Application Exercise Chapter 1 (Introduction to Child Development)
Learner Objectives:
Identify Accurate and Inaccurate Examples of Developmental Concepts
Defend your choices using evidence from the chapter (or other educational resources, ie; articles).
THIS ASSIGNMENT MAY BE COMPLETED INDIVIDUALLY, IN PARTNERS, OR in SMALL GROUPS (3-5 students). Include all names on the submission, everyone submits to CANVAS, and use different colors or formatting to demonstrate who contributed to what on the assignment.
STEP 1: Copy & Paste the table provided into a new document and complete. In the following scenarios, (1) choose whether the teacher or other practitioner is accurately or inaccurately using a developmental concept or principle in his or her interpretation of the situation. (2) Defend your response based on the material presented in Chapter 1.
You should review the sections on the three basic issues that characterize developmental change, the theories of child development, the five developmental periods, and developmentally appropriate practice
Scenario
What is the developmental concept being applied here?
Is the developmental concepts being applied accurately or inaccurately?
Defend your choice (using evidence from the text)
SAMPLE. One of the members of a girl’s basketball team, 10-year-old Marta, is
exceptionally advanced in athletic ability. Her coach believes that Marta is advanced for
one reason: She has good genes.
Nature vs. Nurture
Inaccurately
Development is the interplay of nature, nurture, and children’s efforts.
It is unlikely that Marta’s advanced basketball skills are due solely to the forces of nature. It might be that she is genetically inclined to be physically strong and
coordinated but Marta may have parents and siblings who cultivate her passion for
basketball. She may have older role model in her neighborhood who inspire her to
master new skills.
1. A caregiver in a child care center takes a moment to watch the infants in her
room. Babies and toddlers are busily handling objects, studying their visual properties,
shaking them, listening to the sounds they make, exploring one another’s faces, and
vocalizing constantly. She smiles at their vitality and reflects, “Ah, yes, this is what my
professor means by saying that children’s own choices and activities contribute to their
Development.” Hint: Think about how knowledgeable caregivers should design the environment for infants and toddlers.
2. An eighth-grade boy, Brendan, is unusually short in stature. Compared to
other eighth-grade boys, Brendan has retained his round face and boyish appearance. He
complains to his advisor that the other boys call him “Squirt.” His advisor reassures him
that individual boys begin puberty and enter their growth spurt sometime during a broad
age range and that he can expect to start adding inches to his height at some point during
the next few years. The advisor appreciates that diversity exists in ages at which
youngsters achieve developmental milestones. What did you read about diversity vs. universality? How does this apply here?
3. A kindergarten teacher observes one of her children, Bonnie, trying to tie her
shoes, hold a pencil, and string beads. Bonnie can’t do any of these things. Her teacher
believes that she can’t speed up Bonnie’s growth in fine motor control. The teacher
excuses Bonnie from all classroom centers that enlist fine motor abilities, such as
“Puzzles” and “Arts and Crafts.” Instead, she asks Bonnie to build big block towers or
play in the dress-up area. Hint: Does this support the child’s development? What have you read about addressing individual needs?
4. A middle school student, Francesco, is having trouble in his pre-algebra
class. His teacher notices that he is trying hard, doing his homework, and paying attention
in class. She rules out motivation as a problem and decides she wants to learn more about
how he reasons about mathematics. She believes that he’s having trouble understanding
abstract mathematical principles and doing mental calculations in his head. She says that
she is using behaviorism and social learning theories to uncover Francesco’s thinking. Hint: Be sure to review the theories here – specifically, cognitive-developmental and cognitive-process theories
