Seeing learning outcomes through the lens of children

From time to time there is enough research, debates and discussions on the learning outcome and how do we measure it? While these are important points to ponder, at a fundamental level, we also need the question, learning outcomes from whose point of view? Is it the child’s point of view of the parents, caregivers and educators? Especially in the 0-8 years, which are the formative years of a child, how should one assess learning outcomes?

In a landmark move, our National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF -FS) 2022 included early childhood and foundational years (0-8) as a stage for learning and defined learning standards and learning outcomes for this age group. It illuminates the larger purpose and contextual nature of learning outcomes, “Learning Outcomes need to be seen as enabling guidelines for teachers and school leaders and not as constraining demands on them. They have the autonomy to reimagine the Learning Outcomes based on their contexts.” In a society where the dominant mindset or caring adults see learning outcomes as knowing the 3 Rs - reading, writing, arithmetic - is there a lesson for us to learn from the child who prided herself in singing rather than reciting the alphabets.

Picture this: As children journey through the formative childhood years, they hit important milestones. By age three, they speak more, can follow simple instructions, play, sing, dance, run, and enjoy time with friends. By age five or six, they are charged up - it's that age where they explore, engage with peers with similar age groups, converse and are getting ready to step into unfamiliar spaces like school and a complex world outside. Play sustains them. Gives oxygen to their mind and body. When children play with paint or clay they are just not having fun, they are also discovering and learning. By engaging with different textures, colours, and materials, children's minds are stimulated in ways that promote growth and development.

We all have memories of stacking building blocks as a child or dragging our favourite toy everywhere we went. science and recent research tells us that building blocks have helped aid language development in children and that playing with building blocks and creating imaginary worlds aid creativity and problem-solving skills. Similarly, sensory play is vital for children's learning and development. It's not just about what they create; it's about the journey of exploration through touch, feel and discovery that enriches their young minds and bodies.

When the people closest to a child—family, caregivers, teachers— create a nurturing and secure environment for a child, it results in the child growing, learning and thriving. What is thriving and how does it look? Drawing with chalk and crayons, jumping in muddy puddles and little colourful palm prints, singing and dancing with joy and listening intently to a story being read aloud. It also looks like a 3-year-old holding a book upside down and telling you the story with action and unparalleled enthusiasm. With this picturisation, let's examine the multitudinal ways that children grow and learn in the first eight years of life.

Non-linear and unique style of learning

Policy and research, including the National ECCE Framework and NCF-FS emphasise the importance of responsive caregiving in promoting secure attachment and healthy emotional growth in children. Joy, bonding, self-esteem are building blocks for a child’s healthy socio-emotional learning, though not always measurable. These building blocks are perhaps more important now than earlier to provide the foundations to navigate through a world of complexity, ambiguity and information overload.

Non-linear learning is characteristic of learning in this life-stage. NCF-FS pointedly says: “Children less than 8 years of age do not follow linear, age-based educational trajectories; they converge in their learning trajectories and start adapting to more structured learning only at around the age of 8 years.” Learning in this phase can progress and regress, it is non-systematic and unpredictable. That’s why early educators focus less on the mastery of skills and more on providing opportunities for experiences and exploration. This will help children reach their potential.

Individual variation in learning is another characteristic of learning between 0-8 years; every child learns at a different pace and in their own unique style. The best learning opportunities are multi faceted, multisensory and multi level, which allow the child flexibility to choose their paths to learn.

See the world through the child’s eyes

There is a lot adults can learn from how children see and accept other children. Have you seen the video of two children where one child is differently abled and they are asked what’s different about the other - one says she likes spinach and I don’t?

It is time to get on our knees and see the world from a child's height and let our mind imagine the million experiences the child has had in one day, infused with effort, struggle, play and joy. That’s the growing child, a thriving a child.

(The author is Chief of Policy and Partnerships, EkStep Foundation)