Katie Louise Smith 22550364

PRIMARY AND EARLY YEARS ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET

Name: Katie Louise Smith (22550364) Group/ Centre: D3

Programme: Primary education with QTS

Module Number: PED 1011 / PED 1011 (P) – PPD element

Assignment Title: Using your experiences and observations in school write a critical reflection on the practical application of learning theories and how these impact on children’s learning.You should include how this reflection will impact on your future development as a teacher.

Deadline date: 08.05.15 Tutor: Wendy Dixon

*Feedback on your assignment is provided in 4 ways: the mark; comments on this coversheet; highlighting on the performance indicators and annotations in the text. The highlighting on the performance indicators gives you detailed feedback on your academic reading and writing and will support you in identifying what you need to do on future pieces of work to improve your mark.

My Target: Tell the marker which aspect of your academic writing you would like specific feedback on. Use the targets and suggestions made on your last piece of assessed work to inform your choice.

Feedback - comments related to how well you have met the module learning outcomes:Learning Outcome Comment1. Demonstrate a developing understanding of academic study including academic reading and the ability to write in an analytical, concise manner.

2. Demonstrate an initial understanding of currently relevant theories of learning and development with particular reference to how primary aged children learn.

3. Demonstrate an awareness of how primary classrooms support young children in their learning through reflections on personal practice and wider reading

Feedforward – comments to help you improve for future work:

Trainee / student to complete Tutors to complete

Katie Louise Smith 22550364

Word Count: ___2735__

Appendices: Yes / No

Declaration:

By submitting my work electronically through Learning Edge I confirm that I have read Edge Hill University’s policy on plagiarism and collusion, as contained in the Regulations (please see your Scheme Handbook), and that the work submitted here is my own.

Mark awarded after internal moderation(subject to University and External Assessment)

____________

First marker:Date:

Second marker:Date:

Katie Louise Smith 22550364

This statement must be signed and included in all copies of student coursework to be assessed where the coursework contains substantial elements of research related to the module or course assessment e.g. dissertation modules or modules where forms of assessment require the collection of data from children and adults in Schools or allied agencies.

Research Ethics

RESEARCH ETHICS STATEMENT (TAUGHT UNDERGRADUTE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS)

Faculty Education

Course BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS*

Cohort Year 1 - D3

Student’s Name Katie Louise Smith (22550364)

I hereby notify that I have read the briefing notes relating to the Edge Hill University Research Ethics Code of Practice and that, in undertaking the research for a dissertation project or for any other piece of work associated with the course, I have adhered to that Code.

Electronic Signature

Date 08.05.15

Katie Louise Smith 22550364

Strand 80-100 (Pass) 70-79 (Pass) 60-69 (Pass) 50-59 (Pass) 40-49 (Pass) 35-39 (Fail) 0-34 (Fail)Knowledge and Understanding

You have explicitly demonstrated a deep knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the focus throughout your work. You have also demonstrated a clear understanding of and make explicit links to some aspects of a wider field, demonstrating a sound awareness of knowledge that is at the forefront of the focus. The levels of knowledge and understanding that you have demonstrated would support you in beginning to develop original approaches to your own teaching on professional practice.

You have made explicit a thorough knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the focus. Some of your knowledge and understanding is informed by the forefront of the key aspects of the assignment’s focus. You have demonstrated that you are aware of some contrasting perspectives on the key aspects of the focus. The levels of knowledge and understanding that you have demonstrated would support you in beginning to independently develop a personal approach to teaching on professional practice.

You have demonstrated a coherent and increasingly detailed knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the focus but this is sometimes only implicit. You have also demonstrated some appreciation of a wider field. The levels of knowledge and understanding that you have demonstrated would effectively support successful teaching in your professional practice.

You have demonstrated partial but adequate knowledge and understanding of the well-established concepts and principles of the focus. This is mostly implicit. Your levels of knowledge and understanding would support you in producing adequate teaching on professional practice.

You have demonstrated knowledge and understanding of some aspects of the underlying concepts and principles of the focus but these are limited and require further development through wider reading and reflection on professional practice. The level of knowledge and understanding that you have demonstrated would not fully support successful teaching on professional practice.

There are some signs that you have an emerging knowledge and understanding of the underlying concepts and principles of the focus but these are insufficient to fully achieve the module’s learning outcomes. You are not always able to select or apply the underlying concepts and principles appropriately in your discussion. The level of knowledge and understanding that you have demonstrated would not support successful teaching in your professional practice.

There is inadequate knowledge and understanding of the underlying concepts and principles of the focus and the module’s learning outcomes are not met. The piece contains many factual and conceptual errors The level of knowledge and understanding demonstrated would not support successful teaching on professional practice.

Analysis and Reflection

You are able to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data and can present fully substantiated and defendable judgements. You have successfully made some reference to contrasting perspectives in your discussion and have demonstrated some confidence in evaluating them from your own personal perspective. You have combined theory, practice and reflection very effectively. Your ability to critically evaluate and analyse would support you in developing a substantiated personal approach to teaching on professional practice.

You have demonstrated a high level of critical awareness in your work. You are able to review, consolidate, extend and apply your knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of the focus. You have begun to acknowledge contrasting perspectives from other authors and researchers in your discussion.Your ability to analyse, evaluate and reflect would support you in beginning to independently develop a personal approach to teaching on professional practice.

You have demonstrated an ability to evaluate, critically analyse and reflect on the key aspects of the focus. You have drawn on the perspectives of several other authors and researchers on the key aspects of the focus to support your discussion. You have begun to question some of your own and others’ assumptions in your analysis. Your ability to analyse, evaluate and reflect on your own and others’ practice would effectively support successful teaching in your professional practice.

