Mandy Griffin Assignment 2

Toys and apps for children has become a multi-million-dollar industry and the

major selling point is being able to label the product as educational. To be

considered educational it must intend to educate, instruct, or inform an individual.

With the advancement of technology, we now have access to over 80,000 apps via

iTunes and Google Play stores. This large number of apps makes it very hard for

parents to know which ones are most educational and worth buying for their little

ones.

One app/website I find very educational for children ages 3-6 years old is

Starfall. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for

children. It is a phonics-based site that offers a fantastic learn-to-read method

based on numerous studies and educational research. Through the site/app children

are able to practice letter sounds, word recognition, and reading comprehension

through books, songs, rhymes and other games. When reading a storybook online,

the program reads it back to them, sounding everything out like new readers would

do. This site/app also offers numerous resources for parents and educators and best

of all it is free.
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The first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development was Jean

Piaget. He believed that children go through 4 stages of cognitive development. It is through a

childs cognitive development that they construct a mental model of the world around them. This
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development is biologically based and changes as the child matures. He believes each child goes

through the stages in the same order although their rate may be different. According to Piaget,

during the age range of 2-7 years olds children are considered to be in the preoperational phase.

During this stage, children are able to think about things symbolically. They develop the ability

to make one thing, such as a word or object, stand for something other than itself. It is during this

stage that children start to develop their own viewpoint. Originally Piaget did not relate his

theories to education, although it has been showed by researchers how features of his theories

can be applied to teaching and learning. Piaget has become extremely influential in developing

educational policies and teaching practices.

As for the psychosocial point of view, we will look to Erik Erikson and his

developmental stages. Eriksons ideas were greatly influenced by Freud and his theory regarding

the structure of personality. He did differ from Freud in that he was an ego psychologist not an id

psychologist. Erikson emphasized the role of culture and society and the conflicts that can take

place within the ego itself. According to Erikson, he felt the ego developed as it successfully

resolved crises that were distinctly social in nature. These developments involve by establishing

a sense of trust in others, developing a sense of identity in society, and helping prepare for the

future. According to Erikson, during the age range of 3-6 years olds children are considered to be

in the initiative vs. guilt phase. During this stage, the primary feature involves the child regularly

interacting with other children at school. Play is the central feature of this stage. It provides

children with the opportunity to explore their interpersonal skills through initiating activities. It

is during this time that children begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities

with others. When given this opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative, and feel secure

in their ability to lead others and make decisions.

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We have looked at both the cognitive and social development of children but what about

the moral reasoning? Lawrence Kohlberg agreed with Piagets theory of moral development in

principle but wanted to develop his ideas further. Therefore, he developed Kohlbergs Theory of

Moral Reasoning. By asking a series of questions and studying the answers from children of

different ages, Kohlberg hoped to discover the ways in which moral reasoning changed as people

grow older. According to Kohlberg, children under the age of 9 years old fall into the pre-

conventional level. During this time, children dont have a personal code of morality. Instead, the

moral code is shaped by the standards of adults and the consequences of following or breaking

their rules.

Carrol Gilligan looked at human cognitive development from a different perspective than

many other developmental psychologists. Gilligans model was primarily based upon ideas by

Freud and Erikson. The main difference being that their models are male-focused while

Gilligans was female-focused. Although she does not give precise age brackets for her stages,

children ages 3-6 years old typically are covered in her first stage which is preconventional.

During this stage, a personas goal is individual survival. The person has no thought for the

welfare of those around them but simply must have their own needs met.

Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Children

reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like crawling, walking, or

jumping). As children grow into early childhood, their world will begin to open up. They will

become more independent and begin to focus more on adults and children outside of the family.

They will want to explore and ask about the things around them even more. Their interactions

with family and those around them will help to shape their personality and their own ways of

thinking and moving. During the developmental stage of 3-6 years old, children should be able to
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ride a tricycle, use safety scissors, notice a difference between girls and boys, help to dress and

undress themselves, play with other children, recall part of a story, and sing a song. But as we

know each child is different, and develops at their own pace.

Children with exceptionalities develop and learn differently than typical children. For

example lets consider children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many social, emotional, and

cognitive developments of deaf or hard of hearing children are similar to hearing children. The

major difference being the way they learn to communicate. Deaf or hard of hearing children of

deaf parents typically develop language in the same way as hearing children do, progressing step

by step, just through learning sign language instead of spoken language. These children typically

reach the same milestones at about the same ages. Although deaf or hard of hearing children of

hearing parents, may develop language later than normal because their parents dont model

accessible language for them. In fact, their hearing loss is often not even identified until they are

about 1 year old. According to my research, hearing babies typically say their first word around

12 months of age. Deaf or hard of hearing babies typically sign their first word around 8 months

of age and have a vocabulary of about 10 word signs by the time they reach 12 months of age.

By the time an ASL child is between 3-5 years old, they have a vocabulary of 1000-2000 words

and can read a picture book with little help. Whereas their hearing peers at that age can

understand everything that is said and has a vocabulary of 1000-2000 words.

With all this being said, it is important to consider lots of an educational toy or program

when determining if it is worth buying or using. On Amazon, Starfall received 4 star rating.

The reviews raved about how easy it was to use for small children, how much children enjoyed

spending time on the site/app and how their reading/comprehension has greatly improved with

use of the program. I did notice lots of reviews were written by parents that utilize the Starfall
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curriculum for part of their homeschooling program. My personal review of the program is that

the games are engaging, the screen is not cluttered which is great for children with dyslexia and

special needs, including low-vision. They use a dyslexia-friendly font throughout the program.

The phonics are well done (one letter, one sound, unvoiced consonants are unvoiced) and the

reader speaks slowly and clearly. It even has some ASL lessons incorporated into the alphabet

and storytelling sections which is great for deaf or hard of hearing children. Overall, it is a great

site/app and I would highly recommend it for any child with any exceptionally age 3-6 years old.