How Do Children Learn?

Learning according to John Hattie (2008), is the process of developing enough surface knowledge in order to move to a deeper understanding. This then enables appropriate transfer of learning to new tasks and situations.

Evidence and research show that pupils can use visual and auditory channels simultaneously when learning new knowledge without having cognitive overload.

Reflecting on my own teaching the best way to impact knowledge is to get pupils engage in tasks and less talk from the teacher.

Rosenshine (2012) advocates ten principal of instruction which teachers can use to develop effective lessons plan where learners can gain new knowledge. He suggested every lesson should begin with a short review of previous learning in other to strengthen the connections between pieces of knowledge. This can be done with a five to eight-minute review of previous lessons, peer marking, asking questions, checking for misconceptions and correcting homework. The following other principles from him are simple yet effective. They are presenting new materials in small steps so pupils can practice them over time, asking a variety of questions and getting pupils to answer thereby promoting retrieval which enhances memory of the knowledge solved, using models and examples when introducing new knowledge, guiding pupils to rephrase, elaborate and summarize new material, constantly checking for misconceptions so learning is not harmed by direct questioning, making sure a high success rate has been achieved in a topic before moving to new topic, providing scaffolds when a hard task is being done by pupils and removing them slowly as pupils gain understanding and fluency of a topic, allowing pupils to over-learn by getting them to practice independently so they become fluent and retrieve information automatically and lastly conducting weekly and monthly reviews so pupils re-consolidate information and create stronger connections.

Another interesting theory, a constructivist one, on how children learn by Jerome Bruner (1961) proposes three modes of representation where new knowledge is gained and stored in the memory. His opinion was that the role of education was not to impart knowledge, rather to facilitate a child`s thinking and problem-solving skills which could be transferable to a range of situations. His first mode of representation, the enactive action-based theory uses physical actions to induce thinking, this type of representation was observed within the age groups 0 to 1. However, it can be applied to other scenarios like knowledge gained in a science practical lesson. The hands-on physical movement while carrying out a practical help in encoding and storing information in the memory. His second mode of representation, the iconic one, observed in children aged 1 to 6, suggest that information is stored as sensory images in the mind, agreeing with the VAK theory for visual learners. Reiterating the need to use diagram when using verbal information to teach or transfer learning when teaching a new subject to children. The third representation, the symbolic, observed in children aged 7 years plus is the last stage children evolve into in their learning journey. Information and knowledge are stored in a language format such as words, mathematical symbols, music, to mention a few help children deal with abstract concepts. So, in other to get children to process, think and store new information, a progression from enactive, iconic and symbolic representation is crucial because children are capable of constructing their own knowledge by organizing and categorizing information. While a lot of theories disagree with each other, Piaget (1954) seem to agree with some of his theory. As a teacher, I agree with Bruner and completely try and get my learners interested in a subject by using these modes of representation.

When teaching new content and skill, I usually incorporate detailed guidance, followed by providing a lot of opportunities for practice and feedback. The detailed guidance format is simply giving pupils worked examples for them to study first before beginning a task. As students become more proficient at solving a particular type of problem, they are then gradually given more opportunities for independent problem solving. I am modelling the Rosenshine approach as l think it is very practical as well as achievable and somehow, we as teachers are doing them unconsciously one way or the other. Bruner s three representation theory to encourage learning of new information again is achievable and of immense benefit in science lessons. Blooms theory is another one of my favorites in delivering lessons and checking pupils are using and achieving the steps instrumental to their learning journey.

Reference:

Deans for Impact (2015). The Science of Learning . Accessed on 20/10/2019, from https://deansforimpact.org resources the-science-of-learning

Hattie, J., A. (2008). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement International Review of Education 57(1-2) Accessed on 20/10/2019.

McLeod, S. A. (2019). Bruner . Simply Psychology. Accessed on 20/10/2019 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.

Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: research-based strategies that all teachers should know. American Educator, v36 n1 p12-19, p39

Storm, B., C., Bjork, R., Storm, J., C. (2010). Optimizing retrieval as a learning event: When and why expanding retrieval, practice enhances long-term retention. Memory Cognition 2010, 38 (2), 244-253 Type Your Article Here