Introduction
The topic I initiated in the discussion forum has helped my classmates and me and enhanced student involvement. My post is supported by Piaget’s theory of child development which states that cognitive growth is the gradual restructuring of cerebral functions brought on by biological development and ecological exposure. I explained my position and split down the material on the suggested topic. I also supported it with my personal experience from my home center to refute the arguments of my fellow students. I also included a comment request in the piece, which led to many reactions. This helped me understand other people’s perspectives and ideas on the matter.
Furthermore, my instructors, who spent their time reading my work and responding, gave me a greater knowledge of the topic and directed me in the right direction. This further motivated me to analyze texts and prompted me to research my idea. As a result, it aided me in completing the assignment to have a more comprehensive understanding of the subject and a good basis in the literature.
Biological, Psychological and Socioecological Factors That May Influence the Development and Learning of Toddlers
A large percentage of a child’s development and growth occurs in early childhood centers. A fundamental set of abilities that an early childhood educator should develop in her profession is observing children well and focusing closely on all aspects of their growth and learning (Berk, 2014). According to the Ministry of Education of New Zealand, since youngsters evolve, comprehensive growth is necessary (Ministry of Education, 2017).
As a result, the early childhood program notes the relationship between verbal, affective, sociological, cognitive, and spiritual growth. Since this development occurs at the fastest rate from childbirth to age three, toddlers as the age range for the subject in this essay. Te Whariki considers a kid’s entire development (Ministry of Education, 2017). This implies that a child’s whole development occurs concurrently with their physiological, sociological, cognitive, lingual, spiritual, and emotional development (Wilson & Schein, 2017). The educator in early childhood must therefore be conscious of the variables affecting development since these factors impact all aspects of growth in various ways.
Biological Factors
As the term suggests, genes, neurons, cognitive ability, and motion of limbs are among the biological factors that influence children’s development. Sexuality, overall health, mental health, and health behaviors are also examples of biological factors (Nexus, 2015). These elements are additionally known as biological parameters. As per Te Wheke spiritual and physical development is greatly influenced by culture, ecology, cognition, neurology, and hereditary factors (Māori health models). Every child grows as a result of their encounters; this is supported by postmodernism, which holds that perceptions are personalized. These interactions lay the groundwork for the children’s cognitive development.
Children’s cognitions are influenced by their perceptions and encounters and by inherited, developmental, and environmental factors. Parents transmit their genes to their kids, supporting their growth and reaction (Drewery & Bird, 2004). The learning potential of a kid ultimately declines as a result of this. Along with their DNA, the child’s sexuality contributes to their growth. Different hormonal and neurological reactions in different sexes affect each individual’s level of mental growth (McConnaughty, 2018). This is supported by the psychological idea that men have lesser levels of cortisol than women. Girls experience more stress as a result. Each has unique development and growth characteristics as a consequence.
Kids’ well-being and health significantly influence their development, and healthy children grow faster according to Te Whare Tapa (Maori Health Model). Te Whariki argues that growth is encouraged by a good diet and that healthy youngsters who eat a diet high in beneficial nutrients and other necessary nutrients have better mental development (Ministry of Education, 2017). They gain from this since it encourages development and learning. On the contrary, children’s poor nutrition reduces their antibodies, weakening their physique and making them more prone to diseases and infections. They often develop more slowly as a consequence (Bruce et al., 2010). With this in mind, it can be successfully proved in both theory and practice that development is greatly impacted by the biological factors that influence several aspects of learning.
Psychological Factors
Psychological factors also have a big influence on a child’s growth. Te Whariki contends that nurturing social circumstances help youngsters develop their psychological well-being, which supports their capacity to create and sustain relationships. A key element of the early childhood education curriculum is incorporation (Ministry of Education, 2017). The favorable involvement of the toddlers and the involvement of their families fosters the establishment of connections and a comfortable environment for the kids. To promote the sharing of inspiring and motivating advice, it is important to keep in touch with the children’s families. An instructor must also be aware of how kids connect to enhance learning while decreasing anxiety and negativity in the kids’ life.
Ethical support is a behavioral element that is essential to children’s development. The extended families and teachers of the children assist them in learning the moral and behavioral norms (Boulton-Lewis et al., 2011). A young individual’s ability to fulfill his or her pursuits increases learning when there is less strain (Taylor, 2015). Therefore, according to psychologists, child approaches should be created around every child’s best interests, abilities, reasoning, and ideologies; thus, they need to think independently (McLaghlan et al., 2015). This trait subsequently supports the kid’s cognitive development.
