Introduction
Learning is a process that is considered as a distinct procedure of acquiring knowledge that every human is entitled to. It is through this process that a person is able to embrace the concept of development and personal maturity. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that human individuals are able to attain a learning process that is dependent on the age of the person. The manner by which the brain responds to particular stimulants of learning could be enhanced through determining particular procedures that are able to induce interest among the learner[s]. In the case discussion and response presented herein, a distinct indication of what cognition and meta-cognition is about and how both aspects of learning affect the overall capacity of a person to engage in options of developing knowledgeable understanding of the different matters and concepts surrounding them.
While cognition describes the manner by which the brain responds to new knowledge through increased familiarity, meta cognition is identified as the process by which the human brain becomes more adjusted to learning based on a more concrete foundation. Adhering to these natural procedures of learning, the presentation below shall make a distinct indication on how cognition and meta cognition both affects the overall concept of what is carried into consideration when approaches to teaching and learning motivation comes into mind.
Part 1: learners are cognitive
You are a teacher. You are planning a sequence of instruction for your preschool/ kindergarten students in Teaching about the animal's environment.
Goal: Since learning among young children works through introduction of the concept and repetitively discussing the lesson to them, the presentation of lesson on animal’s environment could be more successful if the use of visual aids could be incorporated into the process. Basing from the principles of the Working Memory Model (McInerney, 2006) the instruction presented herein shall provide a more distinct indication of how the capacity of the memory to remember and understand is enhanced through helpful learning materials. The diagram on how this particular memory model works is presented in the document (appendix):
Based on this diagram (from McInerney, 2006), the central executive plays a great role in determining the real progress of how the memory model would actually work in determining the learning process that occurs in the minds of young students. Through the input of information, the capacity of a person to learn from the lessons directly presented to him becomes more vivid. With the use of a visuo-spatial scratch pad, the brain is able to interpret the lessons more clearly and is able to keep the data into the sensory memory (Claxton, 1999). During the time when the lesson is still being introduced, the brain shall decide whether it is interesting or not, hence deciding to either throw the idea or keep it as part of long-term memory. Once the decision to keep the data in long-term memory has been made, the brain begins to format a phonological loop that makes the data easier to remember. To support this particular system, the lesson to be presented to the kindergarten class shall be handled following the outline herein:
Introduction phase:
The introduction phase shall include the utilization of visual presentations that involve colorful pictures, animated presentations of animals in their environment and habitat. These visual presentations ought to be engaging and attractive to children, something that they would find easily attractive.
Instilling lesson into the class:
Engaging activities such as group presentations or role plays could be included. The children could be asked to present their favorite animals and show how they are able to live and survive on their own habitat through role playing.
Review and recall phase:
Based from the outline of lesson presented herein, working on how the students get the concept of the lesson and retain its value in their minds is specifically given close attention to. The point of getting the interest of the learners is considered as one of the most important foundations of learning. Practically, this approach ensures that the attention of the student is caught by the teacher in the first phase of the lesson hence allowing them to see the more important aspect of the topic in consideration to knowing something new and something interesting that they could use in their lives.
Considering that the students belong to the age range between 3-5 years, it is likely that they might not be much concerned as to how they are to apply the lessons they are being presented with in class. However, it is important to them that the lessons are able to get their attention, to make them realize how awesome simple things are working around them. For children, it is important that the way they learn relates so much to their behavior towards having fun and enjoying the common things in life. This will make it easier for them to remember the lessons as it leaves a great mark in their minds, something that will remain for a long span of time.
Once the attention of the children has been caught, it would be much easier to lead them towards getting more out of the concept of instilling knowledge upon them especially in making them realize the value of knowing about animals and understanding how they survive in their habitats. This approach is also going to help in establishing how the students might respond to the upcoming lessons related to this particular topic about animals and their environment in relation to how they survive their daily lives in relation to how they connect with other animals living around them. From this point, more complex issues could be brought about as the students learn more about the same topic involving deeper information.
