GDECE102 Learning and Development Birth to Two Years Report 1 Sample
Task description:
Write a position paper arguing for best practice approaches to meeting the learning and development needs of children birth to 2 years in ECE settings. Your paper should cover all domains of development and be theoretically informed. Your positions should also be supported by evidence from the academic literature.
Criteria:
• Provide approaches and practices to support learning and development across all developmental domains.
• Show how these approaches are supported by theory and empirical evidence.
• Explain why your preferred approaches constitute best practice.
• Explain how the approaches and practices you promote can support diverse learners.
Word count: 2000 words +/- 10% (excluding references)
NOTE: SCEI-HE requires its students to observe the highest ethical standards in every aspect of their academic work. SCEI-HE actively demonstrates its commitment to academic integrity by recognising scholarly work and penalising all forms of academic dishonesty. Please refer to the Institute’s HEPP01 Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure for further information or speak to your lecturer, Academic Support Coordinator or Librarian.
Formatting: 12-point serif font (eg. Times New Roman). 1.5 or double line spacing.
Referencing: APA7 (please refer to this guide for referencing guidelines)
Solution
Introduction
Early Childhood Education (ECE) is critical in building the groundwork for a child’s total development. The first two years of life are critical, establishing the foundation for cognitive, social-emotional, language, and physical development. This position paper seeks to promote best practice approaches in ECE settings to address the learning and development needs of children from birth to 2 years. Based on a variety of developmental domains and theoretical frameworks, this paper emphasizes effective approaches and practices that are critical for achieving optimal growth, developing supportive settings, and addressing the differences among young learners.
Overview of Developmental Domain and Theoretical Foundations
The childhood journey of a child from 0 to 2 years old is marked with tremendous growth, and major attainments in many areas. Understanding these domains and their theoretical underpinnings is important because of giving proper support and early childhood education. The physical development is the most evident among the three domains within the first two years. Infants show fast growth in height, weight, and motor development. The infant develops gross motor skills: crawling, standing up, and then walking, as he/she discovers the surrounding world. Fine motor skills develop simultaneously, thus, they are able to grasp objects, manipulate toys and eventually, feed themselves. The System Theory of learning models encompasses the idea of the interconnectivity between physical growth and other domains, highlighting the significance of a supportive environment that safeguards the process of risk-free exploration and growth for university assignment help.
Cognitive development is about brain structure and how we learn, remember, solve problems, and make decisions. Jean Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory emphasizes that children acquire knowledge actively by interacting with surroundings. The first two years of an infant's life see the development from reflexive reactions to intentional actions through which a child evolves from being passive to showing curiosity and exploration (Oograrah-Pratap et al., 2020). Creating stimulating and age-adequate environments suggested by Piaget's theory facilitates cognitive development. Social-Emotional Development involves development of the relationship skills, emotional regulation, and understanding of self and others. The Trust vs. the Mistrust is one of the Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theories. Mistrust stage that typically happens in the first year of life, shedding light on the importance of secure attachments, and consistent caregiving (Orenstein and Lewis, 2022).
Trust building and safety providing are the core components of healthy social-emotional development. The ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenner, on the other hand, emphasizes the impact of multiple environmental systems, such as family and community, on social-emotional development, which shows that the supportive and nurturing interactions within these environments are very important. Language Development is another main aspect during the first two years (Crawford, 2020). According to Noam Chomsky’s language development framework, the children’s predisposition to learn a language implies the existence of a language acquisition device which is inborn. Babies start by cooing and babbling and then eventually utter their first words. Theoretical models underscore the significance of language-full environments, interactive dialogues, and responsive interactions in facilitating language growth (Dash, 2023).
Proposed Best Practices
Social-Emotional Development
A child’s social-emotional development is an essential part of his or her general welfare and the achievement of his or her life goals. It includes a capacity to build good relationships, emotional control, others’ empathy, and self-esteem and self-awareness. Using best practices in promoting socio-emotional development in early years develop the groundwork for balanced socio-emotional growth at all stages of life.
• Secure Attachment and Responsive Caregiving- Security of attachments with primary caregivers is the very essence of social-emotional development. Caregiving that is responsive, in which the caregivers attend to the needs of a child immediately, creates trust and emotional security. This trust is the foundation of good relationships and emotional control. Children need routines, love, and comfort from their caregivers so that they can feel secure and important.
• Promote Emotional Literacy- Assisting children in identifying, naming and telling about their feelings is important. Teach children to express their feelings and to validate their feelings, explaining that all feelings are acceptable and can be managed. Games like story-telling, role-playing and emotive games can enable the children to know and communicate what they are feeling (Fettig et l., 2022).
• Encourage Positive Social Interactions- Allow children to participate in positive social interactions with both peers and adults. Promotion of cooperative play, sharing, taking turns, and constructive conflict resolution develops social skills and empathy. Participating in group activities, collaborative tasks and team games can help develop social bonding, communication and cooperative skills.
