This document discusses various developmental theories and their application in education. It provides a matrix comparing the key aspects of theories by Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Kohlberg, Bandura and Bowlby. For each theorist, it gives a brief overview of their theory and an example of how it can inform classroom practices. It also presents a case study of a student named Tonya and how understanding child development helped her teacher, Mary, support Tonya's needs. The document emphasizes that learning theories can help teachers identify student strengths, needs, and effective teaching strategies to reach all learners.

1. USING GROWING AND
LEARNING THEORIES
TO SUPPORT LEARNING
NICOLE M. PEREZ-CARDONA
CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR EDUCATORS: UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
EDUC 525: THEORIES OF GROWING AND LEARNING
CALVIN THOGERSEN
JULY 4, 2022

2. PART 1: DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES MATRIX
Piaget Vygotsky Erikson Kohlberg Bandura Bowlby
Physical
X X
Cognitive X X
X
Language
X
Emotional
X X
Moral
X X
Social X X
X x
Application to
the classroom
(required)
See slide 3 See slide 3 See slide 3 See slide 4 See slide 4 See slide 4

3. APPLICATION TO THE CLASSROOM
• Piaget: a student uses a glass liquid measuring cup to measure one cup of water, then
pours the cup into two half-cup measures; at this stage, students will begin to make
the connection that the same amount of water can be measured in two different ways.
• Vygotsky: a child might be shown pennies to represent each sound in a word (e.g.,
three pennies for the three sounds in “man”). To master this word, the child might be
asked to place a penny on the table to show each sound in a word, and finally the
child might identify the sounds without the pennies. When the adult provides the
child with pennies, the adult provides a scaffold to help the child move from assisted
to unassisted success at the task.
• Erikson: Provide models of exemplary work so students know what an excellent
project looks like and can compare their own work to the model. This will show them
how to incorporate academic success into their identities, essentially providing role
models for their work instead of their career goals.

4. APPLICATION TO THE CLASSROOM
• Kohlberg: Kohlberg’s six-stage model of moral development is an excellent tool
for understanding students at different stages of moral understanding. By
understanding this theory of moral development, teachers can help to guide the
moral characters of their students and help them to become the best that they
can be.
• Bandura: Social learning theory can be used to encourage and teach desirable
behaviors in the classroom using positive reinforcement and rewards.
• Bowlby: Examples of interventions include the use of emotion coaching (a way of
communicating during behavioral incidents), nurture groups and theraplay, a
form of family therapy designed to reinforce attachment between parents and
children.

5. DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES
• Piaget: His theory has 4 mayor stages that are concerned mainly with children's
cognitive or mental development. He believed that children at different ages
think differently: Sensi motor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal
operational.
• Vygotsky: He believed that children learn actively and through hands-on
experiences. His sociocultural theory also suggested that parents, caregivers,
peers and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher-order
functions.
• Erikson: He developed 8 specific stages of personality from birth to old age.
Personality develops continuously throughout the life cycle (infancy, 2-4yrs,
school age, adolescence, young adult, adulthood, aging).

6. DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES CONT.
• Kohlberg: he developed a theory based on how children develop morally. His
theory has 3 levels of moral development: preconventional, conventional, and
postconventional.
• Bandura: believed that the conditioning and reinforcement process could not
sufficiently explained all human learning.
• Bowlby: The theory suggested that children are born with an innate need to form
attachments. Such attachments aid in survival by ensuring that the child receives
care and protection. These attachments are characterized by clear behavioral and
motivational patterns.

7. ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENTS
• As a learning community, we agree to:
• We will respect our meeting start/end time.
• You will be encouraged to attend and participate
• Share your learning and experiences
• Maintain a focus on meeting students' needs both academically and emotionally
• Respect different experiences and truths

8. CHECK-IN
• Group 1: Go around the room and write under each theorist poster what is the
most important component of his theory.
• Group 2: Give an example on how each theory has been observed in your
classroom. ex. How the attachment theory was observed in a student in your
class.
• Group 3: Choose one of theories that you feel is undervalue and explain how can
we uplift it.

9. BENEFITS OF USING AND LEARNING THEORIES
(IN CLASS)
A teacher can:
• identify students' strengths and needs
• assist students thus difficult situations and get the le they need
• evaluate academic deficiencies and proper assessments to determine needs
• create specific strategies and techniques to apply these learning theories in their
classrooms
• focus on different learning styles to reach different students, creating teaching
that focuses directly on student needs and aptitudes.

