by Ms. A. Harrington McCabe How Children Learn by Ms. A. Harrington McCabe

Do Children Learn as Adults Do? In some ways yes, but children are not miniature adults They don’t have all the skills that adults or older children do and therefore cannot learn in exactly the same way There is no single right way to learn Every person has a their own style of learning Young children have limited vocabularies, attention spans are short and motor skills are still developing.

Children Learn Best by Doing! They cannot just learn by listening to explanations They need hands-on experiences Teachers need to provide many manipulatives – toys and materials children can operate and change with their hands (clays, dough, sand, snap beads, blocks) Manipulatives help children develop fine motors skills as they learn concepts Objects of many shapes, sizes and colours also stimulate their thinking

Children Learn Best When Using Their Senses Sensory experiences – seeing, touching, hearing, smelling and tasting – capture children’s attention and maintain their interest Children develop concepts about the properties of the world by exploring them with their senses

Children Often Learn Through Trial and Error Like young scientists, children actively explore and experiment when interacting with their environment. They learn what works and what doesn’t Making mistakes and learning from them is a natural part of the learning process

Children Learn Best When All Areas of Development are Nurtured Activities that aim at intellectual, physical, emotional, social and moral development are needed for children to become well-balanced adults. Remember that these areas are interrelated. Progress in one area usually means progress in another area.

Children Learn Through Positive Reinforcement The child who works hard to balance a tall block building is immediately “rewarded” for learning about the principles of weight and gravity because the building stands. Praise and recognition from caretakers when children learn something new makes them feel good. Joy, pride and feelings of success that come from new accomplishments are reinforcing. This makes children want to learn!

Children Acquire and Experiment with New Behaviours Through Imitation The significant people (parents, teachers, babysitters) in children’s lives provide them with words and actions to learn. It is not unusual for parents, caregivers and teachers to see themselves reflected in the behaviour of children.

Teaching Techniques When working with children, teachers not only form a style of teaching, but they also choose techniques to use. Here are some of the proven techniques that teachers use.

Arranging the Class Ensure that the physical surrounding promote success rather than interfere with it. Putting toys away before beginning a lesson ensures that children won’t be overly distracted by them. Providing storage and labeled bins for toys allows children to comply with clean-up instructions. Creating a learning circle that focuses towards the teacher helps keep children on track. Setting up a seating plan tells children exactly where to sit.

Setting the Stage Teachers need to help children get into the proper frame of mind to begin an activity. If reading a story about a puppy; asking children who has a dog at home get them thinking and interested in the story. Perhaps use a focus object (an item that is related to an activity and helps introduce it). E.g. showing gardening tools and talking about gardens before learning about planting seeds.

Handling Play Children learn through play, but teachers need to facilitate play which means help make it happen without controlling it. It’s an open-minded approach to play and gives children a chance to be creative and independent. E.g. If you tell children to make a train out of the boxes you are controlling the play; however if you put out the boxes and then ask “What can be done with these boxes?” you are facilitating play.

Teachable Moments By interacting with children in play situations, teachers are less likely to miss opportunities for growth and learning. They recognize teachable moments which are unplanned opportunities for learning. They also become skilled at interpreting the thoughts and feelings children express through play.

Using Concrete Objects A child’s ability to imagine and form concepts is limited during the pre-school years. Because children have limited experiences, descriptive phrases often have little meaning for them. They need to touch, feel, see, smell, taste things to begin to understand them. Which would the children understand better, hearing that sand is pale, gritty, grainy or seeing the feeling a handful of sand?

Asking Questions Correctly Open-ended questions are those that require more than a yes or no answer. There are no right or wrong responses. Open-ended questions are excellent tools for encouraging children to express feelings, explain ideas, and relate experiences. They stimulate both creativity and intellectual skills needed for language development.

Other Techniques Bulletin boards that involve children can reinforce concepts. Puppets at story time capture attention. Role playing or acting out a story adds interest. Music and recorded stories add variety to activities. Involving children in a lesson – they become the teacher’s helper . Teaching the concepts using a variety of teaching methods depending on a child’s interests and abilities.

The teacher is the key!