Strategies to Promote Discovery and Social-Emotional Learning in Gardens, Playgrounds and Open Spaces Ms. NG Siew Chin Dr. Beth Ann O’BRIEN National Institute of Education, Centre for Research in Child Development Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Outdoor Learning in Early Years versus
Outdoor Learning in the Early Years Promotes social behavior and emotional development Stimulates creative thinking Develops gross and fine motor skills Enhances physical health Strengthens the immune system Improves mental health Improves sleep habits (Choi, Park, Kim, Kim, & Chung, 2014; Micheka, Novákováb, & Menclovác, 2015; Wells & Evans, 2003)
Overview Part 1 - Outdoor Learning in Singapore Preschools: Teachers’ Scaffolding Strategies during Garden-Based Learning • What is Garden-based learning & How can we scaffold GBL? • Activity 1 • Activity 2 • Study 1: Research questions and findings from 3 K classrooms within SKIP sample • Conclusion • Activity 3 Part 2 - Facilitating Social Emotional Learning in Kindergarten Classrooms: Situational Factors and Teachers’ Strategies • What is SEL & Why is it important? • Activity 4 • 5 areas of SEL competencies, factors influencing SEL, strategies in guidelines & study • Study 2: Research questions and findings based on 6 K classrooms within SKIP sample • Activity 5 • Conclusion
Outdoor Learning in Singapore Preschools: Teachers’ Scaffolding Strategies during Garden-Based Learning Presented in the International Conference on Teaching and Education Sciences (ICTES) 2 – 4 July 2018 Okinawa, Japan
Garden- Based Learning… ❖ Programs, activities and projects that utilize a garden as a teaching tool (Desmond, Grieshop & Subramaniam, 2002) ❖ Benefits: ▪ Awareness of connections of oneself to the broader environment ▪ Potential to influence linguistic, science and environmental learning ▪ Ease childhood obesity ▪ Prosocial behaviors towards nature and people ▪ Positive impacts on children’s academic outcomes (Acar & Torquati, 2015; Blair, 2009; Ozer, 2007; Sharma et al., 2015; Wansink et al., 2015; Williams & Dixon, 2013)
Activity 1: Do you have a garden within your school compound? Open your smartphone browser and go to live.voxvote.com and enter the following code PIN: 40336 Or Scan this QR-code
Activity 2 Share with the person on your right: 1. Activities you had conducted in the garden spaces, or utilized gardening tools and materials. 2. How often do you conduct each activity?
In Singapore… (Ministry of Education, 2013)
How do teachers facilitate garden-based learning in preschools?
Scaffolding Strategies
Scaffolding Garden-Based Learning Adapted from Sigel (2002) and Sigel (1986) Teacher provides task instructions or prompt for child to name items and Label / L1 location or provide choices for children to choose Low Making Child names items and location or choose an option from teachers' listed Choices L1-C choices Produce Teacher provides information to describe characteristics of item or prompt L2 child to provide information / describe characteristics of the item Information Medium / Describe L2-C Child provides information / describe characteristics of the item Teacher uses language related to carrying out actions to complete a garden- related task or provides a cue for child to carry out actions related to topic / L3 complete a task Execution High Child uses language related to carrying out actions related to topic / to complete a garden-related task / express the need for assistance to L3-C complete a task Teacher uses language related to sight or provide prompt for children to L4 view objects Additional Observation Child uses language related to sight or provide prompt for teachers / peers L4-C to view objects
Scaffolding Garden-Based Learning Adapted from Sigel (2002) and Sigel (1986) Teacher lists or prompts child to list order of succession / ascertain the Low Sequence / M1 number of counts Enumerate M1-C Child lists order of succession / ascertain the number of counts Medium M2 Reproduce Teacher recalls or prompts child to recall sequence of events and actions M2-C Child recalls sequence of events and actions Describe Teacher identifies or prompts child to identify similar / different traits M3 Similarities between at least two items / categories High or Child identifies similar / different traits between at least two items / Differences M3-C categories M4 Teacher anticipates or prompts child to anticipate (make a guess) Prediction Additional M4-C Child anticipates (make a guess) / initiates a predicting question
