Hi, evaluating means you'll be using what happens in your setting, alongside the knowledge you gain from researching the theories and models from creditable sources eg. a professional handbook or the research handouts provided by your tutor.
From the verbs thread;
Evaluate Review evidence from different perspectives and come to a valid conclusion or reasoned judgement
In the
work based learner handbook you can read about heuristic play, the types of play, impact of adult-led, benefits of child initiated, Piaget's stages of play - page 182 and approaches to play page 184
The following is a quote from the
pearsonschoolsandfecolleges sample unit
Theories and models of child development
Various theories of development will influence the way we approach our work with children. Psychologists have different ideas about how children learn and develop. Some feel that a child’s ability is innate, while others think it depends on the opportunities that they are given. This is often called the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate.
Sigmund Freud
Freud stated that our personalities are made up of three parts – the id, the ego and the superego. Each of these will develop with the child and will be subconsciously driven by childhood events and experiences. Freud focused on the relationship between the id (the instinctive part of our personality) and the superego (the conscience), which develops later in childhood.
Erik Erikson
Erikson was greatly influenced by Freud. He stated that we pass through eight psychosocial stages throughout our entire lives. At each stage, our psychological needs will conflict with those of society.
John Bowlby
Bowlby stated that early attachments are crucial to a child’s development and are a key part of the way in which we build relationships later. (For more information on attachment theory, see learning outcome 3 in this unit.)
Jean Piaget
Piaget thought that children think differently to adults. He believed that the way children think and learn is governed by their age and stage of cognitive development, because learning is based on experiences they build on as they become older. As children’s experiences change, they adapt their beliefs. For example, a child who only ever sees green apples will believe that all apples are green. Children need to extend their experiences in order to extend their learning. They will eventually take ownership of this themselves so that they can think about experiences that they have not yet developed.
Albert Bandura
Bandura’s ‘social learning’ or ‘modelling’ theory stated that learning takes place through observing others rather than being taught. Children will often simply copy adults and their peers without being told to do so, meaning that their learning is spontaneous.
Lev Vygotsky
Vygotsky believed that culture and social factors both play a crucial role in a child’s development, and that cognitive functions will be affected by the beliefs and values of the society in which children grow up. He also believed that children learn actively, through hands-on experience.
B. F. Skinner
Skinner believed that children learn through experience or conditioning. He promoted the theory that our learning is based on a consequence following a particular behaviour. We will repeat experiences that are enjoyable and avoid those that are not. This applies to learning too. For example, a child who is praised for working well at a particular task will want to work at the task again. Skinner called this positive reinforcement.
Ivan Pavlov
Pavlov put forward the idea of classical conditioning, which he discovered by accident when carrying out research using dogs. The dogs would salivate when one of Pavlov’s assistants entered the room, even if they did not feed them, as the dogs expected it to happen. He then started to ring a bell whenever the dogs were fed; eventually ringing a bell produced the same response. Because this response was learned, it was called a conditioned response. Classical conditioning is often used today to treat phobias and anxiety problems, by helping people form new associations. In the same way, children can be taught to associate positive experiences with learned behaviour.
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Bronfenbrenner developed a theory known as ecological systems theory. This emphasises the importance of different environmental factors on a child’s development, from people in the child’s immediate environment to the influence of national forces such as cultural changes.
Howard Gardner
Gardner introduced the theory that all individuals learn in different ways based on their own aptitudes, and not by a single general ability of intelligence. He stated that different ‘intelligences’ do not all progress at the same time, so children may be at a different stage in their understanding of number to their ability with language, for example. Gardner originally outlined eight intelligences, although he subsequently added two more.
Information-processing theory
Information-processing theory was developed during the 1950s and 1960s, influenced by the concept of the computer. It states that individuals process information in much the same way as a computer does, by coding, storing and using information. This is a model used by cognitive psychologists.
Reggio Emilia
This approach, developed in the 1940s, is based around the child being the initiator in their own early learning. When it was first introduced, it was a progressive model of early years care as it had never been done before. Children will follow their own interests, which will be fostered and developed with support from parents, teachers and the wider community. It speaks of ‘the hundred languages of children’ – children use many different ways to explore their world and express their thoughts, all of which should be nurtured.
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The
Childcare and Education level 3 handbook also looks in to the theorists and theories for children's play and learning pages 240+
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2.2 Theorists theories and models of child development
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