Philosophy and Theory
I
believe children learn best through play. When basic needs are met,
children will thrive in a learning environment that is centered around
the child's interests. I also believe language development is critical
to the child's abilities to learn and develop. The main theories I use
in my teaching are that of Lev Vygotsky, his zone of proximal
development, learning through play, cultural importance, and that
language is paramount for the early learner.
I also employ theories of B.F Skinner
and his theory of operant conditioning and behaviors, Albert Bandura's
theory of social learning, and Abraham Maslows' Hierarchy. Together
these theories along with Vygotsky create a learning conducive
environment which meet the basic needs pf children first and allow
language development and emergent literacy to take place.
I
am passionate about children's literature. In my classroom emergent
literacy is paramount. I wholly prescribe to Skinner when he stated that
"We should not teach great books; we should teach a love of reading"
For me, if a teacher can instill a love of books, this will carry the
child through school. When we can read and enjoy books we can learn
anything. For this reason, my classroom is literature rich with opportunities for children to interact with literacy.
I
have included Maslow in my favorite theorist, because although he was
not a child developmental psychologist however , I believe in his
Hierarchy. A child must first have their basic needs met (food, safety)
to be able to learn. For this reason I strive to provide a safe, healthy, and secure environment that encourages learning to emerge naturally.
Lev Vygtosky
"Henceforth
play is such that the explanation for it must always be that it is the
imaginary, illusory realization of unrealizable desires. Imagination
is a new formation that is not present in the consciousness of the very
raw young child, is totally absent in animals, and represents a
specifically human form of conscious activity. Like all functions of
consciousness, it originally arises from action."
B.F Skinner
"We should not teach great books; we should teach a love of reading"
Albert Bandura
"Learning
would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people
had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them
what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally
through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new
behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information
serves as a guide for action."
Abraham Maslow
"We
must understand love; we must be able to teach it, to create it, to
predict it, or else the world is lost to hostility and to suspicion"
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