Child development, especially at an early age, involves learning from different sources. Children at that age learn through various methods such as observation, touching, listening, experimenting, and interacting with their environment. For early childhood development, children's learning can be termed as the individual growth of a child resulting from co-operative interaction between the child and the environment and interactions with others. Different learning theories explain how children learn. The social learning theory is fundamental in explaining how their social environment shapes a child's learning curve. According to the theory, the learning process of a child is impacted by the social behavior of the people around the child. The child learns through observations of punishments and rewards. The social learning theory hence acts as a foundation and basis for why different people involved in a child's learning process should acquire training as regards how a child learns and should also be fully engaged in the child's learning process.
Parent or family involvement is an essential element of a child's learning process. This is because the family is the foundation of a child's values, beliefs, and even how they behave. Educators hence encourage other parents to be involved both at home and in the classroom. Parents should also understand that their involvement or non-involvement affects a child's learning and how the child perceives different circumstances they come across as they grow up. One of the main factors influencing the ability of a parent or a family to be involved in a child's learning process is communication. Schools and educators must ensure constant communication between parents and teachers.
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While working at a Head Start institution, some of my key roles included ensuring that there was a proper flow of information between teachers and the parents whose children were going through the program. The institution ensured that there existed a communication system that allowed communication between the parties. Parents were reminded of their appointments, parent meetings, and trainings. Providing proper communication ensured that parents did not miss out on important program dates hence keeping track of their children's learning process.
Parent meetings and trainings ensure that parents and families have a platform to share their experiences, air their concerns, and learn from each other. The program provided seminars and training for parents because parents have to understand their child's needs when it comes to learning. Through such programs, parents get to learn how their behavior affects the child, how the child learns from them, and even why a child behaves the way they do depending on their stage of learning. Such information becomes crucial for parents as they play an essential role in guiding a child through their learning milestones.
Their environment influences a child's behavior. Obtaining a balance between a right home and school environment for the child's benefit. A child who grows up in a violent and unsafe environment is likely to suffer mentally hence affecting their behavior. This means that parents should be at the forefront of ensuring that they understand their child's behavior and why the child behaves the way they do. Identification of behavior and responses by a parent helps the parents well as other educators determine the most suitable method to be used to help the child change bad behavior or improve. One of the main things that should be done in addressing such challenges is addressing the root cause of the problem. This could entail changing the child's home environment for a while as parents solve their issues, avoiding violence, and even talking to the child where possible.
Parent and family involvement in a child’s learning process impacts the child both in behavior and academically. For educators to achieve their goal of ensuring quality education to children and having a child decently go through development, then it becomes important that all stakeholders involved in the child's life work together for the benefit of the child. A right school environment and a bad work environment or vice versa doesn't do good to the child. Child behavior is hence influenced by a child's environment and who they interact with. Parents and families should be engaged in identifying and addressing any changes in a child's behavior.
References
David, T., Goouch, K., & Powell, S. (2016). The Routledge international handbook of philosophies and theories of early childhood education and care . New York: Routledge.
Miles, G., & Kathryn, B. (2016). Beginnings & Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education . Cengage Learning.