Piaget promoted children’s cognitive development via his cognitive-developmental theory (J.J. Thompson, 2021). With the help of this concept, Piaget explained how practical pedagogy is an essential element of the timely infancy program and described how it is extremely good for the kids because it actively includes them (Thompson, 2021). In the end, this assists them in learning by developing their manipulative skills and understanding of contextual investigation. Vygotsky also supported this idea in his research; he asserted that the development of the mind requires social assistance. Children learn about how disputes develop and are addressed as they obtain assistance from elders via their social connections to tackle a variety of issues (Trandafir et al., 2015).
Along with psychological elements, the interrelated emotional components are very significant. Bandura’s social learning perspective, which describes how children’s self-perception improves their learning process, provided evidence for this (Berk, 2013). This is accurate because the process model compels them to learn new skills. Children want to mimic individuals since they are rewarded for performing accurately; thus, adults demonstrate and encourage this behavior.
Socio-Ecological Factors
Socio-ecological factors also aid in the child’s growth; social variables enhance children’s knowledge since social constructivism makes it possible for ecological and cultural encounters to be viewed as compelling arguments. Furthermore, parental involvement is essential for children’s learning as training persists at home, particularly during the early stages of a child’s life (Bates, 2016). The family’s or the toddler’s background’s economic position is similarly important to the development of the child. Studies show how economically prosperous households require very little communal aid and, consequently, have more assets for child development that enable the proper growth of the child (Winer & Thompson, 2013).
Nevertheless, low-income households have a negative effect on their children’s growth because they lack resources; thus, their kids are more likely to exhibit behavioral and emotional issues. According to well-known studies, insufficient educational opportunities are correlated with low household income (Albon, 2011). This has a negative impact on the kid’s learning since it interferes with the child’s connections.
Self-identity and self-awareness are two concepts that astound young infants. Their cultural heritage and interpersonal interactions enable them to achieve these goals in life. This is accurate because joining the community is the initial stage of establishing a person’s self-acceptance and identity. The development of one’s sense of identity largely depends on controlled behavior and understanding of the norms and the group’s values and culture to which they adhere (Hogg, 2018). Children learn to speak at an early age and employ language to remark on their wants and convey their acceptance or disapproval of objects; this can also be influenced by technology (Sharapan, 2015). By providing new chances like simple and engaging tale-telling online books, technology can considerably lead to the advancement of early childhood communication, linguistics, and learning.
Vygotsky (2004) explained this concept by applying his approach, making it clear that every community has unique ethics and values that influence how kids form their distinctive behaviors and psychological profiles. The socio-cultural theory of Vygotsky holds that norms are transmitted from one generation to the next, aiding in a toddler’s cultural evolution. Embracing the culture can help the child’s bodily, psychological, and dialectal growth. Children pick up skills from their environments since environmental changes may affect their behavior (Copple, 2012). Adults carefully control these adjustments by precisely regulating the stimuli and response, which ultimately helps kids learn how to connect the two.
When learners recognize and consider elements that affect people’s decisions and behaviors concerning health and physical activity, the socio-ecological view will become clear. Children will learn to analyze factors that impact the community and personal factors and realize the necessity of integrating these via the socio-ecological viewpoint (Ministry of Education, 2022). Children’s reasoning can be altered by studying how they react to environmental factors, which further helps them to analyze and build knowledge of their settings, in accordance with Piaget’s concept of information processing (Thompson, 2021). This is usually observed as youngsters begin to grasp new experiences, like how to communicate. Children develop verbally and start to understand the implications of the terms they use as they notice the results of their language utilization (Stoll, 2020). When a youngster receives the chance to eat water, for instance, he understands what it implies when he expresses it aloud to a grownup.
Suggested Practices
One technique that can enhance the growth domains is giving critical aid, guidance, and instruction. This strategy accomplishes various goals. Educators should positively influence students’ learning and development (Bruce et al., 2010). This can only occur in the center’s welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Toddlers can become more emotionally and socially independent and reduce their anxiety levels (Albrecht & Fiechtner, 2016).
Kids who are conscious of the support and guidance provided by teachers are more inclined to experience positive emotions and are better equipped to experiment with and hone their problem-solving skills. They learn and understand the trends because of the trustworthy relationship they form with people, which helps their relationships with people and, as a result, their intellectual and social growth. This strategy consequently encourages the growth of the physical, psychological, as well as social spheres.
The second practice is fostering positive relations with the kinship, wider community, and children. All teachers of young children are responsible for using this interactive method. As a child’s linguistic skills as a way of communicating increase, so do their terminology use and gestural expression (Ministry of Education, 2017). Kids are the ones that react to this the most because they frequently start using language to interact with their peers and to gain what they desire from them. This contributes to the child’s psychological functioning since social interaction is necessary for building relations and is advantageous for the child’s social growth.
