Hello guys my name is Patricia Mmusi and I would like to share my piece about what I learnt in study unit 1 that is based on music and holistic development.

In this study unit I have learnt about the 3 theories which is Erikson's theory, Piaget theory and Vygotsky's theory. As a foundation teacher i have to outline the important aspects of each theory so that i can know how to apply them when I'm in practice. 

Erikson's psychosocial theory it focuses creation of relationships and the influence that social interactions have on a child's development. As a foundation phase teacher I have to make sure that my learners have relationships with each other because they can learn many things from their peers, that way i will be making sure that they gain social experiences and develop their growth and will they be able to adapt to changes they might face as life goes on. This will help them with making friends and be able to build relationships that are actually beneficial to their lives. It also advisable for me as a teacher to have a relationship with my learners so that they can be comfortable enough to ask about anything and make this whole teaching and learning process more easy because if learners feel safe and support they will obviously enjoy learning.

Piaget's cognitive development theory it focuses on allowing learners to add up new information to the information they already know. Children acquire new skills by enhancing the skills the already have, and foundation phase learners falls under two stages pre-operational stage and concrete operational stage. Under pre-operational skills learners are able to use symbols and words to represent the objects they know which they might have learnt at home and in concrete operational stage learners develop problem solving skills and they become aware of their own thoughts. As a foundation phase teacher I must keep in mind that children think differently from adults and I must make sure that I give them tasks that are going to help develop their problem solving skills, let them explore and learn new things. And I also have to teach them discipline and respecting each others' opinions.

Vygotsky's developmental theory focuses on social cultural factors as well as the social environment that contributes towards a child's development. As a foundation phase teacher it is important to make sure that I check a child's social environment and help them find comfortability in a way they want to learn because learners comes from different backgrounds. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development it aims at informing us about the importance of social interaction and the way it influences learners' language development. it allows learners to interact with their peers from different cultures and backgrounds without any difficulties and they get to work together towards achieving common goals.

The importance of music in foundation phase.

Music is very important in foundation phase because it make learning fun and learners become active and engages in class. Learners gets to have skills of playing music instruments and explore their musical talents such and dancing and singing. They can be able to read music and help them with their motor coordination. It increases a learner's creativity and they get to see what their can and cannot do. The way learners pays attention in class will change because music will keep them focused and they will listen attentively, then the lesson outcomes will be achieved 100%. Children will improve their vocabulary through a sense of melody, rhythm , pulse and tempo. They get to remember what they learnt in a song faster because sounds cannot be forgotten easily.