• Foster a Positive Self-Concept and Self-Esteem- Development of a positive self-image and self-esteem is key to social and emotional health. Commemorate children’s strengths, achievements, and hard work, promoting a growth mindset where errors are seen as teaching points. Make provisions for children to have choices, responsibilities and success which will increase their confidence and sense of competence (Tsortanidou et al., 2022).
• Create a Nurturing and Inclusive Environment- Building a caring, inclusive, and supportive setting is a critical component of social-emotional development. Appreciate diversity, support understanding of differences and do not accept any type of bullying or exclusion. Adopting anti-bias curriculum, multicultural activities, and inclusive practices enables children to tolerate, comprehend, and sympathize.
Physical Development
Physical development in infancy consists of the growth, refinement, and acquisition of motor skills, muscle strength, coordination and the general health of the body.
Through healthy growing, physiological development during early teenage age that is characterized by an active lifestyle will be developed.
• Provide Safe and Stimulating Environments- The provision of secure, well-equipped, and exciting spaces is an important factor for the formation of physical activity and motor skills. Ensure that play areas are well-secured, have a variety of age appropriate toys, equipment, and materials which encourage exploration, movement, and active play.
• Encourage Gross Motor Skill Development- Gross motor skills are defined by the large muscles of the body and involve movements such as crawling, walking, running, jumping and climbing. Encourage kids to take part in activities which contribute to the development of balance, coordination, and strength (vaitsn, 2022). While outdoor play, formal physical education and activities involving gross motor skills are known to be the building blocks for the development and improvement of these important skills.
• Foster Fine Motor Skill Development- Fine motor skills involve the movement of those small muscles in the hands and fingers and their coordination is critical for activities such as drawing, writing, buttoning, and cutting. Set up activities that will enable children to reinforce their fine motor coordination, for instance, kids can do puzzles, threading beads, playdough manipulation, drawing, and crafting. These activities not only promote the development of fine motor skills but also aid in the formation of cognitive and creative skills (Wills, 2023).
• Promote Physical Activity and Active Play- Regular physical activity is an essential part of our daily routine which helps in our overall health, development and well-being. Promote children to participate in active play at different times in a single day. Bring in structured physical education classes with dance, yoga and movement games to establish cardiovascular health, muscle strength, flexibility and coordination.
• Educate and Encourage Healthy Lifestyle Habits- Supporting healthy lifestyle habits from an early age means the beginning of a lifetime of healthy life and wellbeing. Teach children about the necessity of a balanced diet, the importance of hydration, enough sleep, and daily physical activity. Promote healthy eating, offer healthy snacks and meals, include lots of water and encourage rest and sleep enough for growth and development (Wills, 2023).
Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is the intellectual evolution involving intellectual functioning linked to thinking, learning, problem-solving, memory, and language skills. Institution of best methods to promote cognitive development during childhood is very important to builds intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills and life-long learning.
• Provide hands-on experience- According to Jean Piaget theory, kids actively create knowledge by acting to their surroundings. In order to foster cognitive development, provide children with interactive and experiential learning materials, which will encourage them to explore, develop experiments and learn something new. Tailor toys, puzzles, and activities that are developmentally appropriate and nurture children's thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills (Mason et al., 2021).
• Learning through collaboration- Lev Vygotsky's theory involves social interactions, cultural backgrounds, and scaffolding which play a critical role in cognitive development. Foster collaborative learning environments where students work together, share their ideas and tackle problems together. Encourage conversational interactions, use open-ended questions, and give scaffolded help and support so that children can go for higher levels of understanding and skill development.
• Creating a language-rich environment- Language development is a critical factor in the cognitive development of children. Work towards a language-rich environment through story telling, reading books, singing songs, and having conversations with the children. Encourage using expressive and receptive language, enlarge vocabulary, foster listening skills, and facilitate emergent literacy through exposure to writing, sounds, and early literacy activities (D’Souza et al., 2020).
• Creating activities for developing information processing skills- The Information Processing Theory views cognitive development as the gradual improvement in the ability to process and organize information. To enhance cognitive skills, offer activities that strengthen attention, concentration, memory, and executive function skills. Implement games, memory activities, sequencing tasks, and activities that require planning, organization, and problem-solving to support cognitive processing and efficiency.
• Montessori and Constructivist Approaches- Montessori and Constructivist educational schools demonstrate that the child’s education is directed by his own interests, knowledge, and hand-on learning experiences according to his age and stage of development. Create an environment ready for learning with multiple learning materials and teaching tools that help to promote expression, self-reliant learning, and exploration (Lillard, 2022). Give children opportunities to be in charge, doing self-directed activities, and doing trial and error, being able to take own decisions, becoming stronger and loving education.
The cognitive development in early childhood needs a multi-sided approach focusing on both Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory, Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, Information Processing Theory as well as Montessori and Constructivist approaches. Through organizing stimulating learning environments, playing social activities, inspiring hands-on play, and involving children in language and literacy activities, adults can be able to help children in their cognitive growth, intellectual development, and readiness for school and academic success.
