The process of learning is a basic part of life that has been present in society for thousands of years. The most significant aspect of learning is the interaction between a master in a particular field and the apprentice. The latter seeks to gain skills and knowledge on the same field with the potential of becoming equal if not better than the master. There are alternative ways of learning where the learner gains significant development of knowledge through their natural growth. It is depicted that literacy development is a natural process that begins immediately after birth. The child begins to improve on their language through interaction with the caregivers and playing with other children. In this process, even when the child cannot utter clear words, he demonstrates significant ability of learning language. The following report will look further into literacy development as a means of illuminating the learning process
Theory of Literacy Development
The theory of literacy development has been used to describe the process of learning. Scholars have identified that learning takes place naturally and is a basic part of realizing the child’s potential. In this practice, the child’s parents or caregivers have an important role to play in the development of knowledge (Kendeou, Broek, Helder, & Karlsson, 2014). Therefore, learning begins at the home where the child begins to recognize that the parents are reading newspapers or stories from novels. In this process, the child is seen to be curious about the action that the parent is undertaking. This practice of interest in learning is further enhanced by the caregiver reading stories to the child. In this regard, the child identifies the parent as the role model when it comes to reading (Kendeou et al., 2014). Their actions will be emulated as the learner strives to become as skillful in reading as the parent. This becomes the foundation of learning and can be an important factor to the child’s development of language at an early age.
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The theory of literacy development has been an integral factor in identifying how children develop knowledge. In this practice, it is evident that emulation of a parent who reads quite often helps the child develop interest in learning and increasing knowledge. The phonological skills of the child may be inaccurate but support from the parent has significant impact on the improvement (Kendeou et al., 2014). Following numerous attempts to achieve the perfect pronunciation of words, the child will soon begin to read for real. The theory shows that parents should not wait until the child is grown to a school-going age to learn. This clearly contradicts the maturation theory developed by Morphett and Washburne in 1931 who proposed that 6½ years was the optimal age of ensuring a child can learn effectively. The theorists emphasized that caregivers should not make any attempt to provide early reading practices as it may damage their abilities in future. However, the research by Mendive and colleagues (2016) shows that maternal practice of education was partially influential in development of early literary skills.
Theory of Cognitive Development
One of the prominent theories of literacy development is Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. The theory describes the quality of thinking in children significantly improved over time. In this case, the learner makes an attempt of understanding the world around them through encounters with new information and objects (Hulme, Nash, Gooch, Lervåg, & Snowling, 2015). This theory has provided essential description of how the intelligence and knowledge of a child is not a fixed trait rather it develops simultaneously with biological maturation and interaction with the environment. Cognitive development shows that children progress through four critical stages which come about with age (Hulme et al., 2015). The process of development begins with the sensorimotor stage from birth until the age of two years. In this case, the child achieves object permanence where he identifies that an object still exists even if it is hidden. The primary source of learning at this stage is assimilation is through assimilation where the encountered information is based primarily on existing schema.
Despite the fact that Piaget did not explicitly relate his theory to education, scholars in the field have explained its features and how it is incorporated into the teaching and learning experiences. This is evident in the Plowden report that identified the UK government’s review of its primary education based of cognitive development theory (Renninger, Hidi, & Krapp, 2014). Discovery learning was an integral theme in the review process that led to transformation of the school curriculum. The theory identifies the importance of a child active participation in learning as a basic factor of improving the education system. The preoperational stage that is between 2 and 4 years demonstrates the child’s inability to conceptualize abstractly and needs physical situations (Renninger, Hidi, & Krapp, 2014). In this practice the learner incorporates both assimilation and accommodation in understanding new information. For example, when a child at this age sees a bald-headed man he may directly identify him as a clown. However, correcting the child to understand that individuals can be bald, but do not have to be clowns based on their dressing, enables the child to gain new information through accommodation.
Emergent Literacy
The emergent literacy theory is an approach to understanding the nature of literacy development in the child. This view of education identifies the primary roots of learning in toddlerhood and pre-school years. In the former, the child shows the first signs of vocabulary skills. This is evident where the individual imitates the words spoken by the caregiver and other persons around him (Mendive, Lissi, Bakeman, & Reyes, 2016). The emergent literacy approach shows that vocabulary at this stage may differ for children depending on socioeconomic contexts. It is the parents’ onus to improve this knowledge by engaging in frequent interaction with the child (Mendive et al., 2016). The modern society provides children with opportunity to advance their vocabulary through reading storybooks and learning videos. This approach depicts significant interest in the child to achieve skillful pronunciation of words and improve expression of feelings. Through this practice, the learner can effectively identify the meaning of the terms used during interaction though may have a problem in using them effectively.
