You’ve heard it a million times before. “Children are like sponges. They just soak up every drop of information.”
Recent social research shows that the sponge or ‘fill it up’ theory is actually a widely held view in the general public about child development. The sponge or ‘fill it up’ model is a great model to reflect on as a practitioner. The ‘fill it up’/ ‘empty vessel’ model almost totally removes early childhood practitioners from the equation. Why do you need educators if children just soak everything up?
Early childhood professionals know that children don’t learn passively, but do so actively engaging with their world - a process driven by interactions with parents, educators, teachers and their environment.
When development is seen as parents “pouring” knowledge and experiences into children, the interactive nature through which key systems are built, and later outcomes shaped, easily drops out of consideration. (Frameworks Institute, 2014, p.22)
A great thought to reflect on as a practitioner and remind oneself of the importance of interactions in the process of a child’s learning journey!
