This is the learning process simplified: Attention makes us receptive to information, which we process together with prior knowledge, until we arrive at conclusions and understanding, which we then apply and test for confirmation. (How do people learn, Don Elkington)

We start off by looking around and noticing things, paying attention to our our surroundings and by paying attention we are receptive to information. Using prior experience and prior knowledge we reach conclusions. By processing all of this together we develop understaning.

In teaching we need to use these 5 processes to help children learn.

Attention - We need to get the child's attention before we start so that they are receptive to the information we are going to give them. We need to explain why the information is important to them and why it would be a good thing for them to learn this. We need to get the children excited about learning.

Information - Everyone learns in different way so we need to be able to teach in different ways too. We need to present our information in different formats so we cater for all the learning methods; written words, visuals, audio, live action, practice etc.

Prior Experience - It is quite natural to compare what we are doing/learning with other ways we have learnt in the past. Discussions about why one way is better than another way and talking about how different ideas work for different things will help us understand.

Conclusion and Understanding - We need to help the children come to their own conclusions about what has been learnt and work throught the stages they went through to come to this conclusion.

We have to remember that children have a short attention span so we need to get them involved in the learning process as much as possible to keep their minds engaged. It is also a good idea to check how much they have learnt by giving them exercises to complete on their own or with family at home to see check their knowledge and level of understanding.

A worksheet is a piece of paper, designed to help organize material for learning or clear understanding used by teachers to review what has been taught in class. Worksheets are meant to provide extra skills practice using problems to solve and fill in the blanks in the crosswords and puzzles to make learning more fun. Worksheets exist in many different subjects and give students as much practise as possible both in class and at home. Parents often download worksheets from the internet to help their children and give them some extra practise.

Worksheets are organised by key stage and subject so it is easy to find something that will be at the right level for your child. Many websites offer a wide range of downloadable worksheets to meet your child's needs.