10. BENEFITS OF USING AND LEARNING THEORIES
(EXAMPLES IN THE CLASSROOM)
• Behaviorism: This learning theory can be incorporated into the classroom in the following ways giving
rewards to children for good behavior (i.e. handing homework in on time, being polite an well mannered.)
Punishing children for bad behavior (i.e. being late for class, not handing in their homework.)
Reinforcements are proven to be an effective measure in the classroom. Children respond quite well to the
connotations that follow, whether they be positive or negative (Pritchard, 2014).
• Cognitivist: This learning theory can be incorporated into the classroom when children are learning how to
spell new words. As a teacher, you should first ask the students whether they have any idea how this word
is spelled. Many will come close to obtaining a correct answer. You can then give the children a list for
them to start practicing. To memorized the definitions of the words, break the bigger words into smaller
words and focus on the definition of the new word. For example, the word 'acquisition' can be broken
down into the smaller word 'acquire'. This uses the students' prior knowledge as it forces them to think
about smaller words that they already know the meaning of and then build onto that knowledge by
learning the new words. Finally, be sure to incorporate many visual aids such as charts and mind maps
around the classroom as these aid in the memorization process.

11. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT & HOW IT RELATES
TO THE CLASSROOM
• Social development: Play gives children a chance to practice different social skills.
They learn to acknowledge others’ feelings, play “nicely,” share, and resolve
conflict. As children get older, play becomes more interactive, further improving
their social skills and preparing them for more active social interactions inside and
outside the home.
• Cognitive development: Research has shown that an increase in physical activity
has a significant positive effect on cognition, especially for early elementary and
middle school students (Sibley, 2002). As a bonus, being physically fit as a child
may make you smarter for longer as you grow old. (Deary, 2006).

12. CASE STUDY: TONYA
At any given moment, in almost every classroom, at least one child is having difficulty with the demands of school. The struggling child may be delayed in academic skills or could be inattentive to classroom rules or be
rejected by peers. Mary Renck Jalongo remembers one little girl, Tonya, who faced each of these problems during her first-grade year (Jalongo, Isenberg, & Gerbracht, 1995).
Fortunately for Tonya, Mary was knowledgeable about children’s development. Mary realized that Tonya, like every child, had positive qualities and, with the right support, could surmount her challenges. To determine how
best to help Tonya, Mary considered Tonya’s age, abilities, and circumstances. Academically, Tonya was delayed. She had been retained in kindergarten and was not catching up with her peers. Physically, Tonya received
inadequate nutrition and was often hungry. Socially, Tonya had few friends. She had previously badgered classmates into giving her their snacks and prized possessions, and when they refused, she pilfered items from their
desks.
Mary knew that Tonya did not receive the loving attention she needed. Tonya’s mother was sick with lupus, then at a debilitating stage, and was not able to work or attend school functions. Mary’s principal was
unsympathetic and thought that harsh punishment—no recess for a month—was an appropriate response to Tonya’s thefts.
Mary understood that Tonya was able to grow, change, and help solve some of her own problems. When Mary asked Tonya why she took other children’s snacks, she answered simply that she was hungry. When asked if she
ate breakfast, Tonya replied that she had not because she needed to take care of her younger brother. After Mary invited her to think about possible solutions, Tonya volunteered that she and her brother might be able to
get breakfast at their aunt’s house. After their discussion, Tonya followed through with this solution, walking with her brother to their aunt’s house for an early morning meal.
Mary also realized that Tonya had the ability to repair relationships with her peers. After obtaining Tonya’s promise that she would stop taking other children’s things, Mary stood by Tonya’s side and announced to the class
that Tonya had agreed to stop taking her classmates’ belongings. Afterward, Tonya earned the acceptance of the other children and began to concentrate on her schoolwork. She caught up with peers and ultimately
blossomed into a healthy, well-adjusted young woman (M. R. Jalongo, personal communication, June 12, 2007). What knowledge of child development did Mary reveal in her support of Tonya? What kind of impact did Mary
Jalongo have on Tonya’s life? Mary realized that Tonya could grow and change if given sensitive, loving care. By encouraging Tonya and her brother to eat breakfast with their aunt, Mary helped fulfill Tonya’s physical needs
and paved the way for closer ties to extended family. By repairing Tonya’s damaged reputation with her peers, Mary helped Tonya earn their acceptance. Feeling comfortable physically and secure emotionally, Tonya became
better prepared to tackle academic tasks and develop a healthy sense of who she was and how she fit into the world around her. Thanks, in part, to Mary’s thoughtful intercession, Tonya would ultimately thrive.
We know that you, too, want to educate children in the most effective ways possible. Our primary goal with this book is to help you support the healthy development of all children in your care. We pursue this goal with two
approaches. First, we ask you to learn how children think, feel, and act at various ages. Becoming sensitive to children’s age-related characteristics is an important part of your preparation as a skilled educator. Second, we ask
you to apply what you learn about child development to help all children succeed. We do so by explaining and showing you practical techniques for nurturing children.

