Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 3.13: Support children with additional needs
Learning outcome: Understand biological, environmental and developmental factors which may result in children needing additional support
Assessment criteria: Analyse the impact of the stage of development on children’s learning
The study of child development is an ever-evolving field that has been exploring the various stages of childhood growth and how they impact children’s learning. There are a variety of methods used to analyze the impact of a child’s stage of development on their learning, including biological, psychological, and sociological approaches. This blog post will examine these three approaches in greater detail.
Biological Approach
The biological approach focuses on the physical changes that occur during each developmental stage and how these changes affect learning. For example, research has shown that infants have a more difficult time distinguishing between objects than toddlers because their brain must first develop connections between neurons in the occipital lobe—the area responsible for vision—in order to recognize shapes and colors. As children get older, their brains continue to develop; thus allowing them to understand more abstract concepts. Additionally, as children age they learn differently due to different levels of myelination (a process where nerve cells are coated with a fatty layer). Myelination allows neurons to communicate faster and more efficiently; thus facilitating learning.
Psychological Approach
The psychological approach looks at the cognitive processes involved in learning such as problem solving, memory recall, language acquisition, and critical thinking skills. This approach views development as an active process in which children actively construct knowledge rather than passively absorbing it from the environment. Research has found that young children tend to be egocentric—meaning they think only from their own perspective—while older children are better able to think from multiple perspectives which can help foster creative thinking skills. Furthermore, research also shows that younger children tend to rely more heavily on concrete facts while older children have a better understanding of abstract concepts such as math or science theories.
Sociological Approach
The sociological approach looks at how social interactions within a child’s environment affect their learning process. This includes things like family dynamics, relationships with peers, cultural norms, etc., all of which can influence how a child perceives information about the world around them and how they interpret it for themselves. For example, if a child is raised in an environment where education is valued then they may be more likely to embrace educational opportunities than if they were raised in an environment where education is not seen as important or necessary. Similarly, if a child grows up surrounded by people who speak multiple languages then they will likely develop strong language acquisition skills compared to someone raised in an environment where only one language is spoken regularly.
Summary
In conclusion, there are many factors that can impact how children learn at different stages of development including biological processes such as myelination or cognitive processes like problem solving or reasoning skills; all of which can be affected by social interactions within the home or wider community. Thus it is important for parents and educators alike to understand these various factors in order to best support each individual child’s needs throughout their educational journey. Ultimately this kind of holistic understanding will help create strong foundations for lifelong learners!