Teaching elementary students - Essay Example

Elementary teaching 2006 Outline: A) Characteristics of the learner in terms of physical, cognitive, social, cultural, and emotional development. B) Developmental and learning theories. During lifetime a person goes through several stages of development which are marked by physical, cognitive, social, cultural, and emotional changes. In this paper we’ll concentrate on the elementary school period (6-9 years old). The physical development of elementary students is marked by the mastery of motor skills and acquisition of considerable physical skills.

During this stage children are very energetic, are quick to learn new skills and master sports. They are difficult to sit still at the lessons and are in motion. They have good appetite and quickly gain height and weight. At this period children develop effectively writing and drawing skills. The cognitive development characteristics are active information gathering, learning skills, mastering abstract thinking. At this period of life children master verbal skills. They long to become competent that’s why they are prone to ask many questions which are mostly fact-oriented.

Communication needs are usually satisfied in social groups or interest clubs. Elementary students are able to handle abstract ideas, think generally of concrete objects, devise memory strategies, and evaluate behavior. Their attention is selective. The emotional development of elementary students is marked by acquiring independence and self-confidence. It’s a stage when self-concept and self-awareness are developing. It’s a stage when a personality traits are more outlined and which can be changed or preserved for the rest of the life depending on many factors.

At this stage of development an active social participation starts. A person learns to achieve and compete, feels strong group identity. The need for interaction is satisfied through working and playing with others. The sex identity is determined and a child imitates the same sex adult. At this stage a person also develops moral values. The children at this stage have strong sense of justice. They understand the importance of rules and fairness of punishment in case of breach. Developmental and learning theories attempt to explain the process of learning.

We’ll review several theories to see how they view learning process. Constructivism regards learning as a construction of reality through our experiences. People generate ‘mental models’ to ‘shape’ experience and further acquire new ones. So, successful teaching practices should take into account the mental models which students use to perceive the world. Constructivists regard learning as a search for meaning, not memorizing of the ready answers. Constructivism suggests to customize curricula according to students needs, thus eliminating a standardized curriculum as well as grades and standardized testing.

The students are encouraged to analyze and interpret information. They also play a vital role in the assessment of their progress. In Piaget developmental theory learning is also based on cognitive structures or mental "maps," used to respond to physical experiences within certain environment which develop and sophisticate with the child development. Piaget identified four developmental stages a child goes through which should be accounted while devising curriculum appropriate to this or that stage of student development.

Still developing theory called neuroscience studies the biological basis of learning. Neuroscience proponents emphasize the importance of real experiences and "whole" ideas. They promote instruction for the ‘growth’ of the brain and continued learning. Brain-based learning studying the structure and function of the brain suggests that learning will occur if the brain fulfills its normal processes. Unless the natural learning processes are discouraged or ignored, everyone can learn. That’s why proponents of this theory offer to construct learning around student interest.

Learning is designed around real problems which are not limited to classroom setting. As in constructivism, monitoring of learning results is granted to students. References About leaning. Edmonton and area site http://www.edmontonandareacfsa.gov.ab.ca/parents/page.cfm?pg=Developmental%20Stages%20of%20Children retr. 28 Sept, 2006Developmental Psychology, (2001), http://www.webrenovators.com/psych/DevelopmentalPsychology.htm retr. 28 Sept, 2006