Bringing it all together

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.