In this essay the aim is to explain how language and literacy develop from the ages and stages of development, because while oral language provides the foundation for written language, they are both very different. While explaining features that are key to language acquisition and the development of language and literacy, we will also compare two theories from two different theorists; Lev Vygotsky is a social interaction theorist; and Burrhus F Skinner is a behavior theorist. These theories combined with the implications of the process of development for teacher’s engagement with children in early childhood settings, will together help show how language and literacy develop.
Firstly, how does language …show more content…
In saying this, he points out the importance that language development, learning and teaching play in children’s cognitive development. Along with all this Vygotsky also identifies four different stages of speech development with children and he breaks them down into blocks for each stage. These stages being: primitive speech which is from birth to two years of age; naïve physiological stage from two to four years of age; egocentric or private speech stage which is between the ages of four to seven years; and finally inner and ingrowth stage which takes place from eight years of age. He also has a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which is his way of describing the differences in what children learn or achieve as an individual, as well as what they can learn with guidance or assistance from adults. Learning with in the (ZPD) depends on the relationships children …show more content…
The behaviorist or learning theory category plays an important role in understanding language development.
One behaviorism premise is that behaviors should be rewarded, as this reinforces them, encouraging them to be repeated. This way the child is more inclined to repeat the rewarded sounds. Further to this behaviors that are not rewarded would then be less likely to occur again.
With this theory a couple of key features include the response process, which is what individuals hear and interpret, and also association between things like objects, pictures and other items that can be matched or linked to what is happening at the time. This theory also indicates that through imitation and practice children should be more likely to pick up language. The table below shows language acquisition explained as a stimulus response process. It also shows that repetition and positive stimuluses can help with the development of