Social Child Development and Vygotsky Language Development - Essay Example

With respect to social, behavioural and cognitive perspectives technological changes in the methods used to study child development have increased our knowledge of the subject. The evaluation of the technological advancement does not mean that we should categorise child development and technology in separate boxes. But to analyse in true sense those benefits that are explored and added to ‘child development’. Child development originates from human nature and human nature is all about those abilities that are not learned but practiced and experienced depending upon our social and cultural environment. We are not born with such abilities in which we learn directly through formal instructions. This elucidates that child does not learn through direct instruction, but through indirect training or learning in which experience uphold a significant value. As children enter into an era of experiences, every experience is new for their memory according to which the structures in the brain or schema are reshaped, impacting the linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children. This notion proves that knowledge cannot be transferred directly from the teacher to the learner. In other words, in order to make children learn, knowledge must be constructed or reconstructed in such a manner so that ‘information’ is easily accessible to the children (Ryan & Cooper, 2000, p. 346). Social Child Development Piaget and Vygotsky emphasised upon the significance of social perspectives in developmental psychology but in different directions. Piaget was formally involved in discovering the social interest of child development. In contrast, Vygotsky emphasised the influence of the specific content of external structuring resources (Miller & Carpendale, 2004, p. 3) and theorised that social interaction shapes intellectual development. Vygotsky believe in language development and thought through social interaction. While conducting various developmental experiments his view for social interaction revolves around egocentric speech. According to the ‘Socio-cognitive theory’ it is already proven that children seek new understandings only with the help of social interaction (Johnson, 2003). This new understanding is what today perceived as ‘new technology’ helpful in providing new learning methods not only to children, but to us so that we can equip ourselves with new technological advances that makes learning easier and interesting for our children. One such tool which has influenced our perception and methodology in context with children social development is the use of computers. Researchers reveal that since computers are introduced in the classroom and at homes, educators and parents have debated over whether or not they belong there (Clements, 1994). Computers have impacted the social behaviour of the preschoolers in many positive ways. It has emerged as a social tool which involves child involvement in school and other social institutions. At first, the child’s world consists almost entirely of the home, but gradually broadens as more and more experiences and skills are acquired (Matthews, 1992). In particular, familiarity with and skills in consumption activities are an important part of what is essentially the process of socialisation. This personal evolution continues, until eventually the child turns into an individual who becomes independently capable of seeking out and appropriating novel experiences, activities and objects to the self (Lally, 2002, p. 28). The advent of computers in classrooms have promoted the usage of quality learning tools and software which benefit children to the extent as long as they are used in accordance with the DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. DAP software provides an attractive interface for young children in which they explore, imagine and learn. This tool welcomes the children to learn and develop their problem solving skills. In order to attract young children, DAP provides a user friendly environment with sound, music and voice. Therefore, we can say that multimedia is added to some extent in order to enhance children’s academic content knowledge (Haugland & Wright, 1997). Technology in form of learning software has shown us that children have gained intelligence, nonverbal skills and structural knowledge with ease. DAP type software has made it easier to understand developing children’s emotional cognitions (Shade, 1994). When using DAP software, children showed significantly greater gains in self-esteem which is proved by various storytelling programs. Such programs which were once used by teachers are today well understood and encouraged by children to interact with one another. Social interactions among children who use computers are far more than those who do not. This is evident from observation that when children are working together, they are more likely to ask their peer than the teacher for help (Clements, 1994) and in case they are not aware of how things run on computer, they ask their peers. Other observations results’ suggest that a child while working on computer observes another child and does the same thing. This has proven to us the existence of ‘social learning theory’ in practical form. For children with Internet access, the Web is often seen now as the first and only port of call for information: ‘there has been an enormous embrace of the Internet as a study tool and children are encouraged to use it as a homework tool (Miller and Slater, 2000, p. 45). The Internet has contributed a lot in making children open towards achieving knowledge and learning by providing a range of children materials accessible than has previously not been possible. We can say that Internet has served as the ‘informal instructional tool’ on which Vygotsky emphasised. Software and tools for language development has made life easier not only for the parents and children but also for teachers in a sense that teachers are only for monitoring and helping out the children in conflicting situations. Software like storytelling programs, publishing software and the concept of e-stories has made language and intellectual development easier than what it used to be in the era of developmental psychologists. Vygotsky language development and the notion that learning cannot be directly provided to children in instructional form is fulfilled by the use of interactive programs of reading and writing. Since Vygotsky believe in child’s interactive development, so does the technology. For those educators who believe that reading and writing are best learned conjointly “Read, Write & Type” is an interactive program designed to develop children’s reading, writing and typing skills simultaneously (Amberg, 2000). This is 35-40 lesson adventure software which helps students in learning the correct usage of phonics, reading and writing. Technology has created tools to enhance children’s vocabulary without additional efforts with the help of ‘e-dictionaries’. In order to motivate children towards language development software like Fabula play a significant role with which the help of bilingual multimedia stories it is proved that minority languages are