MODERN THEORIES OF CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION The theories

MODERN THEORIES OF CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION The theories of childhood development are what has led to children's literature as we know it now! It is important for caretakers, educators, and parents to understand the way our children learn and grow in order to understand the literature we offer them.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Jean Piaget (1896 -1980) There are 4 stages of mental development called Schema Piaget called his collective theories on child development "Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology. "

SCHEMA 1 st Stage “Sensorimotor Stage, " - Learning through Motor Actions - 0– 2 years old. 2 nd Stage “Pre-operation Stage, " - Develop Intelligence by Using Natural Intuition. - 3– 7 years old - 3 rd Stage “Concrete Operational Stage, " Develop Cognitively through the Logic that is Based in Concrete Evidence - 8– 11 years old 4 th Stage "Formal Operations, " -Form the Ability to Think Abstractly. - 12 -15 years old

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Erikson (1902 -1994) Erik developed five stages of development from birth to eleven years and beyond. The five stages were known as… Trust v. Mistrust Autonomy v. Doubt Initiative v. Guilt Industry v. Inferiority Identity v. Role Confusion

PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGES Trust v. Mistrust -Birth to 18 Months Old -Children are dependent on Caregiver and Required to Trust Them -Children Deal with Abandonment Fears -Books: Good Night Moon Autonomy v. Doubt -18 Months to 3 Years Old -Children Experiment with Independence -Children Doubt their Ability to be Independent -Books: Harold and the Purple Crayon

PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGES Initiative v. Guilt -3 -6 Years Old -Start to Feel and Recognize Responsibilities -Feel Guilt Over Bad Decisions -Books: Peter’s Chair Industry v. Inferiority -7 -11 Years Old -Children Start to Desire Success -Compare Themselves to Peers, Feel Inferior -Books: Henry Huggins, Ramona the Pest Identity v. Role Confusion -11 -18 Years Old -Self-Discovery -Struggle with Who They Are -Books: Harriet the Spy

MORAL DEVELOPMENT Lawrence Kohlberg (1927 -1987) Studied the development of moral reasoning and judgment, how individuals determined right and wrong. He determined three different levels of moral development. -Pre-Conventional -Post-Conventional

LEVELS OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT Pre-Conventional -Elementary Age Children -Punishment/Obedience Orientation, Self-Interest Orientation, -Books: Charlotte’s Web Conventional - Adolescence - Interpersonal Concordance Orientation, Law and Order Orientation - Books: The Chocolate War Post-Conventioanl - Reached by Only a few Individuals - Social Contract Orientation, Principled Conscience Orientation

CONCLUSION Children’s literature reflects the needs and desires of its audience. Good literature should always fulfill the needs of its audience. To do this it must touch on the intellectual, psychological, and sociological needs. This is why it is so important to understand these concepts that Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg present!

REFERENCES Jean Piaget Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography. com. " Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http: //www. biography. com/people/jean-piaget 9439915>. Russell, David. "Literature and Child Development. " Literature for Children. Seventh Edition ed. New York City: Pearson Education, Inc, 2012. 20 -33. Print.