Explain with an example what is meant
by readiness for learning?
Course: Human Development & Learning
Course code 8610
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment
Answer
All
children can learn and their mental development, seen by the changes in ability
that they show from infancy to adulthood, is due to their immense capacity for
learning. The stage at which children are thought to be learning ready and so
ready to benefit from formal or academic education,
usually around the age of 6 or 7 years, is decided by normal mental and
physical development.
At
around this age, they should have reached a stage of being ‘ready’ for school.
The concept of ‘learning readiness includes the idea of ‘school readiness’
but the two terms are not identical in meaning. A child may pass a school
readiness test but not be learning-ready.
Why?
This
is because school readiness tests do not include the child’s level of
neurodevelopment. This means that they don’t consider how the child’s brain and
nervous system have developed and whether the child’s various sensory-motor
systems are functioning well enough to support learning. School readiness tests
look for signs that certain abilities have developed that are needed to perform
in the classroom. These include the ability to sit still and follow
instructions, manipulate a pencil, get along with peers and show certain
perceptual and intellectual skills. Perceptual skills include recognizing and being
able to name colours, letters and numbers. Intellectual skills include knowing
one’s home address, and so on.
Many
children show these abilities but the foundation of neurological systems on
which these abilities rest is shaky, and they may start showing problems in
school either within a short period or even after two or more years.
Some children may seem to do well academically but their lack of learning
readiness will mean that they have to use up a great deal more energy than
should be necessary to cope with the behaviour and learning expected by their
schools and communities.
To
summarise, to be able to learn easily and cope with the demands of the
classroom and life in general, children need to have reached a level of brain
and body development that will support their functioning. This will depend on
how well they have developed certain systems in their brains and bodies that
are needed to support their learning.
A
system can be described as several separate parts that work together to get something done. For example, a bicycle is a collection of items
that are needed to provide transport. It needs a frame, saddle,
handlebars, pedals, chain, wheels, tyres and brakes. If all those parts are in
good working order, the bicycle will work well. Think of what would happen if
one or more of these components are not working as well as they should. A slightly flat tyre will mean that one has to work a lot harder to get the
bicycle to move quickly. It will place stress on the wheel itself,
which might in turn affect the stability of the frame, the way the brakes work,
and so on. In other words, the inefficient functioning of one of the parts of a
system will have a ripple effect throughout the whole system.
In
the same way, every child has certain systems that support his or her ability
to learn easily. These include the components of the sensory-motor system, such
as vision, hearing, touch, smell, balance and sense of body in space. If one or
more of these are not functioning as they should, the child will be handicapped
in that learning becomes difficult and stressful and seemingly simple tasks
cause tiredness and distress.
· Delay in reaching any
milestones or skipping milestones, such as crawling
· Difficulty learning to ride a
bicycle
· Delay in learning to get dressed
independently and tying buttons or shoelaces
· Clumsiness
· Problems with sleeping, being
restless in bed, preferring to have someone sleep with him
· Difficulty keeping upright without
slouching, leaning on furniture, and so on
· Tendency to chew on collars and
necklines, pencils and anything else!
· Constant movement – always on the go
and sitting in a chair is torture for them
· Challenged by gross motor and/or
fine motor activities
· Signs of visual difficulties – holds
head at a strange angle or close to page when colouring or looking at books
· Seems to have trouble listening and is easily
distracted by sounds. Might also make his own irritating noises
Any
of these signs (and more) could be clues that the brain hasn’t developed as it
should or that the sensory systems are immature. This in turn means that faulty
foundations will affect higher-level skills – those
demanded by school. Simply put, the child is not yet learning-ready.
Example
Varying Degrees of Readiness
Imagine
you are sitting in an economics class when suddenly, the professor announces
that the final grade will be based on the result of a basketball tournament you
will have instead of class next week. How prepared are you? Are your classmates
more or less prepared than you are? Most likely, there would be a mix of people
who were up for the challenge and others who lacked the knowledge, skill, or
athletic ability to play. Similarly, some students in your class are
well-prepared to learn to balance chemical equations, while others have not
yet acquired the academic readiness to learn that skill. Academic readiness is
the degree to which a student is prepared for a learning experience. Let's find
out more about factors that impact academic readiness and ways that teachers
can assess academic readiness.
