Urie Bronfenbrenner was a development psychologist who believed that the environment a child lives in, negatively or positively, affects the child's development.
The Microsystem
The system closest to the child, such as home and school. This system provides interactions with people closest to the child Such as parents, siblings, friends, teachers, classroom assistants, neighbours. These people can directly influence the child and their environment. In this system the child learns the early rules of behaviour and social norms.Relationships exist both ways, towards the child and from the child - this is called bidirectional influences.For example, the child can be influences by their parents, and the parents can be influences by the child.This bidirectional influence can happen in any system, but is strongest in this one.
Mesosystem
Relationships formed between the different components within the microsystem and the quality and frequency of the interactions between these. Child development is optimised when the links are strong. For example, child development is increased when parents and the teacher have good communication. If the parents, for example, show a bad attitude towards school due to their experience, it may negatively affect the child.
The Exosystem
Parts of the child's environment which the child does not directly interact. Bronfenbrenner thought of the exosystem as an extension to the mesosystem. The exosystem includes aspects such as the world of work, the neighbourhood, media, and government. This impacts the child because it interacts with some aspects of the mesosystem. For example, a child may be negatively or positively impacted by their parents work schedule.
The Macrosystem
This includes the laws, customs, and cultural values of the society in which the child belongs to. Bronfenbrenner saw this system as a 'blueprint' in which settings of a similar nature are governed by the same rules or principles.
The chronosystem
Added at a later date, this includes changes in the child's life and the other systems. For example the divorce of their parents, or internal changes which every child experiences in their development.
Why is this important to know as a teacher?
Keeping in mind that the home and school is the system closest to the child, meaning that whatever happens at home or at school affects the child's development, therefore what you do as a teacher will affect the child in one way or another. There are a few things you should keep in mind as a teacher to make sure every child reaches their full potential in development.
The importance of the strong links between the classroom and home has to be emphasised for an increased quality of development in each child. The links can be achieved through homework which the parents should help with to greater a better bond with the child's school environment, also the use of emails, calls, and parent's evening to update each parent about the progress of the classroom as a whole and the individual.
It is important that significant information about the child is passed on from parent to teacher, teacher to teacher, and teacher to parent, to create a smooth transition for the child and make sure no details are left behind which could impact the child's development and learning. It is also important that the child is taught about the wider systems to allow them to interact with it appropriately.
The relationships need to be consistent, any instability in the child's interaction with the systems can negatively impact their development. Programmes such as Sure Start help socially disadvantaged parents from pregnancy to the start of school to make sure the child has the same chances as the children from more privileged families.
References
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AUBREY, K. & RILEY, A. (2019) Chapter 9: Urie Bronfenbrenner: The ecology of human development in: Understanding and Using Educational Theories, 2nd edition. London:Sage.