Development is Unique!

Hi again! 

I found this cluster to be very thought provoking. All the information I have learned before due to my psychology background for my undergraduate degree but there was still new information. I would define development as the overall changes that occur in living things during their lifespan. Development occurs in different ways. It can be psychological, physical, cognitive and social. Development occurs at different rates. An example is there are two babies who were raised in the same home but one can start walking before the other. Development can also be effected by environmental factors, such as if a child catches an infectious disease and it effects their brain development. Maturation refers to changes that occur naturally and genetically programmed. Physical development falls under maturation because it is already programmed how tall you will grow. All in all this cluster made me think of things differently. All the previous knowledge I had made it easier to understand the material but I was also able to learn new facts too. 
          
I am hoping to be able to work with children in the middle childhood range. I am currently working in a preschool so I am dealing with children in the early childhood range on a daily basis. From the relate portion of Cluster 2, I chose to focus on Piaget's Cognitive development in children from these ranges because I am currently working with preschoolers but need to know about the cognitive development of the students I will hopefully be working with in the future. 

Early childhood, according to Piaget, is in the pre-operational stage of development. The children in this stage are from two years to about seven years old. During this stage there is a lot developing, physically, socially and cognitively. Children in this stage are using language with more accuracy. "It is very difficult for the child to think backwards or imagine how to reverse the steps in a task" (Woolfolk, 2014, p. 52). The child also egocentric so they think everyone in their life feels and thinks the same as them. They are unable to realize that everyone has different perceptions and feelings. 

Middle childhood, according to Piaget, is the concrete operational stage of development. This stage is the "hands on thinking stage" (Woolfolk, 2014, p. 52). The children are able to identify, compensate, classify and reverse during this stage. Learning become more of an interactive experience for the students because they have a deeper understanding of the topics and are able to manipulate the materials in front of them. 

Both stages are important in the cognitive development of children. If the child does not master the pre-operational stage they will be unable to understand the operational stage tasks. This is why it is important to develop teacher-student relationships so you are aware of all your students strengths and weaknesses.