Outdoor play

Outdoor play is crucial to children's development. It's summer here in the southern hemisphere.  I like to let children spend as much time as they like outside: getting children out for the fresh air; and letting them get their hands dirty and feet wet. Outdoor play is beneficial to children not just for good health and well-being...

Play in the outdoors could be active or quiet. Whereas some children jump, climb, run and chase, the others may choose to look, listen, touch and smell, that is using their senses.  Young children learn when they are physically involved.

Will they miss out on "inside activities" such as reading and painting? No way. The teacher may simply bring the "inside activities" out, such as set up the painting easels outside, and throw a few cushions on a picnic rugs with storybooks, puzzles, construction blocks, etc. My colleagues even relocated the dramatic play furniture outside, as the interest in playing cafe is emerging.

To be outside means to be fit. Outside play helps children develop better motor skills and coordination, and they become more confident in their physical abilities. Also, they learn to assess risks and develop the confidence to take reasonable risks. As they learn about themselves, their strengths and capabilities, they learn about the nature too.

The natural world is an essential part of life. Nature offers rich opportunities for exploring and making discoveries. With better understanding of the natural world, the children will grow up as responsible citizens who care for their environment.

Yes, its important to let children play outside. And rain or shine? click this link about a kindergarten who provides raincoats to children to take full advantage of its outdoor programme.

Clay in the early years art programme

Clay gives young children opportunities to develop a set of valuable visual art skills. Also, it connects children to a natural resource that has been used by people around the world for thousands of years for art creation. This unique art medium reflects our respect for the nature. Clay is able to be reused and clay works can be recycled, which is an important benefit of using clay in the early childhood art programme. Using clay promotes greater awareness of environmental issues and sustainability.

The simplest of physical actions: squeezing, patting, poking, rolling, coiling, or piling it up - produces an immediate and satisfying change to the shape and form of a piece of clay. While the children are exploring the possibilities of clay as a medium of artistic expression, they are learning how clay behave and how they can use it to make their idea visible. It involves problem solving.

Younger children, particularly, seem to enjoy using clay and are delighted in its sensory and tactile qualities. They are quite bold in tackling wet and damp clay. While younger children tend to create abstract works, the older ones aim to be representational in their creation.

The teacher may want to bring out clay regularly. With practice, children will develop more sophisticated skills and be able to add complexity to their creations. Just give plenty of time for children to figure things out by themselves.

While it's important to let children explore and make discoveries, teachers' support is important too. Click this link for more.

How children learn in the early years

I believe children make their own discoveries; and learning comes from within. With natural curiosity, the child is intrinsically motivated to learn , to explore and to experiment. Everyday, children are making an effort to make sense of the world. At the same time, children's learning is also influenced by external forces in the environment. The child develops not in isolation, but through interaction with other people in his social world. So, as teachers of young children, we have an influence in the child's learning and development. However, trying to directly teach children things is not helpful. The child needs the opportunity to construct and to discover the knowledge on his own. The teacher's role is to support the child by stimulating and challenging the child's own thinking. The teacher cannot prescribe the manner in which the child learns, but she can design a programme that supports the child's learning in a progressive manner. But this doesn't mean the child will develop according to the teacher's plan, as development has its own rhythm. Still, teachers' involvement is necessary. With it, the child's mind be able to advance far.

Recalling the experience of working with clay with the young children, regular opportunities proved to be very beneficial for them to develop their technical skills and knowledge about the properties of this unique medium. Initially, I simply put some clay balls on the table with a wet sponge in the middle of the table. They started to play
with the clay... I can imagine what was going on in their mind included: what can I do with clay? Can I change the shape? How? What happens when I pinch, poke, squeeze, or roll the clay? What if I squeeze water out of the sponge and moisten the clay? How will the clay behave when wet?

As time went by, their emerging skills were adding complexity to their creations. Some children started to construct objects that have different parts , and joined them.  The children began with a body and added legs, head and so on. It was hard to join various parts securely though.

I demonstrated to them how to begin with a single lump and then split and squeeze the parts from it. With lots of practice, the children are now able to use clay to make their imaginings to take shape and form. My demonstration and coaching has helped the children to master the skills that they can't immediately grasp on their own.

Handling unacceptable behaviours of young children

Hitting is an unacceptable behaviour. But the fact is it does happen among young children.

