EduCareer StaffBlog"Rinjin Blog" | "EduCareer"Supporting your career in English teaching in the Japanese school system

How do Children Learn?

2011/05/24

A new study suggests that kids learn not through repetition, but through the "a-ha!" moments when we connect things together suddenly. Traditionally it's been assumed that children learn through hearing the same words in different contexts, but new research suggests that the real world has too many variables to make this a plausible way to learn. Instead, this research suggests, a sudden highly informative moment with immediate feedback locks a word in the child's brain in a way that dozens of flat repetitions don't.

This could be part of the reason why even early childhood English in Japan is generally on a low level. With so much emphasis on vocabulary lists and phrase memorization, there's no chance for the sudden connection that makes a word stick with a student. Perhaps research like this can encourage teachers of all languages to create a more kinesthetic classroom environment where students can really experience language in a way that will help them remember.

For more information, read about the study at sciencedaily.com

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