Theories of Development and Being an Intentional Educator (Reflection Journal #1)

 I have always been fascinated by personality tests. Gaining insight into your actions, thoughts, and outlook, or those of others, is so interesting. While they are not perfect, and some would decry them as nonsensical or inaccurate, they can help us see ourselves and others in new ways. They offer opportunities to understand others in a deeper and more complete way. Educational theories, such as those presented by Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner, among others, are similar. They are not perfect, but their theories of development offer us a way to understand people more deeply. This is especially true if we look at each of the theories as one component of development. Each theory offers us a piece of the development puzzle; together it is a more complete picture. 

Piaget's stages of cognitive development give us building blocks for understanding how children's brains develop. Children do develop in phases, but not in firm stages dependent solely on age. Vygotsky's theory included cultural context and the embedded forms of communication in those contexts. Children may learn and develop in what he called zones of proximal development, but their ability to learn and develop is dependent on the people around them. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory expands on Vygotsky's by focusing on the systems that influence development -- institutions, school, family, communities, government, etc. For Bronfenbrenner, development depends on the "interconnectedness of the many factors that influence a child's development" (Slavin, 2020, p. 35). 

While some rely heavily on one theory over another, I think it is more likely that we need each different theory to inform our understanding of child development. This is especially important as educators. I need to know what things a typical child might be able to do at certain stages of development, as Piaget described. I also need to know the cultural context and embedded communication systems that affect children. I cannot discount the impact of learning as a community or in collaboration with each other, as Vygotsky thought. Likewise, it is imperative to know and understand the systems and institutions that govern the lives of the children in my classroom. All of these factors are interconnected. Personally, I would probably fall more heavily on Bronfenbrenner and Vygotsky, because I am a firm believer in community and the impacts of community on our lives to help us grow and thrive. This does not mean that I can overlook general developmental stages. I need to understand and be able to apply all three to be a good and intentional educator. 

My students are 6-8 years old. The majority of them come from families in lower socioeconomic levels. They are from minority and immigrant families. Several speak Spanish at home. They have varying family structures, generations living at home, and numbers of siblings. All of these factors play into how they will develop, learn, and process the world around them. If I ignore any single piece, I will not be the best educator I can be for them because I will not be looking at the whole child as I plan or develop instruction or build a classroom environment and community. Ignoring these factors would mean treating students as they are all the same, when they each need different things from me. I cannot be a truly intentional educator if I do this. 

Knowing these educational theories more deeply so that I can apply them to my instructional decisions and practices would improve my teaching. I think it is easy to know the theories, in a general or broad sense, and not intentionally or consciously apply them in everyday teaching. Learning more about the theories, the research behind them, their applications, and the critiques of them so that I can purposefully plan for my students will make me a better teacher, which will give my students more opportunities to learn. 

As I was reading the first two chapters of our text, and particularly the information about the developmental theories, I kept thinking about how the various philosophies of education might interact with them. How do the philosophies of essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstructionism, or existentialism affect the way an educator applies the three developmental theories in the book? How would alignment with Vygotsky or Bronfenbrenner change the way an educator who believed in social reconstructionism or essentialism interacts with students or plans instruction? The interplay between these theories and philosophies is intriguing to me. I would like to see if any research has been done on this topic. I also think I need to take the time to reflect on the developmental theories and philosophies that I most align with to see how they work together in the ways I teach and interact with my students. This kind of reflection can only make me a more aware, intentional, and effective educator.