You have evaluated, analysed and reflected on what you know and understand about the well-established concepts and principles of the focus. You have developed some lines of discussion and argument. You have demonstrated that you are able to make some sound judgements supported by your knowledge, understanding and analysis. You have used your knowledge and understanding to analyse, evaluate, reflect on and begin to develop your own professional practice.

You have demonstrated a limited but developing ability to evaluate and interpret the underlying concepts and principles of the focus. Your work is still largely descriptive with only some evidence of critical thought or of reflection on your own practice.

Your response is generally descriptive and although the focus on underlying concepts and principles is evident your work does not demonstrate your ability to think critically or to reflect on your own professional practice.

Your work is entirely descriptive and does not demonstrate any ability to think critically or to reflect on professional practice. There are some inconsistencies or illogicality in your discussion. Your discussion is not relevant to the set focus.

Use of research to: underpin and

further develop your own knowledge and understanding

support and develop the discussion for your reader

Your knowledge and understanding has clearly developed as a result of you own critical engagement with a broad range of contemporary source material from the forefront of the focus. You have sought out and reflected on contrasting perspectives. Reference to source material is integrated into your arguments and reflections.

Your wider reading and research of sources beyond those used in module sessions have supported the development of your knowledge and understanding of the focus topic. There is a clear link between the reading you have undertaken and the clarity and breadth of your discussion. You have demonstrated some developing understanding of the need to consider the validity and reliability of research findings including your own.

You have accessed some further sources of information beyond those presented in module sessions but your engagement with these is sometimes limited. E.g. texts are merely used as sources of quotes. Some references in the presentation do support the discussion but others are less relevant.

You have made reference to some relevant sources of information but mainly those presented by tutors in module sessions. Your reading does not appear to have moved your knowledge and understanding on any further than the module sessions have.

You have made reference to a very limited range of source material. Some of the key sources that were used in module sessions or were identified in directed reading are not referred to at all.

Any reference to source material is superficial and does not demonstrate that you understand the key points made by the author(s) of the module’s identified essential texts. You have not demonstrated any real appreciation of the importance of your own engagement with reading to support your developing knowledge and understanding.

You have made no reference to source material. You make points in your discussion which are not supported by references. You have not demonstrated any understanding of the professional imperative for supporting the development of your knowledge and understanding through engaging with reading.

Relevance to the Set Task

You have addressed all aspects of the assessment title and the module learning outcomes in a confident manner and in proportion to their significance. There is some evidence of independent thought in your approach to meeting the learning outcomes for the module.

You have addressed all aspects of the assessment title and the module learning outcomes in a confident manner and in proportion to their significance. Your discussion is always relevant to the assessment title and the module learning outcomes.

You have addressed all aspects of the assessment title and the module learning outcomes. Your discussion is always relevant to the assessment title and the module learning outcomes.

You have addressed all aspects of the assessment title and the module learning outcomes. Some areas are better developed than others.

You have responded to the assessment title and have met the module learning outcomes. You have over-emphasised some peripheral issues and this has made your work unfocused in parts.

You have attempted to respond to the assessment title but your response has not met the module learning outcomes. Some of your discussion is irrelevant to the assessment title or to the module learning outcomes.

You have not presented a focused response to the assessment title. You have not met the module learning outcomes. You have demonstrated very little understanding of the relative importance of the intended key issues of the focus.

Katie Louise Smith 22550364

Katie Louise Smith 22550364Structure The structure you have chosen for

your assignment has enabled you to give a full response to the assignment title and the module learning outcomes. You have demonstrated that you are beginning to make some independent, creative decisions about how to organise your work. All sections flow together well with each one effectively preparing the reader for the next. Where appendices are included they are wholly appropriate and present complete data. The flow of your text is not interrupted when you refer to the appendices because you include the relevant extracts in your text. You signpost the reader to the appropriate place in the appendix for them to explore the complete data further if they wish. You have demonstrated a developing ability to meet a given brief for a piece in an imaginative, original way including writing to a given word count.

The way that you have chosen to organise your assignment complements and enhances your discussion. All sections, including the introduction and conclusion, are well developed and contain linked points that are all relevant. The introduction includes information that will interest a reader and entice them to read on. You have structured your discussion so that that a non-specialist in primary or early years education would easily follow and understand it. Where appendices are appropriate most of the material you have included is relevant and you have used it well to support and extend your discussion. You have ensured that you have fully demonstrated your attainment of the learning outcomes for the module while writing within +/- 10% of the given word count.

Your assignment has a clear, basic structure. The introduction does not simply state your intentions but sets the context for your discussion. The points you make are grouped into clear sections. In each section the links between your points are usually clear and easy for the reader to follow. Some sections are better developed and organised than others. You have not always helped the reader to see how the sections connect to each other. Where appendices are appropriate you have included some material relevant to the focus and you have made some reference to it in your text. Sometimes the flow of your work is interrupted because the reader has to go to the appendix themselves to fully understand your point. You have demonstrated your ability to select, organise and structure information by writing within +/- 10% of a given word count.

Your assignment is organised in a way which gives the reader some support in following your discussion. Your introduction states your intentions for the piece. Each point in the discussion is developed clearly. You don’t always make the links between points clear to the reader. You sometimes jump from one point to another without giving the reader an understanding of how they relate to one another. You have included appendices that contain material that could be considered relevant to the discussion but you have not made any reference to them in your text.

You have included an introduction which tells the reader what your focus will be. You have developed a number of points related to the assignment title and the module learning outcomes; you have included a conclusion which summarises the key points that you would like the reader to have understood or learned from your work. You have demonstrated that you are able to organise a coherent discussion around one point so that the reader can easily follow and consider it. This coherence is not consistent throughout your assignment. It is sometimes difficult to follow the point you are making. You have included appendices which are not relevant to the assignment, you have not referred to them and they do not add to your discussion.

You have made a number of points in your work but these are not developed into a discussion. You have not introduced or concluded your work to support the reader in learning from your piece. There is some repetition of points which suggests a lack of planning.