Part 2: Learners are meta-cognitive
Linking theories together to enrich practice.
The concept of meta-cognitive learning is based on the idea of knowing the basis of particular information and gaining better control of the perception that one has over a specific matter he is being taught about. For children, learning comes in a gradual process. Practically, students are able to grasp the different points of learning that they are presented with based on how interesting each piece is to them. For younger individuals at the age of three and five, learning is often related to the concept of fascination. Children who feel fascinated about the new things being presented to them end up to be more appreciative of such lessons.
Hence, for the meta-cognitive process of learning, it is expected that the groundwork for learning a particular subject matter has already been established. Given this common ground, introducing supporting ideas to the class would be much easier to handle. Taken from the ideal process of working memory model, the establishment of common phonological patterns in the brain allows the learners to immediately relate new learning points to old learned options especially when it comes to determining how a specific concept of thinking connects to another that has already been learned from the past.
Practically, this approach to teaching shall help the students go back and forth with their memory’s stored data. With the proper conditioning of the mind of the young learners, they would be able to get a grasp of the real value of the subject especially in consideration to what has captured their interest during the introductory part of the lesson. Since they already know something about animals and their environments as well as with their basic habitats, the young learners would be able to connect new ideas especially related to animal survival. As the mind interprets each new information, it is important that the teaching process embarks on the option of utilizing common grounds of presenting the lesson. For instance, if during the first phase, the students were introduced with animated presentations and the use of interactive activities, the second phase of lesson enrichment should also include such options of lesson presentation.
Through this approach, the brain receives a patterned understanding on how the information presented to the learner is structured. Tapping into the past memory, the brain interprets new information based on how the old information has been presented, thus making a relative connection between them. With such pattern, the brain is able to distinguish whether or not the new information received is likely to be stored or disregarded.
Based from this discussion, setting the learner into the right path of understanding new lessons is important. And in relation to this particular matter, getting the attention of the learners through getting a grip on their interest is necessary. The process of making a good impact on the thinking process of the learners shall provide teachers the extensive source of competence that they need as they try to relate to their students the most important aspects of the lessons they are presenting. Since the aim of every teacher is to help the students retain most of the information they learn from class and be able to use such data in future situations, the teachers need to make sure that the presentation of the lessons in class need to be highly interesting, they need to make a mark on the minds of the students therefore imposing the brain go keep the information into the memory of the learner.
Tapping into the sense of interest of the students is an important foundation on noting how each learner would respond to the primary lessons presented to them in class. Pointing out to how children respond in their classes, the need to give attention to their point of interest is heightened. Making a distinct impact on how they accept and how they perceive the value of a particular lesson should always be a special concern on the part of the educator. Children have a natural desire to learn. However, such desire to learn needs to be constantly enhanced, and in presenting young learners with important lessons in class, it is important to take note of the fact that being extensive in embracing strategic ways of getting and retaining their attention into the topic being discussed is necessary.
Conclusion
The practical process of learning through gradual increase of knowledge through repetitive and improved ways of learning allows the students to identify well with what is most important especially in consideration with what relates to their interests. This is how the excellence of an individual develops depending on matters that are able to catch his attention which makes a mark in his personal development and behavioral advancement towards the future. Based from the case given attention in this discussion, it is important that teachers of early learners take on the challenge of affecting the learning procedures embraced by the students through exploring the different references and tools they can use to impose developmental learning among young students who are most often than not affected by interactive approaches of education as well as the need to suffice their interest. With these basic facts noted as necessary when teaching early learners, educators would do well to expose them to a pattern of learning that they would be able to properly respond to.
References:
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). The design of learning environments. How people learn (Expanded ed. (p. 139). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Bruning, R. H., Schraw, G. J., Norby, M. M., & Roning, R. R. (2011). Cognitive psychology and instruction (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Claxton, G. (1999). Wise up: The challenges of lifelong learning. London: Bloomsbury.
McInerney, D. M. (2006). Educational psychology: Constructing learning (4th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Prentice Hall.
Appendix:
Working Memory Model