13. STUDENT LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR: TONYA
RELATIONSHIP OF SELF-CONCEPT
• Tonya was retained in kinder due to her
academic delays
• Her physical needs were not met due to
mothers' sickness
• She reflects on the situation and offers a
solution (go to their aunt's house for
breakfast)
• After her physical needs were met, she was
able to concentrate on schoolwork
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
• She had a sense of responsibility of
her brother
• She harassed and stole from peers
• Few friends
• She stole because of hunger
• She earns acceptance from peers after she
repairs relationships
• Feel comfortable physical and emotionally

14. HOW CAN WE IMPROVE LEARNING AND
BEHAVIORS?
• As presented in the case study, teachers play an important role in identifying
student needs and working with them and their families to improve students'
outcomes.
• We can improve behaviors by developing and restoring
relationships, giving students a safe space to express their voice and advocate for
themselves.
• When we know what works for them, we can give them a chance and tools to
demonstrate growth and learning.

15. ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY
Developmental Theories Jamboard

16. HOW CAN TEACHERS INTEGRATE AND INCORPORATE
GROWING AND LEARNING THEORIES?
• Teachers can integrate and incorporate growing and learning theories in many
ways. Teachers can incorporate lessons and activities through Morning Meetings,
Community Circles, and Restorative Practice. Lessons can also be modified for
different learning styles and levels. When teachers make plans for reading and
math small groups, they must be aware of what is developmentally appropriate,
academically, socially, and emotionally. Materials and manipulatives must be
connected to lessons, standards, and what students are capable and can achieve
with the proper stimuli.

17. CLOSING ACTIVITY
Poster Instructions:
You will be randomly assigned a child development theorist. The name of my
theorist is ___________________________________ Use the information given previously to
research your theorist to discover his/her theory, impacts, and contributions to child
development.
You will create an acrostic poem using the first and last name of your theorist. For
each letter you will write a full sentence about one of the following (in your own
words): the theorist’s life the theory and/or impact of theory on child
development

18. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR WONDERINGS

19. REFERENCES
• Deary, I., Whalley, L., et al. (2006). Physical fitness and lifetime cognitive change. Neurology, 67, 1195-1200.
• Sibley, B., & Etnier, J. (2002). The effects of physical activity on cognition in children: A meta analysis. Medical Science
of Sports and Exercise, 4(5), 214.
• McDevitt, T. M. & Ormrod, J. E. (2019). Child development and education (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education,
Inc.
• McLeod, Saul (2013). Kohlberg's Theory of Moral
Development. https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html#:~:text=Kohlberg%20suggested%20that%20people
%20move,preconventional%2C%20conventional%2C%20and%20postconventional
• Ackerman, Courtney E. (2018). What is Attachment Theory? Bowlby’s 4 Stages Explained.
https://positivepsychology.com/attachment-theory/
• CHILD DEVELOPMENTPhysical Development. (n.d.). https://www.firstdiscoverers.co.uk/the-science-of-childcare-
physical-development/
• Cherry, Kendra (2020). Child Development Theories and Examples. https://www.verywellmind.com/child-
development-theories-
2795068#:~:text=Piaget's%20Cognitive%20Developmental%20Theory&text=Theorist%20Jean%20Piaget%20propose
d%20one,influential%20theories%20of%20cognitive%20development.&text=His%20cognitive%20theory%20seeks%2
0to,thought%20processes%20and%20mental%20states
• Child Development Theorists. (n.d.). chrome-
extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.uen.org/cte/family/child_development/downloads/respo
nsibilities/child-development-theorists.pdf