Education

Discuss different learning strategies and the importance of their application to the curriculum. How can they enhance the content in language arts and literacy, fine arts, and physical education for young children?

Even when all of the children in a classroom must meet the same pedagogical objectives, they do not all have to take the same path of learning. A teacher can still acknowledge children's different strengths and allow them to take different approaches to learning the same thing. Take, for example, a unit on the literature of the American Civil War. A student strong in verbal intelligence might want to read a biography or work of historical fiction, and write a tale from the perspective of one of the minor characters in the novel, incorporating historical details into the work, or create a work of literature or poetry based upon the nonfiction he or she read. A child with greater spatial intelligence might delight in mapping out the battles and troop movements, and gain an appreciation for the arduous nature of the conflict in that fashion, while a child with an interest in the fine arts could make an educational comic book that depicted the issues and people of the era. Choosing what assignments to focus upon will depend upon the needs of the class. Although no child can eschew learning the basics of reading and grammar, using the child's natural inclinations can be ways of making the potentially frightening seem familiar and fascination. Even child with a high level of energy and physical intelligence who squirms in his or her seat may feel liberated by being able to sing and dance while playing word games or learning poetry that makes use of kinesthetic movement

Also, on a level that transcends simply educating students in the basics, one could argue that gaining an appreciation and knowledge of the fine arts, literature, and how human beings use these expressive elements makes students better able to cope with personal adversity and transforms students into more empathetic future adults. The potentially liberating medium art, the confidence of creation, and the physical delight of moving through the world with confidence must be fostered in the classroom so real, dynamic learning can take place in a way that is meaningful to children.