Oct 15th

What I thought was interesting and elements I've seen in previous classes:

I've been teaching nature themed classes to preschool age children and thus really found the ideas and theories in Piaget's preoperational stage fascinating. I think almost everyone (if they've been around children for any amount of time) has seen young children nod over the phone instead of verbally answering. I've also witnessed animism occurring numerous times in my preschool classes - finding it cute and humerous at times and frustrating other times. Reading about centration and young children's lack of conservation entices me to try it out on the preschool children (and the older children) I work with. I'm wondering if I can reason and explain it to the preschoolers? If they do seem to understand, will they remember the concept weeks later? Will they just memorize that exact event and if I use other substances not be able to transfer the idea? I completely agree with the "young children seem so sure about their knowledge and understanding, yet they are so unaware of how they know what they know." I think this incident is a great example: I brought a lizard to class and a young child asked me if it was pregnant. I said no. The child then asked me "What's pregnant?". I've also numerous times encountered the never ending questions. I read a book about a hen who found a dinosaur egg, sat on it until it hatched and took care of even though it didn't look anything like her. I had a child ask me how the hen found a dinosaur egg when the dinosaurs are all gone. Every time I tried to make an explanation I got another "How" or "Why". She was extremely upset and perplexed. The hen talking and wearing clothing didn't bother her but the dinosaurs existance did.
It was also really intersting to read about the different theories and seeing alot of correlation with Bransfords framework and what we had read before.

For the most part, I didn't find any of the readings too difficult or complex. I am curious if the 8 stages in Erickson's Psychosocial Theory "must" be followed in that exact order. Can one regress or skip a stage? Stage 8 entails reflecting on the past. Can't one do that at any time in life? I already do to some extent.
I'm also wondering, wouldn't Bransford's framework be considered "an eclectic theoretical orientation". The framework seems to select aspects from many of the theories.
It didn't feel to me that the Information Processing Theory was actually a develpmental theory - at least not compared to Piaget and Vgotsky. Perhaps because it's not stagelike (although either is Vgotskys). I also felt like it had a lot of the same ideas expressed in the other theories (but maybe not as explicit).
I think that adolescent egocentrism leaves out the fact that highschool age youth do look at everyone more closely and are more judgemental. The example with the girl at dinner with her mom who was extremely upset about her hair - sure, no one at the restaurant probably cared - but if she had been at school her peers may have. So, it's not completely self-centered - there's a lot of peer judgement and fear of being not accepted playing a huge part.