Earlier today, I was asked what would I do if a parent said his child was hit by another child in the kindergarten. I replied that I would promise the parent to investigate and treat the matter seriously. I would also reassure her that hitting is totally unacceptable in the kindergarten. And then, I would discuss with my colleagues to find out more. Reflecting on it now, I think I have shortchanged my friend, who probably would like a proper analysis of the scenario. I once worked for a home based early education and care provider and often had similar questions referred to me. Let me answer this question again:

The incident involves the child who was hit, his mother, the child who hit, the teaching team, and all the other children.

First and foremost, everyone needs to feel safe and secured in the kindergarten. The child has a right to be safe, especially one can learn only when he feels safe. The child who was hit didn't tell a teacher. Why? Did he not trust the teacher? Was there no teacher nearby?If no teacher has witnessed the incident, the team needs to step up their supervision. Are there any blind spots around the kindergarten?

The incident of hitting could be more complicated than it seemed. The child might be provoked, which doesn't give him the license to hit back, of course. But then, it might become a learning opportunity for emotional management. The child needs to learn to stand up for himself in non aggressive way. The teacher needs to talk gently with both children to get a clearer picture of the incident.

What about other children in the kindergarten? Was anyone around at that time? No one came forward to tell a teacher? No matter how vigilant and alert the teachers are, they might not see everything. It is a fact that we must accept it. The teacher could be busy working with some other children who demanded her full attention.  Again, the incident calls for some teaching/learning activities about behaviour management. At mat-times, perhaps, a discussion about what constitute unacceptable behaviors? The 4 year olds might be mature enough to draft up a good behaviours contract that could be signed by all of them afterwards. Also, brainstorm what to do when confronted by aggressive behaviours. If the children are younger, give specific instructions about what to do, such as saying, "stop it. I don't like it!" And then, go and find a teacher. The whole group can practice together to say, "No, hitting is not acceptable!" I always advise the children that they are allowed to use a big voice to say NO! in such situation.

Parents are our close ally in supporting the growth and development of young children. They all need to know how we manage behaviours of children in our care. Take the initiative to discuss behaviour issue in newsletters; and seek their feedback. To the mother whose child was hit, explain what actions you're going to take or have taken; inform her about the progress of the investigation; reassure her that hitting is a serious matter; and keep the dialogue and any other two way communication open.

Sufficient? Appropriate? What do you think?

Assessment in early childhood education - including the child's voice

Teachers of young children all spend a lot of time, very often their own time, to write up children's assessment. Assessment gives useful information about children's learning and development. As it captures children's learning experiences in the kindergarten, parents will therefore become much more aware and convinced of the learning achieved by their child. As such, communication between teachers and parents are enhanced.

Reliable assessment should include multiple voices. Instead of telling the learning story from her own perspective, the teacher also needs to give the child involved an opportunity to tell his story. A learning experience is best interpreted and assessed by the learner himself, which allows the child to take over some responsibility and claim ownership of his learning. In practice, find time to talk with the learner about his experience (photos will provide cues for a thoughtful conversation): let the child indicate what he is learning, thus drawing out the meaning of the experience. When the teacher and the learner "co-author" a learning story, the assessment is authentic, and the process is exciting and energising.

 I like this concept of "co-authoring" with the child, if possible, while making observation, otherwise make time for discussion afterwards. Let the learner talk about whatever comes to his mind. This assessment practice also provides an opportunity to learn. Together, the teacher and the child look at or look back over a learning episode, the child is encouraged to use his language to recall, explain and express his ideas, feelings and thoughts. The sustained shared interactions and dialogue strengthen relationships with the child, who will feel empowered as a learner.

Even though co-authoring is not able to happen, due to whatever reasons, it's always helpful to encourage children to read their assessment any time. Make sure the assessment folders are easily accessible, and make a space for children reading together with peers, families and teachers.

Take this episode of marble painting, for an example. First, the teacher will consciously highlight the positive learning dispositions, such as practicing, experimenting, thinking. And then, probably, the creative and artistic development of the child will be assessed, drawing attention to her understanding of colours, skills in creating marks and patterns etc. The assessment may focus on the child as an artist. However, talking with the child may reveal her fascination with the rolling marbles and her perseverance with mastering the skill to carry the marble from the palette to the box! Through "co-authoring" or self-assessment, the learner's interest, knowledge, skills and dispositions will be recognised. These information will be helpful to establish the learner's identity.