There is very little evidence that you have planned your work. You have made a very limited number of points in your work. The points you have made do not link or relate to one another at all. You have repeated the same point several times without developing it.

Use of Harvard referencing

Students will not be penalised for any syntactic formatting inaccuracies and will receive appropriate developmental feedback to improve their use of the designated referencing system*At Level 4 the writer should be able to:1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the purpose of referencing and its ethical basis in order to prevent plagiarism and malpractice.2. Include a limited range of appropriate references and citations in their work.3. Cite sources correctly and include appropriate information in references in a consistent way, with some adherence to disciplinary standard formatting conventions.

Use of Language

You have used a confident, academic ‘voice’ throughout your work You have avoided using over-complex language You have explained all technical terms and acronyms – you do not make any

assumptions about the reader’s knowledge Where you have mentioned a key theory you have given the reader enough

explanatory information about it to support them in following your discussion

Possessive apostrophes are used correctly throughout Contractions such as don’t; can’t; isn’t are not used Colloquial terms and inappropriately informal language are not used There are no homophone errors such as where/were; their/there; to/too There are no spelling errors You have used accurate and appropriate vocabulary throughout to make your meaning clear There is no use of non-Standard English There are no errors such as repeated or missing words that should have been picked up through proofreading

Possessive apostrophes are used incorrectly throughout (AP) Sentences are not punctuated correctly (P) Contractions such as don’t; can’t; isn’t are used throughout Colloquial terms and inappropriately informal language is used throughout Homophone errors such as where/were; their/there occur throughout (WW) There are numerous spelling errors (Sp) You have used some words incorrectly (V) There is some use of non-Standard English (NS) Assumptions are made about the reader’s knowledge and there is no attempt

to explain technical terms / acronyms / key theories You have not proofread carefully

* Edg University Policy for the Assessment of Academic Referencing (2012)

PLEASE INSERT THE MAIN BODY OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT HERE, FOLLOWED BY YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY and ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Child (2007:160) believes that most classroom learning and teaching strategies are based

on learning theories; especially behaviourist and cognitivist views. This shows that many

teachers may use a practical application of these theories to suit the children they are

teaching. Learning theories are developed by phycologists to show the ways in which

children learn. They allows practitioners and staff who work closely with children to see the

ways in which children develop academically and cognitively, this enables staff to use

strategies and specific learning methods to accommodate the children’s specific learning

needs. In this assignment I will first explore Piaget’s theory of Cognitive and Affective

Development; following this I will then discuss an alternative constructivist theory by

analysing Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. Next I will investigate Maslow’s

humanist theory of Hierarchy of Needs and finally I will reflect on Pavlov and Skinner’s

behaviourist theories of Classical and Operant conditioning. Throughout I will reflect on the

practical application of these theories and how these affect a child’s learning and

development from my observations on professional practice, I will reflect on my findings

and see how this will impact on my future development as a teacher.

Wadsworth (2004:4) states Jean Piaget’s constructivist work led him to conclude that

biological development was not only due to maturation but also variables in the

environment. Piaget is known as a constructivist; meaning that learning is constructed by

the learners in a team of collaborative learning, rather than an instructor, Leonard

(2002:37). Piaget came up with a cognitive development theory which included; Schemas,

Accommodation and Assimilation and Stages of Cognitive Development. When on

professional practice I witnessed the practical application Piaget’s theory of ‘Stages of

Cognitive Development’ and how this affects learning and development. According Piaget

(1926 cited in Evans and Keenan 2009:159) ‘children may progress through the different

stages at different speeds as a function of inherited traits or particular environmental

influences’. I spent a lot of one on one time with a year 6 boy who was 11 (child A), he was

low ability because of his literacy and mathematic skills. It was evident that this child was

not going to be developed enough to progress to the formal operational stage (12+) that

he should be at in under a year; the child for his age should be developed in the concrete

operational stage (7-11) however he could not understand the reasoning behind

multiplication, which is an evident feature of the concrete stage. The use of the practical

application of this theory allows practitioners to have successful differentiation as they

know what age range to set the work at depending on what stage of cognitive

development the child is in.

I also saw the practical application of this theory when I was teaching, I taught a mixed

aged key stage 2 maths group which included; eight year threes, three year fours, one

year five and two year sixes. Before the lesson I made sure the work was appropriate and

would suit the children depending on their stage of development as Piaget’s Stages of

Cognitive Development inspired the age appropriate work in the national curriculum. I

made sure the work would be appropriate for Child A’s stage of development however I

also wanted him to exceed and go into the formal operational stage. Evans and Keenan

(2009:169) believe that ‘concrete operations include the grouping of objects into classes

and subclasses; allowing children to solve inclusion problems.’ I set the children the task of

organising shapes into the 4 groups, when observing I noticed that child A could not group

the shapes. However previously in the session he could answer direct questions from me,

I realised that child A could not focus on two different operations at once; the identification

of the shape and what group it is. Child (2007:97) states another part of the development

of the concrete operational stage is ‘Seriation; the ability to cope with the ordering of

similar objects according to, say size or position’, I found that child A was unable to order

similar objects as he was unable to order shapes and measurements within another

session, as he could not focus on the ordering and understanding of the mathematical

problem he was ordering.

This allowed me to start observing the cognitive inefficiencies in this child, allowing me to

review this information to set personal goals according to this child’s cognitive

development. On reflection of Piaget’s theory I felt that child A had certain features of

concrete operational in preparation for the formal operational stage; however the child was

not able to complete two different operations at once and did not understand the reasoning

behind multiplication. Child (2007:97) states ‘A child who can count (cardination) may not

be capable of appreciating the ordering of objects (ordination)’ this is evident in child A as

he was able to count and understand numbers yet he could not understand the ordering of

visual objects or the reasoning behind features such as multiplication.

