Running head: YOUNGMAN DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT !

Development Statement

Anita Youngman

Dr. Katy Spangler & Dr. Beth Hartley

University of Alaska Southeast

ED 698

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Development Statement

It is human nature to explore relevant and interesting things around us. Our curiosities

and needs are what motivates us to learn and are dependent on our developmental readiness. In

this example of an ideal classroom structure, student buy-in is connected to student interest and

reinforced by teacher navigation. The environment as described is constructed by understanding

student backgrounds and schemas, along with a collaborative learning environment between the

students and the teacher. This paper on classroom ideals considers viable options for the large

developmental gaps that students entering Kindergarten bring when they enter school. By using

a combination of behaviorist and constructivist theories, developmental gaps begin to diminish.

It is important that teachers know, understand and use the major concepts, principles,

theories and research related to development of children and young adolescents to construct

learning opportunities that support individual students’ development, acquisition of knowledge

and motivation. Teaching Kindergarten has extraordinary circumstances associated with huge

developmental gaps in student abilities in the classroom. According to Piaget (1964) and his

theory, stages of cognitive development, Kindergarten students are developmentally at the pre-

operational stage. Although the age range for this developmental period is a couple years,

student abilities can vary greatly in preparedness to read, write and perform higher thinking

when entering Kindergarten. Through trial, error, collaboration and time I’ve learned that the

combination of a constructivist environment and behaviorist foundations meet most student

needs to achieve a high level of learning in Kindergarten.

As a teacher I must act as the bridge that pilots students from what they are able to do,

and what they can learn to do. According to Vygotsky and his theory, zone of proximal
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development, (1987) “what lies in the zone of proximal development at one stage is realized and

moves to the level of actual development at a second. In other words, what the child is able to do

in collaboration today he will be able to do independently tomorrow.” (p. 211) In my classroom,

this gradual release of responsibility can be effected by student developmental readiness. I

regularly intervene and provide more guided practice and differentiation for students who need to

extra attention to meet standards. Having small group centers for language arts, allows me to

meet and differentiate and use interventions based on student needs.

The gap in student abilities based on developmental readiness, and expectations to meet

common core standards creates a setting that favors including behaviorist strategies. Some

students because of their developmental or environmental preparedness need more rigorous

means of accomplishing learning. Including the behaviorist theory of operant conditioning has

been quite useful in holding student attentions through the more mundane foundations of

learning, such as drills in phonics, math, etc. Gussow notes, “Fundamentally, operant

conditioning is based on the quite general notion that behavior is shaped and maintained by its

consequences, that is, that any individual comes to behave as he does in a given circumstance

because the consequences of that behavior are rewarding (reinforcing) for him, or, alternatively,

because the consequences of other kinds of behaviors are punishing.” (p. 2) I use this theory

and method to make monotonous routine rewarding and motivating.

Although I use behaviorist strategies, the underlying philosophy requires constructivist

ideals. Constructivist methods promote student ownership of their education. Atwell states

(1998), “We make the best of adolescence when we make the classroom the best context we can

for the mercurial minds at work and play there” (p. 85) It is easy to excite Kindergarten students
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with a little enthusiasm and props. So much is new to these students and the hunger for

knowledge is there. A teachers job is easiest under these conditions, when students themselves

look to gain knowledge based on interests, whether it be teacher directed or students created.

The combination of constructivist values and goals along side behaviorist strategies,

strengthens the ability to reach students in my Kindergarten classroom. This merger can

facilitate a level playing field for students from diverse backgrounds and developmental stages to

succeed in the classroom.


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References

Atwell, N. (1998). In the middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading and

Learning. (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Fisher, D., Frey, N. (2008). Giving students ownership of learning. Educational , Vol.

66 (issue 3), 5 pages.

Gussow, J. (1966). The experimental analysis of behavior in the education of socially

disadvantaged children and youth. West Point Farms, NY

Piaget, J. (1964). Part I: Cognitive development in children: Piaget development and learning.

Journal of research in science teaching, 2(3), 176-186.

Vygotsky,L.S.(1987).Thinkingandspech.InL.S.Vygotsky,Qolected_itate(vol.1,p.

39-285).NewYork,NY:Plenum