Child’s World
Development Theories
Introduction & Focus Question
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What do you think a theory is?
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Is a belief a theory?
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How might one’s personal beliefs and
behaviors affect the development of a child?
Introduction to Developmental
Theories
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Researchers and educators hold several distinct
sets of beliefs, or theories, about how children
grow and develop.
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One theory holds that children simply mature as
they grow older.
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Another is that the environment shapes what
children become.
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(Nature v. Nurture)
Theories defined
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A theory is a system of beliefs about
something.
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A child development theory is an integrated
collection of beliefs about why children
behave, think, and feel as they do.
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How a teacher responds to incidents depends
on what he or she believes about why a
student behaves as he does. The teacher's
decisions will also depend upon his or her
theory about the child's development
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No single universally accepted theory exists
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Theories about children are extremely
practical

A theory can guide professional practice by
ensuring that there is an underlying purpose
for classroom routines and that the process of
educating young children is carried out
consistently
http://nwscc.cc.al.us/childdevelopment/CHD201Theories.htm
Major Child Development Theorists
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Jean Piaget – Children must be given learning tasks appropriate to their level of
development.
Lev Vygotsky – Children should be given the opportunity for frequent social
interaction. Social contact is essential to intellectual development.
Erik Erikson – Parents & other caregivers must be aware of, and sensitive to,
children’s needs at each stage of development and support them through crises.
B.F. Skinner – Parents and other caregivers can affect a child’s behavior
through the use of negative and positive feedback.
Albert Bandura – Caregivers must provide good examples for children to follow.
Urie Bronfenbrenner – Child’s primary relationship with a caregiver needs to be
stable, loving, and lasting. Environment affects development.
Arnold Gesell - Development genetically determined by universal “maturation
patterns” which occur in a predictable sequence.
Theorist Sorting –
Developmental Domains
Lev Vygotsky
B.F. Skinner
Cognitive
Physical
Erik Erikson
Albert Bandura
Jean Piaget
Arnold Gesell
Social
Emotional
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Theorists Sorting - Scenario
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Marta took care of her younger brother,
Ramon, for two hours each day after school
before her parents came home. Ramon had
the habit of leaving his toys strewn about the
family room when he had finished playing.
Theorists Sorting - Scenario
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How could Marta use the following theorist’s
ideas to get her brother to put his toys away
when he is done playing?
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Skinner
Piaget
Bandura
Bronfenbrenner
Vygotsky
Gesell
Reflection
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On a piece of paper write your thoughts to
the following statements/questions:
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Explain which theories you believe to be similar.
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Why do you think there are so many different
theories about child development?
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Explain which theory or mix of theories you think
you would use with children?
Needs vs. Wants
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Make a T chart on your paper
Needs
Wants
Needs/Wants
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What is the difference between a need and a
want?
Needs vs. Wants
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Needs are things (material & nonmaterial)
that a person needs to survive.
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Wants are those things that a person may
desire, but her/she doesn’t have to have
these things to survive.
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Abraham Maslow created a theory that
explains the needs humans have.
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He says there are 5 levels of needs.
He says needs must be met in order to survive
and thrive.
Abraham Maslow
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He first studied law at the City College of New York
(CCNY).
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Attended University of Wisconsin and became
interested in psychology.
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He received his BA in 1930, his MA in 1931, and his
PhD in 1934, all in psychology, all from the
University of Wisconsin.
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He spend his final years in semi-retirement in
California, until, on June 8 1970, he died of a heart
attack after years of ill health.
Abraham Maslow’s
Theory of Human Needs
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There is an order of needs that people pass
through.
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The order (levels) are needs and not wants.
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It is normal to need what is in the various
levels.
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Motivating Needs
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Needs that have not been satisfied.
Money does not fit this category
Abraham Maslow’s
Theory of Human Needs
Abraham Maslow’s
Theory of Human Needs
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Basic (physiological) needs are related to the body and
to feelings and are motivating needs.
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Safety needs are the desires for security and stability, to
feel safe from harm.
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Social needs- the desires for affiliation. They include
friendship and belonging.
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Esteem needs and self-actualization are strongly related to
motivation.
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Self-Actualization is Maslow’s category for higher-level
needs (the needs to grow and feel fulfilled as a person).
Needs vs. Wants Revisited
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Take another look at your Needs/Wants T
chart.
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Revisit your personal Needs/Wants list
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Re-categorize any need that really is a want
Re-categorize any want that really is a need
Label each of the “Needs” according to
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs.
Might Maslow Quiz
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Answer the questions using the notes from
the reading and this presentation.
Explain Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
& How it relates to the Developmental
Domains through a visual & write-up.
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Visual must be neat and creative.
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You will create a visual that represents
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs.
You will write an explanation of the visual.
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The written explanation must be in complete
sentences with proper grammar and
sentence structure.
Sentence Frame to start write up
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The visual I created is a __________ and
represents Maslow’s Hierarchy because
_____.
The level of _______ is about
______________. In my visual this level is
represented by _________. This shows the
level of ____________ because
________________.
[Repeat bullet 2 for each level and example].
Forward Thinking
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What might be the connection between
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs, and
social/emotional development?