TCS201 Teaching and Learning Theories - Present Personal Epistemology - Assignment Help

Introduction

How children learn and the best ways to teach them have long been a significant topic of psychological and educational research. There have been many theories of learning in the past decades that have shaped new pedagogies and renewed understanding among educators (Nolan & Raban 2015). Based on these theories, new ways of teaching and learning have evolved in early childhood education to arrive at the best outcomes. However, the practical experiences combined with the theoretical perspectives often provide educational practitioners a fresh perspective on how to teach effectively and drive learning successfully. The following discussion is about one such renewed understanding that I have developed through my experiences and participation in this unit. I have named this personal epistemology of teaching and learning as the CBCI approach, which is a mixed approach combining the socio-cultural, socio-behaviourist, critical and post-structuralist theories. CBCI stands for culture, behaviour, challenge and independence – the 4 most important aspects of teaching and learning in early childhood, as I have gathered. This new epistemology is best achieved through group play-based activities in the classroom or outside the classroom. This CBCI approach also addresses the five principles of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) – respectful relations, partnerships, equity, diversity and ongoing learning. 

Key Findings and a New Epistemology

The EYLF (Department of Education and Training 2009) suggests that the various theories shape the pedagogical approaches to children’s learning and development. These can be primarily categorised in 5 ways:

• Developmental theories
• Socio-cultural theories
• Socio-behaviourist theories
• Critical theories
• Post-structuralist theories

Developmental theories

The developmental theorists believed that children develop in a stage-by-stage manner, where one stage leads to the next (Montessori 1936, Kohlberg 1958, Piaget 1962, Steiner 1965, Erikson 1993). Educators guided by these theories assess children based on certain developmental parameters. The underlying assumption is that every child goes through these developmental milestones and when exposed to similar stimuli will respond similarly. So teachers design activities that are developmentally appropriate. Play is also an important aspect of developmental theories and these theorists believe that young children learn by exploring and playing with concrete objects (CSU EYLF Consortium 2009). Therefore, they plan a rich classroom environment with play-based, teacher-led group activities.