Learning Perspectives & Development in Childhood-Free-Samples

Question: Discuss about the Learning Perspectives and Development in Childhood. Answer: Introduction The social construction of a child mind plays a big role in influencing crucial future events like early childhood development of learning process, thought processwhich finally portrays the socio-cultural and emotional quotient of the child, better known as the image. Every child creates his/her/their own perception based on the real life experiences since birth (Piaget, 2013). Through their energy and curiosity to know more, to connect with the surrounding world, the child possesses far more potential than is often recognized. This study looks back in time to explore the various exemplary methods that were used in the past to connect and communicate with a child in order to help him/her/them form a strong, independent personality. Changing the normative culture of the human society is only possible through the help of children; and making them realize their full potential, inculcating the ability to think critically instead of blindly following norms , would empower the child with a decisive mind, capable of critical thinking. According to (Powley Taylor, 2014) there are various pedagogical approaches to early childhood developmentamongst which, the Reggio Emilia approach emphasizes on a holistic learning process based on constructivist, experiential learning . The approach was first seen in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia and was developed by psychologist Malaguzzi along with the contemporary parents of the city, who wanted to give their children something more than the normative structure of imparting knowledge and information. Early Childhood Education Contemporary theorists have introduced looking at early childhood education as a social construction. Early childhood education emerged during the evolving phases of enlightenment and Renaissance, post world war-II (Classen, 2017). Ever since the human society realized the necessity of early childhood education and care, various cultures across the world have taken up various approaches to impart appropriate knowledge and wisdom for fulfilling societal expectations. A child with critical thinking capability is considered rich on the basis of competency, emotional quotient and independence of thought process. While the previous normative theory was to assume a childs competence by labelling him/her/them vulnerable or independent, contemporary researches are seen to focus more on the context of the child, the socio-economic-cultural environment he/she/they are growing in, and utilise that to establish a relationship with the child for better communication and growth. Current theorists have pointed out the necessity to embrace a technique that is developmentally appropriate in relation to the child (Gestwicki, 2013). A childs contemporary social and cultural processes play a vital role in shaping the childs context, in which he/she/they are developing and it is inclusive of family and friends as major contributors. The early childhood experiences play a big part in shaping the childs cognitive behaviour, emotional quotient and social participation. History of Early Childhood Education Theories Educators, over the history of time, have innovated unique styles, in accordance with each of their socio-cultural contexts, to provide optimum care, affection and wisdom to the children who would be the future of the society. The idea of early childhood education first came up in Europe when a mother started interacting and educating children outside their homes and then during the Industrial Revolution when the churches, factories and even private homes set up pre-schools for children whose parents had to go out for work. Further, during the post world war- II phase, parents felt the increasing need to protect their children from the violence and aggression of fascism that had clouded the futures sky. Rightly analysed, children and their alternative ways of perception of reality were the most powerful means to put a control to the existing normative structures. Impact of Socio-Cultural Constructions Social constructions of a childs mind are the core pillars that define the character, behaviour pattern and finally the competence of the child in regards to functioning as a social being. Early childhood education can be considered a process of social construction of mind and body, complemented with ethics and values. Childhood is a construction of the society and the image of the child changes with every changing context, beliefs and cultures. However, childhood may be varied for children living in the same society because of the normative social and cultural differences within the society. Therefore, the socio-cultural constructions of a childs image hinder the childs freedom to perform independently in the contemporary social structure. The chief socio-cultural constructions that influenced the development and learning techniques of a child are briefly discussed below: Dependence: The past notions of childhood care have started to lose relevance in the light of modern times. The past era took into consideration the child as a vulnerable being, dependent on adults for growth and survival. However, the modern theorists have included the socially constructed nature of learning complementary to the individualistic ways of development, often due to genetics. Knowledge: The past ideas about children assumed that they are incapable of retaining knowledge, unlike the adults, and therefore need help to learn to perform as a social