Child Development: Foundations for Learning

Foundations for learning is designed to support educators in advocating for children’s needs to learn through play, and this lays the foundations for future learning.  Often educators feel pressured to have children perform more academically focused and abstract learning tasks, at the request of parents, when they believe that these are not the most important things for children to learn.  This workshop arms educators with the understanding and information to confidently advocate for children’s right to play and develop their intellect in ways appropriate to their development.  The disadvantages of pushing academic learning too early will be discussed along with explaining and exploring ways in which learning is happening in children’s everyday play.  This workshop aims to assist with moving educators and parents towards a combined focus for the children they are passionate about educating.

Certificate of Competence awarded on completion of the course.

Learning Outcomes:

• Highlight realistic expectations for young children in this age group along a typical developmental trajectory, and the ways that this happens through play.
• Investigate some the foundations of learning children need to develop before more formal ‘academic’ learning can begin and connect children’s learning to every day experiences at home.
• Play like children and be guided to understand the foundation skills children are learning and how they support future academic learning.
• Discuss the negative effects of pushing more formal abstract learning ideas of literacy and numeracy too early, before the foundation skills are firmly in place.

Links to QA1 and QA6