Learner Development 1

Learner Development Statement

By Kelley Polasky
Masters Portfolio ED698
Dr. Elizabeth Hartley, PhD
September 17, 2022
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Learner Development Standard

G 1.2: Learner Development The teacher understands ways that learners grow and develop,

recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the

cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and design.

Learner Development Frame

I have constructed my educational approach to teaching and learning based on both the

work of social theorists and on my own experience working with children. By understanding a

variety of theories about the ways in which children cognitively develop, I am able to adapt my

practice to best suit the needs of the learners in my classroom. The theories that have been most

influential in my practice have been Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, Lev

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, and Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Here is an

example of a math lesson I taught last year with my kindergarten class. In this lesson, students

were learning the concept of addition within our thematic unit of bears. Students used story

boards and bear manipulatives to tell addition stories, and write addition sentences. With each of

these theories in mind, I crafted the math lesson to include modeling, social engagement, pretend

play, movement, and hands-on learning with the use of manipulatives. This is just one example

of the way I used theory to inform my practice. Elements from Jean Piaget’s Cognitive

Development Theory, Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, and Albert Bandura’s Social

Learning Theory have influenced my instructional approach in the classroom.

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory (Phillips, 1981) outlines the sequence of

cognitive development stages of children from birth to adulthood. John Phillips (1981) suggests

that Piaget’s progression of stages “begins with schemes that organize overt reactions to the

immediate sensory environment and continues through schemes that are capable of extensive
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transformation of sensory information for particular purposes” (Phillips, p. 39). Piaget’s theory

consists of four developmental stages: Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and

formal operational stage. “Piaget conceives of intellectual development as a continual process of

organization and reorganization of structures, each new organization integrating the previous one

into itself” (Phillips, 1981, p. 44). Most of my teaching practice has been with five and six-year-

old students in kindergarten. These students largely fall into the preoperational stage in Piaget’s

theory of development. According to his theory, and my experience working with these

students, “the preoperational child simply runs through the symbols for events as though he were

actually participating in the events themselves. As compared to more advanced levels, his

thinking at this stage tends to be dominated by its figural aspects – by perceptions and images”

(Phillips, p. 83). With this in mind, I allow children ample opportunities to imagine and pretend,

and learn through play. I provide concrete manipulatives for math, and I read picture books

throughout the day to teach concepts through stories.

Like Piaget, Vygotsky is another theorist who believes children learn through hands-on,

active experiences. Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory “showed that social and cognitive

development work together and build on each other” (Mooney, 2013, p. 82). Vygotsky

“objected to the analysis of children’s abilities based on intelligence tests. He thought research

should be both qualitative and quantitative. By this he meant that careful observation of children

should be considered as valid as their scores on a test” (Mooney, 2013, p. 82). When assessing

children in my kindergarten class, I always use both quantitative and qualitative analysis. For

example, I assess my students with standardized tests such as DIBELS™ and MAPS™ to inform

my practice. In addition, I keep a journal of qualitative assessments based on interactions,

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conversations, and observations about each student. I use both the qualitative and quantitative

assessments to inform my instruction.

Another aspect of Vygotsky’s theory that I incorporate into my practice is providing time

every day in class for students to play. I set up centers and space where children have enriching

opportunities to imagine, pretend and explore. In the above math lesson, I allowed time for

students to use their bear manipulatives and their story boards to imagine stories about their

bears. I appreciate the authentic learning that takes place when children play and interact with

their peers and their environment. Like Piaget, “Vygotsky believed that much learning takes

place when children play. When children play, they constantly use language. They determine

the conditions of the make-believe. They discuss roles and objects and directions. They correct

each other. They learn about situations and ideas not yet tried” (Mooney, 2013, p. 83).

A third influential theorist whose theory informs my practice is Albert Bandura (1977).

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977) argues that children can learn through observation and

modeling. “Where novel forms of behavior can be conveyed effectively only by social cues,

modeling is an indispensable aspect of learning. Even when it is possible to establish new

behaviors through other means, the process of acquisition can be considerably shortened through

modeling” (Bandura, 1977, p. 12). In my teaching practice, I frequently model what I expect

students to do. First, I model for the students and demonstrate the skill we are learning. Next,

we all do it together, and finally I send students to try the skill on their own. In our bear math

lesson, I first modeled how I would use the bears, story mat and dry erase marker to create my

addition sentence. Then, we did a few examples together as a class. Finally, I sent the students

back to their seats to create on their own. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory informs my

teaching practice by emphasizing the importance of modeling instruction.

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Another aspect of Bandura’s theory that is influential in my practice is around the idea of

intrinsic motivation. “According to social learning theory, self-regulated reinforcement increases

performance, mainly through its motivational function. By making self-reward conditional upon

attaining a certain level of performance, individuals create self-inducements to persist in their

efforts until their performances match self-described standards” (Bandura, 1977, p. 130). In my

practice, I shy away from the use of extrinsic motivation such as class points, stickers or prizes.

Instead, I encourage students to notice how they feel within when they accomplish a task, or do

well on an activity. My hope is students will want to do well and reach their fullest potential

because of the way it makes them feel, and develop a strong sense of intrinsic motivation.

Elements from Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, Lev Vygotsky’s

Sociocultural Theory, and Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory have influenced my

instructional approach in the classroom. As I continue on my teaching journey, I will strive to

keep abreast of new development theories and research and continue to adapt and improve my

practice to best suit the needs of my developing students.

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Resources

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice-Hall.

Mooney, C. G. (2013). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erickson,

Piaget & Vygotsky. Redleaf Press.

Phillips, J. L. (1981). Piaget's theory: A primer. W.H. Freeman.

Vygotsky, L. S., Rieber, R. W., & Robinson, D. K. (2004). The essential Vygotsky. Kluwer.