The ecology of human development

1
The ecology of human development

• Experience by nature and design
• Uri Bronfenbrenner
• 1979

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The ecology of human development2

• Basic ideasReaction against
• traditional developmental psychology focusing
  upon the individuals characteristics and the
  development of these (basic heritage)
• Sociological models where the environment and
  structures models the individual
• Sum emphasizing mutual interaction
• Human philosophy What an individual become it
  becomes as a result of interaction and mutuality
  with its environment

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The ecology of human development3

• Development
• Development is defined as the persons evolving
  conception of the ecological environment, and his
  relation to it, as well as the persons capacaty
  to discover, sustain, or alter its properties
• Bronfenbrenner 799

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The ecology of human development4

• Microsystem
• A microsystem is a pattern of activities , roles,
  and interpersonal relations experienced by the
  developing person in a given setting with
  particular physical and material characteristics
• Bronfenbrenner 7922
• A microsystem is where the individual self
  partisipate
• activities - relations - roles

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The ecology of human development5

• Mesosystem
• A mesosystem comprises the interrelations among
  two or more settings in which the developing
  person actively participates
• Bronfenbrenner 7925
• setting - microsystem
• 09.09.98

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The ecology of human development6

• Exosystem
• An exosystem refers to one or more settings that
  do not involve the developing person as an active
  participant, but in which events occur that
  affect, or are affected by, what happens in the
  setting containing the developing person.
• Bronfenbrenner 7925
• 09.09.98 TE

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The ecology of human development7

• Macrosystem
• The macrosystem refers to consistencies , in the
  form and content of lowerorder systems (micro,-
  meso, and ecso,-) that exist at the level of the
  subculture or the culture as a whole, along with
  any belief systems or ideology underlying such
  consistencies (Bronfenbrenner 7926)
• In essenceThe Culture

09.09.98 TE
8
The ecology of human development8

• The functioning of the system
• an ecosystem aims at a balance - the thermostat
  model
• Different ecosystems has different tolerance for
  imbalance
• Selfcorrecting procedures
• The special educationalist is himself participant
  in the systems on different levels and may be one
  person that create imbalance
• The need for comprehensive solutions

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The ecology of human development9

• Roles
• A role is a set of activities and relations
  expected of a person occupying a particular
  position in society, and of others in relation to
  that person.
• Bronfenbrenner 7985
• Positive roles
• formal leaders, headmaster, professors, ?
• Informal successful teacher or student, good at
  activities that is valued

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The ecology of human development10

• Ecological traps
• Calhoun Dysfunctional losers roles - easy to get
  into if you break the norm of the system -
  consequences can be social isolation.
• Students
• For teachers
• Systems
• Parents and relatives

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The ecology of human development11

• Ecological transition
• An ecological transition occurs whenever a
  persons position is altered as the result of a
  change in role, setting or both
• Bronfenbrenner 7926
• Setting a place with a particular physical
  framing, where the individuals participate in
  decidedly activities and has fixed roles in
  specific intervals of time

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The ecology of human development12

• Behavior Problems
• In this perspective we can not understand BP as a
  result of special characteristics solely by the
  individual, nor as a direct influence from the
  environment
• BP can be interpreted as unbalance in the
  individuals ecosystem , that is as an
  interactional problem between the individual and
  the system- a failure to match
• The unbalance can be due to lack of accordance
  between the individual and expectations from the
  system or lack of conformity between different
  (micro-) systems - a mesoproblem.
  

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The ecology of human development13

• Assessment and change
• Practical and eclectic in choice of methods -
  interdisiplinarity.
• Potential of change
• We can try to change the individual who are
  supposed to have a problem
• We can try to change the persons who define the
  problem
• We can try to change the situation, psychological
  and physical environment
• We can try to change the interaction between the
  different participants