GDECE106 Learning and Development Report Sample

GDECE106 Learning and Development

Task Description:

In terms of physical, social-emotional and cognitive development, identify aspects of learning and development of a child (You can have an example from your placement, your family or your social circles, but please respect the confidentiality of their identity, make them unidentifiable, using a pseudonym). Explain their milestones of development, specifically identifying development across all domains. Use theoretical tools from different perspectives that we have discussed in the class, e.g.: constructivism, behaviourism, humanistic theory, cognitivism, etc. Appraise a range of intentional teaching strategies to support the child’s holistic learning and development, along with individual needs if required. Link to EYLF/NQS.

Criteria

• Explain the milestones achieved by the child, and any notable milestones that have not been achieved but would be expected at the child’s age.

• Appraisal of strategies to support the child’s development and learning

• Clear connections to EYLF, NQS

• Draw on relevant academic literature to support your explanation.

Word count: 2000 words +/- 10% (excluding references)

NOTE: SCEI-HE requires its students to observe the highest ethical standards in every aspect of their academic work. SCEI-HE actively demonstrates its commitment to academic integrity by recognising scholarly work and penalising all forms of academic dishonesty. Please refer to the Institute’s HEPP01 Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure for further information or speak to your lecturer, Academic Support Coordinator or Librarian.

Formatting: 12-point serif font (eg. Times New Roman). 1.5 or double line spacing.

Referencing: APA7 (please refer to this guide for referencing guidelines)

Solution

Introduction

The initial years of a child's life are important for the whole child's development; they involve physical, social-emotional, and cognitive growth. This essay will focus on the case of a young child, referred to by the pseudonym "Olivia", and will examine this child from the point of view of different theoretical perspectives such as constructivism, behaviorism, humanistic theory, and cognitivism. Olivia is a 4-year-old girl, who has been a student of the early childhood education center in this place for the last two years. Through investigation of Olivia's age-appropriate milestones and educator-driven strategies that can stimulate the learning and development of the child, this essay aims to inform about the significance of thorough comprehension and providing support to the holistic development of toddlers. Besides, the links between Olivia's development and the key elements of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS) are going to be looked at and show how crucial the support of learning frameworks and standards is for educational practices.

Physical, Social-Emotional, and Cognitive Development Milestones

Explanation of the milestones achieved by the child

When Olivia was four years old, she went through many key developmental benchmarks in the motor, social-emotional, and mental domains. As far as her physical appearance goes, she is within the age-appropriate height and weight limits. Also, her considerable gross motor skills enable her to run, jump, and climb confidently. Olivia continues to improve her fine motor skills, and she is already able to manipulate small objects, use utensils, and implement other activities that require dexterity, such as drawing and cutting with scissors.

Figure 1: Child Development and Early Learning
(Source: https://nap.nationalacademies.org)

Through the social-emotional facet, Olivia displays her ability to know herself well and to talk about her feelings and needs properly (Salmon, 2022). She has found that her relationship with her peers has become more intimate and she does not shy away from the active phase of playing with her friends, taking the lead from time to time. Emotionally Olivia is well-adjusted and can deal with her anger and displeasure with adults' involvement. Cognitive development is also reflected in Olivia's age-appropriate problem-solving abilities and an increase in her understanding of cause and effect. she is curious and usually asks questions to probe into the world deeper. The linguistic skills of Olivia are also increasing she can be a talking person, follow multi-step directions, and recount stories with proper detail.

Discussion of the Child's Development Across all Domains to Relevant Theories

Constructivism Theory

The theory of constructivism for MBA Assignment Expert considers learners as learners who are the masters of their world, and they are the ones who create their own meaning of the world. As a result, this outlook enables people to understand and comprehend through inquiring, testing, and interacting with their outside world (Astle et al. 2022). The participants are thought of as actors in the learning process, who are not just observers but are fully involved in the work with the materials and ideas to create unique mental representations for their minds. Constructivism assumes that learners’ active, practical experience is of great importance and they are encouraged to explore, wonder, and question the knowledge not only to listen and repeat. On the contrary, this theory suggests that learning is a complex process consisting of active involvement and participation of the learner, their existing knowledge, beliefs, and cultural context.

