Honoring Kids’ Ways of Knowing

The Child's Ways of KnowingAccording to Teacher training and other developmental theorists, learning early in life is reliant on concrete perceptual information. For the young kid, learning is experienced as sensory absorption or sensorimotor stimulation. During the early stages of cognitive development, awareness conducts thought. This is in divergence to the adult's ways of knowing and experiencing the world, where perception follows thought. Shifting from the kid's to the adult's way of knowing the world engross a deflection from sensory absorption to cognitive reasoning. According to early childhood education, "this deflection is accompanied by a weakening of the direct link with the physical environment, by a shrinking of the significance placed on information from the senses, and by an important change in the child's conception of the world". Imagination and KnowledgeEarly experiences with the natural world have been completely linked with the development of imagination. The work of teacher training course is possibly the most remarkable in this regard. Her work, based in large part on a search for the original principle in the human personality, involved a careful study of a wide variety of autobiographical reminiscences of highly creative adults. Many of these recollections imitate an "early awareness of some primary relatedness to earth and universe". Based on these and similar findings over her 20 years of research, Montessori course concluded that early days represents a special phase in life "during which the most energetically creative learning takes place" .Early experiences with the natural world have also been optimistically linked with the sense of wonder. Wonder, as described by early childhood education, is not a conceptual term or a haughty ideal. It is, as an alternative, a fact concretely deep-rooted in the kid's developing perceptual capabilities and his or her ways of knowing. This way of knowing, if known and pleased, can serve as a life-long source of joy and enhancement, as well as a momentum, or inspiration, for further education. Separation from NatureCognitive models promote kids to make a transition from confidence on sensory criteria as a way of knowing the world to cognitive criteria, and in the development, builds a more objective or scientific perceptive of the natural environment. Such a changeover carries with it a heavy price, including both a physical and psychological separation from the environment. "As a result, the kid goes from an adaptive and sympathetic attitude to a grave and logical one. . . . The kid no longer creates an idea of the world from knowledge but fairly receives it from others. The kid's individual, multidimensional world becomes a scientific one-identical to that of his/her friends".The physical and psychological separation from the environment that accompanies the change from the kid's ways of knowing the world justifies careful reflection and discussion by early childhood care educators and child development specialists. Fostering a Love of NatureRecognizing and honoring young kids’ ways of knowing can make a significant involvement to the development of the human experience and a healthier relationship with the natural environment. To respect young kids’ ways of knowing, nursery teacher training professionals should:•provide regular access to natural places, •promote "natural play" activities, and •Promote aesthetic representations of kids’ ways of knowing. Provide Frequent Access to Natural PlacesNatural places might be defined as outdoor areas featuring first and foremost materials that are produced by nature against being manufactured by humans. Natural places mark native plants and often provide habitat for a variety of native animals.Natural places match kids’ ways of knowing in that they put forward varied opportunities for exploration, construction, and re-invention. Foster "Natural Play" ActivitiesWhile the value of play to kid development has long been known, the activity we call play has changed significantly over the years. But, Play is no longer natural, in the sense of linking kids with the natural environment. Because natural play is much more reliable with the child's ways of knowing and is more likely to foster the thoughts of the kid, it should be supported by both parents and teachers. Natural play can be supported, not only by providing a variety of natural materials for kids to discover and influence, but also by telling that kids take on the role of other creatures. With a little support and a few simple props, young kids joy in imagining being something else. While many young kids take on the roles of public they know or are familiar with such natural play experiences can help kids gain a profound approval for the wonders of the world around them. Encourage Aesthetic Representations of Kids’ Ways of KnowingAesthetics has been defined as being sensitive to beauty in nature and art and as "pertaining to the senses". Kids tend to find attractiveness without direct instruction, in that they are naturally liable to hear the song of the earth and see the wonder of its workings. Supporting kids to articulate their ways of knowing the world through aesthetic, or artistic, representations is an outstanding way of validating and enriching these experiences.