Article 1. Behavioral theory: "Young Children Develop in an environment of relation."
Healthy development of a child is dependent on the quality of relationships with persons and the environment both within and out of the family. Children experience the world as an environment of relationships and these relationships affect their development from all perspectives including emotional, physical, moral and behavioral. According to the author states that links are active ingredients that the children learn from. The active ingredients are people, play tools, surrounding and so forth that a child interacts with daily. Children who grow in a positive environment where there are love and care tend to develop warm and positive relationships. For example, kindergarten goers who develop positive and friendly relations with their teachers are more excited about learning, are more confident, excited about going to school and are likely to achieve more in class. In simple terms, the article says that children learn best in an interactive and relational surrounding, compared to educational models that focus on rote instruction. The article concludes that nurturing and stable relationships from adults play a vital role in the development process of a child from birth.
Article 2: Piaget’s cognitive theory of development: Raising an autistic child to be bilingual.
Raising a child who has autism is difficult as they take time to learn and have special needs. It is difficult to teach a child with autism and delayed language development. However, a family in U.K in 2013 was able to raise an autistic child and trained him to be bilingual. Five years old Jose who had an English-Spanish background was able to learn the two languages besides being autistic.
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There has always existed an uncertainty about evidence on autism and bilingualism until recently. Reviewed have shown that there is being bilingual for autistic persons does not affect language, cognitive skills or social skills. Cognitive skills of an autistic child will remain the same even by them learning two languages. Jose ability was an illustration that with proper care and continuous learning a child is memory and attention to acquiring new language can be achieved.
Comparison and contrast of the two theories
Both theories aim at improving the learning process. Cognitive and behavioral approaches focus on the learning process of a child. Behavioral theorists focus on what happens in the environment of a child while the cognitive theories of development focus on the memory and attention in mind.
Although both theories focus on the learning and development of a child, learning takes places in mind and not behavioral. Cognitive approaches focus on the mental activities of a child during the learning process while behavioral theories focus on determining cues that elicit the desired responses. Cognitive theories use feedback to guide and support specific mental connections while behavioral approach focuses on the environment to optimize the learning process. Cognitive behaviorist acknowledges the process of thoughtful planning organizational strategies and goal settings while behavioral theorist arranges activities so that they will prompt response in the natural surroundings.
Personal thoughts on the two theories
Behavioral theories are interesting, practical and experienced every day. The theories of how the environment plays an essential role in the learning and development of children. For example, it is correct to say that a child will learn the first language of the person they interact with. Children who are born of parents who speak a similar language they learn the mother language. Therefore, I agree that children learn from their immediate environment. However, I disagree with behavioral theories on that surrounding effects on individuals are the same. The learning process is involved, and people learn in different ways. Therefore, people in the same environment can become completely different persons.
Cognitive theories try to understand the various mental activities that occur during multiple times of a person’s life. I agree with the theory that the thoughts processes change throughout childhood. The exciting part is that the theory can be tested by observing the ability of a child to solve problems. I also concur with cognitive theories children have a different learning process, and thus some require special attention and special treatment. I disagree with the theory in its failure to observe the supposed causes of behaviors.
Application of the theories
The application of both theories both at school and home is essential. In school, the teacher needs to understand that each student is unique and they do not possess the same cognitive skills. Some students are quick to learn and have improved memory while others have slow and short memory making the learning process difficult. In school and at home children with special needs should be taught in the best approach. At home, parents for kids with special needs are asked to treat such children with care.
Behavioral theories can be applied in school and at home through understanding their basic concept of relationship creation. Parents and teachers should strive for a warm and positive relationship. It improves the leaning and development of a child when they feel accepted. In school teachers can adjust the learning environment to make it friendly to the learners. Both behavioral and cognitive theories of child development are essential to the parents and teachers as they help to understand the various growth stages and needs of the children.