Cognitivism Theory

Cognitivism is a learning theory that focuses on the mental steps that take place during the learning process and the knowledge construction. In this method, the students are trained to emphasize critical thinking skills, such as understanding, focus, perception, and solving problems. Cognitivists argue that cognition is the central process of learning, where learners activate their brains to perform activities like information processing, encoding, and retrieving, respectively (Zulela et al. 2022). The knowledge constructivism approach helps students to understand and retain information to the maximum through the process of integration of the new with the old, and the finding of the relationships between the learner's existing knowledge and mental structures. Cognitivism, apart from the role of metacognition, which refers to an individual's monitoring and regulating their thinking as well as learning, has a strong influence on deeper learning and the transfer of knowledge too.

Figure 2: Child Development
(Source: https://www.structural-learning.com)

Humanistic Theory

Humanistic theory is a psychological thought that places emphasis on the importance of self-realization, self-determination, and accomplishment of one's own goals. This theory gives the individual a front-row seat in the learning process and focuses on the complete development of the person, including emotional aspects and social and cognitive development (González-Pérez & Ramírez-Montoya, 2022). Humanistic theorists stress the fact that individuals have the innate tendency to seek self-realization, which is one of the main features of human nature. The educator or the facilitator in this approach is responsible for the building of a safe, nonjudgmental learning space that is intended to help individuals in their process of self-exploration, finding personal meaning, and developing relationships. This theory points out that qualities such as empathy, genuineness, and motivation from within are essential to the learning process.

Critical Reflection on The Child's Development in Terms of Age and Development-Related Expectations

Evaluating the age-related development of Olivia which includes both the areas where she is capable and the places where she could be assisted by specialists, a critical reflection is made. From the physical side, Olivia seems to be successful in her age-appropriate gross and fine motor skills, which are signs of typical physical development. Her capability to interact in a coordinated manner in doing activities like running, jumping, and handling small objects reveals that she is achieving the developmental milestones typically appropriate for a four-year-old child (Gopalan et al. 2020). This congruence with the norm for physical maturity and development is a positive indicator as it provides a foundation for Olivia to take part in recreational activities independently and perform daily self-care without assistance.

On the other hand, Olivia's case of independent name writing is a weakness that calls for extra attention to be provided and intervention. The typical milestone of being able to write your name by the age of 4 is often a pressure for many children. However, some of them might not yet possess the fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination needed for this task. Olivia might essentially find this task challenging, among other things, since her early childhood environment lacked structured pre-writing activities, as well as her personal preference for more gross motor activities. This deviation from the milestone should be addressed by practices and support in a particular area as it can be an indication for slower development of early literacy abilities in Olivia.

Socially and emotionally, Olivia is manifesting or possessing certain qualities at her age that are expected for her to have (Mann et al. 2022). The fact that she can make lasting friendships, express her emotions accurately, as well as regulate her emotions with less adult help are all indicators that she is making social-emotional progress and that she’s developing well in these areas. These skills, therefore, enable Olivia’s social competence and ultimately help her to develop an understanding of people, maintain good relationships, and build a strong personality.

Strategies to Support the Child's Development and Learning

Intentional teaching strategies to support the child's holistic learning

For Olivia's holistic learning and development, a plethora of teaching techniques selection could be implemented. With Olivia having problems with independent namewriting, a multisensory strategy in mastering pre-writing skills would be necessary. Such activities could involve coordinating the eyes, ears, and hands, among others, for instance tracing letters in sand or shaving cream, forming letters with playdough, and finger painting exercises. The sensory-rich and practical experiences with these activities can be great in developing the fine motor skills and muscle memory Olivia needs for written names.

Further, the activities that provide for growth in the gross motor function like obstacle course, dance, and outdoor play among others will also nurture Olivia's physical development. She will be able to combine these tasks on the field as her coordination and the ability to be aware of her body will be improved (Büyüközkan et al. 2021). Besides that, these activities provide Olivia with an opportunity for social interaction and emotional regulation through her turn-taking and cooperation skills as well as her impulse control during play.

