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.

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. 

Documenting children's learning

I believe teachers need to document children's learning, making learning visible. So, what do I document, how and why?

For individual children's learning journey, I use the Learning Story model developed by the legendary Margaret Carr of New Zealand. My intention is to share with parents about what the child is interested in. I describe what I saw and what the child said. Based on that, I plan for how to support the child's learning so the interest will be extended and the learning becomes more complex.

Basically, I describe what I notice as the child's interest, how he is involved in pursuing his interest, how he communicates his passion, whether he persists despite difficulties, and how he takes up his responsibility for his own learning. And then I analyse what learning I think is happening and outline my planning about what could be the next step of development for the child. Finally, I seek parents' feedback by posing questions to solicit their comments.

To document the learning that is happening for groups of children, I use the model of Stories of interest/Planning stories. These Stories of Interest include documentation about how a particular interest has begun, what learning is happening, teachers' intentions/reflections on possible ways to extend the interest, and parent/family comments. The Planning Story model shows how the learning is unfolded as the stories are displayed as work in progress.  While teachers' planning and possibilities are outlined,  they are not something that is fixed in concrete. It's because the teacher, I believe, is obliged to follow the childrenʼs interests, to be spontaneous and responsive.

I think, both children and teachers need to work together in creating rich learning  experiences, and the parents can also contribute towards the planning of what learning will happen. So, the purpose of the documentation is to show the learning journey of the children, as supported by the teachers and parents. I think itʼs a good idea to use lots of photos, which enables children to revisit their experiences. If possible, documentation should be displayed at childrenʼs height. Also think about how much writing to put up on the wall, parents are unlikely to stand around reading lengthy paragraphs. Make the text short and sweet, perhaps using bullet points.

It's inevitable that only a small percentage of the learning/teaching that is happening is documented due to the constraints of time. However, the documentation will serve as the tip of the iceberg, showcasing the richness of children's learning and the wide array of opportunities to learn in the early childhood setting. I hope you will embrace your obligation to document children's learning as well.

P.S. the Learning Story model is also used at schools in New Zealand too, click here for additional information.

Parents as partners in the early years

Good teaching practice in the early years is guided by partnership with families, as advocated by the early childhood curricula of New Zealand and Australia specifically. Yes, families should be part of their children's learning and development. I always try to include them in the assessment and evaluation process, as they have a wealth of information and understandings regarding their child. In terms of planning, when I recognise some interests are emerging, I will solicit parental inputs into the topics of investigation or interest.

First and foremost, all aspects of the kindergarten environment should be designed to encourage parent participation in the programme.  The environment needs to be welcoming. Think about furniture...are there chairs and tables which are at adult heights? They should feel comfortable to hang around a bit. It's an attitude of respect for the parents. In my kindy, parents are often seen sitting on a couch, reading a book with their child or enjoying their child's folder/ portfolio.

Communication is definitely critical for effective partnership. The drop off and pick up times provide opportunities for the teacher to talk with the parent about their child's interests; sharing information about what the child enjoys doing while he is not at kindergarten etc..

In addition, observations and records should be part of two-way communication that strengthens the partnership between the early childhood setting and families. While the teacher is trying to learn about each child to plan for the teaching programme, parents need to be aware of the teaching that goes on in the kindergarten.

In my centre, there are plenty of documentation on the walls to communicate with parents about the children's experiences. Documentation may include photos of children learning, samples of children's work/ creation, and text describing some aspect of what the children are doing.  In addition, the documentation boards should explain the teacher's planning, which will facilitate dialogue and exchange of ideas with parents. Ideally, the teacher will have time to update a daily journal, in which the teachers will communicate to parents how the children spend time during the day, areas where children spent most of the time, and some text reflecting on what children said they were thinking about specific topics. In partnership with parents, teachers will be better informed when they try to make sense of the topics of emergent interest.

It certainly is very demanding to update a daily journal everyday at the end of the session. I usually do it first thing after a session and put it out before the next session. It will help children revisit what they have done in the previous session, while the parents are informed of the current learning happening at kindy. Instead of a daily journal, I am aware that one kindy takes advantage of ICT and creates a daily slideshow for parents with photos of children working and learning in the day. At pick up time, parents are welcomed to watch the show with the children, while teachers are on the side making comments, sharing ideas, and answering questions.

Both parents and teachers are the contributors to the child's capacity to learn. In the learning story I write for each child, I will reserve some space to seek parents' feedback. I will use
prompting questions to encourage them to write something in return. For example, "Have your child told you about this?" or "Does your child like to do drawing at home too?" or " Your child seems to have a lot of knowledge about ....Do you know where he learns that from?"

Finally, parents are valuable resource persons with many talents. I have invited parents coming to kindergarten to cook and bake with children; demonstrating the Japanese craft of origami; running show and tell sessions about their profession; leading music and movement activities; and even constructing a cockpit for the children.

Hope you enjoy working with the parents at your kindergarten too!