Challenges to Implementing Best Practices
Implementing best practices for cognitive development in early childhood, informed by various theories and frameworks, can be challenging due to several factors-
• Resource Limitations- Most of the early childhood settings are limited in terms of finances, staff, and the ability to obtain high-quality educational materials and resources. The provision of hands-on learning materials, the creation of language-rich environments, and the offering of individualized support require sufficient resources, which may be scarce in some settings.
• Diverse Learning Needs- Children are of different backgrounds, cultures, and development levels, and thereby have different learning needs, interests, and abilities. Adapting educational approaches to suit the needs of individual learners while preserving a uniform learning environment for all is difficult (Gustafsson-Wright, 2022).
• Professional Development- Educators and caregivers need continuous professional development, training, and support in order to successfully apply theoretically and framework informed evidence-based practices. Quality training and professional development opportunities are likely to be limited hence the consistent and effective implementation of best practices is compromised.
• Parental Involvement and Collaboration- Getting parents and caregivers involved in the educational process, promoting partnership, and unifying practices between home and early childhood sites can be difficult. Developing trust, creating open communication channels, and encouraging parental involvement are time-consuming, effort-filled, and ongoing duties for both educators and caregivers (GGI Insights, 2023).
Conclusion
To conclude, the provision of learning and development opportunities for 0-2 year old children in ECE settings is a complex process which should be based on research, theory and frameworks. The knowledge from cognitive, social-emotional, physical, and language development fields can be merged to support the theories like Piaget’s, Vygotsky’s, and Montessori approaches in order to allow educators, caregivers, and policymakers to design nurturing, inclusive, and stimulating environments. Challenges faced by educators, which include resource constraints, varied learning requirements, professional development, and empowering families to collaborate, are significant in providing equitable access to quality education and support, which is fundamental for children’s future achievement and well-being.
References
Crawford, M. (2020). Ecological Systems theory: Exploring the development of the theoretical framework as con-ceived by Bronfenbrenner. J Pub Health Issue Pract, 4(2), 170. https://gexinonline.com/uploads/articles/article-jphip-170.pdf
Dash, B. B. (2023). Noam Chomsky’S Language Structure and Language Use: a Critique. Journal of English Language and Literature, 11(1), 12-13. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bipin-Dash/publication/367557715_NOAM_CHOMSKY'S_LANGUAGE_STRUCTURE_AND_LANGUAGE_USE_A_
CRITIQUE/links/63d8859dc97bd76a824ae2cd/NOAM-CHOMSKYS-LANGUAGE-STRUCTURE-AND-LANGUAGE-USE-A-CRITIQUE.pdf
D'Souza, D., Brady, D., Haensel, J. X., & D'Souza, H. (2020). Is mere exposure enough? The effects of bilingual environments on infant cognitive development. Royal Society open science, 7(2), 180191. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.180191
Fettig, A., Artman-Meeker, K., Jeon, L., & Chang, H. C. (2022). Promoting a person-centered approach to strengthening early childhood practices that support social-emotional development. Early education and development, 33(1), 75-91. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED626187.pdf
GGI Insights. (2023, July 5). Challenges Facing Early Childhood Education: Key Issues and Solutions. Graygroupintl.com; Gray Group International LLC. https://www.graygroupintl.com/blog/challenges-facing-early-childhood-education#:~:text=Early%20childhood%20education%20is%20critical,well%2Dbeing%20and%20future%20success.
Gustafsson-Wright, E. (2022, November 25). Early Childhood Development: the Promise, the Problem, and the Path Forward. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/early-childhood-development-the-promise-the-problem-and-the-path-forward/
Lillard, A. S. (2022). Montessori as an alternative early childhood education. In The influence of theorists and pioneers on early childhood education (pp. 211-221). Routledge. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J5IiDxkHV1Lt9ZCzlP8kMB_RIsiu-aFv/view
Mason, G. M., Lokhandwala, S., Riggins, T., & Spencer, R. M. (2021). Sleep and human cognitive development. Sleep medicine reviews, 57, 101472. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S1087079221000575
Oogarah-Pratap, B., Bholoa, A., & Ramma, Y. (2020). Stage theory of cognitive development—Jean Piaget. Science Education in Theory and Practice: An Introductory Guide to Learning Theory, 133-148. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-43620-9_10
Orenstein, G.A. and Lewis, L., 2022. Eriksons stages of psychosocial development. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556096/
Tsortanidou, X., Daradoumis, T., & Barberá, E. (2022). Developing social-emotional skills through imaginative teaching methods in elementary education. Early Child Development and Care, 192(8), 1201-1216. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004430.2020.1854241
Vaitsn. (2022, May 18). Building Up Baby: Activities to Encourage Physical Development in Infants - VAITSN. VAITSN. https://va-itsnetwork.org/building-up-baby-activities-to-encourage-physical-development-in-infants/
Wills, A. (2023, August 7). Movement and play: babies. Raising Children Network. https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/play-learning/play-baby-development/movement-play-babies
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