Activating the child’s own natural desire to learn: Using neuroscience as a way to understand key issues in early childhood development and education

Abstract

Brains are built over time, and the foundations of brain architecture are constructed early in life (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2016, p. 7). Therefore, the experiences a human being encounters during the first years of their life affect how the brain will develop. Furthermore, this means that aspects of the brain may be reinforced whilst others may be pared down. This evidences the importance of focusing on the educational journey offered to our youngest learners in schools. The introduction of a different approach to a philosophy of education revolving around inquiry-based learning through an emergent curriculum in Malta (MEDE, 2015) has allowed educators to tap into a child-centred pedagogy which allows the development of skills, knowledge, and understanding through active learning. This necessitates, however, an understanding of how learning occurs. The Universal Design for Learning framework may assist in this paradigm, as it provides a neuroscientific and psychological background to the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ of learning (Meyer et al., 2014). The narrative inquiry in this research paper will outline the salient links between the science of learning and the creation of a meaningful learning journey, by acquiring and sharing the experiences of a kindergarten educator as a research participant implementing the emergent curriculum, and interviews with two key professionals in the area, linking educational neuroscience to flexible learning environments.