Lev Vygotsky was a constructivist however he had contrasting views to Piaget, Wadsworth

(2004:9) believes Piaget’s theory was criticised as it did not recognise the importance of

social and cultural factors in cognitive development, many turned to Vygotsky to fill in what

some perceived as voids in Piaget’s work. Vygotsky was known as social constructivist as

he believed children’s development and learning relied on social interaction and

assistance. Vygotsky created a constructivist learning theory called ‘The Zone of Proximal

development (ZPD)’, Vygotsky (1978:86 cited in Bjorklund 2012:84) states the ZPD is the

difference between the development level of the child determined by independent work

and the potential development of the child with adult support or guidance from peers. On

professional practice I saw this learning theory in action, child L was a year 3 pupil and

throughout her time in education she was considered ‘low ability’ and frequently needed

support. The Zone of proximal development occurred here as when observing the child I

noticed that she was incapable of working independently however when I asked the child

direct questions during the session she took time to answer, worked independently and got

the question correct. I decided to assist the child with many different tasks to see if the

support from an adult would help her excel her ‘low ability’ status. I found that by assisting

this child and giving her praise and encouragement when executing work gave her

confidence when I left her independently, yet at times I noticed she needed constant

support.

Near to the completion of placement I set the children a math’s test; it was focused on

shape and angles. I let child L complete the test individually to see whether her Zone of

proximal development characterises her mental development prospectively (Cole et al.

1978:87), the results showed that the child could not complete a test independently. I

further worked with this child to see where the issue lied, she demonstrated knowledge

and understanding in lessons through oral engagement however when working

independently there was an issue. By working closely with the child for an extended period

of time I realised her faults were not in the mathematical questions but in the language

they were being presented; at the beginning of practice I was told child L was at a lower

reading age than the children in her year. I gave Child L strategies of how to segment

words as she was forgetting how to phonetically break words down. Wood (1998:97)

states ‘When we point things out to the child, we help to highlight what he should attend

to.’ by pointing out the mistakes the child was making and by giving her strategies it gave

her more independent in her work as she moved onto working without support.

Following this I decided I would support the child with her math’s test by orally reading the

test, in order for the child to understand the mathematical questioning and lexis. The child

achieved over 50 percent, this showed me that her mathematical knowledge is at a high

level yet she needs support with language. The outcome of this showed that with the

correct support the child was engaged with the Zone of Proximal Development as she was

aware of her own capabilities yet knew when she needed support. Wood (1998:97) states

‘when we help a child, we are providing conditions in which they can begin to perceive

regularities and structure in their experience.’ Meaning that the ZPD allows children to

understand their own academic faults yet the experiences they have gone through allows

them to see what the need to do independently to achieve or whether they need support.

The understanding of the ZPD allowed me to help this child exceed and to allow her to

start working independently. Without my support other practitioners may have not seen the

child’s potential in mathematics and other subjects as they would have not been aware of

when the child needed support.

Leonard (2002:86) states humanism is when ‘human thinking and learning are driven by

the growth of the self as a whole, mature and complete human being’. Humanistic theories

are based around the child developing naturally and that thinking and learning are not

driven by processing information, creating knowledge structures or responding to stimuli.

Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ revealed his

‘Hierarchy of needs’ theory.

Child (2007:239) states the Hierarchy of Needs is shown as a pyramid, the basic needs

are shown in order of their importance so psychological deficiencies must be satisfied

before you progress to safety and further. The Hierarchy of needs is split into 5 needs;

they explore the factors that a child needs to grow and develop, if there is a lack of

satisfaction in one of the first four levels it causes an absence that motivates people to

meet these needs. When on professional practice I saw how the application of this theory

and how it affects a child’s learning, the basis of the hierarchy of needs pyramid is

physiological which includes food and sleep which are essentials to motivate a child to

learn and develop. Child H was unresponsive and seen as ‘low ability’, I realised the child

had potential as he was able to work independently and was responsive; however he most

frequently was unresponsive and unengaged. From speaking to staff I realised Child H

was not given breakfast, would walk to school on his own without his siblings and lacked

confidence. When teaching maths in the morning I noticed the child was falling asleep and

was not focused as he was putting his hands in his head and not responding, I realised

that his lack of sleep affected his academic and cognitive development as he was not

engaged. To meet the physiological stage of the pyramid and progress in the correct

direction of needs I realised I needed to make the child engaged and alert within sessions

and to raise the concern with staff. I made my math’s lessons active by getting all children

standing up and moving around allowing Child H to not have the opportunity to fall asleep.

I also made Child H to come up to the interactive whiteboard and complete sorting

questions which gave him confidence and made him alert and engaged in the session

allowing him to progress to the next stage of the pyramid of the hierarchy of needs.

Similarly I noticed Child H’s Sister ‘Child I’ was also not focused, remained quiet and

craved support and attention. My observations had lead me to the outcome that the

children in question were not being given the essential ‘deficiency’ needs a child needs in

order to progress to the growth needs, Child (2007:239). Buckler and Castle (2014:15)

state that Maslow believes that the hierarchy of needs allows us to have the capability of

achieving positive growth and it’s our experiences and choices that help up with this

growth. This theory allowed me as a practitioner to see the deficiencies in the children and

allowed me to work on their social/home needs (deficiency) before targeting their

academic (growth) needs.

