How Children Learn: A Reflective Essay on the Learning Experience of an Italian Girl

This reflective essay discusses the learning experience of an Italian girl named Alice and the strategies used to help her overcome barriers in the classroom. The report covers the social and emotional aspects of learning, the importance of early childhood development, and the implementation of different co-curricular activities that can promote learning outside the classroom.

How children learn

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Learning is an interactive process where individuals acquire new information,
understandings, and skills. The ability to learn is possessed by all and enables individuals to
build horizontal connections. The process of learning changes behavior and contributes to a
child's learning experience. The three important stages of learning that according to me are
important- cognitive, associative, and autonomous. Identification of learning objectives and
outcomes helps in the implementation of the process of learning. In my experience, the
development of learning abilities is best done during the early years of life by the construction of
knowledge through the experiences gained from learning. Continuos learning contributes to a
higher level of resilience and will help individuals to gain confidence to try out new things in
life. It becomes easier to recreate individuality. The main discussion revolves around the social
and emotional aspects of the learning observed in an Italian girl, Alice faces some barriers while
learning along with the involvement of different co-curricular activities that can promote
learning outside the classroom. Alice is 10 years old and studies in the fifth grade. In this report,
the major of discussion is well based on a reflective essay about the lesson which comprised
learning aspect that is designed for children, the lesson is well used to make the progress in
children's life. The report covers Italian girl Alice for the research work that shows progress with
learning attributes.
MAIN BODY
Initially, a report is a reflective essay that is about a lesson that is used by children for
their learning and formulating progress in their lives. whereas, Learning affects the social and
emotional development of a child and helps in the evolution of character that directly improves
academic and professional aspects of life. The reflective essay covers a children name Alice who
is an Italian girl. One time I delivered a lesson during my placement at Roehampton university
and I came across a child that was not paying attention in class and was lost in her world. I was
teaching grades 4-5 that year and most children from the age group of 9-11 years old were under
my guidance. In my teaching life, many experiences can qualify as life-changing but one of the
most transformative experiences is the case of an Italian girl named Alice. Alice, along with her
family has recently shifted to London from the southern part of Italy. This thirteen-year-old has
always had a hard time comprehending and as a primary educator it is my responsibility to make
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her comfortable and help her overcome all these barriers. Social incompetence can make her to
aware of her surroundings and help her become more confident to be able to manage difficult
emotions and impulses (Cantor et. al., 2019). The process of learning depends on Alice's
strengths and weaknesses along with her ability to form complex ideas. Her personality will
determine the way through which she responds to different experiences that are associated with
the developmental stages of learning. The disciplinary needs of the child were identified by me
which were followed by the implementation of different strategies. The time from birth to three
years of age are the most important years in the development of a child therefore,
implementation of discipline in her life is crucial for development. Some of the factors that in my
experience will affect the process of early learning for her are family background, quality of
child care, exposure to stress, and emotional stability. As an educator, it is my prime role to have
a discussion with her parents about the environment she is exposed to at home. This will give me
an idea about the behavioral aspects of her life as these stages will determine the quality of
decisions she makes in her life (Feldman, 2019). after consulting with her parents I saw what
needs to be forged to help her in different domains of life. As a person, I felt a very close
connection with Alice as I was once very poor in my studies and my teacher helped me navigate
the course of my life straight.
My own experience with my educator helped me gain respect for the teaching profession
and help others in their weakest moments. This process of helping Alice made me realize the
motherly connection that I developed with her. I needed to help her adapt to the environment of
the classroom as this is one of the most important factors for physical development. The
classroom environment promotes social interaction among students and it will help Alice open
up to new people and exhibit appropriate social behavior. Her engagement with other people will
help in enhancing her learning capabilities. I made sure to arrange the layout of the classroom in
such a way that it allows the free and safe movement of Alice and other children will enable
them to interact with one another and make friends. In my experience, good planning in teaching
promotes the welfare of the child (Mani and Ackermann, 2018). It is also my responsibility to
monitor whether or not her behavioral outcome is bad or good so that I can avoid social issues
such as bullying or rejection. I will make sure to group Alice with students who are extremely
friendly and have a good mastery of fields of creativity along with good behavior (Vukelich et.
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al., 2019). Given below is the layout of the classroom that I designed for Alice for me and her
parents to closely monitor her progress.
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/aportfolioforphilosophyaction/chapter-2-classroom-
management-plan/ideal-classroom-layout
I have also considered certain pedagogical approaches for a better understanding of her
culture to impart it to my styles of learning. This will make her connect with my teaching styles
and beliefs. I made sure to include a broad range of assessments to promote the learning of
students, especially Alice. These assessments are both subjective and objective including all the
activities that will help me track the progress of every student (Weisberg and Richert, 2022).
