ABSTRACT
The objective of this article is to present research results which deals with the importance of knowledge about the periodization of human development on the part of the teacher for a pedagogical practice, in order to promote the aged 0 to 3 years students’ development and learning. Initially, we present a discussion about the development periodization from the perspective of Historical-Cultural Psychology and then we address pedagogical practice in Early Childhood Education. Finally, we present the results of interviews carried out with five professionals. The results obtained denote a maturationist view of development and a teaching practice based on empiricism and everyday knowledge, with a lack of theoretical foundation about the part of the interviewees, which points to the need for greater training in the area. The Historical-Cultural Psychology theoretical foundations have the potential to improve the Early Childhood Education teachers’ practice, so that they can carry out their activities aiming to promote the cognitive and affective development of students.
Keywords: child development; child education; historical-cultural psychology