How Children Learn?

Babies and Learning


Children are enquisitive and eager to learn but they do have short attention spans so learning has o be fun and engaging.  Psychologists first believed that a baby’s mind was a blank canvas on which experiences could be imprinted on.

A number of different methodologies arose which challenge this theory.

3 Examples:

• Non nutritive sucking - Babies may suck their thumb, fingers, pacifier, or other inanimate objects such as a blanket or toy

• Habituation - Babies learn to stop responding to a stimulus which is no longer biologically relevant

• Visual Expectation - Babies can use their expectations about the world to rapidly shape their developing brains

learning through the senses 

Baby's explore most things through the 5 senses; taste, touch, sight, smell and sound. This is the easiest way for a baby to explore and gain knowledge of an object because it allows them closer access to the object. 

3 recognised approaches to improving a child's learning:

• Building on pre-existing knowledge: Taking the familiar in order to explain the unfamiliar. 
• Transferring Knowledge: Applying the learned information to a real life situation 
• Memory Strategies: Repetition or rhyme Summarising or Grouping

Learning Types:

• Auditory Learning - through sound
• Visual Learning  - through sight
• Kinaesthetic Learning - through doing

It is best when teaching to use a variety of these learning types to ensure you reach out every child.

What type of learner am i? 

I think i am primarily a Kinaesthetic learner because through past experiences i have always learnt best when doing; i always say the best way to learn is to do. Wether it be sport, music or lectures, i find information is best retained when i am physically doing an activity related to what we are learning. I also think i am a visual learner as i like to look at diagrams etc. before hand and then go into doing an activity, just so i have visual data in my head of what we are doing. 

I find it difficult to learn in quiet environments as i then tend to lack concentration. I like to learn in busy and interactive settings as i feel it engages my attention more.