1. Early Childhood Theories
Child Care
Mrs. Tucker

2. Early Childhood
Refers to the period of time from infancy through third grade (or from birth to age 8 or 9)

3. Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827) Swiss educator
Formed the basis of many common teaching practices still used today
Believed that the curriculum should develop the whole child (not just intellect)
Believed children should be taught in groups not individually

4. Friedrich Froebel (1792-1852) Known as the “Father of Kindergarten”
Believed that a child’s first educational experience should be like a garden full of discoveries and adventure
Also believed that the adults should set the stage and that children should use materials in their own manner (freeplay)

5. Jean Piaget ( )
Worked with Binet to develop the first intelligence (IQ) tests
Discovered a pattern among the wrong answers on IQ tests
Therefore believed that children think in fundamentally different ways than adults do.

6. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
Stage I - Sensorimotor
Age: from birth to 2
*Uses senses to learn
*Out of sight, out of mind
*Learns object permanence by age 1

7. Piaget’s Stages (continued)
Stage II – Preoperational
*Age: from 2-6
*Learns symbolic play (balloons=party)
*Very egocentric
*Judges by appearance (dime is less than penny because of size)

8. Piaget’s Stages (continued)
Stage III – Concrete operational
*Ages: from 6-12
*Understands rules
*Understands how some rules can reverse (addition/substraction)
*Can now understand other’s points of view

9. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) First female physician in Italy
Worked with socially economic children in Rome when she opened Casa di Bambini
Believed that any task could be taught to a child is broken into a series of small steps

10. Maia Montessori (continued)
Believed that children “LEARN BY DOING”
Believed that children learn at their own individual pace
Thought that teachers should not interfere or push children but just observe. Little social interaction with children.

11. Four Limitations of Montessori Method
Lack of social interaction among children and teachers (no dramatic play)
Lack of self-expression (no creative arts in pure Montessori schools)
Lack of verbal or language development opportunities
Lack of gross-motor emphasis

12. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Studied irrational side of human behavior
Believed that personality developed in a fixed pattern of stages
Emphasized the mother/child relationship

13. Freud’s Stages of Personality Development
Oral (Stage One)
*Ages: birth – 2
*Mouth is source of pleasure or pain
*Example: eating, biting, teething, sucking

14. Freud’s Stages (continued)
Anal (Stage Two)
*Ages: 2 – 3
*Bowel movements source of pleasure and control
*Toilet training

15. Freud’s Stages (continued)
Phallic (Stage Three)
*Ages: 3 – 6
*Genitals source of pleasure
*Discover differences between boys and girls
*Develops sexual identity
*Develops conscience

16. Freud’s Stages (continued)
Latency (Stage Four)
*Ages: 6 – 12
*Sexual forces are dormant
*Energy put into school or sports

17. Freud’s Stages (continued)
Genital
*Ages: 12 – 18
*Gain satisfaction from relationship with others
*Puberty and sexual development is forefront

18. Erik Erikson (1902-1994) Studied under Freud
Believed that people experience a crisis at each stage
How the crisis is handled influences personality development
(See PowerPoint on Stages of Personality Development)