How do children learn?

This question was posed to us in my emergent literacy class and has made me reflect quite a bit. Some of the ideas that were new and insightful to me is that children learn new things when they are "in context", "attached to meaning" and for a "specific purpose". In terms of literacy (reading and writing) children learn to read and write when letters and letter sounds are taught to them in the context of a story when they can see how the letters, sounds, and words fit into the big picture. They also learn about the functions of reading and print when they see us model it for them in our daily routines (grocery lists,etc.) Babies learn to communicate for the purpose of getting their needs satisfied. Another example that I love of how children will learn things if it has a specific purpose has to do when I was trying to teach Lani how to use tongs. I set up an activity with two tupperware bowls, tongs, and pom poms. I wanted her to use the tongs to transfer the pom poms from one bowl to the other. Lani was totally bored with this idea and wasn't much interested in this. So we abandoned that idea. Then after learning this principle I decided that I was going to stop dishing the kids dinner up for them and they would serve themselves at dinner time. I placed the tongs by the salad for serving purposes and sure enough she picked them up like a champ and figured out how to use them for the purpose of eating some yummy salad. It was one of those aha moments. Teaching kids to do things in context with meaning and purpose really does work!