A = Maturationist Theory B =
Environmentalist Theory C = Constructivist Theory
Which theory’s advocates believe that
A Maturationionist
Theory The maturationist theory was advanced by the work of
Arnold Gessell. Maturationists believe that development is a biological process
that occurs automatically in predictable, sequential stages over time. This
perspective leads many educators and families to assume that young children will
acquire knowledge naturally and automatically as they grow physically and become
older, provided that they are healthy. School readiness,
according to maturationists, is a state at which all healthy young children
arrive when they can perform tasks such as reciting the alphabet and counting;
these tasks are required for learning more complex tasks such as reading and
arithmetic. Because development and school readiness occur naturally and
automatically, maturationists believe the best practices are for parents to
teach young children to recite the alphabet and count while being patient and
waiting for children to become ready for kindergarten. If a child is
developmentally unready for school, maturationists might suggest referrals to
transitional kindergartens, retention, or holding children out of school for an
additional year. These practices are sometimes used by schools, educators, and
parents when a young child developmentally lags behind his or her peers. The
young child’s underperformance is interpreted as the child needing more time to
acquire the knowledge and skills needed to perform at the level of his or her
peers.
B
Environmentalist Theory Theorists such as John Watson,
B.F. Skinner, and Albert Bandura contributed greatly to the environmentalist
perspective of development. Environmentalists believe the child’s environment
shapes learning and behavior; in fact, human behavior, development, and learning
are thought of as reactions to the environment. This perspective leads many
families, schools, and educators to assume that young children develop and
acquire new knowledge by reacting to their surroundings.
Kindergarten readiness, according to the environmentalists, is the age or
stage when young children can respond appropriately to the environment of the
school and the classroom (e. g. , roles and regulations, curriculum activities,
positive behavior in group settings, and directions and instructions from
teachers and other adults in the school). The ability to respond appropriately
to this environment is necessary for young children to participate in
teacher-initiated learning activities. Success is dependent on the child
following instructions from the teacher or the adult in the classroom. Many
environmentalist-influenced educators and parents believe that young children
learn best by rote activities, such as reciting the alphabet over and over,
copying letters, and tracing numbers. This viewpoint is evident in kindergarten
classrooms where young children are expected to sit at desks arranged in rows
and listen attentively to their teachers. At home, parents may provide their
young children with workbooks containing such activities as coloring or tracing
letters and numbers--activities that require little interaction between parent
and child. When young children are unable to respond appropriately to the
classroom and school environment, they often are labeled as having some form of
learning disabilities and are tracked in classrooms with curriculum designed to
control their behaviors and responses.
C Constructivist Theory The
constructivist perspective of readiness and development was advanced by
theorists such as Jean Piaget, Mafia Montessori, and Lev Vygotsky. Although
their work varies greatly, each articulates a similar context of learning and
development. They are consistent in .their belief that learning and development
occur when young children Internet with the environment and people around them
(Hunt, 1969). Constructivists view young children as active participants in the
learning process. In addition, constructivists believe young children initiate
most of the activities required for learning and development. Because active
interaction with the environment and people are necessary for learning and
development, constructivists believe that children are ready for school when
they can initiate many of the interactions they have with the environment and
people around them. Constructivist-influenced schools and
educators pay a lot of attention to the physical environment and the curriculum
of the early childhood classroom. Kindergarten classrooms often are divided into
different learning centers and are equipped with developmentally appropriate
materials for young children to play with and manipulate. Teachers and
adults have direct conversations with children, children move actively from
center to another, and daily activities are made meaningful through the
incorporation of children’s experiences into the curriculum. At home,
parents engage their young children in reading and storytelling activities and
encourage children’s participation in daily household activities in a way that
introduces such concepts as counting and language use. In addition, parents may
provide young children with picture books containing very large print, and toys
that stimulate interaction (such as building blocks and large puzzles). When a
young child encounters difficulties in the learning process, the constructivist
approach is neither to label the child nor to retain him or her; instead,
constructivists give the child some individualized attention and customize the
classroom curriculum to help the child address his or her
difficulties. ·young children are expected to learn repetitively both in
class and at home
71. ______. ·each child is given individual attention
and can express his ideas freely
72. ______. ·young children are not ready
for school unless they can recite the alphabet and count
73.
______. ·building blocks and large puzzles are helpful toys
stimulating children’s interaction
74. ______. ·as young children grow older, they
will learn naturally and automatically
75. ______. ·young children are
ready for school when they initiatively interact with the environment and
people around them
76. ______. ·young children
are best taught by their parents to learn to recite the alphabet and count
before they go to the kindergarten
77.
______. ·children are both the designers and participants in classroom
activities 78. ______. ·children
with learning disabilities have to attend special classes if they can’t
respond properly
79. ______. ·young children are not ready for school unless they can
follow instructions from adults
80.
______.