Bringing it all
together
I
believe;
- A child begins their learning at birth.
- A child’s learning is heavily impacted by their social and cultural environment.
- Children learn best through play.
Because;
There
is significant research to suggest literacy begins when adults begin
communicating with children. Even before
birth, parents will talk to their baby.
Adults coo and sing to babies, they tell children what is happening and
what is nearby, they tell stories and play.
Everyday experiences offer opportunities to extend literacy and numeracy
learning such as taking a walk or going shopping. As children and their understanding develop,
they are able to participate actively in these tasks, such as pointing out
signs, letters or numbers. (Makin & Whitehead,
2007, pp12-13)
Learning
to read and write is not a simple cognitive skill. Emergent Literacy skills are complex and
consist of social, linguistic and psychological aspects. These skills are multidimensional and closely
tied to both home and the formal learning environment. By participating in meaningful every day
activities, skills are strengthened.
(Strickland, 1990, pp19,20 )
Children
have individual interests and levels of knowledge about literacy. They will have experienced many different
literacy opportunities at home and in their community before they arrive at a
formal early childhood setting. (Makin
& Whitehead, 2007, p3)
For
example, one three year old may be able to read, another may use a computer to
write their name. One may be totally
uninterested in books and one may love drawing.
Educators need to recognise and respond positively to these differences. (Makin & Whitehead, 2007, p3)
Theoretical
perspectives have differed about what literacy is and when and how it should be
taught. Current theoretical trends tend
to reflect either a developmental framework or a sociocultural framework. (Makin & Whitehead, 2007, p9)
Piaget’s
(1971, cited in Ormrod, 2011, p29) stages of Cognitive Development propose that
as a result of brain maturation, children will move through distinct stages in
their learning.
In
the 1920’s, Vygotsky developed a sociocultural perspective. The central ideas in Vygotsky’s theory are
that adults convey to children the ways in which culture interprets the
world. Every culture passes on physical
and cognitive tools to the next generation with the aim of making daily living
more productive and efficient. Thought
and language become increasingly interdependent in the early years and complex
mental processes begin as social activities but evolve into useful internal
skills children can use independently.
(Ormrod, 2011, pp39,40)
Vygotsky
also proposed that children could learn more by attempting new tasks. With assistance and support, their zone of
proximal development could move from one’s actual developmental level to their
potential development. (Ormrod, 2011,
p41)
Research
has shown, early in life, humans are uniquely attuned to the psychological
experiences and intentions of other people.
Shared Intentionality happens when participants share a psychological
state. For example, when two people
engage in an activity together, each contributing to the task, they take part
in Shared Intentionality. Shared Intentionality sets the foundation for
critical developmental milestones such as language and pretend play. (Goodman
& Tomasello, 2008, p21)
Infants
will look to trusted adults for social referencing. They look for emotional cues to help them
determine how they should respond to uncertain situations. Even at this early age, children are able to
tune in to the attention and behaviour adults direct toward a third party. (Goodman & Tomasello, 2008, p23)
Constructivist theories recognise play being
central to a child’s development. Piaget
recognised the individuality of a child and the value of what each child brings
to any given situation. Input is valued
and in Piaget’s view, essential for development. A child’s spontaneous and autonomous
activities are always linked to play.
(Van Hoorn et al, 2011, p28)
Piaget described three types of knowledge; physical,
logical-mathematically and social knowledge.
It is through play that children learn to make generalisations about the
properties of objects. They learn about
the relationship between objects, people and ideas through play and their
social knowledge is acquired by being with other people. (Van Hoorn et al, 2011, pp30-31)
Vygotsky believed collective play was beneficial
to problem solving. Children become
active agents in the process of problem solving, sharing ideas and
solutions. Rogoff (1990, p190) expands
on this;
“Cognitive development consists of coming
to find, understand, handle problems, build on tools inherited from previous
generations and the social resources provided by other people.”
Fromberg believed play was symbolic, meaningful,
active and fun but for me, Bruce et al (2008) sum it up when they write;
“Play, for children, is not just recreation
– it’s their approach to life! Every
action is undertaken with the whole being:
mind, body and spirit. Play is
basic to children’s wellbeing; it’s their way to discover the world around them
and to express how they feel and, sometimes, to cope with difficulty. Children’s play must be respected.” (Bruce,
et al 2008, p3)
Therefore;
I
hope to foster a learning environment that is based on a child’s interests and
needs. I aim to remain a keen observer
and use this information to help form the base of a child’s learning.
I
am aware that many factors influence a child’s learning and it is important for
me to understand this so that I can remain in tune with each child and develop
strong relationships that will enhance the learning process. No matter what is happening at home, I hope
to provide a stable and somewhat predictable setting that offers children a
sense of safety. I would also use various teaching techniques, such as
questioning for example, to establish where children are currently at with
their learning. I have been a social worker
for ten years so I am confident of my communication skills.
I
hope to supply an array of resources relevant to those I am working with. For example, if a child shows interest in
ballet, I would try to use this interest in literacy and numeracy activities. If
a child loves being outside and in the dirt, I would provide opportunities for
tactile play such as a sand tray or I might even have children gardening!
However;
I
am aware that most services (school, kindy’s and childcare centres) are subject
to financial constraints. It is
important for me to build a knowledge base of low budget and fun
activities. I am a creative person so I
hope this ability helps me find unique learning opportunities for children.
I
am also aware that some children will be under severe stress at home and may be
experiencing all sorts of social issues.
I think the challenge for me will be coping with this. I have experience at leaving difficult
situations at work, however when it comes to children I’m not sure my
experience will help that much! I hope
to build rapport with other educators to see what works for them.
References
Bruce,
T., Huleatt, H., McNair, L., Siencyn, SW., (2008). Community Playthings, “I
made a Unicorn”, p3.
Goodman,
M. & Tomasello, M., (2008). “Baby Steps on the Road to Society – Shared
Intentionality in the Second Year of Life”, Abstract from May 2008, Zero to
Three., pp21-23.
Makin,
L & Whitehead, M., (2004), “How to develop Children’s Early Literacy; A
guide for Professional Carers & Educators”, PCP Publishing Ltd, London,
pp3-13
Ormrod.,
(2011), Cognitive & Linguistic Development, Educational Psychology: Developing Learners, 7th Ed, Pearson
Education Inc, Boston, pp29-41.
Rogoff,
B. (1990), Apprenticeship in thinking:
Cognitive Development in social context, “Chapter 10: Shared Thinking and Guided
Participation: Conclusions and
Speculations.” New York: Oxford
University Press, p190.
Strickland,
D., (1990), “Emergent Literacy: How Young Children Learn to Read and Write”,
Educational Leadership (47.6), (Mar 1990). http://upd.sagepub.com/ pp18-23.
Van
Hoorn, Nourot, Scales & Alward, (2011), “Conclusion: Integrating Play, Development and Practice,
Play at the centre of the Curriculum,” 5th ed, Boston., Pearson Education Inc,
Allyn & Bacon, p355.
