Video and Article Project Video - Child Development Theorists: Freud to Erikson to Spock . . . and Beyond

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Assignment #1: Video and Article project Video 1

In the video "Child Development Theorists: Freud to Erikson to Spock . . . and Beyond" They review the different stages of childhood development, and strategies for behavioral analysis. One theory on childhood education I had never heard before was the Montessori Method. She was focused on trying to educate children who were deemed to be unable to educate. Her theory was, by guiding learning with love, they will learn on their own. What educators need to do is wait for the period when the child opens up to learn, and let them experience kinesthetic, or 'hands on' learning ("Child Development, 2009 "). I feel her method of learning is not only positive, but most effective. An example of her method being used today is the case study of "My nephew David". Within that case study, the child, David, was thought to be un-teachable. It had been predicted that he could never learn. However, the teaching method someone suggested for the baby to be put on a rug, and feel his way around, as he went off the rug place him in the middle, and say ‘no', worked. (Berger, 2008, p. 15) Through years of hard work, and very slow progression, he works as a translator of German texts. "David is a testament of plasticity: No human is entirely, inevitably restricted by past experiences" (Berger, 2008, p. 16) The Montessori Method of helping children who are ‘un-teachable' is what helped David succeed. As a nurse, I am looking to go into Pediatrics, and I feel like her method, still used today, is one of the most effective child development theories ever created. Rather then focusing on stages and psychoanalytical theories, similar to Freud and Erikson, we focus on the child, and the milestones the children reach on their own schedules. I feel by limiting frustration in the children's environment, we can promote health learning, and effectively educate them as needed.

One thing that I don't agree with are Erikson's stages of development. I feel like they are too generalized to fit, I believe his Psychosocial concept is correct, but his stages of development are too broad in scope. When studying children's behavior, categorizing them by his 6 stages, I feel like reaching the behavioral analysis for children requires more in depth study. The first three stages I agree with. "Hope: Infant to 2 year old. If caregivers are consistent sources of food, comfort, and affection, an infant learns trust- that others are dependable and reliable. If they are neglectful, or perhaps even abusive, the infant instead learns mistrust- that the world is in an undependable, unpredictable, and possibly dangerous place" ("Erikson's stages of," 2011) . I feel this stage describes

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