ABSTRACT

Understanding how we learn has been the focus of interest to many philosophers, psychologists, behavioural scientists and teachers over the centuries. When we discuss intelligence we usually mean an individual's potential to learn things. The more intelligent children are the more quickly they will learn a wider range of subjects. The development of a child is extremely complex and comparisons between children will reveal huge variations in development. Biological and physiological factors such as sensory processing, genetic predispositions, good nutrition, adequate sleep or the effects of medical conditions will impact on a child's capacity to learn. The social environment such as housing, family support and structure all play a crucial part in a child's development. The school has a key role to play in enabling each child to fulfil their learning potential. The language that teachers and teaching assistants use when discussing work with children is crucial to pupil development of meta-cognitive awareness.