The pre-school years are also a basic part of the child’s development in literacy. In this period, the child begins to understand that the spoken terms and vocabularies can also be conveyed through writing. Letter knowledge and emergent writing begins to develop. The child can now understand how a few words are spelt and makes attempts to write them down (Mendive et al., 2016). An important practice of this skill is through practice and engagement in similar activities. The learner can clearly identify that written information is a basic construct of communicating. In this practice, it is important that the child achieves message and print principles where what is spoken can be written down and spacing, text wrapping is all part of the process (Mendive et al., 2016). The emergent literacy approach affirms the cognitive development theory that learning is a gradual process that involves active participation of the child.
Reflection
The above study of cognitive development theory and the emergent literacy approach demonstrates closely related views of achieving effective literacy learning. Piaget suggests that the thinking of a child progresses through a series of stages achieved through biological maturation and interaction with the environment. The emergent literacy approach shows that learners are able to achieve effective literacy understanding through practice. In this regard, both views on improving the understanding of the child are hinged on his or her active engagement in the learning process (Sirach, 2017). The emergent approach identifies the years before formal education as quite important in achieving effective literacy development. This perspective is affirmed by Piaget who points out that the sensorimotor stage incorporates the assimilation thinking where the child attempts to read as an imitation of the caregiver’s habits (Saracho, 2017). The parents’ efforts to support and reassure the child’s attempts will improve their understanding of information. Accommodation is also used to ensure that when an object cannot be assimilated and the schemata are changed to include it.
The process of effective literacy learning is depicted to have a systematic development in the child. It is evident that learning does not start when the child begins to receive formal instruction (Saracho, 2017). Alternatively, the informal instruction and interaction with the parent is a basic component of ensuring appropriate development of skills in literacy. The approaches discussed above are clear demonstrations of the importance of early engagement in advancing language understanding. They also portray that this progress enables improved performance in the formal setting (Saracho, 2017). The child showing interest in learning is a basic means of exploring the world around them. The learner has a basic schema of how the world is depicted and while numerous cases will show that they are correct, accommodation helps improve their learning process. The comprehension of information that a child learns is integral to the foundation created through this informal learning process.
Conclusion
The process of learning is depicted to be a gradual process that includes the child’s interaction with the environment. However, it is not always the case that children receive positive reinforcement in the environment resulting in negative educational experiences. It is evident that the while school is enjoyable for some people, it is a devastating period for many causing a negative perception on the rest. The parents are integral in shaping this belief in their interaction with the child. It is evident that at times caregivers identify themselves as overall rule in the life of the child and fail to consider the individual desires of the child. For instance, the child may have an inclination to attempt art and music, but the parents believe that sciences are better served for the future of the child. This results in the learner pursuing the dreams of his parents rather than his own. In many cases, the child will underperform and be depicted as a failure. Through the application theory it is evident that the experience of the learner may have improved. The teacher should have a sit down with parents to discuss importance of allowing the child to pursue personal preferences by providing support and guidance.
References
Hulme, C., Nash, H. M., Gooch, D., Lervåg, A., & Snowling, M. J. (2015). The foundations of literacy development in children at familial risk of dyslexia. Psychological Science , 26(12), 1877-1886.
Kendeou, P., Broek, P., Helder, A., & Karlsson, J. (2014). A cognitive view of reading comprehension: Implications for reading difficulties. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 29 (1), 10-16.
Mendive, S., Lissi, M. R., Bakeman, R., & Reyes, A. (2016). Beyond Mother Education: Maternal Practices as Predictors of Early Literacy Development in Chilean Children from Low-SES Households. Early Education and Development, 28 (2), 167-181.
Renninger, A., Hidi, S., & Krapp, A. (Eds.). (2014). The role of interest in learning and development . Psychology Press.
Saracho, O. R. (2017) Literacy and language: new developments in research, theory, and practice, Early Child Development and Care, 187 :3-4, 299-304