Scaffolding Garden-Based Learning Adapted from Sigel (2002) and Sigel (1986) Low H1 Teacher makes a judgement or prompts child to make a judgement / reason Evaluation Child makes use of information or observation to make a judgement / H1-C reason Cause & Teacher identifies or prompts child to identify chain of events Medium H2 Effect H2-C Child identifies chain of events Teacher provides or prompt child to provide alternatives to problems or H3 Problem issues High Solving H3-C Child provides alternatives to problems or issues Teacher concludes / summarizes or prompts children to conclude / H4 summarize learning points or children responses Conclusion Additional H4-C Child concludes / summarizes learning points or responses
Scaffolding Garden-Based Learning Adapted from Sigel (2002) and Sigel (1986) Low Medium High Teacher provides perfunctory feedback Perfunctory O1 Repetition of children's responses right before as a form of Feedback acknowledgement Additional Close-Ended Child provides a "yes" or "no" response without elaboration or explanation O2 Response Repetition of teacher's response
Study 1: Research Goals 1a. To find out the types and frequency of teachers’ approaches in scaffolding garden-based learning 1b. To find out the proportion of teacher and children’s participation in garden-based learning 2. To describe the scaffolding approaches in garden-based activity
Methods Sample: Three Kindergarten 1 (five year olds) classrooms • Data Source: Transcripts of classroom observation videos • Coding: Transcribed utterances using the adapted set of coding scheme • Analysis: Content analysis (Elo & Kyngäs, 2008) •
Study 1: Research Goals 1a. To find out the types and frequency of teachers’ approaches in scaffolding garden-based learning 1b. To find out the proportion of teacher and children’s participation in garden-based learning 2. To describe the scaffolding approaches in garden-based activity
Findings for Goal 1a
Findings for Goal 1a
Findings for Goal 1a
Findings for Goal 1a
Study 1: Research Goals 1a. To find out the types and frequency of teachers’ approaches in scaffolding garden-based learning 1b. To find out the proportion of teacher and children’s participation in garden-based learning 2. To describe the scaffolding approaches in garden-based activity
Findings for Goal 1b
Findings for Goal 1b
Study 1: Research Goals 1a. To find out the types and frequency of teachers’ approaches in scaffolding garden-based learning 1b. To find out the proportion of teacher and children’s participation in garden-based learning 2. To describe the scaffolding approaches in garden-based activity
Findings for Goal 2 Label / Making Choices (L1) & Observation (L4) Turns Discourse Codes T Look at the leaves. L4 Observation T They are so… L2 Describe C Small L2-C Describe T So small, O1 Repetition of child’s response T so tiny as compared to this. M3 Describe Differences T This is one entire leaf L1 Label T and then there is this leaf. L1 Label Image credits: Google - Shutterstock & Alamy
Findings for Goal 2 Sequence / Enumerate (M1) Turns Discourse Codes T oh look at the flower. L4 Observation T How many petals? M1 Enumerate T You can count right? M1 Enumerate T You see. L4 Observation C Teacher T One two three petals M1 Enumerate Image credit: Google – 123rf.com
Findings for Goal 2 Evaluation (H1) Turns Discourse Codes T Why is this leaf brown? H1 Evaluation C I don’t know O2 Close-Ended Response C I think I think she died M4-C Prediction T It’s withered already. H1 Evaluation T It’s dried up already you see. H1 Evaluation Image credit: Google - Pngtree
Conclusion & Directions for Future Studies Conclusion Conclusion Teachers adopt the low-level of strategies Participation of teacher is 3 times more frequently then other strategies. more than children. Future Studies Future Studies Future Studies Differences in teachers’ Relationship between Best Practices facilitation among various scaffolding strategies and garden programs child outcomes How do we encourage more initiation and responses from children during outdoor garden learning?
Activity 3 Discuss with another partner: How do we encourage more initiation and responses from children during outdoor garden learning?
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