How to write a report - theories and theorists?
 

Hello,

I'm doing a level 3 diploma and have just been given assignment 023.

This is the first time I have undertaken any child care training and am struggling a bit to know what is expected.

I have to write a report showing i understand the differing theories of development and identify how these theories have influenced current practice including:

Cognitive
Psychoanalytical
Humanist
Social learning
Operant conditioning
Behaviourist
Social pedagogy

I can find the information but I'm not sure how to lay it out in a report, having never produced one before.

Does anyone have an example i could see or any suggestions, many thanks.

Cognitive

Vygotsky
Vygotsky like piaget posited children learn from hand on experiences. However unlike piaget he claimed that timely and sensitive invention by adults when children are learning a new task (zone of proximal development) could help children to learn new tasks. Vygotsky also stressed the importance of social interaction he felt other children can guide each other’s development as well as adults. Vygotsky also thought that children needed to be active in their own learning and that play is important for holistic learning.

Humanist
Maslow hierarchy of needs need to be met for a child to reach full potential take anything away from that and child might never reach their potential. This is taken into account daily with the child centred care and holistic approach to child care and well being. Practitioners need to look at the environmental factors such as warmth, food clothes as well as the psychological needs like promoting self esteem, and love.

Bandura
Showed that children learnt through copying and observing, this can be applied today as if an early years worker with demonstrates an activity the child can learn to do it through copying. Or if a child has a good role model then they are likely to copy the behaviour. But if they see bad behaviour then they will copy the bad behaviour.

Skinner
Skinners operant conditioning negative and positive reinforcement, this theory can be applied though stickers praise and reward for good behaviour and through disapproval, time out and ignoring unwanted behaviour.

Freud
Freud’s work may not be proven but Freud’s work with unconscious actions and peoples mind skills are still used like when a child tells a lie they smile or put their hand over their mouths as if to stop the lie.

Bowlby
Worked on attachment theories which are used in the day to day practice in education and social care at all stages they are given key workers who they build strong attachments to this helps children make transitions in their lives and to be able to make lasting friendships.

Social pedagogy
Is a practice concerned with human beings learning, well being and inclusion to society treating children in a child centred way and a holistic way making sure that every child’s needs are met especially those who are in need. These are what my setting bases there approach to child care on.

hope theis helps

have a look on http://www.businessballs.com/writing.htm to see how to lay out a report but your tutor should be advising you. if you haven't done childcare before you should really start at level 2 where you will learn all the theorists etc.

Thanks Tina, that's great :smile:

All i did for mine was go done the list starting with cognitive and typed up the theories and did that for all of them, and then after i typed about an a4 page on how this is used in current settings.

This may help with laying out report and how letter / memo formats differ:

Click to enlarge


Screenshot taken from the Keyskills trainer resource

write report