CREATING LEARNING SPACES THAT AFFORD SECURITY, CONNECTEDNESS, PLAY AND EXPLORATION P RESENTERS : S ERENA P ARK , K HOO A I H OON F ACILITATORS : G EETHA D/O S EGAR , F LORENCE S HEN M OE KINDERGARTEN @ R IVERSIDE E CDA C ONFERENCE | 5 TH OCTOBER 2018
CREATING LEARNING SPACES THAT AFFORD SECURITY, CONNECTEDNESS, PLAY AND EXPLORATION
CREATING LEARNING SPACES that afford security, connectedness, play & exploration PRESENTATION OUTLINE • Children who have influenced my pedagogy • The 3 layers: Space, Time, Relationships • Putting the three together • Tinkering • Extended wow project • Integrated learning centre time • Pedagogy • 4th layer: Security • Q&A
HUMAN BINGO
Ai Hoon My 8 th year as an EC educator.
Geetha Flo Jenny Ai Hoon Mary 2 children Travelled 14 5 th yr attend 8 th yr teacher birthday Serena Joy 22 yrs teach 1 st yr in SG Lorraine 4 surgeries Lena 9 hrs of slp Clara 21 yrs old
HUMAN BINGO
THOUGHT BUBBLES Questions you may have Ideas you want to remember Ideas you want to try
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION 1) Write your own reflection 2) Share with the person next to you 3) As a table, have two persons’ inputs shared on the ONLINE platform
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION TWO representatives per table to connect to www.wooclap.com/RTXBFS
At our table, [1] educators come from a childcare and [2] educators come from a kindergarten.
Children who have influenced my pedagogy
Fixed Mindset Children who have influenced my Pedagogy Challenging Impaired Development of Behaviour Executive Function
Fixed Mindset When do children stop trying?
Impaired Development of Executive Function Why do some children seem disorganized in their learning?
The Child with Challenging Behaviour Children will behave better if they want to, or can they?
REFLECT & SHARE 1. Write your own reflection Which child has Example: Charles, the passive child, who does not know how to explore. influenced you to reflect about your 2. Share with the person role as an early next to you childhood educator? 3. As a table, have two persons’ inputs shared on www.wooclap.com/RTXBFS
space time and relationships
space 1 st layer Learning is all around
space 2016 Primary School classrooms and corridor on the third floor
the corridor a space for self-directed learning and social-emotional growth
space 2017 The new kindergarten block is ready!
Learning from what we use everyday…
The STAIRS!
Jump!
Using a space that I take for granted
Planning for spaces for spontaneous play and non-routine experiences Letting learning and learners Flexibility emerge Impact on teachers Letting children Problem-solving be children
More divergent thinking skills Safe space to exercise control and make More expressive choices Impact on children Learning More curiosity about becomes joyful their environment
REFLECT & SHARE 1. Write your own reflection Give an example Example: Our ART@Playground where of how a SPACE at art resources are made available outdoors and children get to your centre experiment with different media and different inspirations. encourages SELF- DIRECTED 2. Share with the person LEARNING . next to you 3. As a table, have two persons’ inputs shared on www.wooclap.com/RTXBFS
time 2 nd layer Give children the gift of time
MK 4-hours programme (in minutes) When do we give children pockets of unplanned time? How do we deliberately make time to slow down the pace?
Can we give them bigger blocks of TIME to play in depth ?
Can we give them TIME to explore more complex systems?
Do WE have the TRUST and confidence to drop today’s lessons so that we can fully appreciate the learning that surrounds us?
Do we give them TIME outdoors to connect with the outside world?
Understanding that children need time to play and explore Understanding that an experiential Understanding Impact on learning that learning teachers environment needs experiences space and time need to be responsive and flow two-ways
Time to practise what they have learnt Time to build social- Time to problem- emotional skills solve Impact on children Time to engage in Time to build deeper and more connections complex forms of play
REFLECT & SHARE 1. Write your own reflection How have you resolved the issue 2. Share with the person of “NOT ENOUGH next to you TIME” to give 3. As a table, have two children time to persons inputs shared on learn more www.wooclap.com/RTXBFS independently?
3 rd layer relationship Forming positive relationships
“I water you. Then you can grow!”
Starting to observe more, direct less Impact on Starting to Starting to ask more teachers appreciate each open-ended child’s strengths questions Started to focus more on process, not product
More trust Less social, emotional and More confidence Impact on behavioural children challenges More willingness to explore More security and feelings of connectedness
REFLECT & SHARE 1. Write your own reflection In the flurry of our E.g. During arrival time, while other school day, how do children go up to class immediately, I spend time with a particular child we find moments to who needs time to connect. This short build quality period helped to ease the anxieties faced by the child and in the end, he interactions and was able to feel a sense of belonging relationships with and trust in those around him. 2. Share with the person next to individual children? you 3. As a table, have two persons’ inputs shared on www.wooclap.com/RTXBFS
Putting the 3 layers together
Play is the only place where children learn that they are in control over their own lives. Play is where they learn to solve their own problems, therefore learn the world is not such a scary place after all. Play is where they experience joy and the world is not so depressing after all. Play is where they learn to get along Peter Grey with peers and see from others' (TED TALK: The Decline of Play) points of view and practice empathy and get over narcissism. Play is by definition creative and innovative.
Weeks of Wonder (WoW) Project What it is We wanted to reflect • Each term culminates in a • How the process could WoW project. have elements of space, time and relationships? • Children work together with their peers and teachers to investigate topics of interest and find answers to their questions.
TINKERING a process to help children start the process of asking space • time • relationships
Children’s NARRATIVES What is their story?
Extended Tinkering WoW Project a process to help children identify problems and create solutions space • time • relationships
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? • What is that? • Tell me about what is going on here? • That’s a great question, how can we find out? • Looks like you’ve got a problem, (define the problem) • Don’t be the expert! • Teacher can talk out loud the thinking process • Praising the effort
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? • Lots of empowerment • Room for risk-taking and problem solving • When taking things apart, a map to put it back together • More time • Teachers as resource providers not instruction • You will observe persistence, problem solving, collaboration, communication
Snack Extended Integrated Learning Snack/LC Centre Learning Centre space • time • relationships
time to TINKER
REFLECT & SHARE Please share on What do you see as www.wooclap.com/RTXBFS opportunities and what are some of the challenges you might need to overcome?
Active PEDAGOGY is influenced by our belief that children are Competent Curious
Our pedagogy augmented to 2018 include one more aspect
4 th layer security Crying, whining, pouting, sulking, hitting, kicking, spitting, self-induced vomiting, swearing, head- banging, running away, self-harming child
Space, time and relationships to nurture children with more challenging behaviour
Positive relationships Work Social & collaboratively emotional with parents learning 6 Protective Factors Set high Sense of expectations agency Sense of belonging
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