Laser Lessons - Lesson

Understand the factors that influence children and young people's development and how these affect practice

Although written for those working as HLTAs, this video from Guide Education is about ‘Supporting child development theories and frameworks’. Thinking about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, how might growing up in poverty affect a child’s development?

Table of Contents

Click on the link to read 'What is schema play?: Examples of schemas in play and how they support development' from the Day Nurseries website. Included in this article are links to find out more about Montessori, Reggio Emilia, the Curiosity Approach and Heuristic Play.
Try to obtain and read a copy of ‘How Children Learn: From Montessori to Vygotsky – Educational Theories & Approaches Made Easy’ by Linda Pound & Kathy Hughes.N.B. You should be able to find a copy at your local library service.
This section of the Very Well Mind website looks at ‘What is attachment theory?’. Read the article and make notes on how attachment and lack of attachment would impact on development.
'Major Perspectives in Modern Psychology' on the Very Well Mind website covers a number of different perspective. Read the article and follow the links to read more about the individuals involved.
Conduct your own research into the work of modern psychologists Sir Michael Rutter and Colin Blakemore. What do you think of their views? Do you think that ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’ is the most dominant factor in a child’s development? Give examples and use observations to support your views.
Click to read ‘Health and early years, children and young people: a GCPH synthesis’ by Sara Dodds for Glasgow Centre for Population Health. This report looks at ‘Family and parent environment’, ‘Learning environment’, ‘Neighbourhood environment’, ‘Socioeconomic context’ and their influence on childhood development.
Public Health Scotland includes in its ‘Child poverty overview’ a section on the ‘Impact of child poverty’.
Read through the ‘Executive summary’ to find out more about ‘Family stressors and children’s outcomes’ from the Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre.

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