Understanding Child Learning Process and Informal Assessments

A Complete Guide to How Children Learn and How to Assess Them Effectively

The child learning process is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Every child thinks, absorbs, explores, and understands the world differently. At Helikx Open School, we believe that meaningful learning begins with understanding the child first. This course, “Understanding Child Learning Process and Informal Assessments,” is designed to help parents, teachers, aspiring educators, and school counsellors gain a structured understanding of how children learn, how information processing happens in the brain, and how informal assessments can be used to identify their abilities and difficulties.

In a world where many children face challenges such as learning disabilities (LD), slow processing, attention difficulties, and language disorders, it becomes essential to observe and assess them using non-threatening, child-friendly methods. This course brings clarity, confidence, and practical tools to understand learning behaviours deeply and respond to them effectively.

Whether you are an educator trying to support children in classrooms, a parent seeking answers about your child's learning style, or a professional involved in child development, this course gives you the foundation you need to guide children toward better learning outcomes.

Why Understanding the Child Learning Process Matters

Every child goes through a unique pattern of growth that involves cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and social development. By understanding the child learning process, we gain insight into:

How children receive, process, and store information
How attention, memory, and perception influence learning
Why some children grasp concepts quickly while others struggle
How learning difficulties and learning disabilities manifest
What teaching strategies work best for specific learning profiles

When adults lack clarity about how children learn, difficulties often go unnoticed. Children may be labelled as “slow,” “careless,” “not paying attention,” or “not interested,” when in reality, they simply have a different way of processing information. This course offers a structured understanding of these processes so educators can support children more effectively.

What Are Informal Assessments and Why They Matter

Traditional tests and exams cannot always capture how a child thinks or learns. Many children—especially those with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)—may find formal assessments stressful and intimidating. Informal assessments are flexible, observation-based tools that help identify a child’s strengths and challenges in a natural learning environment.

They include:

Observations
Checklists
Anecdotal records
Work samples
Behaviour logs
Parent interviews
Play-based assessments
Simple hands-on tasks

These tools help educators understand how a child approaches a task—not just whether the answer is right or wrong. For children with learning difficulties, informal assessment becomes the first and most essential step before planning interventions, referrals, or individual learning plans.

This course equips learners with the skills to use these tools confidently, ensuring every child gets the support they deserve.

Course Description

This module provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to how children learn and how informal assessments can be used to identify their abilities, challenges, and learning styles. You will learn how the brain processes information, why some children face learning difficulties, and how to recognise early signs of SLD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and related concerns.

By the end of this module, learners will be equipped to conduct child-friendly, meaningful, and insightful informal assessments that reveal learning strengths, weaknesses, and patterns. These observations will help in designing teaching strategies that align with each child’s cognitive and emotional needs.

What You Will Learn

1. Understanding Child Learning Process

This section explores the foundations of child development and learning, covering:

How children acquire language, numeracy, reading, and writing skills
The role of cognitive development in learning
How emotion, motivation, and environment influence learning
Different learning styles and learning preferences
How to identify patterns in a child’s learning behaviour

You will learn to observe a child holistically rather than relying solely on academic results.

2. Information Processing in Children

This module explains how the brain processes information, including:

Attention and focus
Perception
Memory (short-term, working, and long-term)
Thinking and reasoning
Language processing

Understanding information processing is crucial for identifying why a child struggles with reading, writing, comprehension, or problem-solving.

3. Information Processing & SLD

Specific Learning Disabilities are closely linked to how the child processes information. This part of the course highlights:

What SLD looks like in children
How information processing deficits contribute to SLD
Common signs of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia
How processing difficulties impact classroom performance
The difference between learning difficulty and learning disability

This module prepares learners to detect early behavioural and academic signs of SLD through observation and informal tools.

4. Identifying Abilities & Difficulties in Children

Identifying strengths is just as important as identifying difficulties. This section helps you learn:

How to recognise a child’s natural skills
Behavioural indicators of learning challenges
How to differentiate between lack of practice and genuine difficulty
How to collect meaningful data through observation
The role of parents and teachers in the identification process

You will understand how to blend academic observation with emotional and behavioural understanding.

5. Informal Assessment

This module teaches step-by-step techniques to conduct informal assessments for children in a non-threatening, engaging, and natural way. You will learn:

How to design simple assessment tasks
How to observe a child during learning activities
Tools for tracking progress
How to interpret informal assessment results
How to use findings to personalise learning

At the end of this module, you will be able to create a complete informal assessment report that captures a child’s learning profile accurately.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, learners will be able to:

Understand how children learn at cognitive and behavioural levels
Use child-friendly techniques to conduct informal assessments
Identify early signs of learning difficulties and SLD
Document learning observations systematically
Support children using evidence-based strategies
Communicate findings to parents and teachers effectively
Adapt teaching methods to suit different learning styles

This course aims to empower educators and parents to become sensitive, observant, and skillful facilitators of children’s learning journeys.

Who This Course Is For

This course is ideal for:

School teachers
Special educators
Parents
School counsellors
Psychology students
Montessori and kindergarten teachers
Remedial educators
Anyone interested in child development & learning

Whether you are trying to help one child or an entire classroom, these skills will transform the way you understand learning.

Course Details

4.5 Hours On-Demand Video
Certificate of Completion
Downloadable Resources
Self-paced learning
Mobile and desktop friendly

Why Choose Helikx Open School?

Helikx is widely recognised for its work in supporting children with learning disabilities and learning difficulties in Tamil Nadu. With a strong foundation in child development, special education, and inclusive teaching practices, our programs are designed to equip teachers and parents with practical, real-world skills.

By learning from our experience, you gain actionable knowledge that can be applied immediately in homes, classrooms, and learning centres.

Enroll Today

Understanding children is the first step towards transforming their learning journey. This course gives you everything you need to observe, assess, and support children with confidence and clarity.

Start your learning journey today and build the foundation to help every child learn better.