Analysis of Learning and Teaching in the Early Years Essay

This essay undertakes an analysis of learning and teaching in the early years, focusing specifically on the integration of Bible principles, various teaching approaches, and their impact on student development. The essay delves into the importance of introducing children to the teachings of the Bible, exploring how these principles can instill ethical and moral values. It examines different teaching strategies, such as the use of graphics and fables, and evaluates the effectiveness of approaches like humanistic, constructivist, and post-modernism in early childhood education. The essay emphasizes the significance of considering students' developmental characteristics and brain processes when designing curricula and teaching methods, highlighting the need for educators to adapt their strategies to cater to diverse learning styles and abilities. Ultimately, the analysis underscores the complexity of effective teaching and the importance of aligning educational practices with both the cognitive and emotional needs of young learners.

Running head: LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
As stated by Pritchard (2017), the process of educating the students is a complex process
and requires the educators or for that matter the teachers to take the help of different kinds of
concepts for imparting the best quality education to the students. Bryant, Bryant and Smith
(2019) are of the viewpoint that the teaching method or for that matter the contents which are
being taught by the teachers to the early learners needs to be in synchronicity with the physical
as well as the mental development characteristics shown by the students. More importantly, as
discussed by Gregory (2017), it had been also become important for the teachers or the educators
to take the help of different kinds of approaches like the humanistic, modern, post-modern and
others as per the educational needs or for that matter the learning abilities of the students or the
learners. The conglomeration of these factors are not only likely to facilitate the process of
learning for the students in the early years of their life but also enable them to grasp or for that
matter understand the things that are being taught to them in the best possible manner. This aim
of this essay is to undertake an analysis of the learning and teaching in the early years of the life
of students with specific reference to Bible principles, teaching approaches and their impact,
developmental characteristics and brain processes of the students.
Jack and Higgins (2019) are of the viewpoint that an interesting trend which is being
presently seen within the framework of the early childhood education that is being offered to the
students is the fact that the educational curriculum that they are required to follow is modeled on
the different precepts for that matter on the principles of The Bible. As discussed by Spong
(2016), even in the 21st century there are various parents and also educational institutions which
believe in the idea that introducing the children to the teachings of The Bible in the early years of
their life is to inculcate in them a working knowledge regarding the concepts of good and evil.
More importantly, by introducing the children to the different precepts of The Bible in the early

2LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
years of there is also imbibe in them the concepts of ethics, morals, virtue, fraternity and others
which are essential characteristics of a good individual (Ringer, 2016). Adding to this, Jarvis et
al. (2016) have noted that these concepts become especially important when a look at the
contemporary society or for that matter the world is being taken. For instance, it is seen that the
individuals in the present times are completely disregarding the concepts of ethics, virtue, morals
and others and the often indulge in the kind of actions which are likely to cause them the
maximum amount of good irrespective of the ethicality of the same or the damage that they
cause to the other individuals (Diem-Wille, 2018). It is in the light of these aspects that the basic
knowledge about the different principles or the teachings of The Bible is important for the
children in the early years of their lives.
As discussed by Loewen (2018), the mere incorporation of the principles or for that
matter the teachings of The Bible with the curriculum followed by the educational institutions is
not enough for the purpose of making the students understand them or use them effectively.
Adding to this, Duchesne and McMaugh (2018) have noted that the teachers are required to take
the help of adequate teaching strategies or for that matter approach for the attainment of the same
end. In this relation, it needs to be said that one of the most important teaching strategies that the
teachers can use for the purpose of effectively teaching the principles of The Bible can be
attributed to the usage of graphics and also fables (Macintyre, 2016). Graham et al. (2017) are of
the recent pedagogical research have clearly revealed the fact that the children learn in the best
possible manner when the constructs of fables and graphics are being used since it becomes very
easy for them to retain the concerned knowledge in their memory. However, as discussed by
Palaiologou (2016), the teachers are required to ensure the fact that the curriculum that have
designed is in synchronicity with the mental development of the students and also adequate

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simple fables or for that matter stories and also graphics are being used by them for the purpose
of imparting the required education to the students.
Pramling, Doverborg and Samuelsson (2017) are of the viewpoint that the major
objective of the teachers who take the help of the humanistic approach for the purpose of
teaching the students is to facilitate the overall development of the students rather than just their
mental or for that matter cognitive abilities. Adding to this, Thomas and McInnes (2017) have
noted that the teachers using this particular approach to teaching focus on the emotions of the
students and thereby creates the need within them through they derive the necessary amount of
self-motivation for the purpose of effectively learning the things which are being taught to them.
In the particular context of the early learners and education them the different principles of The
Bible this becomes an especially important approach since it enables the teachers to effectively
capitalize on the self-motivation that they had been able to create within them for learning the
teachings of The Bible (Williams-Siegfredsen, 2017). However, as discussed by Walsh,
McGuinness and Sproule (2019), the major limitation of this particular teaching approach in the
particular context of the early learners is the fact that the tender age of the early learners makes it
too difficult for the teachers to effectively motivate them for participating in the Biblical
education which is being offered to them.
According to Philp, Borowczyk and Mackey (2017), the constructivist approach to
teaching is also presently being widely used by the different teachers for the purpose of offering
the required education to the students. Kambouri et al. (2016) are of the viewpoint that one of the
most important assumptions of this approach to learning is the fact that learning occurs in the
best possible manner when the learners are actively involved in the process of learning. Adding
to this, Snow and Matthews (2016) have noted that the students are being able to learn in the best

4LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
possible manner when they actively indulge in the process of knowledge and meaning rather than
passively receiving the information which is being conveyed to them. In this relation, it needs to
be said that in the particular context of the early learners this teaching approach becomes
especially important since the children have the opportunity to explore the meaning of the
knowledge that had been cascaded to them rather than being a simple bystander (Jack & Higgins,
2019). More importantly, the extensive usage of this particular approach to teaching also
becomes apparent when the fact that the early learners are being able to learn new things which
stimulated environments are being used and also the fact that the active indulgence of the
students in the process of education facilitates their learning are being taken into account (Diem-
Wille, 2018).
Bryant, Bryant and Smith (2019) are of the viewpoint that in the present times because of
the developments in the field of pedagogy and also the changing manner in the different teachers
teaches the Post-Modernism approach to teaching had also gained a substantial amount of
prominence. As discussed by Duchesne and McMaugh (2018), the major focus of the Post-
Modernism approach to teaching is on the effective development of the critical thinking abilities
of the students, the development of social or for that matter the individual identity, adequate
production of knowledge and others. Adding to this, Pramling, Doverborg and Samuelsson
(2017) have noted that the adequate usage of this particular teaching approach requires the
teachers to effectively focus on the mental or for that matter the cognitive development of the
students. However, at the same time it needs to be said that the usage of this particular approach
of teaching becomes important in the particular context of the college or the university level
students and have failed to deliver adequate results in the particular context of the early learners
(Thomas & McInnes, 2017). As stated by Graham et al. (2017), this can be explained on the

5LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
basis of the fact that the early learners because of their limited knowledge or for that matter
mental development are unable to actively indulge in the processes of critical thinking,
production of knowledge, develop a social or for that matter individual identity and others. In the
light of these aspects, it can be said that the usage of this particular approach to teaching for
introducing the early learners to the different principles of The Bible is not a feasible one.
According to Snow and Matthews (2016), the teachers or for that the different educations
institutions for the education that they offer to the students need to take into account the physical
as well as the mental development of the students or for that matter their developmental
characteristics. Philp, Borowczyk and Mackey (2017) are of the viewpoint that this becomes
important because of the fact that different children although belonging to the same age bracket
show different levels of mental and physical development. Thus, it becomes important for the
educational institutions and also the teachers to not only formulate the curriculum but also the
teaching approaches or the methods used by them for teaching the students the different
principles or the teachings of The Bible taking into account the developmental characteristics
shown by the students. This in turn would help the teachers as well as the educational institutions
to which they are related to offer the required education to the students taking into account their
learning abilities as well as educational needs which in turn would substantially help the students
to grasp the things that are being taught to them (Walsh, McGuinness & Sproule, 2019).
Graham et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that the teachers or for that matter the
educational institutions are required to take into account the brain’s learning processes for the
education which is being offered by them. Adding to this, Kambouri et al. (2016) have noted that
as per the brain development or for that matter the development of the cognitive abilities of the
children they are more adjusted towards certain specific styles of learning. For instance, there are

6LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
students who show a higher response to auditory learning whereas there are others who show a
higher propensity towards visual learning and others (Jack & Higgins, 2019). Thus, it becomes
especially important for the teachers as well as the educational institutions to which they are
related to take into account the learning processes or for that matter the learning styles which are
most applicable to the students and thereby formulate their teaching strategies or approach and
even the curriculum on the basis of the same for offering the required education to the early
learners.
To conclude, teaching is a complex process and for the purpose of effectively educating
the students the teachers as well as the educational institutions are not only required to take the
help of adequate teaching methods or approaches but also curriculum as well. Furthermore, it
had been seen that there are many parents as well as the educational institutions which insist on
introducing the early learners to the different teachings or for that matter the principles of The
Bible. More importantly, the above discussion clearly indicates the fact that the teachers in order
to offer the required education to the early learners regarding the different principles of The
Bible would benefit substantially if they take the help of the constructivist approach of teaching.
Furthermore, the teachers as well as the educational institutions are also required to take into
account the developmental characteristics and also the learning processes of the students for the
education which is being offered to the early learners.

7LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
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8LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE EARLY YEARS
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