An Exploration of Learning and Development for Early Childhood

This essay delves into the multifaceted realm of early childhood learning and development, exploring the evolution of educational approaches and the changing perspectives on children's capabilities. It begins by examining the shift from traditional teaching methods to those that recognize children as active learners, drawing upon the Reggio Emilia approach and the Early Years Learning Framework in Australia. The essay then explores influential theories, including Piaget's cognitive development stages and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), highlighting their implications for educators. Furthermore, it discusses various educational approaches like the Montessori Method and the High Scope Approach, emphasizing the importance of aligning teaching methods with children's developmental needs. The essay concludes by advocating for a balanced approach that integrates play and practice, and acknowledges the role of modern perspectives on early childhood education.

Running head: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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The system of education has changed drastically over the past few decades and this has
prompted educators their style of teaching. We live in a world where traditional methods of
teaching no longer apply to the educational setting. With changing time, the aptitude and
capabilities of children have also changed. In order to understand the present ‘image’ of the
child, we have to reflect upon our own ideals and the ways our beliefs construct the image of the
children. Reggio Emilia first proposed the concept of the image of the child. It implies the belief,
understanding and assumptions people have about the responsibility of children in society and in
education. The image of the child has changed and kept changing over time. Emilia’s work has
provided a solid base for educators to understand the needs and abilities of children and their
perceptions in different cultures and in different individuals. To provide an instance, one teacher
can see a child’s ability to match sounds of the English alphabets to the correct letter as the
child’s lack of motivation. While another teacher views the same inability as the child’s capacity
to observe things minutely. In my personal opinion, I think children possess capabilities that are
beyond our imagination. I have grown up in an environment where children are treated not as
immature beings who need consistent guidance from elders but who are capable enough to know
their own needs. Children, I believe, are much aware and emotionally intelligent than most
adults. They just need the right path by which their potential can be channelized. In Australia,
focus on early education of children has been to ensure development on all spheres of life. The
Early Years Learning Framework (Belonging, Being and Becoming) introduced by the Council
of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2009 incorporated five learning outcomes that encourage
and enhance the learning of children from birth to five years of age. The first outcome states that
children possess a strong sense of identity. In my view, this outcome is true because children
since birth become aware of the people around them and they could sense the touch of their

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provider easily. The second outcome says that children connect with their world and contribute
to it as well. I find this outcome also to be true because children do develop a strong sense of
belonging to the world. They become aware of justice and give equal treatment to everyone. This
is largely due to the uncorrupted mind and heart of the children as per my view. The third
outcome states that children also have a strong sense of wellbeing and that they take
responsibilities for their own physical and mental health. According to the fourth outcome,
children learn and involve in learning activities confidently. They are curious always and have a
tendency to go deep into any topic until the answer is discovered. The fifth and final outcome
implies that children are efficient communicators. They learn to communicate both verbally and
non-verbally with the use of symbols and gestures.
I have read several texts regarding the learning ability of children. however, the recent
decades have seen a flurry of studies on teacher’s role in developing children’s ability. These
studies show that educators have to be flexible in order to adjust to the changing needs and
abilities of the children. The ELYF learning outcomes for children that I have discussed in the
previous section demonstrate a link to my own views about the ways children learn and develop.
Apart from the learning outcomes, numerous approaches to teaching seem to align with my own
views about children. Many theorists over the years have come up with different theories and
models that describe how children develop through different ages. Jean Piaget, the psychologist
from Switzerland proposed the cognitive theory of development in which he mentioned the four
stages of development including the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete
operational stage and the formal operational stage. These stages describe how children develop
their sense of movement, their ability to manipulate information, their ability to think logically
and their ability to develop abstract thoughts. As an educator, Piaget’s theory would help me

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comprehend the thought process of each children and I could approach them accordingly.
Another theorist, Vygotsky also came up with a model that provided great help to the educators
in understanding the ways children learn and develop. Vygotsky’s theory involved a vital
component of a child’s ability to learn and adapt – the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
The ZPD involves three phases of learning ability of the child. Between the phase of ‘what the
children can do’ and ‘what the children cannot do’, is the zone of proximal development, ‘what
the children can do with help’. I believe the ZPD would help me as a teacher to acknowledge the
limits and strengths of the children and give them that push by which they can go ahead. One of
the earliest contributors to the early childhood education, Friedrich Froebel, who introduced the
concept of Kindergarten, stated that children develop naturally within the lap of nature without
any disturbance from the elderly world. According to Froebel, teachers could guide the play
activities of children that could help them explore the surroundings and interact with it at the
same time. In contrast to the traditional notion that children lack the cognitive ability to be
educated, Froebel upheld the notion the education must begin when children develop the
consciousness to learn. During the course of the unit, I came across many educational approaches
that targeted towards early childhood education and found three approaches to be relevant in
today’s context. The first is the Montessori Method that was initiated by Maria Montessori, an
Italian physician. As per this method, the schools must establish a link with the children’s
families, children must be allowed to do things in order to make them learn teachers must play
the role of a passive observer and guide the children silently. The High Scope Approach is the
next approach to early education that I have read and it states that children must support and be
encouraged to share their views and experiences with their peers and teachers. The last and the

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most important approach to early childhood education according to me is the Reggio Emilia
approach that has been already discussed in the previous section.
Within the contemporary context, educators have adopted many approaches to assist
children’s learning in their early years. We have discussed various approaches to early childhood
development and learning that involve the works of theorists and scholars like Piaget, Froebel,
Vygotsky, Maria Montessori and Reggio Emilia. These studies have helped me to understand
that the right approach to children depends not only on how they learn but also on how they
develop. In the childhood development sphere, I found Vygotsky’s concept of ZPD to be very
effective. The ZPD provides a concise perspective on the ability of children to develop as per
their own ability. It says that children are competent enough to develop on their own with only a
little external help. As a teacher, I would approach my students in this way and try to analyze
the situations where they need help and where they do not. The Reggio Emilia approach is an
instance of the contemporary perspective on early childhood education. In my view, the
approach has more relevance to the current structure of education in early childhood that believes
in the capability of children as learners. Alper (2013) supports this approach and proposes
improvised ways, linking digital technology with Emilia’s approach to early education in order
to achieve the desired goals. The author states that the alignment of the digital and non-digital
media would yield positive benefits by enabling greater examination. When I was a child, I used
to love the concept of sing and learn and it even helped me learn things easily. The concept was
very effective because I have still not forgotten the terms that were taught using this process. As
mentioned previously, the modern perspectives of development and education position children
as able and skilled learners. This view has proved to be extremely beneficial for both educators
and children, as it has succeeded in creating a different bond between the teacher and his student.

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The modern view or approach to education has enabled children to appreciate the value of
cooperation. Apart from that, the approach has been supporting holistic development of the
children. Children also feel enthusiastic about learning through this modern approach. However,
the implementation and maintenance of this view is an area that has posed challenge to the
educators. According to (), the execution of the new approach of educating children through fun
has been a difficult topic to handle for educators because many argue that the fun element would
distract children from the main purpose of learning. Some arguments like fun is playful and
hence has no place within the classroom. The argument is justified to some extent but not
entirely. The main tricks I believe, lies in the implementation of fun and learn approach in early
childhood teaching. Involving students in activities that are related to their education and
maintaining equilibrium of play and practice would go a long way in making this new approach
entirely acceptable.