live in.

Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky came up with the sociocultural theory. This means that he believes that

children gain their “cultural values, beliefs, and problem-solving strategies through collaborative

dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society” (McLeod, 2020). Vygotsky believes

that children do not learn on their own. He said that children need to be scaffolded and mentored.

He came up with the term zone of proximal development. This is the theory that children can

only progress so much on their own that they need either an adult or a more advanced peer to

help the other child learn.

In my preschool I will have children of different levels of capabilities be in groups so that

when they are working on something, they can help each other. Of course, I will also be there

helping all the children when they cannot accomplish something with each other. I will have

children who are more sociable become friends with those who are shyer. I will do the same kind

of thing with building with blocks or playing with playdough.

Another part of Vygotsky’s theory is that play does not come from the child. The child

when they play are practicing different encounters they have seen or experienced. So, in this

theory play is not as spontaneous. I believe this because I have seen my niece play what she sees

in her world like her mom going to the store or what she has seen on tv. Knowing this will also

help me observe play with more interest. When a child plays, they are trying to process/practice

what is happening in their lives. If I see things that are questionable in their play, I can use that to

help the child.

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Erikson

The theory of psychosocial development is what Erik Erikson developed. He studied

under Sigmund Freud and came up with his own personality psychology. Erikson came up with

the eight stages of psychosocial development. All eight are “Trust vs. Mistrust; Autonomy vs.

Shame and Doubt; Initiative vs. Guilt; Industry vs. Inferiority; Identity vs. Confusion; Intimacy

vs. Isolation; Generativity vs. stagnation; and Integrity vs. Despair” (Cherry, 2020). Erikson

believed that how people handle the conflicts at each stage is how a person develops. He also

believed that mastering these conflicts leads to a more confident and healthier person.

Knowing these stages of development will help me help a child develop more optimally.

At the age of preschool, the children are at the stage of initiative vs. guilt. This is when the

children are learning that they can have control over their lives. In this stage, if they handle the

conflict well, they gain a sense of purpose in their life. They know that they can make their own

decisions and can figure out what they want to do with themselves. They go on to exploring their

world and discovering their likes and dislikes. I will let children have that control in their lives in

their play and social interactions so that they can gain that sense of purpose.

Baumrind

Diana Baumrind has the theory of different parenting styles. The different styles of

parenting are as follows authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive (Grobman, 2008).

Authoritarian parenting is very controlling and have a lot of punishment. These parents do not do

well with misbehavior. They tend to create children who either give up or become hostile

towards others as they get older. Permissive parents love their child so much that they will not

help their child control their impulses or take responsibility for their actions. This leads to
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children who are antisocial and do not have a lot of persistence when things become difficult.

Authoritative parents have discipline and order but are also very loving and helpful towards the

child. These parents have realistic expectations for their child but are not harsh on the child when

they do not achieve these expectations. Instead, they try to help the child achieve the

expectations. This leads to confident children who know that they can do anything they put their

minds to.

Using this knowledge will mostly help me for when I become a mother. Knowing what

the best kind of parenting is will help me know how to foster a love of learning and helping

others. It will also help me foster in my child a desire to explore their world and gain confidence

in their abilities. I can also use this as a preschool teacher to help the children gain confidence in

their abilities. Also, seeing the children’s reactions to challenges will help me understand more

what their home life is like. If they give up at the first sign of trouble, then I know that they are

not expected to fulfill expectations at home. It will help me know how to plan for them in the

future. The same goes for children with authoritarian parents. It will help me make more

personalized lesson plans for my students.

Conclusion

In conclusion using the theories of Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Erik Erikson, and Diana

Baumrind will give me an edge in the career field. I understand how children’s minds develop

and how they gain their knowledge. I know how life at home can affect children and I will be

ablet to assess it through observation. I can use all these theorists’ theories to create a preschool

curriculum that is age appropriate and helpful for children to develop as they grow. I will create a

strong foundation for children to build upon in their adolescent years.

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References

Cherry, K. (2020, June 26). Understanding Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development.

Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-

psychosocial-development-2795740

Grobman, K. H. (2008). Diana Baumrind's (1966) Prototypical Descriptions of 3 Parenting

Styles. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from

http://www.devpsy.org/teaching/parent/baumrind_styles.html

Mcleod, S. (2020). Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

Mcleod, S. (2020, December 07). Piaget's Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development.

Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html