Group size contributes to quality outcomes in early childhood education

It has been shown that group size influences the nature of the interactions between children and their teacher in the early childhood setting, which makes teaching and learning possible. 

In my previous two posts, I talked about a video called supporting early writers, in which a teacher was attempting to support a group of young writers by jotting down their ideas one after one, demonstrating how verbal language can be recorded in print. She probably understood that adult guided learning required one to one attention, so she worked with the children one at a time, while letting the other children queueing up for their turn. However, she looked flustered when children in the queue demanded attention. As a result, she seemed unable to focus on the learning activity, as she hardly gave the children eye contact, nor talked responsively with the children.  I think the issue here is the size of her writing group.

The appropriate size for a group will differ across the range of learning activities. Generally, for adult guided learning, the group should better be small. When I cook or bake with children, and I intend them to read the recipe with me, learn to measure with proper equipments, talk about and make connections with any possible home cooking experiences, so I will only work with not more than five children. I either carry out the activity at the kitchen bench or set it up at a small table and put only four chairs out. Group size can be shaped by the physical environment. 

However, when I write with children, such as writing a story down while the child narrates it, I will definitely work with one at a time. I have learnt to say "not now" to enthusiastic writers who wait eagerly on the side. I usually ask them to go and do something else and promise them I will go and find them as soon as I can. Another option could be putting their names down on a waiting list, and I'll ask a child to find the next one when I've finished with the current one. 

A teacher must keep thinking how many children should be grouped together to enable her interaction with the children are effective and responsive. As such, the teacher is able to spend more time teaching and less time managing children. It needs planning about group size, in order to create the physical and social environments that support quality learning and teaching.

Group size contributes to quality outcomes, because it can determine the level and quality of interactions and relationships between children and between children and adults. Effectively, a desirable group size can transform the group into a genuine “learning community”, with the benefit of of fostering and supporting the development of each child as an individual. 

When groups are appropriately sized, teachers can offer more individualised attention. The teachers are able to make more stimulating comments and ask thought provoking questions; and to respond readily with interest and enthusiasm. At the same time, the children are genuinely listened to and supported to express themselves. The teacher and the children are engaged in meaningful conversation, which enhances learning. 

Click here to read about group size being a quality indicator; and here about the effects of group size on children in relation to the various domains within which the individual child develops physically, cognitively, socially, emotionally, and culturally.

Literacy in early childhood - adult guided learning?

Intentional teachers should plan adult-guided learning activities to enable children to learn systems of knowledge, which they can't develop on their own, as suggested by Epstein. In a video titled "supporting early writers", posted by the National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program of Australia, a teacher carried out a guided activity to support children's learning in writing letters of the alphabet. In the video, she diligently wrote down what a child said, put the paper aside and moved on to the next child. She looked stressed as several children were queuing up for their turn.

I think the teacher's planning is informed by the notion of literacy as social practice. She  could be demonstrating how to put words into print. However, she could have stated the obvious, talking with the children about what we say can be written down in words, so everyone can read it, and the message is recorded and will last for a long time. So, if Mum and Dad read the writing, they will know what happen in the kindergarten and so on. As such, the activity will be more meaningful. Writing a letter, a card, a story or a sign is meaningful.

Also, the teacher could have supported the learning of literacy skills and knowledge by describing how to form the letters, for instance, letter "t" is a tall stick and a little line across. When spelling a word, the teacher could model the way to sound the word out or invite the child to try. Depending on the capabilities of the child, the teacher could encourage the child to listen for the beginning sound of a word. Of course, don't overdo it. I've made a silly mistake by asking a child to work out how to spell ninja, after we have done a few words. He walked away leaving this comment: "you figure it out yourself, you are a teacher!"

The key to adult guided learning is responsive and reciprocal relationship, as the teacher applies her knowledge of the child to engage and involve him in his learning. The teacher should listen to and talk with the child patiently, slowing down and affirming the child that his idea is so important that it worths to be written down. After writing, read it back to the child to confirm what he wants to say is correctly recorded. True, time could be a hurdle, but learning activities should not be designed as an one off experience. If it is impossible to cover everyone on this occasion, find another time and do it again.

Most importantly, the child should not feel the need to please the teacher by doing what is told. The child is central to all types of learning, adult-guided or child-initiated. The teacher could have acknowledged the funds of knowledge which the child already have, by asking the child whether he would like to write or let the teacher write for him. The child's attempt should be encouraged while the teacher provides the technical support, ranging from how a particular letter looks like to how to spell a word. The teacher in the video wrote down what a child said and moved on as quickly as possible, which only reinforces the child's dependency and becomes inclined to turn to the teacher for help.

Lastly, I feel for the teacher in the video, as it seems she was responsible for a big group at the time. Just hope the management will step up and contribute a better learning environment for the children and an effective teaching condition for the teacher.

