by Ms. A. Harrington McCabe

Do Children Learn as Adults Do?In some ways yes, but children are not miniature adultsThey don’t have all the skills that adults or older children

do and therefore cannot learn in exactly the same wayThere is no single right way to learnEvery person has a their own style of learningYoung 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 explanationsThey need hands-on experiencesTeachers 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 SensesSensory 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 ErrorLike young scientists, children actively explore and

experiment when interacting with their environment.They learn what works and what doesn’tMaking mistakes and learning from them is a natural part

of the learning process

Children Learn Best When All Areas of Development are NurturedActivities 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 ReinforcementThe 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 ImitationThe 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.

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 ClassEnsure 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 StageTeachers 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 PlayChildren 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 MomentsBy 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 ObjectsA 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 CorrectlyOpen-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 TechniquesBulletin 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!