2. Communicating and learning research
This section contains examples of research related to communicating and learning in early childhood. It is a huge area of study. The selected examples are specific studies that look at questions such as:
- What are the language capacities of newborns and how do babies learn to communicate?
- What kinds of adult behaviours make a difference in supporting children’s language development?
- What kinds of approaches and programs support literacy and numeracy in early childhood?
As introduced on the previous page, play is the vehicle through which children’s learning is best supported. However, how many times have you heard the phrase “they’re just playing“ as if play is unimportant compared to more adult-directed learning activities? A review of research that looks at how play helps children advance socially and academically concluded that:
Play and guided play offer strong support for academic and social learning. In fact, comparison of preschools that use playful, child-centered approaches versus less playful, more teacher-directed approaches reveal that children in the child-centered approaches do better in tests of reading, language, writing and mathematics. More engaging and interesting environments for children foster better learning well into elementary school” (Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2008, p. 3).
The authors explain that guided play refers to when “children actively engage in pleasurable and seemingly spontaneous activities under the subtle direction of adults” (Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2008, p. 1).
How would you describe the importance of play in children’s lives?
How would you describe the difference between guided play and teacher-directed approaches referred to in the quote above?