Grouping pupils according to their intelligence will help me classify the students on basis of their
strengths and weaknesses therefore, students with low IQ can get special attention from me.
Grouping promotes active learning, critical thinking, and effective communication and enhances
decision-making skills among students. I would be assigning tasks to Alice so that she can
understand roles and responsibilities along with the ability to tackle complex problems of her
own. After personality assessment rectification I will make sure to adjust the pace of the group.
This will help in boosting Alice's confidence as she is suffering from low self-esteem. Group
work introduces the students to a new perspective and eases the difficulties faced by the students
by enhancing teamwork skills and cognitive development. The strategy of grouping will allow
her to be introduced to an inclusive culture which is highly effective. As a result of this grouping,
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Illustration 1: Classroom layout

she will gain critical thinking such as clarification and evaluation of different ideas which are
necessary for cognitive development (Ackermann, Hepach, and Mani, 2020).
Learning has always been a huge hurdle for Alice as told by her parents. Therefore,
supporting cognitive principles in the process of learning has a huge impact on the effectiveness
of communication between me and Alice. These principles helped me in planning the delivery of
difficult concepts to her. Understanding cognitive sciences by me will help Alice and positively
influence her ability to learn. By assessing different theories of learning I have gotten a better
idea of how to adapt to the changing needs of Alice. As a result of which I conclude that the
application of learning theories is best suited in a comfortable and steady environment. There is a
high reliance on learning theory in children as implemented by primary teachers which means
that the more efforts I put into helping Alice overcome these barriers the better will be for her
development (Nomaguchi and Milkie, 2019). In my opinion, all students are different in their
learning patterns therefore, it is important for me as a teacher to identify the needs of each pupil,
in this case, Alice, and help them by using individualized education plans. I designed one for
Alice as these IEPs are modified according to her strengths and weaknesses. It would be my
responsibility to encourage her classmates to actively involve her in all the activities so that she
can feel belonged. For to check the progress she made I conducted a personalized interview with
her that addresses all her educational needs. Also, her ethnicity is Italian therefore, she is also
facing certain language barriers that should be eliminated by the collective efforts of all the
teachers and her classmates. I also conducted many sessions with other teachers to track her
progress personally and exchange useful information for better delivery of lesson plans. The
development of an effective lesson plan will lead to a better quality of teaching and active
participation of the student (Barak, Degani, and Novogrodsky, 2022).
Social and emotional development in a child includes the experiences of the child to
express and manage emotions to establish a positive relationship with others therefore, providing
favorable conditions in the classroom for the development of the brain is optimal. The learning
that a child gain involves the experiences acquired by observing others and developing a
personality based on the traits of other individuals. These traits can either be good or bad
depending upon the type of company the child has. Implementation of these strategies in my
teachings will help increase his social interaction with Alice and enables her to organize her
thoughts and reasoning gaps (Vihman, 2022). These social skills will enable her to build positive
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relationships with her classmates and allow her to set individualistic goals for her future by
learning from the experienced ones. On the other hand, a lack of social interaction can lead to
feelings of isolation and low motivation for Alice. Sharing materials in a classroom, initiating
conversations, and positive talk are some ways to encourage positive peer relationships among
Alice and her classmates (Pound, 2019). I organized a counseling session for Alice's parents to
make them understand that consistent expectation will make their daughter feel less confident
but believing in her will encourage her and even make them feel connected to the school
community and educators. Alice can learn effectively when the relationship between her and me
is strong and it can be achieved by developing mutual trust along with considering her
perspectives while making decisions. It is best on my part to offer kind words of encouragement
by putting in efforts to show Alice that act of caring. This will make her feel belonged and is
loved. It has always been my principle to value the individuality of the child by giving out honest
feedback and offering chances to make mistakes as children can only learn through practicing
constructive discipline and considering the perspectives of the student's educators.
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Source: https://wepik.com/template/modern-simple-high-school-lesson-plan-r-1823197176
Management of classroom behavior is important as it affects the safety of the other
pupils. Therefore teachers need to have the ability to regulate emotions and act professionally at
all times (Uljaevna and Shavkatovna, 2021). My beliefs as a teacher include refusing to tolerate
troublemakers and establishing ground rules for the effective functioning of my classroom.
Alice's condition and inability to learn demands me to be active and deal with difficult situations
smoothly. Leaving my students in a vulnerable position or refusing to help Alice will be against
my ethics. As an educator, I am required to use appropriate affirmative language and express
gratitude to bridge the gap between me and Alice to get her to respect me and learn from me at
the same time. I also rewarded Alice every time she showed excellent behavior to encourage her.