being. However, todays educators argue that the early childhood phase is one of the most crucial stages for gaining knowledge and wisdom. During the earliest phase, a child is full of curiosity to know the surroundings he/she/they live in. Therefore, this phase experiences the maximum potential to acquire and retain knowledge that would later contribute in forming the childs character. Moral Teachings: Early childhood education in the past mostly comprised of etiquettes and manners that one is expected to adhere to in a particular society. It did not take into consideration the cognitive development of a child in relation to the circumstances and environment that surround him/her/them. Modern theories have challenged this approach for hindering independent thought process and encouraging normative biases. The modern day early childhood care offers an academic approach rather than an action based approach by allowing the child ample space to grow and learn in his/her/their own way. Key Perspectives and Approaches One of the key perspectives in the art of pedagogy is to sustain a holistic view towards children instead of treating them as vulnerable individuals, waiting to be led and guided by adults. The previous years of early childhood education was more like setting up normative rules for the children, adhering to which would make the child more acceptable and successful in the society. However, contemporary views on pedagogy have changed as theorists today encourage viewing a child as a psychosocial individual, interacting in the society and evolving in his/her/their own exclusive way. Some of the relevant early education teaching theories that were practised in the past, are briefly discussed below (Pound, 2017): Reggio Emilia Approach: The most essential element of the Reggio Emilia Approach is that it puts its dependence on the idea of self, for learning and development during the initial years of life. It emphasizes on the childs relationship with the surrounding society, the life-experiences of privilege or oppression and encourages self-driven and self-guided curriculum. Secondly, it believes in the development of teachers along with the development of the child, to avoid stagnation of ideas. A child educator needs to modify him/herself everyday to maintain relation with the child and understand him/her better. The motive of this approach is to utilize their curiosity and creativity through relationship-driven interaction in order to help them formulate their own learning process based on their interests and circumstantial context. Montessori Approach: This particular approach takes into account that children have a natural inclination to know and eventually master their surrounding environment. The Montessori approach aims to employ this curiosity in a creative and fun way for the children to enjoy as they learn to participate in relation to the society around them and develop their motor skills and cognitive behaviour. Interesting games are devised in a way to inculcate the ability to judge, analyse and criticize instead of simply following and remembering useful information. Socio-cultural Approach: Socio-cultural learning theory was devised by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who argued that the experiences of a child in the society he/she/they live in, determines their ways of thinking and perception of the world around them. Children learn best by communicating with experienced peers, families and adults, essentially because learning is a social process and will always be measured in terms of the socio-economic-cultural context. This approach has successfully helped with the development of psychologically unstable children as it encourages a teacher to identify the needs of a child and work accordingly to resolve the issues. Primary education shares an intricate relationship with early days of childhood and experiences of the same. Therefore, the early years of a child are crucial for the development of perception, motor skills and emotional quotientdetermined by the kind of experiences and education the child receives (Wood, 2014). Dealing with children during early childhood phase could be a critical task and therefore the key perspectives of efficient early childhood education are listed below: Developmental Perspective- This stresses on the physical and psychosocial development, along with the dependencies and vulnerabilities of a child during the early childhood phase (Swim, 2015). Political-Economic Perspective- This perspective sheds light on the impacts of social conventions on the childs principles for learning and growth (Ideland Malmberg, 2015). It takes into account the economic position of the child in relation to the economic position of the society. Socio-Cultural Perspective- This perspective stresses on the fact that early childhood psychology is mostly created by the social norms and conventions and for every different child it is perceived, understood and expressed in different ways (Roskos, 2017). Dialectics and Contradictions The Reggio Emilia approach and the Socio-Cultural Approach by Lev Vygotsky share some acute overlapping as well as contradictions. Unlike the Reggio Emilia approach, which believes in a childs self-discovery through diverse experiences in a society, a Vygotskian perspective argues that a childs intellectual development, during the early childhood phase, depends on the normative lessons taught in school or social institutions, rather than the childs own discovery of knowledge or information (Akalin et al., 2014). It points out a major loophole showing that the Reggio