When I was in kindergarten, I remember having stations for
different activities. Some included painting, some were dress ups and some
included nature. Reading about 'Positioning equipment and materials' I can
relate to the children and how their social interaction is based on the
learning environment. It was hard trying to find the stations as a kid because
I remembered everything being bigger in size which made it hard to locate where
I wanted to go. I started getting used to the stations day by day however, one
day the areas was changed all of a sudden. I was completely worried and confused of where
my usual stations were placed and I wondered around trying to figure out what
to do. Looking back and reading the text made me wonder do kids find it
difficult to remember at a young age? Or is it the way we set out things that
make it difficult for them to remember? I believe that young kids need time to
enrich and broaden their knowledge one step at a time rather than all at once
because it may be overwhelming for them at such a young age with little familiarities.
Taking on my experiences from the past, I think that change is good but not
such a huge change that will puzzle the children. Just little change such as
adding nature background noises in a station area full of leaves will punctual
children's interests and can make their play more effective. Adding other
materials in the painting section will get the kids to experiment with other art
supplies rather than just paint will broaden their exploration and thinking. This will
enhance their knowledge and stimulate their brain development as they
take part on what we organise desirably for them from time to time so they can be open-minded to new things as they grow.
Wow that is amazing that you can remember that far back, I wish my memory was that good!
ReplyDeleteI think you're on the right track by suggesting that making little changes in various areas in the early learning setting will help preschoolers cope more with change. I like the idea of adding different materials to spark interest and ongoing learning and development which is vital in the early years.
Some other suggestions I can think of is if you have a book corner in your placement you could change the books every few months (leave favorite books). Add if your book corner is plain you could add pillows so children have a place to sit and relax.
If you have a drama corner you could change the setting of it every 6 months to a year eg. post office, fruit shop, bank ect.
Maybe even adding children's artwork around the room throughout the year will help them feel more familiar in the learning setting?
These a just a few ideas I can think of.
It's so true how positioning equipment and materials is so essential to the development of a child. I can remember throughout kindergarten and most of prep, the teacher always used to display our artwork around the classroom in order to show accomplishments and achievements. It did make the environment feel very engaging and appealing.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that sudden change can be ineffective as children need time to engage in their success and should be recognised for some period of time. I also think children do get confused with sudden change as they are usually familiar with their everyday routine, however, there are many ways in which change can be introduced slowly and in a more effective manner.
Change in the environment is a very good approach, I feel that the children should be included in the classroom and maybe their ideas can be cumulated in order to create an environment that focuses on aspects of them. I do think artwork is a great idea about involving the children, however I do feel that this should be beyond that. Children's culture, interest and hobbies should be promoted in the classroom as well.
Susan, great to hear you say that we should be more attuned to children's cultures, interests and hobbies as another way to make them feel more at ease in the classroom. I think in order to successfully do this it is vital for the educator to have a sense of community and reach out to the children's caregivers it order to find out what types of families the children from, the different cultures in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteEducators can utilise the knowledge they learn from the children's parents to help shape the overall design of the classroom and which materials are placed where so children feel more comfortable.
This is a form of 'inclusive practice', for example, different coloured dolls could be placed around the classroom (black, white, tan, olive ect.)
This can also link in with past-present as we are seeing the shift to more inclusive ways of teaching now as apposed to back when we were young children in early childhood.
Inclusive practice