Developmental theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Developmental theories - Essay Example Each of the stages of development in Erikson's theory is a "sensitive phase" that represents the optimum time period within which to resolve a crisis (Slater & Bremner, 2003). Whether the resolution is positive or negative, the results function as the foundation of the next crisis period (Slater & Bremner, 2003). Middle childhood, was also termed the Latency stage by Erikson and occurred during the ages of 6-11 years (Slater & Bremner, 2003). The beginning of this period paralleled the concrete operational stage of cognitive development of Jean Piaget's (1952), where the child begins to conceptualise more systematically, can consider several factors of a situation at once (decentration), begins to classify and categorize, and can perform conservation (as cited in Austrian, 2002). The child must resolve the socio-emotional conflict of inferiority vs. accomplishment (Slater & Bremner, 2003). Children at this time are encouraged to work together on tasks and so the child compares their ability to create and achieve goals with the achievements met by their peers (Austrian, 2002). The significant others at this time, according to Erikson, will be peers at school and in their neighbourhood (Slater & Bremner, 2003). However, their social sphere in general is extending beyond their parents and famil y, to incorporate teachers and other members of the community with whom they are coming into more contact with (Slater & Bremner, 2003). As such, all these social beings contribute to the socio-emotional growth of the child (Slater & Bremner, 2003). Systematic instruction is required for the child during the latency stage, with the direct involvement of relevant role models critical to the child's development of a sense of industry (Coughlan & Welsh-Breetzke, 2002). Lev Vygotsky (1978) also emphasised the critical need for social interaction for development, although his theory focused on the social process of learning for cognitive development (as cited in Austrian, 2002). According to moral theory of Lawrence Kholberg (1970), middle childhood is a time of progressing from the stages of preconventional to conventional morality (as cited in Austrian, 2002). Hence, the opinions of social others become more important and the child's behaviour conforms to meet social norms (Austrian, 2 002).Erikson viewed the latency period as a developmental period where the child must learn to tame their imagination, and orient themselves towards learning the social norms of their culture, and of learning the educational requirements for their age (Slater & Bremner, 2003). The child continues to develop their sense of autonomy and independence as initiated in the

Can Teaching The Key Ideas Of Object Orientation Be Aided By Using Dissertation

Can Teaching The Key Ideas Of Object Orientation Be Aided By Using Visual Representations - Dissertation Example Object oriented programming, however, remains an outstanding anomaly when it comes to teaching the concepts and the comprehension thereof. Much as it is difficult to introduce object oriented programming to novice, it also remains a nightmare to experienced procedural programmers to grasp the anthropomorphic perspective necessary for object-oriented design. Below are some of the shortcomings encountered when introducing (OOP) to a novice Paradigm shift. According to Schoenfeld et al. (1993) replacing one idea with another is not a simple task. Why then is OOP difficult for learners to comprehend Well to be able to answer this question perhaps we need to turn around, and view this menace from this spectrum; when should object-oriented programming be taught Due to the fact that Object oriented programming was considered as an advanced subject that was taught late in the curriculum, this must have dealt a mega psychological blow upon the minds of the learners. This is slowly changing: more Universities have started to teach object-orientation in their first programming course. The main reason for doing this is the often-cited problem of the paradigm shift. Learning to program in an object-oriented style seems to be very difficult after being used to a procedural style. (Anecdotal evidence, 1999 indicates that it takes the average programmer 6 to 18 months to switch her mind-set from a procedural to an object-oriented view of the world. ) Experience, on the other hand, also shows that students do not seem to have any difficulty-understanding object oriented principles when they encounter them for the first time. Global Regression. It is the switch... Paradigm shift. According to Schoenfeld et al. (1993) replacing one idea with another is not a simple task. Why then is OOP difficult for learners to comprehend Well to be able to answer this question perhaps we need to turn around, and view this menace from this spectrum; when should object-oriented programming be taught Due to the fact that Object oriented programming was considered as an advanced subject that was taught late in the curriculum, this must have dealt a mega psychological blow upon the minds of the learners. This is slowly changing: more Universities have started to teach object-orientation in their first programming course. The main reason for doing this is the often-cited problem of the paradigm shift. Learning to program in an object-oriented style seems to be very difficult after being used to a procedural style. (Anecdotal evidence, 1999 indicates that it takes the average programmer 6 to 18 months to switch her mind-set from a procedural to an object-oriented view of the world. ) Experience, on the other hand, also shows that students do not seem to have any difficulty-understanding object oriented principles when they encounter them for the first time. Global Regression. It is the switch that is difficult, not object-orientation, for instance getting the learner to give up the global knowledge of control that is possible with procedural programs, and rely on the local knowledge of objects to accomplish their tasks. Novice designs are littered with regressions to global thinking: