Applying Theories to Children

Applying Theories to Children

  • Submitted By: takillya
  • Date Submitted: 02/24/2014 6:57 AM
  • Category: English
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Applying Theories to Children’s Literature
Tekeyla Pennington
Eng/290
December 16, 2013
Crystal Sands

Applying Theories to Children’s Literature
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a classic when referring to Children’s Literature; old and new. This book show cases imagination, problem solving, self-efficiency, and creativity in one book. It has griped many generations of young minds and supported many parents in fostering their children’s imaginations.
The books Didactica Magna (1649) written by Johann Amos Comenius and Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) written by John Locke, people who observe children have been occupied with attempting to understand, document, and comment on what it is and what it means to be a child. Throughout history, theorists have been fascinated with the distinctive character of human development, unique as compared with other mammals in having evolved a lengthy period of dependency known as childhood. We all know what the definition of childhood is, but what is it for?
There have been two theories that have tried to answer this question. One argues that childhood is a characteristic of human evolution designed to ensure the survival and development of the species. The other suggests that the state of childhood or how childhood is viewed is significant in itself as an indicator of the evolution or development of societies and cultures toward notions of civility or modernity. The former, which encompasses the biosocial and evolutionary approaches, describes childhood as a stage of growth and development, that is unique when compared with other mammals; having a lengthy period of dependency known as childhood.
Parents, educators, and others must learn the importance of knowing and the understanding the basic developmental changes children experience in order to see how the changes affect children’s reading habits and preferences. There are four theorist that stand out among the rest. According to David Russell (2009),...

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