Month: June 2018

Learning Outcome 5: ‘Children are effective communicators’ is about more than picture books, stencils and ipads. Here’s 5 tips to support children with learning outcome 5.

1. Allow children to use their voice: Children all have a voice, whether it is expressed through dialogue or body language, and we as educators have an obligation to let children use their voice. Often it is easier or more convenient to plan out the day and how children will be expected to behave during specific parts of the routine, or the steps of an experience. Yet this does not allow for children to share their own ideas/needs, create their own learning and express their own understandings. A child-centred program relies upon educators not only listening to the children’s voices, but creating opportunity for these voices to be used.
2. Add text into different types of play: There are so many ways you can build text and writing into play that are in child focused and open-ended approaches. From adding letters to items in loose parts play, letter shaped cookie cutters in play dough, or boxes with logos on them in home corner, children have the opportunity to choose to engage with text and symbols. A simple ways to add writing is to have clipboards paper and pencils available both inside and outside for children to document their learning.
3. Allow children to express their ideas in their own way: There is not one set way that we can expect children to explore and communicate their ideas, some may use descriptions, some plan, some draw, some build, some literal, some figurative, some diagrammatic. The more opportunities children have to communicate their ideas in a way that makes sense to them, the more they are able to cement their learning and share their knowledge with others.
4. Use music to explore patterns: Music is a great way to explore patterns such as rhymes, rhythm and tempo in a fun and play based way. There are also lots of patterns in traditional songs such as nursery rhymes, with rhyming couplets at the end of lines. Another way to explore patterns it through transition songs (such as 5 speckled frogs) where children can not only engage with music, but also learn the predictability of patters and use this to understand what will happen next.
5. Use technology to build relationships instead of avoid relationships: Technology use with adults is often a solitary event, however with children we should not use it the same way. The use of technology should allow for discussions, ideas, communication and collaborative work. I have seen services use technology as a substitute for teaching (e.g. TV programs and youtube videos entertaining the children for a large group time, while the educator supervises and controls the group) which not only interferes with the child’s ability to build relationships with the educators, but also restricts the children’s use of language. Whereas watching a video to discuss and unpack the ideas and challenge thinking as a small group is a very different use of the same technology.

 

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Learning Outcome 4: ‘Children are confident and involved learners’ is without doubt the most popular learning outcome because it refers to learning, but as the other posts in this series demonstrates there is learning opportunities in every outcome. Here’s 5 tips to support children with learning outcome 4.

1. Providing a role model for curiosity: Enjoying play alongside children allows them to develop a positive disposition for learning because it is meaningful, fun and engaging. By making learning child focused and enjoyable we can support children to enjoy exploring their world and the uncertainty of how things work. Engaging with children while playing and verbalising your curiosity can allow them to develop an understanding of how learning works, such as “I wonder what will happen if…?” or “Hmm, I wonder how that happened?”
2. Allow children to be creative with open ended resources: By using open ended resources children can develop their own uses for them and demonstrate their own ideas and plans into the experience. Structured resources can limit children’s creativity and also cause frustration if they are not developmentally able to complete the activity, whereas open ended resources support all ages and developmental abilities as children can use them in a range of ways.
3. Understand how children conduct research: Children conduct research by checking to see how their world works. If children can replicate results then they understand how things work. The more unpredictable or flexible an item is the more research needs to be conducted to understand the properties, such as balls, play dough, paint, loose parts, clay. Research does not have to be looking up information on the internet, or conducting a formal experiment, it can be everyday exploration.
4. Using projects that allow children to transfer their knowledge: By building learning opportunities around children’s interests through projects or learning journeys children can transfer their knowledge about the interest into different situations. They can also bring different skills and knowledge into their area of interest such as music or story telling.
5. Trust children to lead the learning and support them with this: The less control adults have over the program allows for children to have some agency and control, which in turn provides children the opportunity to resource their own learning. This requires the resources to be made available for the children, including accessibility to educators who are present and open to children’s questions.

 

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Learning Outcome 3: ‘Children have a strong sense of wellbeing’ tends to get focused on for obstacle courses and outdoor play, but there are a number of ways to explore this. Here’s 5 tips to support children with learning outcome 3.

1. Create strong attachments with children: Spending time with children and allowing them to form strong attachments will support their emotional wellbeing. Consider rostering for infants and children with additional needs so that they have consistency of educators, and also keep this in mind when transitioning children between between rooms. If there are new educators in the room children are going to then new attachments need to be formed. The stronger the relationships are the more a child will feel secure to explore and challenge themselves.
2. Learn from families how to support their child’s emotional wellbeing: Use your enrolment forms and orientation process to find out how best to support children’s emotional needs instead of expecting children to respond to our methods. This can support children to feel secure quicker and also allow us as educators to better understand how to connect with children.
3. Support children’s emotional vocabulary: Children will become more emotionally aware if they can understand what they are feeling and what they need to support them. Labelling children’s emotions can help with this, to support children’s awareness of the different types of emotions outside of happy, sad and angry. Plutchnik’s Wheel of Emotion can help with this increased vocabulary. 
4. Notice that children are developing physical skills all the time: Even when a child is sitting they are using physical skills like core strength and balance. Instead of expecting children to only demonstrate physical skills during planned gross motor experiences, being open to noticing the children’s physical development through their own play can support documenting this learning outcome.
5. Allow children to get actively involved in food preparation and meals: By engaging children in mealtimes, and as much of the process as possible, not only are there other learning opportunities but it also means children are more likely try new foods and explore healthy options. Ways children can get involved in meal preparation include reviewing the menu, growing the food, serving the food, ordering the food from the supermarket, cooking the food.

 

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Learning Outcome 2: ‘Children are connected with and contribute to their world’ is often used when talking about sustainability but there is a lot more to it than that. Here’s 5 tips to support children with learning outcome 2.

1. Give children a voice in creating rules and expectations: Children have great ideas when it comes to what is appropriate social behaviour and what isn’t, and involving them in these discussions allow for an assessment of their understanding. Discussions like these can also support children’s understanding and willingness to follow the rules.
2. Be mindful of how open you are to diversity: Being role models to children involves reflecting on our own practices. Media, family, and society all shape our views of the world and if we are not critically analysing this then we can subconsciously pass on our own biases to children. It is important to actively reflect on our openness to diversity and hold each other accountable to not letting our own biases impact our interactions and relationships.
3. Challenge children’s understanding of biases: Depending on whether we are consciously present with the children or busy getting through the day and constantly worrying about the routines can impact how open we are to meaningful discussions with children. When children make statements like “but boys don’t look after babies”, “girls can’t be police”, or “Aboriginal people don’t wear clothes”, and we don’t questions their thought processes and challenge their biases, we allow these ideas to perpetuate.
4. Explore the difference between equality and equity with children: Often we think of fairness as everyone getting the same. That is what equality is, equal for all, which means regardless of what you need you all get the same. True fairness is about equity, everyone getting what they need to succeed and have the same opportunities. If we expect everyone to learn the same way, at the same time, we are doing the children a disservice. Children are capable of understanding that different children need different tools/resources/time/support to engage if we give them the opportunity to learn about this.
5. Allow opportunities for children to connect with their environment: The more children connect to their environment, the more they are likely to value and respect this and engage in discussions about caring for it. This could be through gardening, waste disposal, recycling, cleaning, etc. Again it comes down to allowing children to be part of the discussion and build a relationship with their environment to embed sustainable practices into the service, instead of just doing something to tick a box.

 

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