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Who are the three theorists Gartrell talks about in the beginning chapters who have a strong influence with children and adults in the guidance practice?
Who is Piaget, Erikson, and Vygotsky
The writings of Piaget document that children interpret experiences differently over time and that their interpretations conform to the stage of development they are in. For teaching to be effective, it must accommodate the child's developmental level, base of experience, active learning nature, limited social perspective, and developmental egotism.
The child uses private speech, later internalized as conscious thought, to solve learning problems and self-regulate behavior. An interpretation of Vygotsky's work is that guidance is the scaffolding process by which children learn the skills of social and emotional problem solving.
During the first critical period of trust versus mistrust, the infant tries to develop feelings of basic trust in her world. During the second, autonomy versus shame and doubt, the toddler begins to develop a sense of identity—hopefully with the stability of reliable adult relationships. During the third period of initiative and belonging versus guilt and alienation, as Elkind termed it, preschoolers need support in creative activities and social interactions, through which they can positively define themselves. During the primary years, the critical issue is industry versus inferiority, defined in limited terms. Through each of the critical periods, the approach that encourages both productive learning and positive feelings about oneself as a learner is guidance.