This informal CPD article on ‘Child Psychology Helps Teachers Understand Learners Better’ was provided by Asian College of Teachers, who aim to help aspiring early childhood teaching professionals to acquire a diversity of skills needed to fulfil the learning goals of pre and primary students.
Child psychology is a specialized branch of developmental psychology that focuses on the study of subconscious and conscious childhood development and the behaviour patterns of children. It provides the teachers the resources to help their learners advance through the stages of development smoothly and also gives an insight into the cognitive development as well as the challenges in regards to learning capacities or social differences of children.
Teachers are a vital element of classroom ecology
Jean Piaget, who is regarded as the founder of modern child psychology, floated the idea that the thought patterns of children and adults are different from each other. According to Piaget, children pass through distinct stages of emotional and mental development and intellectual development is closely linked to emotional, social and physical development.
Childhood is a very crucial time in a person’s life and every event, however small it is, helps shape our behaviour and impacts our adult life as well. Teachers represent a vital element of classroom ecology and especially those engaged in teaching pre and primary learners are encouraged to study child psychology. This immensely helps them to understand the normal and abnormal psychological patterns of a child which in turn aids them with the right strategies to connect with the young learners, teach them the coping mechanisms for managing emotions and help them progress in their education and thrive in each new developmental stage.
Building a better learning environment
Child psychology is a broad area of study and an educator with a basic understanding of child development and psychology can build a better learning environment. A child’s emotional, physical, mental, and intellectual foundations develop in their early years and the children’s interactions with their teachers are a crucial component in a classroom context. Studies show that the young learners’ positive interactions with teachers and with peers and the way in which teachers manage interpersonal interactions in the classroom have a strong impact on the long-term social, emotional, and academic development of the learners.
Cognitive development in children
Jean Piaget has explained the 4 stages of cognitive development in children and his theory of cognitive development suggests that children go through four different stages of learning. Teachers with a clear understanding how children acquire knowledge and their nature of intelligence can prepare them better for academic pursuits.
Piaget mentioned 4 stages:
- Sensorimotor stage: Birth to 2 years
- Preoperational stage: 2 years to 7 years
- Concrete operational stage: 7 years to 11 years
- Formal operational stage: 12 years and up
Cognitive development is related to the changes in thinking, reasoning, and decision making from childhood to adulthood. During childhood, learning and information-processing increase in speed, memory increases and symbol use and the capacity for abstraction develop. Pre-school education is necessary for all toddlers because it is the building block of a child’s education. Similarly, for a teacher, knowledge of child psychology is necessary at this stage to understand the child’s behavioural pattern or if the child has an intellectual disability and requires any additional support.
A proper understanding of the behaviour patterns of the children can help the teacher to guide the child in the right direction and also helps in laying down a strong foundation for the all-round growth of the child. Compassionate interactions with teachers and well-managed classrooms foster a positive classroom climate and facilitate social connections among children, through which children develop social and emotional competences.
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