Thus, motivating the child to reflect and think favorably enhances both their emotional and cognitive development. For participation in the early childhood environment to be practicable as a two-way course and for understanding to be straightforward, attending to the child is also necessary. Children can become more emotionally and socially independent and reduce their anxiety levels (Boulton-Lewis et al., 2011). Kids who are conscious of the support and guidance provided by teachers are more inclined to experience positive emotions and are better equipped to discover and hone their problem-solving skills.
Conclusion
The hypothesis that children’s growth in the biological, behavioral, social, physiological, intellectual, spiritual, and artistic elements of a kid are linked and sync progress is believed to be supported by scientific data. These relationships, which lay the groundwork for all lifelong education, develop most quickly during the initial three years of a child’s existence. As a result, it is impacted by all areas of biology, psychology, economics, and society. Thus, every instructor’s focus should be on the child’s growth and development or general improvement.
References
Albon , D. (2011). Postmodern and poststructuralist perspectives on early childhood education. In Theories and Approaches to Learning in the Early Years (pp. 39–50).
Albrecht, K., Fiechtner, J., & Forrester, M. (2016). Emotional and social development during the early childhood years – helping teachers support strong emotional foundations and successful social relationships. He Kupu, 24–37.
Bates, S. (2016). King Solomon and the Baby: Children’s Health in Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Folio, 20(2), 16–19. Web.
Berk, L. (2013). History, Theory, and Applied Directions. In Mid-twentieth century theories, Recent theoretical perspectives & Comparing child development theories (pp. 15–32).
Berk, L. (2014). Development through the lifespan (6th ed). New York: Pearson.
Boulton-Lewis, G., Brownlee, J., Walker, S., Cobb-Moore, C., & Johansson, E. (2011). Moral and Social Development: Teachers’ Knowledge of Children’s Learning and Teaching Strategies in the Early Years. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 6–11.
Bruce, T., Meggitt, C., & Grenier, J. (2010). Physical Development and Movement. In Child care & education (pp. 125–140).
Copple, C. (2012). Cognitive Development in the First Three Years of Life. In Growing minds (pp. 5–12).
Diamond, A., & Whitington, V. (2015). Studying early brain development: Educators’ reports about their learning and its applications to early childhood policies and practices. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 40(3), 11–19.
Drewery, W., & Bird, L. (2004). Maori Perspectives on Development. In Human development in Aotearoa: A journey through life (pp. 28–47).
Health Nexus. (2015). On Track: Supporting healthy child development and early identification in the early years. Web.
Hogg, M. A. (2018). Social identity, self-categorization, and the small group. Understanding Group Behavior, 227–253. Web.
Maori Health Model. (n.d.). Te Whare Tapa Wha, 1–6.
Māori health models. (n.d.). Te Wheke, 1–12.
McConnaughy, S. (2018). Neuroscience offers answers – and new questions – on attachment. Brain Development Exchange, 46–50.
McLaughlin, T., Aspden, K., & McLachlan, C. (2015). How Do Teachers Build Strong Relationships? A Study of Teaching Practices to Support Child Learning and Social-Emotional Competence. Early Childhood Folio, 19(1), 31–38. Web.
Ministry of Education. (2017). Te Whāriki, 2–68.
Ministry of Education. (2022). Health and physical education in the curriculum – TKI. Web.
Sharapan, H. (2015). Technology as a Tool for Social-Emotional Development: What We Can Learn From Fred Rogers’ Approach, 12–19.
Stoll, S. (2020). Sampling linguistic diversity to understand language development. Current Perspectives on Child Language Acquisition, 247–262. Web.
Taylor, C. (2015). Learning in Early Childhood: Experiences, Relationships And “Learning to Be.” European Journal of Education, 50(2), 160–170.
Thompson, M. (2021). Piaget’s stages of cognitive development and Erikson’s stages of Psychosocial Development. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 55–59. Web.
Trandafir, L., Anton-Paduraru, D., Miron, I., & Indrei, L. (2015). Psychosocial Implications of Childhood Obesity, 205–213.
Vygotsky, L. (2004). Imagination and Creativity in Childhood. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 42(1), 7-97.
Wilson, R., & Schein, D. (2017). Supporting the Spiritual Development of Young Children, 26–29.
Winer, A., & Thompson, R. (2013). How Poverty and Depression Impact A Child’s Social and Emotional Competence. Center for Poverty Research, 1(10), 1–2.