Leonard (2002:16) believes that behaviourism is when instructions are set by the instructor

(teacher) and are met by the learners who elicit a specific responses based upon the

controlled stimuli. Behaviourism suggests that people can be conditioned into certain

forms of behaviour

During the 1890’s behaviourist Ian Pavlov discovered Classical Conditioning, Leonard

(2002:23) states ‘Classical Conditioning occurs when two unrelated stimuli are provided

simultaneously to a subject … and the subject provides an elicited behaviour.’ When on

professional practice I saw this learning theory by the practitioner carrying out a 5,4,3,2,1

method, whenever the children heard the teacher count down from five they immediately

knew they had to show appropriate behaviour. This was an effective demonstration of

Classical Conditioning as when the children heard the countdown they automatically knew

the behaviour they had to execute. Classical conditioning benefits the learning

environment as it allows children to respond to a stimulus and elicit the specific behaviour

the practitioner wants. ‘Classical Conditioning is rooted in the reactions of involuntary

systems in the body’ Child (2007:166), this shows that if a child hears a specific noise or

instruction they will respond to this and execute the intended behaviour.

Classical Conditioning encouraged other practitioners to look into behaviourist theories,

Burrhus Frederic (B. F.) Skinner discovered the values of operant conditioning in 1948.

Bee and Boyde (2012:15) state that operant conditioning is the process in which the

frequency of a behaviour increases and decreases because of the consequences of the

behaviour produces. Operant Conditioning is seen through positive and negative

reinforces and positive and negative punishments, these are put in place in order for a

person to elicit a specific behaviour and then will receive the reward. Davenport

(1994:105) states ‘the main purpose of reinforcement is to shape, and then maintain

particular behaviour’.

During professional practice the School’s Policy for Behaviour management (2014:4)

stated ‘every opportunity should be taken for promoting and encouraging good behaviour

by positive reinforcement and reward.’ I saw operant conditioned carried out through the

use of ‘golden time when the children have a choice from an agreed list of activities’ Policy

for Behaviour management (2014:5). Throughout the week the children had to execute a

behaviour in which the practitioner approved of; this behaviour included the children

putting their hand up when they wanted to speak, completing work at an appropriate level

and respecting their peers and teachers. I also saw Operant Conditioning through the use

of awards, every week each member of staff chose a child who they think demonstrated

achievement and good behaviour, this was recorded in ‘the praise book and mentioned in

their weekly praise assembly’ Policy for Behaviour management (2014:4). The use of this

was effective as throughout the week this made the children work their hardest to show all

staff good behaviour in which could be rewarded.

The overall behaviour at the school was at a good standard as it was a village school with

only 20% of pupils on pupil premium, meaning the children had support at home and had

good discipline so negative reinforces were hardly used. The Policy for Behaviour

management (2014:5) stated the only negative reinforces were sanctions or exclusions,

only used if a child breaks an agreed school rule. The only negative reinforcement that I

saw carried out was children missing out on break, this would be for lack of work in lesson

or inappropriate behaviour to staff or peers.

To conclude the use of the practical application of learning and developmental theories

within the primary classroom is affective as it allows practitioners to see; how children

develop, how to control behaviour and how to create lessons which will suit children’s

needs. Developing my knowledge of learning theories has allowed me to understand the

reasoning behind teaching choices and children’s actions within the classroom. I found

that the understanding of these theories will affect my future practice as it will make me a

more versatile and accommodating practitioner as I will have an understanding of the

cognitive development of children and how to highlight those children who are not

developing at the supposed rate. The understanding of behaviourism, humanism and

constructivism has allowed me to see the features of an effective classroom practitioner as

it has highlighted that children learn through responding to stimuli, through individually

constructing knowledge and through environmental factors.

Bibliography

Bee, Helen, and Denise Boyde. The Developing Child. 13th ed. 2012. Print.

Bjorklund, David F. Children’s Thinking - Cognitive Development and Individual

Differences. 5th international ed. 2012. Print.

Buckler, Scott, and Paul Castle. Psychology for Teachers. 2014. Print.

Chelford CE Primary School. Policy for Behaviour Management. 2014. Print.

Child, Dennis. Psychology and the Teacher. 8th ed. 2007. Print.

Cole, Michael et al. L.S Vygotsky Mind in Society, the Development of Higher

Psychological Processes. 1978. Print.

Davenport, G.C. An Introduction to Child Development. 2nd ed. Collins, 1994. Print.

Evans, Subhadra, and Thomas Keenan. An Introduction to Child Development. 2nd

ed. Sage foundations of psychology, 2009. Print.

Leonard, David C. Learning Theories A-Z. 2002. Print.

Wadsworth, Barry J. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development. 2004.

Print.

Wood, David. How Children Think And Learn. 1998. Print.

6 Annotated Bibliographies below

1. An introduction to child development (second edition)

Full Reference of SourceTitleAn introduction to child development (second edition)

AuthorG.C. Davenport

PublisherCollins

Date1994

Page number(Chapter 6) 99 - 107 - Pavlov/Skinner(Chapter 8) 130 - 132 - Piaget

Notes – A summary of what it is about…What is the author’s purpose?The author’s main purpose is to explore the theme of developmental psychology which is a fairly new branch of psychology. The purpose is to inform practitioners who work with children about the development of children in order to respond to their diverse and developing needs.

What is the main idea?The main idea of chapter 6 and 8 are psychologists learning theories about the development of children. Chapter 6 explores the behaviorist’s findings of Pavlov and Skinner and how classical conditional developed into operant conditioning.

What is the central theme?The central theme of the book is the understanding of the development of a child from birth to into early adulthood; Piaget developed the 4 stages of cognitive development to explore a child’s development. It also explores the factors which can effect a child’s development and intelligence and strategies and theories which allow children to respond to stimuli and responses (Skinner/Pavlov).

What are the findings?Pavlov found that his experimental dogs had learned to associate a particular stimulus with a particular response. His classical conditioning theory explores how two unrelated stimuli can come together to create a new existing stimuli, in a classroom environment this would be when the teacher does something to trigger a reflex in the child. This theory developed into Skinners operant conditioning, skinner found that a children can respond to negative and positive reinforces; the main purpose of reinforcement is to shape and then maintain particular behaviour.

ConclusionsTo conclude this text allows a brief understanding of the learning theories which will be appropriate to compare with my professional practice. The book allows you to have a brief understanding of learning theories giving you the appropriate understanding to develop with further reading.

