ABSTRACT
The learning child is not randomly discovering new ideas but is actively constructing new meanings under the carefully considered guidance of the practitioner.
Edwards and Knight (1994:3)
Children learning
When I trained as an early-years teacher a moment of revelation came for me when I first heard of Piaget’s theories of cognitive development. I had not previously realized that young children could have perspectives and ways of thinking which are different from those of adults. In fact I did not believe it! Then I became interested in the role of language in conceptual thinking, particularly the work of Vygotsky (1962, 1978). I began to realize how essential it is for teachers to understand that children learn by constructing meanings from their experiences, and that this can help us to understand the ways in which children try to make sense of the complex new social environment they encounter when they first start school.
