ECE Child Growth and Development: Developmental Theory Research

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Title:

  Early Childhood Education 1

  Course Number:

  8405110

  Career Cluster:

  Education and Training

  CIP Number:

  0419070913

  Course Type:

  Career Preparatory

  Standard(s) or benchmarks

  Focus

  6.05 Identify and describe theories of human development including cognitive psychosocial, socio-cultural, psychoanalytical, and behaviorist.

  Supporting

  6.02 Describe the principles and stages of development.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson can be used within a unit focused on child growth and development, including principles of development, developmental theories and theorists, and the developmental domains. The unit can begin with lessons to develop background knowledge around the topic of developmental principles and then introduce the concepts of, and vocabulary related to developmental principles and theories of development. This lesson can be used to focus on researching various developmental theories and related theorists. Additional lessons in the unit can focus on the production of a digital artifact reflecting student research, and a presentation showcasing the research.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson includes the skills of resource management in using technology for research, locating and accessing information, summarizing, communication and using career-relevant vocabulary. In addition, studying child developmental theories is essential for early childhood and education related careers.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Research the stages of a developmental theory related to early childhood education.
  • Summarize the relevant factors of a developmental theory related to early childhood education.
  • Use academic vocabulary related to child growth and development in writing.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with:

  • Developmental domains in early childhood.
  • Using the internet to research using reliable and credible sources.
  • Summarizing information.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What are some of the prevailing theories of child development?
  • How have different theories of child development influenced the study and teaching of child growth and development?
  • What is the importance of understanding different theories of child development for teachers of young children?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, ask students a question such as, “How do we know which plants need more sunlight than others?” or “How can you tell if your good friend or family member is feeling happy?” The question can vary but should lead to a discussion that we learn about the world around us through careful observation and study. We observe plants in different degrees of sunlight to see which helps them thrive, and we observe the behaviors of those around us to better understand them and their emotions.
     • Explain that in social sciences, there are theorists that have observed and studied human development. The theories they generated are used to help explain phenomena, such as growth and learning.
     • Work with the students to develop a definition for the term theory. Ask students if they might have heard the word theory in other classes, or what the term theory reminds them of.
  2. Set the purpose for the lesson by introducing a frame for student research. Indicate to students that they will be learning about a developmental theory and the goal of their research will be to answer the question, “How have different theories of child development influenced the teaching of young children?"
  3. Display the Developmental Theorists PowerPoint attachment. Briefly introduce some of the developmental theorists by providing students with the names and topics of each theory and associated theorist. Each of the developmental theories listed are the principal theories, or main theories, that each theorist is widely known for in the early childhood education community.
  4. Provide students with one of the versions of the Developmental Theory Research Graphic Organizer handout. Students will use the graphic organizer to compile research on a developmental theory including key terms related to the theory, a biography of the theorist, a summary of the theory, the stages, age ranges, and characteristics of development according to the theory, an explanation of the implications for teaching and a list of sources used.
     • If the teacher chooses, explain to students that in a later lesson, they will be using their research to share and teach the rest of the class about the developmental theory. Tell students that they will be the experts on each individual development theory for the rest of the class. See the Teacher Notes for these additional lesson ideas.
     • See Teacher Notes for information about the two versions of the graphic organizer.
     • See Teacher Notes for theory assignment and grouping suggestions.
  5. To close the lesson, return to the guiding questions and have students share one interesting fact that they learned about a developmental theory.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • CPALMS Resource IDs # 206490 and 206627 include lessons to build prior knowledge about developmental principles. Teachers may choose to begin a unit with these lessons.
  • Likewise, CPALMS Resource IDs #207248 and 207250 include follow-up lessons in which students create a presentation using their research and learn about the other theories that their classmates researched.
  • The Developmental Theory Research Graphic Organizer V1 is a more structured research organizer that provides a frame for each expectation of the research. The Developmental Theory Research Graphic Organizer V2 is a less structured research organizer that allows students to collect the same research but without the guiding frames. Teachers may choose to modify either of the graphic organizers to meet various research expectations.
  • For students using V1 of the graphic organizer, note that there are five available spaces for the stages of the developmental theory. Remind students that they may not use all the spaces, or they may need to include more rows on the back, depending on the theory being researched.
  • The Developmental Theorists PowerPoint attachment can be modified to meet the teacher’s specific class requirements about which theories are focused on.
  • Grouping and assigning students to a theory will depend heavily on the number of students in class and the level of support that they will need. Some suggestions are below.
    • Allow students to partner with a classmate and research a theory together.
    • Group the students by theory, so that 3-4 students are each researching one theory.
    • Allow students to choose a theory that interests them, so long as each theory the teacher chooses to focus on is covered.
    • Write each theory on a piece of paper, with enough to cover for the number of students in class and fold them up and place in a small bin. Then have each student pick a ‘mystery’ piece of paper that tells them which theory to research.

• Optional

  
  

  Accommodation Idea:

  • The two versions of the Developmental Theory Research Graphic Organizer can be used based on students' needs.

  Extension Idea:

  • Have students that are researching the same theory check the work of a peer. Ask students to review each other’s research and see what they may have missed or identify any misconceptions that they have about the theory.