2. 2Ava presentation to Designtuts team
Charles Robert Darwin
o He was born in Shrewsbury England on the
12th of February, 1809
o His father, Dr. R.W. Darwin, was as a medical
doctor, and his grandfather Dr. Erasmus
Darwin, was a renowned botanist
o Naturalist Ch.R. Darwin was far more inclined
to study natural history
o His father sent him to Edinburgh University in
Scotland to study medicine in 1825. Two years
later, Charles Darwin become a student at
Christ's College in Cambridge.
o He is famous for his work on the theory of
Evolution
o He studied in the Galapagos Islands and
worked on a ship called the HMS Beagle
(1809-1882)
English naturalist and geologist
3. Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Natural Selection
"It is not strongest of species that survives,nor the most
intelligent, but the one most responsive to change“.
Charles Darwin 1809
Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor
advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of
a species developed a functional advantage (it grew
wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that
advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior
(disadvantaged) members of the same species would
gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged)
members of the species. Natural selection is the
preservation of a functional advantage that enables a
species to compete better in the wild
4. Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Slowly But Surely……
" Such a complex organ would be known as an "irreducibly complex system". An irreducibly complex
system is one composed of multiple parts, all of which are necessary for the system to function. If even
one part is missing, the entire system will fail to function. Every individual part is integral. Thus, such a
system could not have evolved slowly, piece by piece. The common mousetrap is an everyday non-
biological example of irreducible complexity. It is composed of five basic parts: a catch (to hold the bait),
a powerful spring, a thin rod called "the hammer," a holding bar to secure the hammer in place, and a
platform to mount the trap. If any one of these parts is missing, the mechanism will not work. Each
individual part is integral. The mousetrap is irreducibly complex.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a slow gradual process.
Darwin wrote, "…Natural selection acts only by taking
advantage of slight successive variations; she can never
take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short
and sure, though slow steps." Thus, Darwin conceded
that, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ
existed, which could not possibly have been formed by
numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory
would absolutely break down.
5. 5Ava presentation to Designtuts team
Arnold Gesell
(1880-1961)
American educator and psychologist
o Born on June 21,1880 in Alma, Wisconsin, US
o He graduated University of Wisconsin , Clark University, and
Yale University
o He worked high school teacher and principal
o He came under the influence of G. Stanley Hall, one of the
earliest psychologists to study child development.
o He joined the faculty at Yale as assistant professor of
education in 1911
o Established and directed the Yale Clinic of Child
Development from 1911 to 1948
o His first book appeared in 1912. One of the most
comprehensive of his many works is ‘’An Atlas of Infant
Behavior (1934)’’
o He served as a research consultant for the Gesell Institute of
Child Development in New Haven, which continued the work
of the Yale clinic, from 1948 until his death
Ph.D. in psychology
6. Gesell’s Maturational Theory
It is important to know that this theory is the
foundation of almost any other child development
According to Gesell, the rate at which children
develop primarily depends in the growth of their
nervous system, consisting of the complicated web
of nerve fibres, spinal cord and brain. As the
nervous system grows, their minds develop and
their behaviors change accordingly..
Every generation rediscovers and re-evalutes the
meaning of infancy and childhood.
Arnold Gesell
7. Development is orderly, sequential and predictable and
builds on earlier learning/skills:
• Gesell noticed that there are sequences to development:
he believed that children develop individually at their
own pace but that every child followed the same
sequence
• He also stated that by observing the current skills, if you
know the patterns of development, you will be able to
predict what comes next
• These skills are called milestones
• Milestones are skills or behaviors exhibited at certain
points of the development that allows us to know
children are developing typically
• The majority of these milestones were in the physical
development domain
Order and Predictability
8. • Gesell believed that the environment had an influence
on development but biology(nature) was the biggest
influence.
• Each child's unique genetic and biological makeup
determines the rate of development.
• The environment should be changed and adapted to
meet the individual genetic/biological prearranged
timetables
Nature vs Nurture
