belsky4e_ch102

Appendix B

B-1

Making Links Between Experiencing the Lifespan 4e and the NAEYC Standards

The following table provides an at-a-glance correlation between this textbook and the 2010 NAEYC Standards for Initial and Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Key Elements of the NAEYC’s Initial Standards are preceded by “(I)” and Key Elements of the NAEYC’s Advanced Standards are preceded by “(A)”: in cases in which a standard is the same for both of the NAEYC’s Initial and Advanced programs, the standard is preceded by “(I and A).”

As might be expected for a textbook containing many chapters related to child development, the strongest correlations are with Standard 1 (Promoting Child Development and Learning) and Standard 2 (Building Family and Community Relationships), which relate primarily to knowledge that an early-childhood education candidate is required to master. There are also appropriate correlations between pertinent sections of the text and Key Elements 3a and 3b of Standard 3 (Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families) and Key Elements 4a and 4b of Standard 4 (Using Developmentally Effective Approaches), although these standards relate more directly to the practical application of knowledge than to its acquisition.

Standard 3 (Key Elements 3c and 3d), Standard 4 (Key Elements 4c and 4d), Standard 5 (Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum), Standard 6 (Becoming a Professional), and Standard 7 (Early Childhood Field Experiences) relate to the early-childhood-education candidate’s proficiency in applying knowledge and strategies and are, therefore, beyond the scope of a textbook.

The NAEYC Standards were developed for educators of children up to 8 years of age. The correlations noted below apply to this age group and up through pre-puberty, around age 11.

Standard 1—The purpose of this standard is to articulate factors that promote development and learning in children up to the age of 8.

Key Elements of Standard 1

There are three Key Elements of Standard 1:

APP1a (I and A): An early-childhood educator should have knowledge and appreciation of the characteristics that are common to young children, as well as a solid grounding in the needs of children in this age group.

1b (I and A): An early-childhood educator should have knowledge and appreciation of the many diverse factors that influence children’s early development and ability to learn.

B-2

1c (I and A): An early-childhood educator should apply what she or he learns about development and learning in young children to ensure that the learning environments that they create embody and promote health and respect, as well as provide ongoing support and appropriate challenge for students.

ALL AGES

Chapter 1

Discusses factors that create a context for children’s development and learning, including those of cohort (pp. 5–6), socioeconomic status (p. 9), the impact of culture and ethnicity (p. 10), and the impact of gender (pp. 10–11).
Covers major lifespan theories of development, including behaviorism, psychoanalytic theory, and attachment theory (pp. 12–16).
Describes Erik Erikson’s age-linked psychosocial stages (p. 20), as well as Piaget’s cognitive development theory (pp. 20–21).
Describes new theories and contributions from evolutionary psychology (p. 16), behavioral genetics (including epigenetics) (pp. 16–20), and the developmental systems perspective (pp. 22–24).
Presents an illustration of how true experiments in research work, related to the effects of nurture on school children (pp. 26–27).

Chapter 2

Describes the impact of prenatal stress on the developing child, focusing on the field of fetal programming research (pp. 50–51).

AGES BIRTH TO 2

Chapter 2

Covers threats to a developing baby, including those from teratogens, as well as lifespan consequences of teratogen exposure (pp. 46–50).
Covers chromosomal and genetic disorders, including Down syndrome (pp. 51–55).

Chapter 3

Covers brain growth, including neural pruning and brain plasticity in infants (pp. 74–76).
Discusses the benefits of breast-feeding and the importance of nutrition, especially during infancy (pp. 78–80).
Describes the experience and ramifications of malnutrition during infancy (pp. 79–80).
Describes patterns of infant crying (pp. 80–81) and sleeping (pp. 82–84).
Covers sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (pp. 86–87).
Covers seeing and hearing in newborns (pp. 88–90).
Covers physical development in body size (p. 90), as well as motor milestones (pp. 91–92) during infancy.
Discusses cognition from the perspective of Piaget’s sensorimotor stages (pp. 93–97), and includes critiques of Piaget’s theory (pp. 97–98).
Discusses social cognition in infants (pp. 98–99).
Describes theories of language acquisition (pp. 99–100), as well as exploring language milestones during infancy (pp. 100–102) and infant-directed speech (IDS) (pp. 102–103).