What sort of text is it?GenericThis text is generic as it explores a variety of theories and findings on the

development of children, some which are similar and some which contrast one another.EvaluationsWhat do you think it is about?The text is about how learning theories affect the development of a child cognitively and physically; it explores different findings from different psychologists; behaviorists, constructivists, humanists and cognitivists.

Are there any weaknesses or limitations?The text is not developed as it only explored brief descriptions of Piaget, Skinner and Pavlov’s theories. It does not go in depth and explore these theories and compare them against other similar psychologists such as Vygotsky or Maslow.

What does it not tell you?The text does not give any specific examples of how these theories are applied within a classroom environment and how they affect a child’s development.

What do you now want to know?I want to know the accuracy’s and research behind the learning theories; I would also like to see given examples of these theories on children and a comparison between theories.

ReflectionHow might I use it?To inform me of teaching strategies within the classroom environment to accommodate to all children’s learning needs.

Has it helped me to understand something betterYes this book has further and supported my knowledge on Pavlov and skinner (behaviorists) and Piaget (constructivist).

Will I use it?Yes I will use this book as it has informed me and made me confident and further developed my knowledge of specific constructivists and behaviorists.

How will I use it?I will use this book to support my findings whilst on professional practice within my PED1011 assignment.

Quotes you may wish to use‘Piaget believed that intelligence was all about making appropriate adaptations to things around us quickly and efficiently’Page number130Line numberN/A

Quotes you may wish to useThe key feature in operant conditioning is that the subject behaves in some way which is followed by some ‘reward’. The subject may associate its behaviour with reward and so learn to repeat it.Page number102Line numberN/A2. Psychology for teachers

Full Reference of SourceTitle

- Psychology for teachers

Author – Author- Scott Buckler and Paul Castle

Publisher- Sage publications

Date- January 2014

Page number- 15

Notes – A summary of what it is about…What is the author’s purpose?This text has been crafted to explain how psychology can be logically applied into the classroom to meet the needs of different learners and different teachers.

The author focuses on that understanding psychological theories can support effective teaching. The purpose of this text is to inform teachers about different psychological aspects of being a teacher which include; learning theories and developmental theories. This book contains case studies and tasks to make sure that as a teacher you really understand how theory can be meaningfully applied in the classroom.

What is the main idea?The main idea of the book is to support teachers and trainee teachers on understanding the qualities of an ‘ideal teacher’, another idea of the book is to allow the reader to appreciate the role of the teachers personality and finally the last main idea of the book is to understand how reflection enhances professional practice.The main idea is to make a teacher consider themselves not only as a teacher but also as a learner and the constant interplay between these two attributes.

What is the central theme?The central theme of this section is to highlight the importance of the humanistic perspective, by exploring Maslow’s theory it allows us as a reader to see the humanistic features which affect the development of a child and does not allow them to get to the top of the hierarchy of needs which is reaching potential.

What are the findings? The findings of this section is that humanistic features such as sleep, eating, affection and emotional needs interrupt the development of a child and stops them from reaching their potential.ConclusionsTo conclude humanistic theories are put in place to show classroom practitioners the environmental factors that affect the development of a child.

What sort of text is it?

Generic - this text is generic as the book is an overall of the psychology of a teacher, and explores features such as teacher personalities, learning theories and

meeting the needs of learners

EvaluationsWhat do you think it is about?The section I looked in depth at was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it explores the humanistic features which can affect a child’s development and growth physically and cognitively

Are there any weaknesses or limitations?The weakness of this text is that it does not give examples of the positive use of this theory and its findings.

What does it not tell you?It does not tell you any executions or findings of this theory therefore meaning there is no judgement of the accuracy of this theory.

What do you now want to know?I would like to know the overall effectiveness of this humanistic theory and how much it affects a child’s development academically and cognitively. I would also like to see case studies with this theory to see the overall accuracy of it.

ReflectionHow might I use it?To reflect on my classroom experience and allow me to see a psychological explanation for occurrence’s in the learning environment.

Has it helped me to understand something better?It has helped me understand the reasoning behind children’s development in the classroom environment. It has also allowed me to understand the environmental factors which can affect a child’s work such as eating, sleeping and love and affection from family members.

Will I use it?Yes I will use this book to allow me highlight the importance of Maslow’s theory and how I have seen this within the classroom environment when on professional practice.

How will I use it?It has encouraged me to understand all the factors which can affect a child’s learning and development.Quotes you may wish to use

‘According to Maslow, we are all capable of achieving positive growth and it is our experiences and choices during our lives that direct us towards this growth.

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3. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective development

Full Reference of SourceTitlePiaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective development

AuthorBarry J. Wadsworth

PublisherPearson

Date2004

Page number4 and 9

Notes – A summary of what it is about…What is the author’s purpose?The author’s purpose is to inform the reader on the features of Piaget’s cognitive and affective development theory. It covers all the features of the theory and gives opposing constructivist views from psychologists such as Vygotsky.What is the main idea?The main idea is to explore the theory by looking at the stages of development, schemas and the adaptation process.What is the central theme?The central theme of the book is to inform the reader of Piaget’s developing work and how it’s come to a conclusion of; Schemas, adaptation process and the stages of cognitive development.What are the findings?Piaget believed that a human being develops cognitively throughout his of her life through 4 stages of development; before Piaget came up with his cognitive and affective development theory psychologist believes that children were small adults and they all developed in the same way however Piaget found that all knowledge is a construction resulting from the child's actions• Sensorimotor (0-2)• Preoporational (2-7)• Concrete operational (7-11)• Formal operational (12+)

