Understanding Of Developmentally Effective Approaches To Teaching And Learning

Understanding Of Developmentally Effective Approaches To Teaching And Learning

Introduction

Many theorists who talk about cognitive development, Piaget remain one of the most influential. Cognitive theories of learning concerned with mental processes that underlie the acquisition of information. This theory describes the stages of cognitive development from infancy through adolescence, and psychological structures develop from inborn reflexes. These are organized for children in behavior patterns, and are internalized during the second year of life and thought patterns. Cognitive Development starts from the child birth but major development occurs from 3 years onwards. Within this theory Preoperational thinking starts when the child turn three. With respect to cognition development the child is capable of building and managing symbols, but this fails in the attempt to logically operate with them, they start the role playing, drawing, mental imagery and the development of spoken language.

This development continues till he turns seven and from seven onwards the child develops logical understanding and grows social understanding and skills. (Winnicott, 1986, page: 8) The child advances in an intellectual process. The child will understand better the time, space, number, chance and better coordinate their movements. Learning includes those changes in anatomical structures and physiological functions resulting from the exercise and activities of the child. From 3 onwards the child starts investigating the surrounding environment but has a limited and appears essential characteristic self-centeredness. At this stage there is also the socialization process while cognitive, emotional and moral. The preschool child is able to use the word to express mental symbols and this is needed to understand concepts, objectives.

Typical activities of children of this age are imitation, play and drawing. By studying the cognitive development of children Piaget suggests a new theory of learning based on information processing. Through several stages of development (the development of intentionality and differentiation in the sensor motor period of 0-24 months; development and symbolic functions of language in concrete operational period of 2 years to 12 years; development of abstract thought in the period of formal operations at 12 years and over) the child assimilates its environment. As explained above a child after 2 years starts learning and gains the intelligence with respect to adaptive processes of a person in his environment. In this logical sequence, learning is a function of intelligence that is updated during development of the child.

Discussion

The main aim of my paper is to analyse the two mentioned scenarios by using different learning theories. Two critical incidents that encountered in my teaching placements tenure are the main part of this paper. I evaluate these incidents in the light of current learning and teaching theories. Finally, the report concludes with the possible implication of these learning theories related to the mentioned scenarios. A government led strategy to introduce the learning of a modern foreign language (mfl) for every pupil in Key Stage 2 by 2010, with the aim that, by the age of 11, pupils' language achievement will be at ...