B-3

Chapter 4

Covers socioemotional development in infants in the context of the attachment process between infant and parent/caregiver (pp. 108–109).
Presents milestones in socioemotional development, including the social smile, separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, social referencing, and attaining a working model/internal representation of the number one person in an infant’s life (pp. 109–110).
Describes various attachment styles established during infancy, along with a discussion of synchrony (pp. 111–112) and temperament (pp. 112–113).
Explores infant attachment as a predictor of later mental health, including through the lens of epigenetics (pp. 115–116).
Discusses early-life deprivation and its long-term effects on a person (p. 116).
Covers the impact of poverty and food insecurity on infant/child development in the United States (pp. 118–120).
Reviews Erikson’s psychosocial stage, in which toddlers experience autonomy versus shame and doubt (pp. 124–125).
Discusses the challenge of socialization for 2-year-olds (pp. 125–127).
Describes ways to provide an optimal temperament-socialization fit for toddlers (pp. 127–129).

AGES 2 TO 6

Chapter 4

Discusses the role of child care in development (pp. 121–122).
Covers the impact of poverty and food insecurity on infant/child development in the United States (pp. 118–120).

AGES 6 TO 11

Chapter 5

Describes brain development during childhood (pp. 136–137).
Describes milestones in physical development during childhood (pp. 137–139).
Covers threats to growth and motor skills (p. 139).
Explores childhood obesity and limiting overweight in children, including the latest research on epigenetics (pp. 137–147).
Discusses Piaget’s preoperational and concrete stages of cognitive development, including the principles of conservation, reversibility, centering, decentering, and class inclusion (pp. 142–148).
Describes Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, including the ideas of the zone of proximal development and scaffolding as a teaching/learning method (pp. 149–150).
Discusses the information-processing perspective and memory in childhood (pp. 151–153).
Covers attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood, as well as interventions for this condition. (pp. 154–156).
Describes a child’s language pathway, including the challenges of phonemes, morphemes, syntax, semantics, and early language mistakes such as overregularization, and/or over/underextension (pp. 157–158).
Discusses social cognitive skills in children—in particular, theory of mind and autobiographical memory (pp. 159–162).
B-4

Discusses the relationship between being bilingual and early achievement of theory of mind (p. 162).
Covers autism spectrum disorders, as well as some interventions for these conditions (pp. 162–164).

Chapter 6

Explores the development of the self and personality, including Erikson’s early childhood psychosocial stages of initiative versus guilt and elementary school stages of industry versus inferiority (pp. 170–172).
Explores self-esteem and self-esteem distortions, along with emotion regulation challenges and/or childhood externalizing or internalizing problems (pp. 172–175).
Covers the development of prosocial behavior in childhood (pp. 175–178).
Discusses aggressive behavior in children (pp. 179–182).
Explores the importance of play and how it helps children develop social bonds (pp. 182–185).
Explores play by gender, including gender-stereotyped play (pp. 186–187).
Discusses the importance and value of children’s friendships (pp. 188–189).
Covers popularity among school children (pp. 189–191).
Explores the traits of children rejected by their peers (p. 191) and how rejected children may be helped (pp. 193–194).
Covers bullies and bully-victims (p. 192), as well as cyberbullying (p. 193).

Chapter 7

Covers the effects of parenting styles on children (pp. 201–203).
Discusses resilient children (pp. 203–204).
Covers the effects of corporal punishment on children (pp. 206–207).
Discusses child abuse (pp. 207–209).
Explores the effects of divorce on children, using research that includes subjects from various nations (pp. 209–211).
Covers intelligence and IQ tests (pp. 212–215), as well as the meaning of intelligence test scores (pp. 216–217).
Discusses dyslexia (p. 216).
Covers broad views of intelligence, including Sternberg’s successful intelligence framework (pp. 217–219), Gardner’s perspective on multiple intelligences (pp. 219–220), and evaluates both perspectives (p. 219).
Discusses intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in schoolchildren (pp. 220–223).

Standard 2—The purpose of this standard is to outline factors that help an early-childhood educator to foster positive relationships within and between families and communities.

Key Elements of Standard 2

There are three Key Elements of Standard 2:

2a (I and A): An early-childhood educator should have knowledge and appreciation of the many factors that contribute to family and community dynamics.

B-5

2b (I and A): An early-childhood educator should foster relationships of respect and mutuality within and between families and communities through support and active engagement.

3c (I): An early-childhood educator should foster the development and education of young children by promoting family and community involvement.