Sensorimotor – this stage of development is when a child is born to the age of two. This stage is when a child develops their senses in order to develop cognitively however at this stage a child's knowledge of the world is limited so they have no understanding to their sensory reactionsPiaget believes that the development of object permanence is one of the most important events at the sensorimotor stage of development. Object permanence is a child's understanding that objects continue to exist even though they cannot be seen or heardExample Peak a Boo – when a child is in the sensorimotor stage during a game of peek-a-boo the child will believe the other person or object has vanished forever and will act shocked when it reappears as they believed it had vanished foreverSensorimotor – behaviours are limited to simple responses caused by sensory stimuli (Senses), children apply skills and abilities when they were born such as looking, sucking, grasping and listening. This allows them to have a small

understanding of communication. Children at this age mainly response through motor abilities (active movements)

PREOPERATIONALChildren in this stage of development can mentally represent and place event and objects and engage in symbolic playLanguage development is one of the hallmarks of this period. Piaget noted that children in this stage do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information, and are unable to take the point of view of other people, which he termed egocentrismA child's thoughts at this stage are mainly egocentric- meaning that they are only thinking of themselves, without regard for the feelings or desires of others; self-centered. (a child will not understand this till formal or concrete operational)At this stage children cannot really understand what other people are thinking or feeling, Piaget believes that the egocentric child assumes that other people see, hear, and feel exactly the same as the child does (Autistic children) - Piaget wanted to find out at what age children decenter - i.e. become no longer egocentric.

CONCRETE OPERATIONAL•During this time, children gain a better understanding of mental operations. Children begin thinking logically about concrete events, but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts•Understanding reasoning behind mathematics 4+8 = 12 but 8+4 = 12•Piaget determined that children in the concrete operational stage were fairly good at the use of inductive logic.•Inductive logic involves going from a specific experience to a general principle. On the other hand, children at this age have difficulty using deductive logic, which involves using a general principle to determine the outcome of a specific event

FORMAL OPERATIONAL•The formal operational stage begins at twelve to and lasts into adulthood. This stage allows children to people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. During this stage children start to have reasoning over abstract objects•Children gain an understanding of moral reasoning•They start to see the consequences of their potential actions•In the formal operational stage, actual (concrete) objects are no longer required and mental operations can be undertaken 'in the head' using abstract terms.

ConclusionsTo conclude this text is very detailed in Piaget’s theory, “it shows how children construct and acquire knowledge as it relates to the current constructivist approaches to learning”.

What sort of text is it?Specific - as the text only focuses on Piaget’s cognitive and affective development theory.

EvaluationsWhat do you think it is about?The text is about Piaget’s theory of cognitive and affective development.Are there any weaknesses or limitations?Yes at times the text Is over detailed in its explanation using jargon that is irrelevant.

What does it not tell you?The text is very informed on the cognitive and affective development theory.

What do you now want to know?I want to know why Piaget and Vygotsky were so different in their constructivist findings.

ReflectionHow might I use it?I may use this book to support my understanding of Piaget and Vygotsky as they are two well-known constructivists which have opposing theories.Has it helped me to understand something better?The text has given me a deeper understanding of Piaget’s cognitive and affective development theory, giving me the appropriate information I require.Will I use it?Yes within to support my findings on professional practice.How will I use it?I will use it to support my findings in my PED1011 PPD assignment; to support my understanding of the national curriculum and I will also use it on professional practice to understand why children learn at different rates.

Quotes you may wish to use“In recent years Piaget’s theory has been criticised (incorrectly) for among other things, not recognizing the significance of social and cultural factors in intellectual development. Many have turned to the work of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky to fill in what some perceived as a fatal void in Piaget’s work.Page number9Line numberN/A

4. Psychology and the teacher

Full Reference of SourceTitlePsychology and the teacher

AuthorDennis Child

PublisherContinuum

Date2007

Page number97(Piaget)160 (learning theories)166(Pavlov)239 (Maslow)Notes – A summary of what it is about…

What is the author’s purpose?Its purpose it to provide a relevant and recent introduction to psychology for teachers. The main point is to inform and guide practitioners about the challenges they face within the classroom and resolutions and reasoning’s behind these.

What is the main idea?The texts main idea is to allow practitioners to meet the requirements of the teaching standard and to inform experienced teachers and educationalists who need to look deeper into the psychology within education and teaching.

What is the central theme?The theme of this book includes a variety of things such as; gender and cultural diversity, behavioural problems, social development and the learning environment, learning theories including humanistic, behaviouristic and constructivist findings, it also focuses on the concerns of the teacher and practical applications of theory.

What are the findings?The findings show that Dennis Child believes that most classroom learning and teaching strategies are based on learning theories; especially behaviourist and cognitivist views. This shows that many teachers may use a practical application of these theories to suit the children they are teaching.

ConclusionsTo conclude I found this text very useful to use as it has a variety of different topics in and has opposing learning theories which include constructivist, behaviourist and humanist views.What sort of text is it?Generic- this text is generic as the text is looking at different psychological matters, it does not just focus on learning and developmental theories it also looks at features such as psychology of education, attention and perception and language, literacy and numeracy.EvaluationsWhat do you think it is about?The book is about the overall effectiveness of a teacher and the factors which affect and disrupt a child’s cognitive and physical development. It informs practitioners the appropriate knowledge of the reasoning behind children’s actions and information on learning theories before heading into a classroom.

Are there any weaknesses or limitations?There are weaknesses in this book as it is very generic and explores a range of points meaning the validity of certain points may be questioned.

What does it not tell you?The text does not give examples or case studies in response to findings.

What do you now want to know?I want to know the validity of the psychological findings and the opposing views on these.

ReflectionHow might I use it?I will use this book to support observations on professional practice to allow me to see the reasoning behind certain children’s actions. I will also use this book to support my academic study within assignments and widen my subject knowledge and understanding.