not difficult to learn in the Information Age and to increase the perceived status of lesser-used languages, we have to associate them with new technologies (Edwards et al, 2002). Behavioural Child Development When theorists talk about stages of development, they mean how the behaviour of an average child changes through time. Children in this context are subjected to ‘Deferred imitation’ that involves thinking about whether the behaviour viewed was worth repeating. A worthwhile behaviour is applied by the child as soon as he gets the opportunity to present the copied style (Bentham, 2004, p. 12). Behaviourists believe that it is the environment whose influence can be seen on child’s personality and can be seen by some reward or punishment. Thus, it is the conditional influence followed by ‘if’ condition. This suggests that if behaviour is rewarded and encouraged, the result would be an increase in behaviour whereas if behaviour is punished, it would result in discouragement and decrease in that behaviour (Bentham, 2004, p. 17). The social learning approach when associates with the behavioural approach points towards language acquisition. Behavioural child psychology deals with the behaviour, ways and modes of communicating points towards learning theory of language development. The principles of learning, no doubt could explain the phases of development but they cannot be applied to enhance the creative nature of language. Similarly the formal learning approach is inadequate to explain how children say things that they have never heard. This goes with the Nativist Theory of language which states that rather than being learned, language ability is pre-programmed into the mind and that language ability emerges slowly as the individual matures (Bentham, 2004, p. 24). However Chomsky view such abilities as “language acquisition device”: that something within our brain that we are born with which allows us to develop language. In this context children should be perfect learners, but the fact is that they learn from their environment. Behavioural psychologists believe that two languages can be learned simultaneously, i.e., ‘Bilingual acquisition’ can be simultaneous, that means that the child, from infancy, learn two languages at the same time. Watson proposed some stages in simultaneous language acquisition according to which words from both languages are learned by associating words with concepts. For example a child may combine or blend both the English and French words for pointing to the same thing or object. The child when learning two languages realises that they belong to two separate systems of communication due to which he make grammatical mistakes. A child before puberty finds it easier to learn a second language than an adult due to the brain flexibility. It is thought that children who learn a second language take from one to two years to achieve basic interpersonal communication skills i.e., language first learned by toddlers and pre-schoolers and five to seven years to acquire cognitive academic language proficiency. This has been fastened up by language learning software as learning to read and write is now most fruitfully seen as the construction of linguistic meaning and the initiation into social practices. Therefore technology has simplified learning theories for us to understand children’s changing requirements. Cognitive Child Development Our research tells us that many cognitive and linguistic processes operate concurrently and automatically in synchrony. By analysing the early reading, writing and learning of children to the extent with which they interact with the social environment has made a comprehensive movement from behaviouristic to cognitive models of explaining the development of human behaviour. The Piagetian model of child’s developmental cognition enable us to examine how children’s concepts are constructed, how they change over time and how they differ from adult concepts. Interpreting and explaining early-literacy development (writing and reading) leads us to understand cognition in a more versatile manner, a mental and psychological construct that differs and varies according to age groups. That is what Piaget’s cognitive psychology is all about. Today technology has made it easier for us to point out the differences in performance across age. Tests like intelligent performance provides some evidence about the mental differences. Programs like movie cartoons and Sesame Street contributed to point out the differences in cognitive performance of young children (Hetherington et al, 1988, p. 198). However the best means to measure the cognitive performance of youngsters is none other the result of the introduction of computers into classrooms. Cognitive scientists while concerning about group similarities and differences among children measured and processed cognitive performance, with the aim to acquire a theoretical understanding of the processing involved in intelligent behaviour. Huge data collected by mechanistically oriented experimentalists consists of subjects’ performance on controlled experimental tasks that are designed according to precise specifications believed to establish the boundaries of processing skill. Often such tasks of measuring children’s cognition involved discrete stimuli and simple responses; however they were assumed to tap only a restricted number of cognitive processes. Individual letters were recognised and constructed, aggregated across subjects; comparisons were made of performance under diverse conditions that were assumed to require slightly different cognitive resources. Although scientific development does limit the interest in age changes in children’s or adults’ cognition, however today researchers have been able to understand it better within this framework. Early research focused on associative cognitive processes whereas recent research has highlighted three fairly distinct aspects of cognition perceived as basic mechanisms (e.g., hardware), world knowledge (e.g., data), and cognitive strategies (e.g., software). There is a continuous age-related development, which when embedded in technology has simplified for us to understand cognitive system which gains the capacity to regulate and strategically control itself in potentially adaptive ways. Among those strategies are the ways to change a child’s behaviour through ‘task analysis’, how to reward appropriate behaviour, how to ignore inappropriate behaviour, keeping in mind what the student finds rewarding. References Amberg Elizabeth, (2000) “Software Focus on Reading/language Development” In: T H E Journal. Volume: 28. Issue: 1. p: 62. Bentham Susan, (2004) A Teaching Assistant’s Guide to Child Development and Psychology in the Classroom: Routledge Falmer: New York. Carpendale Jeremy & Miller Ulrich, (2004) Social Interaction and the Development of Knowledge: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Clements, D. H. (1994). The uniqueness of the computer as a learning tool: Insights from research and practice. In J. L. Wright & D. D. Shade (Eds.), Young children: Active learners in a technological age (pp. 31-49). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. 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