The importance of establishing and nurturing ties between the family and community is evident throughout the text. Specific examples include the following:

Chapter 1

Presents Bronfenbrenner’s developmental systems perspective—an all encompassing outlook on development stressing that there are places that form the core of a child’s daily life, such as family, religious institutions, peers, and schools; there also are broad influences of cohort, culture, and the economic and social conditions of a child’s community or society (pp. 22–24).

Chapter 2

Describes how support during pregnancy makes excellent psychological sense for both the parent(s) and the child (pp. 44–45).

Chapter 3

Points out U.S. nutrition-related entitlement programs, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), and CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) (pp. 80–81).
Reviews research and public education meant to save children’s lives, especially from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

Chapter 4

Describes how early relationships help infants develop a working model, or set of assumptions about how the world operates, that becomes a frame of reference in later life.
Covers early life deprivations in terms of the dose-response effect that results when children spend time in institutions, as well as developmental findings on human resilience and brain plasticity (p. 116).
Discusses U.S. programs providing disadvantaged children an intellectual and social boost, including Early Head Start and Head Start, as well as the exposure of children, starting at age 3, to preschool settings (pp. 120–123).

Chapter 5

Discusses policies to help limit overweight in children (p. 140).
Describes social interaction between children and their communities and/or schools through Vygotsky’s principles of the zone of proximal development and scaffolding (p. 149), as well as techniques that help teachers become effective scaffolders (p. 150).
Discusses services that children with autism spectrum disorders might receive from professionals while parents of these children also receive educational training and schools develop strategies to help these children (p. 163).

Chapter 6

Discusses play on playgrounds as a source for analyzing children’s play (pp. 185–186).
Describes how children choose friends in elementary school (p. 188).
Discusses popularity as well as social goals and peer preferences among elementary school children (pp. 189–191).

B-6

Standard 3—The purpose of Standard 3 is to articulate the knowledge that an early-childhood educator needs in order to ensure appropriate assessment of students.

Key Elements of Standard 3

There are two Key Elements of Standard 3:

3a (I and A): An early-childhood educator should appreciate what assessment seeks to achieve, why it is beneficial, and how it can best be utilized. This applies equally in establishing desired outcomes, developing sound curricula, and utilizing appropriate strategies in the education of young children.

3b (I): An early-childhood educator should appreciate the usefulness of developing relationships with families and colleagues that focus on assessing a child’s learning and development because doing so promotes optimal learning environments.

The importance of attention to a child’s development in all three domains is evident throughout the text. Specific examples include the following content in Chapters 5 through 7.

Chapter 5

Discusses findings that suggest that young children might be well served to learn how to reproduce images as well as to count numbers or sound out words phonetically (p. 138).
Presents ways in which Piaget’s ideas about cognitive development may be implemented in schools as well as at home (pp. 147–148).
Presents ways in which information-processing theory may be implemented in schools as well as at home (p. 153).
Discusses services that children with autism spectrum disorders might receive from professionals while parents of these children also receive educational training and schools develop strategies to help these children (p. 163).

Chapter 6

Discusses whether fantasy play is vital to the development of social and intellectual skills in school children (p. 185).
Discusses school programs to prevent bullying, including Olweus Bully Prevention Program (OBPP) (pp. 193–194).

Chapter 7

Discusses the dilemma that teachers and schools face in reporting child abuse. (p. 209).
Examines some qualities of successful schools (pp. 220–223).
Discusses the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on school performance, along with potential lessons for teachers (pp. 221–223).
Discusses the introduction of the Common Core State Standards on U.S. schools (pp. 223–224).

Standard 4—The purpose of Standard 4 is to outline factors that promote teaching approaches that are appropriate to a child’s stage of development

Key Elements of Standard 4

There are two Key Elements of Standard 4:

4a (I and A): An early-childhood educator should appreciate that their work should be based on development of good relationships with their students and interactions with them that are respectful and supportive.

4b (I and A): An early-childhood educator should be aware of and know how to utilize teaching strategies that are appropriate and effective for the developmental stage of their students, and they should be able to use available educational tools, including technological tools, in their teaching.

The positive influence of warm, nurturing relationships and the negative influence of stressful relationships on every aspect of children’s development are discussed throughout the text. Chapter 5 examples include the following:

Chapter 5

Describes the importance of teaching in promoting cognitive growth, including cultural differences (pp. 148–149).
Discusses Vygotsky’s theory of cognition, including the zone of proximal development and spells out techniques that help teachers become effective scaffolders (pp. 149–150).