Has it helped me to understand something better?Yes this book has widened my subject knowledge of learning theories making me a more adaptable and understanding practitioner

Will I use it?Yes I will use this book to support my findings for my PED1011 PPD assignment

How will I use it?I will use this text to highlight and illustrate the certain learning theories which I have seen on professional practice to create a fair and justified argument.

Quotes you may wish to use‘A child who can count (cardination) may not be capable of appreciating the ordering of objects (ordination)’Page number97Line numberN/A

5. The developing child 13th edition

Full Reference of SourceTitleThe developing child 13th edition

AuthorHelen Bee and Denise Boyde

PublisherPearson

Date2012

Page number15

Notes – A summary of what it is about…What is the author’s purpose?The authors purpose if to inform professional about the features in which affect a child’s development and progression. The text explores issues such as; the beginning of life, birth and early infancy, physical development, perceptual development, cognitive development, the development of language, personality development and more. This information is to inform the reader the factors which affect a child’s development within the learning environment and informs them how the children have got to the cognitive stage they are at.What is the main idea?The main idea is to inform the reader the impacts and difference of operant and classical condition and how these have developed to be deployed in the learning environment.What is the central theme?The central theme is the exploration of the developing child and the features that affect a child’s development.

What are the findings?The text states how classical and operant conditioning affect a child’s behaviour as Behaviourism suggests that people can be conditioned into certain forms of behaviour.ConclusionsTo conclude the text explores how behaviourist theories affect a child’s learning and development. It states how Pavlov did this through Classical conditioning; when two unrelated stimuli are provided to a subject, whereby the subject begins to associate the two stimuli together and the subject will provide and involuntary response (elicited behaviour). Whereas Skinners Operant conditioning is when the frequency of behaviour increases or decreases because of the consequences the behaviour produces (positive and negative reinforcement and punishment).

What sort of text is it?Generic - the text is generic as it focuses on numerous features which affects a child’s development and growth.EvaluationsWhat do you think it is about?The section I focused on looked at learning theories (behaviourism) and the importance of skinner and Pavlov’s theories of operant and classical conditioning.Are there any weaknesses or limitations?The book solely looks at behaviourist and constructivist theories and does not discuss the affect of humanistic features on the development of the child.What does it not tell you?The book does not give you examples of how classical conditioning can be used in the classroom, the theory is seen as a learning theory however there is not implications it can work on a child in a learning environment as it was tested on the salivation of dogs.What do you now want to know?I want to know whether behaviourism, constructivism or humanism has the most effect on the developing child.ReflectionHow might I use it?I may use the findings of Bee and Boyde to support my developing knowledge on Pavlov and Skinner.Has it helped me to understand something better?It has given me wider knowledge on behaviourist theories and has allowed me apply the findings from professional practice to this developed knowledge.Will I use it?Yes I will use this text to show my developing knowledge of learning theories.How will I use it?I will use this text to support the behaviourism observations I found on placement, I will also use this text to highlight the features of operant conditioning.

Quotes you may wish to use‘Learning theories represent a theoretical tradition very different from that of either psychoanalysts or the cognitive-developmentalists, on in which the emphasis is much more on the way the environment shapes the child than on how the child understands his experiences.’

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6. Children’s Thinking - Cognitive Development and Individual Differences. 5th international ed.

Full Reference of SourceTitleChildren’s Thinking - Cognitive Development and Individual Differences. 5th international ed.AuthorDavid F BjorklundPublisherWadsworth Cengage learningDate2012Page number84Notes – A summary of what it is about…What is the author’s purpose?The author’s purpose is to inform the reader on the coverage of topics within cognitive development. The text informs readers on the differences within cognitive development such as; memory development, social cognition, infant perception and cognition.

What is the main idea?The main idea is to inform trainees and professionals to understand the reasoning behind children’s actions or lack of cognitive development.

What is the central theme?A major theme of this book is the development of the ‘child’ in a social world: a child is born prepared to make some sense of the world however their mind is can also be shaped and affected by features in the physical and social environment.

What are the findings?Bjorklund explores how developmental function can help explain individual differences in cognition, he also looks at Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and explores the fact it is the difference

ConclusionsTo conclude this text has given me an informed definition of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and it has allowed me to use this information to support my findings. However the section on Vygotsky is small and does not give specific case studies on how this theory could be used or is used in the class

What sort of text is it?Specific - The text is specific in a way is its main focus is on cognitive development and the cognition of a child, yet there are separate chapters exploring different features of cognitive development.

EvaluationsWhat do you think it is about?I personally feel this section of the book explores the validity of the zone of proximal development and the reasoning and understanding behind it. Bjorklund explores how Vygotsky saw the zone of proximal development the difference between a child’s “actual development level as determined by independent problem solving” and his or her level of “potential development as determined

through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”

Are there any weaknesses or limitations?The text again like other psychology books does not give ideas about how this theory is used in the classroom and it does not have a lot of detail within the section of Vygotsky.

What does it not tell you?The validity of the theory and if the child’s understanding of this theory allows them to progress and develop.

What do you now want to know?I want to be given case studies and evidence of this theory used in the primary classroom.

ReflectionHow might I use it?I will use this book to wide n my knowledge of children’s development to help me understand certain actions of children when on professional practice. I will also use it within my PED1011 assignment to support my findings on constructivism.

Has it helped me to understand something better?This book has widened my knowledge on Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and the understanding of a child’s capabilities when they have support and when they work independently.

Will I use it?Yes I will use this book to support my findings on Piaget’s cognitive development theory and Vygotsky’s Zone of proximal development within my PED1011 assignment.

How will I use it?I will use the findings and opinions of Bjorklund to support my opinions and understanding of Piaget’s cognitive development theory. I will also use this book to support my findings on Vygotsky’s theory of Zone of proximal development.

Quotes you may wish to useParaphrased quote;The zone of proximal development - defined as the difference between a child’s “actual development level as determined by independent problem solving” and his or her level of “potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”Page number84Line numberN/A