Pedagogy
In our modern times, it is easy to get a little too focused on our recent technologies, to believe that the future of learning will solely be through a computer screen, making the role of the teacher obsolete. Goswami concludes in her report, Children’s cognitive development and learning, that ‘learning in young children is socially mediated’ explaining that even in the most basic of mechanical processes children require a certain amount of ‘direct social interaction’ for their learning to be successful (Goswami 2015, p. 24). In this same report, Goswami concludes that the main difference between the way children and adults ‘think and reason’ is the amount of experience that adults are able to tap into to self-regulate and reflect on (Goswami 2015, p. 25). Goswami highlights the importance of proper modelling from the teacher in a multitude of situations and social interactions, for children to develop a good knowledge base for different circumstances. Through discussion with peers and adults alike young children are able to slowly build a map that enables them to navigate the social constructs that govern most of our day-to-day interactions (Goswami, 2015, p. 25).
Through my experience in different classrooms, I have seen several situations in which teachers deal with both of the aspects. E-learning has become a staple in most schools I have worked with. Instead of the children being left on their own though, teachers group students together with one device, usually an Ipad, asking children to work together and to compete against one another in games. When issues arose because of jealousy or misunderstanding the teachers were quick to intervene and open a discussion about the class rules and different behaviours that are considered acceptable and not. Though technology seemed to be of importance in the classroom, it was never the main focus and its use was usually for less than 15 minutes. This allowed children to familiarise themselves with the technologies that are prevalent without missing out on the benefits of social interactions. One tendency I noticed in one classroom though, was a certain level of unease and misunderstanding of technology from the teacher. Goswami’s conclusion on modelling proper behaviours enables us to reason that the students in this classroom would appropriate the teacher’s mistrust and misunderstandings of the functionality of certain technologies. Modelling was not solely around technology though. In one instance a teacher who was unable to get her classroom to calm down and listen placed herself in the quiet corner (which is where the children could go to calm down when they are feeling frustrated). By modelling the behaviour being implemented by the students, the teacher was able to tap into the students’ empathy for her and her frustration. The students not only changed their behaviour because of this but also really understood the implications that their behaviour could have on their teacher and thus learning experience.
When working with my future learners, I will be sure to put into practice Goswami’s conclusions. I believe that it will be critical to have a varied amount of interactions and to not be afraid of incorporating parents, as well as other students and teachers, from the school. Goswami states that ‘Families, peers and teachers are all important’ creating as many different kinds of interactions that the students can learn from and build their knowledge base on (Goswami, 2015, p. 24). Though I still see the significance of e-learning and the use of technology, Goswami has converted me to understand that it should never be the focus, especially for young learners. I will be sure to generate an environment allowing children to interact and converse about their learning while moderating and modelling behaviours of intrigue, resilience, respect and camaraderie.
References
Goswami, U. (2015) Children’s cognitive development and learning; Report for the Cambridge Primary Review Trust [online].
Available: http://cprtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/COMPLETE-REPORT-Goswami-Childrens-Cognitive-Development-and-Learning.pdf
[Accessed Oct 4th, 2017]