Activity 1.3 | Critically Examining Theoretical Influences

Critically Examining Theoretical Influences

“Generally, taken-for-granted practices in early childhood education, such as following a very structured schedule or providing materials based only on children’s age, are rooted in developmental psychology and normative, universal understandings of children. Developmental ways of doing early childhood education put forward a particular child subject and perniciously define who the child should be and what they are capable of” 

- Early Childhood Pedagogy Network (n.d.).

Developmentalism is a good example of an inherited theory and practice model that has been the foundation of Early Childhood Education for decades. It is important to continue to question practices, theories and knowledge to ensure that they still align with research based best practices. Practices in early learning settings have largely been influenced by Developmentalism, which has led to a strong orientation towards developmentally appropriate practices. When we orient ourselves towards a way of thinking for so long, we sometimes forget to question the practices that have evolved from it.  

“Many scholars and educators are challenging the dominance of developmental theories and argue that the values and assumptions embedded in them arose from particular social and political contexts. Child development theories privilege certain voices, knowledges, and understandings by suggesting universal ways of thinking about children, educators, and communities, while other perspectives are marginalized or silenced"

- Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. (2015, p. 24). 

"By critically reflecting on the assumptions embedded in developmental theories, educators can explore different theories and different perspectives” (Early Learning Framework, 2019, p11). 

Read this short article from the Early Childhood Pedagogies Collaboratory, which offers an opportunity to question developmentalism and how it can limit our practice with young children.

References

Reflect

Consider the following questions and capture your thoughts in your journal:

• What in the article supported you in thinking beyond developmentalism?
• In what ways might adhering to “developmentally appropriate practice” limit our practice with young children?
• How might you apply the ideas in this article in your role in the field of ECE?