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3.1: Introduction to Chapter 3

  • Page ID
    188759
    • Angela Blums & Jessica Kirchhofer

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    Image 3.1. The DANW: Pixabay is licensed under CC by 1.0

    This chapter aligns with SLO # 1: explain current theories and ongoing research in early care and education, SLO #3: compare early learning program models and SLO #8: describe major historical figures, advocates, and events shaping today’s early childhood education.

    Key Points from this chapter
    • Child development theories are frameworks for helping teachers understand how children develop.
    • Early learning program approaches have different philosophies that guide their curriculum and practices with young children.
    • High-quality early learning programs use theories to inform their work.
    Terminology found throughout this chapter

    Theory: A set of ideas that are supported by a substantial amount of evidence and are based on repeated testing of the same concepts

    Object Permanence: The ability for a child to understand that if an object is hidden from view, it continues to exist

    Constructivism: The idea that children create (or construct) their own knowledge through experiences with the world

    Schemas: Categories of information about a concept or thing

    Conditioning: The idea that children are motivated by external cues which drive behavior

    Reinforcers: Actions taken by adults to encourage or discourage certain behaviors

    Intrinsic Motivation: A desire to do things based on one’s own wishes and goals

    Models: The individuals in a child’s environment after which behavior is emulated

    More Knowledgeable Others: Individuals in a child’s environment who have more skills and knowledge about a particular area than the child

    Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The difference between what a child can do alone and what a child can do with help from a more knowledgeable other

    Scaffolding: The assistance given by the more knowledgeable other that changes in response to the child’s ability

    Life Crisis: A psychological conflict in which two conflicting aspects of development must be navigated by an individual

    Attachment Pattern: Description of the relationship between mother (or primary caregiver) and child based on the behavior of the child

    Internal Working Model: A conceptual understanding of how the relationship between an individual and a loved one should be


    This page titled 3.1: Introduction to Chapter 3 is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Angela Blums & Jessica Kirchhofer.

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