STUDY UNIT 1

Part 1

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed this week. I am working full time and trying to balance work and studies at the same time. On top of that I mostly work on my studies during the night. I am positive to make a success of my studies and learning more about this Module.

Part 2

The first new knowledge I gain was the importance of music in a child's development. Musical activities, dance and playing instruments for example promotes physical development. Music education better skills as attentiveness, multitasking and numeracy and literacy skills. The most significant concept of this unit was music and it's role in social and personal development of learners. It also connects with Vygotsky and Erikson's theories that emphasize social interaction.

Part 3

My understanding of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, Erikson and Piaget's theories.

According to Erikson social interaction is very important. It has the effect of making children feel save, valued, supported and cared of. Piaget's theory consist of two stages (pre- operational stage and concrete operational stage. He emphasize the importance the of children of interacting with the word. New knowledge is based on exciting skills and knowledge. According to Vygotsky's social interaction and collaborative learning is key to learning. The teacher uses scaffolding and acts as a facilitator. It is based on a model called the Zone of Proximal Development.

My opinion on this study unit for teaching practice is the research done by these theorist. This study unit will help me understand the learner and also which teaching methods would be best for addressing certain types of development. These theories can be used to develop the holistic learner, for example a teacher can refer back to Vygotsky and Erikson with regards to cognitive development. For physical development a teacher can use ideas of the incorporation of music into learning. All these aspects will help me as a prospective teacher to gain valuable information on developing the holistic learners.