Considering the work of key pioneers and current experts with links to child development theory. There are many theories about how children learn and develop. This area of study is called developmental psychology which covers subjects such as cognitive, language and emotional development. The research methods are based heavily on the on going assessments carried out by observing children over a period of time. Assessment is part of the process of understanding what children know, understand and can do so that future teaching steps can be appropriately planned.
E1 One of the practitioner’s roles in meeting children’s learning needs could be to understand and work with other practitioners and staff. This can help to provide different learning opportunities to individual children because each child is unique as practitioners should take into consideration all diverse learning needs, for example there are many activities that could be changed to suit individual children. The practitioners’ role would therefore be to plan and resource an environment that is challenging and helps children learn in many different areas of their learning. The role of the practitioner in supporting the learning needs of children is they have to complete regular assessments on their development and learning to identify their progress and plan their next steps to help the children achieve further. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), (2012) states that the role of the practitioner is crucial in observing and reflecting on children’s spontaneous play, building on this by planning and providing a challenging environment which supports specific areas of children’s learning and extends and develops children’s language and communication in their play.
His theory underlined the contribution to learning made by others. He also believed key ideas in a classroom then became conversation, play and opportunities to follow interests and ideas. In (appendices 4) Tina Bruce’s theory is ‘free flow’ play she believed children learnt better from developing rules and props and freely chosen activities. Her approach to early education was developed around schemas. She believed “a pattern of repeated actions.
This is known as the cognitive development theory, as children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world. Piaget found that elementary classroom educators must plan and develop curriculum that enhances their students’ stage of growth. For example, McClenden (2011) stated that students in the Preoperational Stage should have curriculum centered on concrete physical situations because they are not yet able to conceptualize abstractly. Likewise, teachers need to expose students to a great deal of hands-on-practice and a wide range of experiences in order to build a foundation for learning and language. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of education also transmits to an elementary classroom and teaching strategies.
The family is what provides nurturance, affection, and different opportunities and it is the primary socialize in the being it has the most significant impact on a child’s development(Berns, Roberta Eighth Edition, pg. 19). The school is where children formally learn and the teachers are role models to the students because they teach various skills and behaviors and provide motivation for children to learn(Berns, Roberta Eighth Edition, pg20). The peer group is the setting in which children are generally unsupervised by adults and children get a sense of who they are and what they can do by comparison with others (Berns, Roberta Eighth Edition, pg. 20).
The teacher’s role is to promote learning using the children’s interests to develop the curriculum. This means the teacher is not actually teaching the class or leading the class like most teachers. The teacher is promoting the specific learning skills that they want the children to learn but allowing them to run the classroom while giving them guidance. Every child has different ways of learning and a style in which they like to learn. The teacher must ensure they are reaching all of these different types of learning styles.
He believed that all students should have the opportunity to take part in their own learning. Education was not only a place to gain content knowledge, but was a place to learn how to live. Schools shouldn’t just be a place to learn a pre-determined set of skills but rather to realize one’s full potential and their ability to use these skills. He said, “An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theory, simply because it is only in the experience that any theory has vital and verifiable significance.” In Dewey’s opinion the role of teachers are social servants. They are there to assist children on how to act appropriately on ideas they form themselves.
Piaget’s theory of learning is sometimes referred to as a constructivist approach because he suggested that children constructed or built their thoughts according to their experiences of the world around them. Piaget used the term ‘schema’ to refer to a child’s conclusions or thoughts. He felt that learning was an ongoing process, with children needing to adapt. Piaget’s belief that children develop schemas based on their direct experiences can help us to understand why young children’s thinking is sometimes different from ours. Piaget also suggested that, as children develop so does their thinking.
To successfully fur fill the requirements I as the adult will have to provide and make resources accessible so that I can interact with the children and observe and reflect on each of the child’s learning experiences. By doing this I will be able to see what the children enjoy doing and how I can keep the child’s attention and concentration. To use the child centred approach you will have to look at every child as an individual with different strengths learning styles and interests as well as adapting to children who have learning difficulties or disabilities, to achieve this I will have to research their
However, teachers do need to indentify the specific disabilities and these are categorised in terms of general areas of development as follows; physical, cognitive, motor, social, language, behavioural and emotional development. Special needs also apply to gifted children who in many cases are not categorised as (SEN) however; they need adapted teaching to challenge their abilities and to foster their potential development. Therefore, this paper will also look at gifted children throughout the concepts and theories. Piaget's theory of cognitive development in essence deals with the view that all species inherit two basic tendencies; the first is organisation – organising behaviours and thoughts into logical systems. The second is adaptation – adjusting to your environment (Woolfolk, Hughes & Walkup, 2008).