Intentional teaching

To be an intentional teacher means acting before you act/ interact, as suggested by Ann Epstein. 

intentional teaching is an effective teaching strategy in the early childhood education, strongly recommended in New Zealand, and Australia Early Years learning Framework specifically requires teachers to play an intentional role in children's learning.

Teachers have an active role in young children's learning and that they should always be purposeful.  

An effective teacher should be able to recognise and respond to learning opportunities initiated by the child, in every day routine, in planned activities and unexpected situation. To engage and extend children's learning, teachers have to first decide what they want the children to learn, which is what Epstein calls intentional teaching.

Whether it is a child-initiated or teacher-initiated interest, the teacher plays an active role to support the growth and development of the child with specific learning goals in mind. Definitely, children must have opportunities to follow their interests. So, to support children's learning in child-initiated activities, the teacher play can provide materials, make sure sufficient uninterrupted time is allowed, etc., while letting the child actively experiment with materials and ideas, or make connections on his own and through interaction with peers, which will motivate the child to solve problems on his own. On the other hand, when the teacher is aware that there is knowledge that children need for future learning, she have to engage children with meaningful learning activities or experiences, as children cannot create a system of knowledge, such as letter names, on their own.

Just share one of my teaching stories here.  I noted a child’s skills and interest in making a Ben 10 watch; and his clarity in using verbal language to explain and give instruction. So, I created a book showing how to make a Ben 10 watch step by step with a child who demonstrated a strong interest in the television series, like a number of boys in the kindergarten. Also, I take into consideration the parent’s concern about readiness to school, and that literacy and numeracy are the key areas to work on at primary. 

I make sure learning can be integrated through the "publishing" and using the Ben 10 book, which will support learning in literacy and mathematics (representing verbal instruction in print; numerals to indicate the sequence of the process). The making of the book is meaningful to the child and reflects his home experiences. Also, it is responsive to the family’s aspiration; and is guided by the need for smooth transition to school, as the boy is nearly five. 

In this situation, the book making highlights contribution from the child, promotes wellbeing and communication skills of the child, and facilitates further exploration of various ways to create and construct a watch. I put the Ben 10 book in the kindy library, alongside other "proper" books. It seems not only that child but also other children show great interest, and they refer to the book to solve problems, learn to follow instructions, and use materials creatively.  I think book making is an effective teaching and learning strategy, which promotes the development of skills, knowledge and positive learning dispositions.

Programme Planning - Part 2

Programme planning should usually begin from observations of children's interests, strengths, needs and behaviours. Last week, I talked about how New Zealand teachers referred to the national curriculum, Te Whaarik in planning for an interest in plants and planting during a change of season from spring to summer. The whole team, in particular the older teachers, felt excited about this planning, as we watched the learning unfolded. Unlike what the team usually did before, this time we simply implemented a couple of activities to prompt and "provoke" further investigation on the topic of interest, meaning the teachers were learning alongside with the children; together we found challenges, set questions and found solutions.

To a certain extent, it's like the emergent curriculum and the project approach, as we used the children's voices and responses to plan for additional learning experiences to throw further light on the topic of interest. We were guided by Te whaariki which specifies that the starting point of learning is the learner and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that the child brings. However, we did more than let children learn through own exploration and reflection.  The teaching strategies employed by us acknowledged some of Te whaariki's guiding principles and strands: Empowerment, Family and Community, Relationships, Belonging, Communication and Exploration. As such, we interwove children interests and teachers' aspirations in programme planning.

As a result, the interests in plants and planting evolved into a complex projects over a term. On the wall, we documented the learning experiences, children's voices and how they led to further investigations. The documentation was frequently updated and meant for parents and children, illustrated with lots of photos. We took advantage of the drop off and pick up times to have meaningful conversation with parents by referring to the wall display. We encouraged children to look at the photos and reflected on their learning, and we listened always and thought about what to do next. It's about empowering children and involving parents.

To acknowledge the critical role of reciprocal and responsive relationships for children with people, places and things in their learning, we brought a florist in to work with us, after we saw some children picked flowers from the garden and put them in yoghurt pots. We organised a working bee with parents coming in to build a vege patch, as a child commented that he grew his own strawberries.  A proud achievement was "publishing" a book with the children about how to plant the seed. We showed the children step by step photos of their planting activity, and then asked them to recall and talk about what had happened. We typed up their words and published them in a photo book via  www.snapfish.co.nz. It costed us $50, not cheap but parents were really impressed. It promoted verbal language and literacy.

Though Te Whariki has been criticised for setting out big visions and principles but not specifying teaching strategies to support the teacher, but I think it provides sufficient guidance for teachers to exercise their professional knowledge in programme planning. Also, New Zealand requires nearly 100% qualified and registered teachers in a centre, so teachers are knowledgeable and professionally confident to bridge the gap between the curriculum document and teaching practice. Note that the Australian curriculum document does indicates teaching strategies for the best practice, such as using intentional teaching and adopting a holistic approach. Probably, they have learnt from the criticism of the New Zealand's curriculum?