This motivates other students to do better academically. The key to establishing a harmonious
classroom is to build positive relationships with the pupils and be a good educator in myself
(Gelir, 2022). Along with verbal communication, I need to implement effective nonverbal
communication to convey the message of kindness and put forward my opinions in front of
Alice. I am consistently enthusiastic and opt for a smiling face while in the classroom setting can
make lessons more exciting and worth engaging even for Alice. To help curb chaos in a
classroom setting, I often turn to the use of technology to highlight their achievements of Alice
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and track her progress. Technology is a boon for teachers for keeping the parents informed about
the activities of Alice (Breitholtz and Howes, 2020).
Practicing inclusion in a classroom setting is essential as it enables the promotion of real
learning opportunities to the socially excluded groups of the society, not just children with a
disability but all the social outcasts. This will help the students like Alice to come across real
experiences and perspectives which is a very personal form of learning for children at an early
age. There is the availability of various perspectives which shape the young minds to be
empathetic and makes the students respect diverse people and their talents therefore proper
awareness is necessary. An inclusive classroom promotes a sense of equality among all and there
is more flexibility in everyday practices (Schwartz and Sparks, 2019). Values such as community
cohesion and integration involve understanding and respect for other cultures. According to
research, it was observed that increased school performance was directly related to outdoor
education as it promotes the elevation of test scores, enhances the attitude of the students about
the school premises, and improves the attendance of the student therefore I will ensure
incorporation of outdoor education in the education plan of Alice. The organization of outdoor
activities will enhance overall performance of Alice. These experiences enable her to think
critically think about real-world contexts and interactions (Jacobson, 2019). There will be an
improvement in the emotional, intellectual, and behavioral development of Alice by fostering
creative development and confidence. Outdoor activities organized by me improved Alice's
overall health by lowering the risk of blood pressure. The risk of obesity will be less in Alice
engages in outdoor activities thereby improving her overall mental state and reducing stress. She
will possess greater awareness about environmental conservation by practicing outdoor
recreation. Development of bone density along with coordination, balance, and strength are some
of the benefits of outdoor play. School trips will give her a chance to develop critical thinking
skills and enable her to analyze a topic from a different point of view (Nottingham and
Nottingham, 2019). There is a chance to experience new venues which shape the child into
becoming more empathetic and tolerant toward external stimuli. The behaviors of the community
are reflected in a child and can severely enhance Alice's learning. The involvement of the
environment and the community is crucial for a smooth learning process.
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CONCLUSION
According to the above reflective essay, it can be concluded that learning is an ongoing
process and it continues for a lifetime however, the process of learning highly depends on a lot of
factors such as classroom environment, pedagogical approaches, etc. The environment of the
classroom along with the theories of learning and cognitive sciences play an important role in the
overall development of the child, which in this case is Alice. It was my responsibility as an
educator to help Alice build positive relationships in a classroom that are linked to social and
emotional aspects of learning and this has helped her unlock her potential. The pattern of
development of different skills such as socio-emotional skills, cognitive skills, and language
skills in her was enhanced by organizing co-curricular activities and outdoor learning.
REFERENCES
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Cantor and et. al., 2019. Malleability, plasticity, and individuality: How children learn and
develop in context1. Applied Developmental Science, 23(4), pp.307-337.
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Feldman, H.M., 2019. How young children learn language and speech. Pediatrics in
review, 40(8), pp.398-411.
Mani, N. and Ackermann, L., 2018. Why do children learn the words they do?. Child
Development Perspectives, 12(4), pp.253-257.
Vukelich and et. al., 2019. Helping young children learn language and literacy: Birth through
kindergarten.
Weisberg, D.S. and Richert, R.A., 2022. How, when, and what do young children learn from
fictional stories?. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 221, p.105445.
Ackermann, L., Hepach, R. and Mani, N., 2020. Children learn words easier when they are
interested in the category to which the word belongs. Developmental science, 23(3),
p.e12915.
Nomaguchi, K. and Milkie, M.A., 2019. What should children learn? Americans’ changing
socialization values, 1986–2018. Socius, 5, p.2378023119879016.
Barak, L., Degani, T. and Novogrodsky, R., 2022. Influences of bilingualism and developmental
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Vihman, M.M., 2022. How to learn more about how children learn languages: A commentary on
Kidd and García (2022). First Language, p.01427237221096084.
Pound, L., 2019. How Children Learn (New Edition) (Vol. 1). Andrews UK Limited.
Gelir, I., 2022. Preschool children learn physics, biology, chemistry and forensic science
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Breitholtz, E. and Howes, C., 2020, July. Communicable reasons: how children learn topoi
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Jacobson, D., 2019. All Children Learn & Thrive: Building First 10 Schools and
Communities. Education Development Center, Inc.
Nottingham, J. and Nottingham, J., 2019. Challenging early learning: Helping young children
learn how to learn. Routledge.
Schwartz, S. and Sparks, S.D., 2019. How do kids learn to read? What the science
says. Education Week, pp.1-24.
Uljaevna, U.F. and Shavkatovna, S.R., 2021. Development and education of preschool
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