Promoting Child Development and Learning - Essay Example

I once had a 2nd-grade teacher that taught my class very similar to the way I want to teach my class. I remember when we were talking about traveling and we were making paper suitcases and cutting out things we wanted to take with us on our journey. Instead of telling us what we needed in the bag, the teacher gave us suggestions about what we might need and invited us to come up with ideas for what we would like to pack. After we finished, we discussed why we chose the items we did.

            I selected this activity because it gives a good example of how my teacher performed more of a helper/ mentor role with us, rather than a strict lecturer role.  Due to her encouraging way of doing the lesson, there were fewer arguments than there would have been if she had required all of the students to put a predetermined list of items into the suitcase.

I learned that being a helper or a mentor to children can be a smoother and more effective way to assist in the learning process of children. If I were to do this activity with my children, I would discuss with them before we began what they might place in their suitcases. I would still discuss why the children chose the items that they did at the end of the activity. That really promoted some deeper thinking from the students in my class.
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