Figure 3: Play-based Learning and Intentional Teaching
(Source: https://www.semanticscholar.org)

To cultivate active involvement of Olivia in the learning environment and help her solve problems, some strategies that encourage active engagement and problem-solving can be used. For example, some methods would be asking her open-ended questions to foster her curiosity, providing materials for exploration and experimentation, and letting her share her thoughts to see the world with a new perspective. Moreover, varied language activities, including reading aloud, retelling stories, and interacting through back-and-forth conversations, are also good for stimulating Olivia's mental and language skills.
Explain how these strategies are relevant

The suggested teaching strategies deliberately geared towards Olivia's development and learning across domains are highly relevant and can prove to be successful. The sensory approach to pre-writing skill development matches the framework of constructivism and cognitivism philosophy and Olivia will benefit from it. With Olivia participating in practical and super-sensory activities that incorporate the three major modalities of vision, audition, and motion, she can physically experience and construct her knowledge of the formation of letters and the practice of writing (Meredith & Catherine, 2020). This method not only resolves her present struggle with writing her name but also facilitates the growth of bigger fine motor and initial literacy skills.

The inclusion of gross motor activities like obstacle courses, dance, and outdoor recreation is relevant for making Olivia physically developed and with social-emotional and cognitive well-being. These activities have a constructivist orientation of giving Olivia opportunities to discover herself, and her limits, interact socially, regulate her emotions, and resolve challenges.

Connections to EYLF and NQS

Olivia's development as a holistic being and the intentional teaching strategies present in this essay share common values with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS).

The EYLF emphasizes the importance of supporting children's learning and development across the five key learning outcomes: identity, community, well-being, learning, and communication, as defined by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in 2009 (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). Olivia's development will be significantly influenced by three crucial learning outcomes: intellectual, emotional and personal. This is the way things are going to be and will help her to become a whole person. The transformations she will be experiencing, the people she will meet and her becoming a complete person will be the outcome of the EYLF principle which expects to develop autonomy and a sense of belonging in children. Moreover, the representation of Olivia's growth in terms of her perception, thinking and language competency illustrates the main goal of EYLF which is to help children master their learning and connecting skills.

Figure 4: NQF, NQS and EYLF
(Source: https://medium.com)

The strategies are incorporated in the EYLF's principles of intentional and play-based learning, and they involve a multi-sensory prewriting skill development process, integration of full-body activities, and open-ended questions. These tactics support Olivia's comprehensive development through their stimulation of her senses, allowing her to do things and play with objects that would enable her to explore, discover, and construct new knowledge.

Conclusion

This essay focuses on Olivia’s holistic development and the strategies for teaching that are recommended to support her development and growth in the early years of childhood education. This analysis underlines the significance of a holistic approach to early childhood education. Providing interventions in diverse areas like physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development, and aligning educational programs with existing theorized frameworks such as the EYLF and NQS can play a crucial role in the development of well-rounded children. This process of analysis helps us realize that children have their paths of development, and, what is more, it is crucial to use the appropriate, evidence-based approach to develop them to their fullest. The complete model of educating Olivia involves a holistic approach to the learning and development of children and can serve as a model for high-quality early childhood education for all children. 

Reference List

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Astle, D. E., Holmes, J., Kievit, R., & Gathercole, S. E. (2022). Annual Research Review: The transdiagnostic revolution in neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(4), 397-417. [Retrieved from: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.13481] [Retrieved on: 29.03.2024]

Zulela, M. S., Neolaka, A., Iasha, V., & Setiawan, B. (2022). How is the education character implemented? The case study in Indonesian elementary school. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 12(1), 371. [Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bramianto-
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González-Pérez, L. I., & Ramírez-Montoya, M. S. (2022). Components of Education 4.0 in 21st century skills frameworks: systematic review. Sustainability, 14(3), 1493. [Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/3/1493] [Retrieved on: 29.03.2024]

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