PERSONAL PARADIGM PAPER 1

Personal Paradigm
Mariana Hansen
Professional Development
Brigham Young University – Idaho
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Understanding the theories that have impacted child development have been sort of

difficult for me over the years. I think the biggest reason why is some of them seem out of reach

in my opinion. Although since entering my upper level courses, professors have admitted to me

that they have a hard time with theories as well, but they have also pointed out where the theories

do make sense. In my curriculum for young children course, my professor explained how she

was grossed out my Freud’s theory. She then taught how even though his theory has been tough

to understand, his theory does apply to children. She went on to explain how, and it really widen

my view for a second. I thought seeing her side and how Freud really thought was helpful with

my future career and my future family to use the theories for good as far-fetched as some may

be.

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is one I can get behind and stand up for it. He brought

his ideas off of Piaget’s model. The biggest difference between Vygotsky and Piaget’s theories

are that Vygotsky believed that there were no real stages. With that being said, he really brought

in the idea of how our culture and environment can affect us as children and as adults. I think this

part of his theory applies to our family by making sure we place ourselves in good environments

to the best of our abilities. When we do so, I think it will help our children become better people

and have more opportunities. The environment a person wants to lives in obviously depends case

per case. In my case, I hope I can provide my future children a place where there will be other

members nearby and be zoned for a school with great credentials. I hope to place my children in

an area where they can grow in every way possible.

Another part of Vygotsky’s theory is our zone of proximal development. This is the point

where a child can do things on their own and when they start to need an adult’s help as the article

on Simply Psychology discussed. I believe the point of the theory is allowing children to
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discover and test their abilities while also learning. This may be harder for some parents as they

simply want to help their children, but they end up doing the task for them. This can be harmful

because the child does not totally learn on their own. I hope to be able to distinguish when my

help is needed and when it can wait whenever I become a parent or a professional in the child

development field. This is something I have a hard time dealing now. I truly love to help people,

but I have to respect them and let them understand concepts on their own.

The next theorist I believe can help my future family and career influenced Vygotsky’s

theories, and his name is Jean Piaget. In his theory, he created stages of cognitive development.

The four stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational as

mentioned in an article from Medical News Today. They are fairly accurate about when a child

starts to develop certain qualities like object permanence or using symbolic play. The stages will

be useful when figuring out what is appropriate for the child to be involved or participate in. I

think also as a good reminder where my children are at developmentally and not trying to force

them into activities they are simply not ready for yet.

I love Jean Locke’s theory on how children are born with a blank slate. I believe it relates

to the gospel in this way. The idea that children are born clean, I think should be used

everywhere. In my eternal families class, we were discussing about how we become like God.

My professor shared some stories about how her daughter has really taught her some Christ-like

qualities. Using her stories and Jean Locke’s theory can help me during times when I get

frustrated with the children in my life. Whether it be at work or in my future home, I believe if I

can remember how pure they are and how they are from heaven, I can have more patience with

them. When we have patience with children, I trust that those are the moments that build up our

relationship with them. They see that we believe in them, and we want to be kind to them. Using
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Jean Locke’s theory, I truly believe will be the most useful because it’s a reminder of how close

we are to heaven. It goes back to President Hinckley’s talk that we read at the beginning of the

semester on why we should protect them. We should remember how they are an example that

God exists by their innocence, and we should protect them while doing so.

The last theorist I would like to discuss is Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. I am not entirely

sure if he can be classified as a theorist, but I do love his idea on focusing on children as a whole.

I also love that he created the first nature preschool. In one of my development classes last

semester, my teacher had us discuss the importance of play. She really wanted us to remember

our times in the outdoors because she believed children are rarely spending anytime there now. I

think that is something I hope I can implement the importance of teaching our children as a

whole and helping them appreciate the outdoors in the future. I believe teaching them as whole

will help them surpass their limits and help them understand different aspects of the world. I also

think creating an appreciation for the outdoors and nature will be beneficial because it will help

them expand their mind. I think nature really allows us to get back to our roots and expand our

minds.

As I mentioned at the beginning, theorists have been hard to understand. As I have

continued in the child development major, I have grown to see their importance. If we allow the

theorists to support the children in our workplace or family, I think we can become more

successful with understanding them. I truly love Vygotsky, Paiget, Locke, and Pestalozzi’s ideas.

I think they will help me achieve my goals and be more loving with the children in my life if I

use them correctly. Their ideas have not lasted for many years for nothing. We simply have to

take the time to understand them better to actually use them for our benefit.
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References

McLeod, Saul. (2018). Lev Vygotsky. Simply Psychology.

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

Medical News Today. (2018). What to Know about Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development.

Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325030.php