Tutor profile: Chastine B.

What are the five stages of early childhood development? Give an explantation of each stage.

The five stages of early child development includes; cognitive development, fine motor skill development, gross motor skill development, social/emotional development and speech development. Cognitive development is the child's ability to solve problems. When a child uses their fine motor skills they are using the small muscles in their hands to pick up objects. Gross motor skills uses big muscles such as being able to sit up on their own. Social/emotional includes a child's ability to interact with others. Speech development focusses on the child's ability to use and understand language correctly.

Describe in your own words Vygotsky's theory of language development.

Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who came up with the Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development. This theory of language development focusses on the social aspect of learning. Children from the time they are babies have begun learning. Vygotsky believed there is so much that could be learned from simple social interactions. He came up with something called the Zone of Proximal Development. This is described as what a child can potentially learn to that of what they actually learn.

Do you believe that standardized testing is a true way to determine whether a student has mastered a concept? Give 3 reasons to support your answer.

I believe that standardized testing is not the most effective way is determining whether a student has mastered a particular subject area. They have a this saying "teaching to test" which I believe is what standardized testing does. It limits the creative/fun aspect of teaching. Teaching is so much more than a test. Standardized testing also created unnecessary pressure on students. Some students may understand a concept fully but when it comes to the test they freeze. Standardized testing is one form of seeing where students stand, but there is so many other forms of assessment that could be used. Standardized testing is simply testing memorization. Students are not able to think outside the box. Passing a standardized test should not determine your future. It doesn't teach you problem solving, real world problems, and communication. Those are just a few skills I believe you need to be successful in life.