The Characteristics of Effective Learning – an overview

Made with Birth to Five Matters, this over view of the characteristcs of effective learning is a great introduction to begin to understand how children learn effectively. Playing and exploring, active learning and thinking creatively and critically are all covered in this short film. Starting from birth, we see babies are born learners, and from their very first beginning they develop and learn with all their senses. Up to older children who, working with ideas, get used to planning their approaches to problem-solving and are increasingly able to monitor their efforts, to alter their plans when needed, to discard ideas that didn’t work, and to review how well things went and what they learned. This critical thinking becomes more conscious and under children’s control and is fostered through talking and thinking with others to develop ideas together. As children embed these characteristics of effective learning  they will be establishing a solid foundation from which to learn and flourish.