Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe in these challenging times that we are living in. This week has just been EXTRA long and I know that I'm not the only one that can relate to that. I am usually always up to date with my work, but this week just felt extra challenging. Especially with my 10 month old son that is just starting to walk. It's honestly becoming a handful keeping up with all the work and running after him at the same time.

This week I joined my first teams meeting for Afrikaans and it was a very nice experience for me. Its amazing to see how the world is becoming more tech-savvy and its so eye opening to see how many new ways people are able to interact online. I also completed WIL, EDCC224, MFPC221 work this week and finishing LSKM's study unit 1 work.

In LSKM study unit 1, I have learned about music education. I often played music for my son while I was still pregnant. It is amazing to watch how children react to music and sounds. Although, I have been made aware that music can improve a child's fine motor skills, gross motor skills, mid-line crossing, hand-eye coordination and balance. It also allows learners to develop coordination, bodily awareness, self-discipline and improve the child's self-esteem. In Vygotsky's theory, they speak about the social interaction that is fundamental to cognitive development. Children obtain skills from adults around them and internalize them. Collaborative learning is a main part of Vygotsky's theory. Piagets' cognitive theory is seen as the more commonly used theory, where he states that children undergo four stages of mental development. The theory focuses on understanding how children acquire knowledge, as well as understanding the nature of intelligence.

The most significant part of the study unit is the different developments which children go through at different ages. I found it interesting to compare the different stages of development when I was that age. This study unit was very interesting to me because of how the different stages differ for each child.

This study unit has made me confident to incorporate music-based activities in the classroom. I would be able to come up with a few activities that could improve the motor skills, cognitive skills, etc. of the children. Although, I don't feel very confident standing in front of a classroom of children yet due to the fact that we unfortunately aren't able to participate in practicals yet.

Until my next post!