CTET CDP- How Children Think and Learn: Understanding Learning and School Performance

Table of Content

Understanding how children think and learn is an important part of Child Development and Pedagogy (CDP). Every child enters the classroom with different abilities, experiences, interests, learning styles, and levels of development. Therefore, children do not learn in exactly the same way or at the same speed.

Sometimes, children who appear to be “weak” in academics may actually be facing difficulties related to teaching methods, motivation, language, home environment, emotional well-being, peer relationships, or lack of appropriate learning opportunities. A child’s poor school performance should therefore not automatically be interpreted as a lack of intelligence or effort.

1. How Do Children Think and Learn?

Children are active participants in the learning process. They do not simply receive information from teachers; they observe, question, explore, interact, experiment, and construct their understanding.

For example, a child learning mathematics may understand addition better when the teacher uses objects such as pencils, blocks, or fruits rather than only explaining numerical operations.

Children learn through:

Observation – watching teachers, parents and peers.
Experience – connecting classroom learning with real-life situations.
Interaction – discussing and working with others.
Questioning – asking “why”, “how” and “what if”.
Practice – applying and revising what they have learned.
Exploration – discovering relationships and solutions independently.
Feedback – understanding mistakes and improving performance.

Thus, learning becomes more meaningful when children are given opportunities to think, explore and participate rather than merely memorise information.

2. Children Construct Their Own Understanding

One of the important ideas in educational psychology is that children construct knowledge rather than simply receive it.

According to Jean Piaget, children actively construct knowledge through interaction with their environment. Their thinking develops progressively, and the way a child understands a concept depends partly on their developmental level.

For example, a younger child may understand the idea of quantity more easily through actual objects, while an older child may be able to work with abstract symbols and hypothetical situations.

Educational Implication

Teachers should:

provide age-appropriate learning experiences;
use concrete examples before abstract explanations;
encourage children to ask questions;
allow children to learn through activities and experimentation;
connect new concepts with children’s existing knowledge.

3. Importance of Previous Knowledge

Children do not enter the classroom as “blank slates.” They already have experiences, beliefs, ideas and knowledge gained from their families, communities and previous schooling.

For example, before learning about plants in science, a child may already know that plants need water because they have observed someone watering plants at home.

Teachers should therefore begin a lesson by connecting new knowledge with what children already know.

Example

Instead of directly explaining “evaporation,” a teacher can ask:

“What happens to wet clothes when we leave them in the sunlight?”

Children may respond:

“They become dry.”

The teacher can then connect their observation with the scientific concept of evaporation.

Learning is not only an individual process. Lev Vygotsky emphasised the importance of social interaction, language and cultural experiences in children’s learning.

Children can often perform a task with appropriate guidance that they may not yet be able to complete independently.

This idea is associated with the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

Example

A child may not be able to solve a mathematical problem independently. However, when the teacher gives hints or works through the first example, the child may successfully solve the next problem.

This temporary support is known as scaffolding.

Educational Implication

Teachers should:

encourage peer learning;
use group activities;
provide hints and prompts;
give appropriate support;
gradually reduce assistance as children become more independent.

5. Learning Through Multiple Experiences

Children learn in different ways and benefit from varied teaching approaches. A teacher should not depend only on lectures or textbook reading.

For example, a lesson can include:

Explanation → Demonstration → Activity → Discussion → Practice → Feedback

A science concept can be taught through an experiment, a history topic through a timeline, and a language concept through storytelling or role-play.

This makes learning more engaging and helps children connect concepts with real experiences.

6. Role of Motivation in Learning

Motivation strongly influences children’s participation and persistence in learning.

A child who feels interested and confident is more likely to participate actively, while a child who constantly experiences criticism or failure may begin avoiding academic tasks.

Teachers can promote motivation by:

appreciating genuine effort;
setting achievable goals;
providing constructive feedback;
giving children opportunities to make choices;
connecting learning with real-life experiences;
creating a supportive classroom environment.

Importantly, praise should focus not only on marks or being “the best,” but also on effort, improvement, strategies and persistence.

7. Why Do Some Children Fail to Achieve Success in School?

The word “failure” should be used carefully. A child who does not perform well academically may not actually lack ability. School performance is influenced by several interacting factors.

A child’s difficulties may arise from:

A. Individual Factors

Children differ in:

pace of learning;
prior knowledge;
attention;
memory;
language skills;
interests;
learning strategies;
confidence and motivation.

A child may need more time or a different explanation to understand a particular concept.

B. Teaching-Learning Factors

Sometimes the problem lies partly in the way learning is organised.

For example:

teaching is too fast;
instructions are unclear;
the same method is used for every learner;
insufficient practice is provided;
children are not given opportunities to ask questions;
assessment focuses mainly on memorisation.

8. Language and Communication Difficulties

A child may understand a concept but struggle to express it in the language used in school.

For example, a child who speaks one language at home may initially find it difficult to understand complex instructions in another language.

This does not necessarily indicate low intelligence.

Teachers can:

use simple language;
explain difficult vocabulary;
use pictures and demonstrations;
allow children to express ideas in familiar language where appropriate;
gradually develop academic language skills.

9. Emotional and Psychological Factors

Children’s learning can be affected by their emotional experiences.

Fear, anxiety, low self-confidence, loneliness, bullying, excessive pressure, or fear of making mistakes can interfere with classroom participation.

A child may know the answer but avoid raising their hand because they are afraid of being laughed at.

Teachers should create an environment where:

Mistakes are treated as opportunities for learning, not as reasons for humiliation.

Children should feel safe to ask questions, make mistakes and try again.

Children’s learning is also influenced by their environment outside school.

Factors may include:

availability of learning resources;
parental support;
family responsibilities;
frequent changes in living conditions;
lack of a suitable study environment;
social and economic difficulties.

However, teachers should avoid assuming that family circumstances automatically determine a child’s achievement.

A supportive school can play an important role in providing children with opportunities to learn and succeed.

11. Peer Relationships and School Climate

Relationships with classmates and teachers can influence children’s engagement with school.

Bullying, social exclusion, discrimination or repeated negative experiences may reduce a child’s participation.

On the other hand, cooperative learning and positive peer relationships can increase confidence and engagement.

Teachers should promote:

respect;
cooperation;
inclusion;
empathy;
positive peer interaction;
equal participation.

12. Learning Difficulties and Individual Differences

Some children may experience persistent difficulties in areas such as reading, writing or mathematics. Such difficulties should not simply be labelled as “lazy” or “weak.”

Teachers should observe the child’s learning pattern and provide appropriate support. Where necessary, schools can involve parents, counsellors and qualified professionals.

The important principle is:

Difficulty in one area does not mean inability to learn overall.

Conclusion

Children’s school performance is the result of a complex interaction between the learner, teaching process, classroom environment, family context and opportunities for learning. When a child does not achieve expected academic outcomes, the first response should not be to label the child as incapable.

Instead, teachers should ask:

“What is preventing this child from learning, and what support can we provide?”

Understanding how children think and learn allows teachers to design more inclusive, engaging and effective learning experiences. The goal of education is not merely to produce high marks but to help every child develop understanding, confidence, curiosity and the ability to become an independent learner.