Emilia approach sometimes makes provisions for knowledge systems, even though this aspect remains in conflict with its chief ideology (Nilsson Ferholt, 2014). The main conflict between the two approaches lies in the mediumone encouraging early childhood curiosity, self-discovery as the roots of learning and the other one advocating specific knowledge systems in accordance with the contemporary socio-economic culture. Impact on Teaching and Learning The impacts of early childhood education are multiple and diverse. The potential of a child can be efficiently harnessed only through holistic guidance and teachings based on contemporary socio-political structure of the society. The education during early childhood phase needs to incorporate relationship-driven approach, so as to provide the child ample space for observation, critical judgement and growth (Cascio Schanzenbach, 2013). The major impacts of contemporary early childhood education on teaching and learning today are as follows: Socialization: The contemporary theorists encourage extensive socialization amongst children from various cultures, religions and class, for an understanding of the diversely multi-cultural society and its acceptance (Flook et al., 2015). Awareness of ones surroundings is essential for the learning and growth of a developing child. Co-operation: According to the new theories, co-operation is a vital element that should be incorporated in early childhood education (Heckman, Pinto Savelyev, 2013). Since the effects of early childhood education pave the behaviour and characteristics of a developing childkeeping in mind the growing intolerance within a society, co-operation needs to be reverted through educating the future generation. Two-way Growth: An important element of contemporary image of child includes responsibility of the educators to learn and grow in the process of educating a child. Every child is different and has unique needs and preferences (Garvis et al., 2013). The educator needs to pay exclusive attention and learn every day in order to establish a relationship with the child and encourage growth (Pramling Samuelsson Pramling, 2013). Conclusion In conclusion, a perfect incorporation of both past theories and contemporary ideas of early childhood education would make way for a strong and powerful child. Every child has unique needs based on their unique experiences and perception. Child educators must have in-depth knowledge of the childs psychology in order to communicate successfully with him/her/them. Only following value based moral teachings could end up limiting the childs imagination, confidence and potential; however, complementing the action based approach with the academic approach of imparting pre-defined knowledge and information in relevance with the contextual socio-cultural reality. References Akalin, S., Demir, S., Sucuoglu, B., Bakkaloglu, H., Iscen, F. (2014). The Needs of Inclusive Preschool Teachers about Inclusive Practices.Eurasian Journal of Educational Research,54, 39-60. Cascio, E. U., Schanzenbach, D. W. (2013).The impacts of expanding access to high-quality preschool education(No. w19735). National Bureau of Economic Research. Classen, A. (2017).Childhood in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance: the results of a paradigm shift in the history of mentality. de Gruyter. Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L., Davidson, R. J. (2015). Promoting prosocial behavior and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based kindness curriculum.Developmental psychology,51(1), 44. Garvis, S., Lemon, N., Pendergast, D., Yim, B. (2013). A content analysis of early childhood teachers' theoretical and practical experiences with infants and toddlers in Australian teacher education programs.Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online),38(9), 25. Gestwicki, C. (2013).Developmentally appropriate practice: Curriculum and development in early education. Cengage Learning. Heckman, J., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P. (2013). Understanding the mechanisms through which an influential early childhood program boosted adult outcomes.American Economic Review,103(6), 2052-86. Ideland, M., Malmberg, C. (2015). Governing eco-certified childrenthrough pastoral power: critical perspectives on education for sustainable development.Environmental Education Research,21(2), 173-182. Nilsson, M., Ferholt, B. (2014). Vygotsky's theories of play, imagination and creativity in current practice: Gunilla Lindqvist's creative pedagogy of play in US kindergartens and Swedish Reggio-Emilia inspired preschools.Perspectiva,32(3), 919-950. Piaget, J. (2013).The construction of reality in the child(Vol. 82). Routledge. Pound, L. (2017).How Children Learn-Book 1: From Montessori to Vygosky-Educational Theories and Approaches Made Easy(Vol. 1). Andrews UK Limited. Powley, E. H., Taylor, S. N. (2014). Pedagogical approaches to develop critical thinking and crisis leadership.Journal of Management Education,38(4), 560-585. Pramling Samuelsson, I., Pramling, N. (2013). Orchestrating and studying children's and teachers learning: Reflections on developmental research approaches.Education Inquiry,4(3), 22624. Roskos, K. A. (Ed.). (2017).Play and literacy in early childhood: Research from multiple perspectives. Routledge. Swim, T. J. (2015). Theories of child development: Building blocks of developmentally appropriate practices.Development,10, 27. Wood, E. A. (2014). Free choice and free play in early childhood education: Troubling the discourse.International Journal of Early Years Education,22(1), 4-18.