Re: How Children Learn

From: Patrice Sullivan
Email: hobson_co-op@sbcglobal.net
Date: February 18, 2006

Comments

I agree that children learn best when they are both emotionally and socially safe. I sometimes ask the parents at our school to think of a situation when they have felt anxious either socially or emotionally and then ask if they had the "energy" or "internal resources" left to do their best on a cognitive task. For me, public speaking was initally challenging but once I felt emotionally and socially safe I became a much better public speaker. If they can remember their own experiences I think it helps them understand how children feel when they are anxious either socially or emotionally. Children do best in all ways when they feel secure (just like adults!) I think the information about brain development that has been made availalbe to the public has had a postivie impact on the field of child development/early childhood education. It gives long-awaited credibility to what we have been doing in our work with young children for many, many years.

Patrice