Literacy in early childhood - alphabet knowledge

Early childhood teachers play an important role in supporting children's literacy. But, what types of literacy experiences are appropriate in the early years? The common response probably is children need to learn ABCs, as alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness are key predictors of literacy achievement later in school, in terms of spelling and reading.

Children who attend primary school with insufficient knowledge of letter names and letter sounds tend to struggle with reading, and they are likely to fall behind in spelling, reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Alphabet knowledge means knowledge about letter names, letter sounds and letters in print. With these knowledge, young children are able to make attempts at spelling and reading. Researchers Piasta and Wagner found out that Alphabet knowledge can be strengthened through intentional teaching strategies.

Te Whaariki, New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum and Australia's Early years Learning Framework both advocate for a holistic programme. Yes, alphabet knowledge is best taught in a variety of ways within a holistic curriculum. Teaching literacy knowledge too formal and too soon may take away the pleasure of learning from young children.

There are plenty of games with a focus on alphabet knowledge. My friend has a set of bean bags with letters embroidered on them. She gives each child one, and ask them to say the letter name, letter sound, and to think of a word that begins with the particular letter. And then, they play balancing game with the bean bag, which concludes the learning session with giggles and laughters. The learning encompasses cognitive, emotional, social and physical aspects.

Other effective activities or routines could include: children to sign up on arrival at kindergarten; put own name tags on their locker on arrival; dictate names onto artwork; sing alphabet song while pointing to alphabet chart; when organising children off the mat orderly, use a letter card to send off children with names starting with the same letter; use magnetic letters to make words, and so on. You could add to the list...

Click this link for the research paper published by Piasta and Wagner.

P.S. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recognizes development of the alphabetic principle as a goal for the preschool years and proficiency in letter discrimination, letter naming, and letter–sound correspondences are expected during the kindergarten year. 

Literacy in the Early Years - Teachers' Role

Regarding the role of teachers in supporting early literacy, I pay tribute to Margaret Carr's concept of learning dispositions, which mean that learners are being able, ready and willing to learn. So, in the context of literacy, it is about getting the young learner ready and willing to write, as well as knowing how to write.

Look at this scenario:
We baked at the kindergarten, Nina, who is gluten intolerant, was keen to confirm that she would be allowed to eat the cake we made. Despite the reassurance that we had checked all the ingredients, Nina insisted to call her Mum, just to be sure. As we said only the teachers were allowed to use the phone, she wrote down her question for the teacher to read to her Mum. Nina asked me to spell out the words, and she referred to the alphabet chart when writing. What an amazing writer! Not only does she has literacy skills and knowledge, she was also able to recognize the occasion to apply her skills; and she was willing to do it even the task involved lots of effort.

 To support literacy in the early years, I believe, teachers need to maintain a dual focus on the literacy skills and the learning dispositions. I have introduced McLachlan's work on teaching literacy skills to young children in an earlier post from my children's songs, rhymes and game blog , now I'm going to focus on dispositions in this post.

When a child has learned a literacy skill, for example, how to identify ABCs, he is able to do something he couldn't do before. But he may not be spontaneously make use of that ability when a relevant situation arises, if he doesn't realize its relevance. Try to ask a child who knows the alphabet to read out the letters of words from a book, he may say he doesn't know how.  It is not much about being able, he is not ready to make use of the ability he possesses. Also, he may still need a degree of support and encouragement, which involves his desire to try when there is a certain degree of difficulty. It's about being willing.

To support a disposition to write, the teacher needs to model purposeful literacy.  At kindergarten, teachers who jot down notes about children's voice/ ideas and learning episodes are providing role models for emergent writers. Children observe when teachers write. The teachers are modeling an interest in writing, in particular, when they are keen to talk about and share what they have noted down, they are modeling a passion for expressing and recording ideas, feelings and thoughts in print/ written language.

Guy Claxton writes in 2009, in a forward to the book entitled Learning Power Heroes from the Building Learning Power programme in England, that teachers are learning heroes. He suggests that children learn in the way their parents, carers and teachers learn. So, if they are around people who love to write,  they will pick up the habits and rules of writing, as well as develop a passion for writing. This is especially true with teachers, as they are important people/ heroes to young learners in the kindergarten.

In short, early childhood teachers must support young children to develop not only literacy skills but also positive dispositions to use the skill willingly when the situation is relevant.