This blog will allow me to explore various contexts in learning and share my reflections. I intend to study four types of learning in depth and I will provide videos, links and images that I have found to be very interesting and help in supporting my views. Thank you and enjoy!
This is the space I will be utilising to research various learning contexts.
I have chosen four contexts I intend to reflect upon to expand my existing
knowledge on how we learn, but more specifically, how children learn as they
grow. The four subjects I have chosen will be the Foundation Phase in Wales,
Maria Montessori, Learning through Play and Outdoor Learning and Forest
Schools.
As my work progresses I will share links
to a range of websites. These will appear to the right of my blog posts.
Beneath that you will see my Blog Archive for easy navigation around the site
and below that I have included a small 'gadget' which shares daily tips for
children to succeed in school, some of which I believe concur with the overall
concept of Learning through Play. There is also many links listed in my References just below this post.
I hope you enjoy perusing my work and thank you for taking the time to do so.
Department for Education and Skills.
Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto (2006)
Drake, J. Planning Children’s Play and
Learning in the Foundation Stage. Second Edition. David Fulton Publishers
(2005)
Edgington, M. The Great Outdoors,
Developing Children’s Learning through Outdoor Provision. Second Edition. The
British Association for Early Childhood Education (2003)
Estyn. Literacy and the Foundation Phase, An evaluation of the
implementation of the Foundation Phase for five to six-year-olds in primary
schools, with special reference to literacy (2011)
Feez, S. Montessori
and Early Childhood. Sage. London (2010)
Waller, T. ‘The Trampoline Tree and the
Swamp Monster with 18 heads’: outdoor play in the Foundation Stage and
Foundation Phase. Routledge (2007)
Welsh
Assembly Government. Foundation Phase, Framework for Children’s Learning for 3
to 7 year-olds in Wales. Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning
and Skills. (2008)
Welsh Assembly Government. National Minimum
Standards for Regulated Child Care (2012)
Welsh Assembly Government. Play/Active
Learning – Overview for 3 to 7 year-olds (2008)
The overall concept
communicated through this blog is the idea of learning through Play. The
previous posts all link up with this notion.
Learning through play does
not necessarily mean playing games, drawing and painting most of the time with
a small bit of academia thrown in, in the form of literacy and numeracy. It
involves including all subjects of the National Curriculum and cleverly
structuring them in such a manner that a child has fun whilst learning, perhaps
not even noticing that they are learning mathematical skills or even how to
read.
The aim of learning
through play is to develop a child’s skills and build on existing knowledge, as
well as teaching them new subject matter. Also, it is not only academic
knowledge that is developed. A child’s mental state can also be developed
through play. Aspects such as social, emotional and cultural knowledge are built
upon and prepare children for later life.
I have experienced
this for myself. Even though when I was a child there was no Foundation Phase,
it was at home where I feel I learnt the most. The main thing I remember was
Den building. My father made myself and my sisters a little toolbox and would
put a few nails and small tools in it and off we’d go to find a suitable, hidden place to build our den, away
from the children in the next street, who, for some reason, we tended to have
battles with.
Looking back, I now
see that Den building developed a multitude of different skills. We worked
together, we took each other ideas into consideration, the obvious physical
skills it took to carry the wood, the tools and to hammer and bang until the
Den was stable enough for us to go inside. It was child-initiated play, no one
instructed us to do it and no one guided us through each task. We created it
all ourselves and once we were done we would play games in it such as ‘house’
or ‘shop’.
Incorporating play
into day-to-day schooling is a must. It develops much more than basic math’s
and literacy skills. It develops skills for life. Having an active childhood is
a blessing for any child, examples of this are in the following posts below.
Introduced in September 2008, the
Foundation Phase in Wales is an approach to learning for children aged 3 – 7 years,
which combines the previous documentation from Early Years education and Key
Stage One. England has its own equivalent of the Foundation Phase named the
Foundation Stage or EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage).
It is based on a statutory framework that
includes seven areas of learning which places a great deal of emphasis on
‘learning through play’. It aims to build on a child’s existing skills and
knowledge and incorporates the developmental needs of children. (Framework for Children’s Learning for 3 to 7
year-olds in Wales, 2008)
The seven areas of learning consider all
aspects of a child’s development including social, physical and academic. The National
Minimum Standards for Regulated Child Care in Wales states; "The principles of the Foundation Phase
and its seven areas of learning are understood and applied in a way appropriate
to the age, abilities and stage of development of children in their care and
the nature of the provision." (National
Minimum Standards for Regulated Child Care in Wales, 2012)
A survey conducted by Ofsted (Office for
Standards in Education) and published in February 2011 evaluated the impact of
the Early Years Foundation Stage, in which, stating EYFS has made “a good start” (The Impact of the Early Years Foundation Stage, 2011).
Focusing mainly on two specific areas of
learning involved in the Foundation Phase/Stage, personal, social and emotional
development and communication, language and literacy, the team conducting the
survey visited 68 different types of early years providers, including schools
and childminders, gathered information from more than 54,000 inspections
carried out since EYFS was introduced and included the opinions of 140 parents.
The survey found that before the
introduction of EYFS, drawing on data from previous inspections, 59% of early
years providers were deemed to be outstanding or good at the end of August
2008. Since EYFS had been implemented, that figure had risen to 68% at the end
of August 2010.
Another outcome of the report was in
certain areas that seemed underdeveloped compared to some others, it appeared
to be due to a child’s welfare or interests taking priority above their
learning. This may not be what the main aim of the Foundation Phase/Stage (The Impact of the Early Years Foundation Stage, 2011).
After reading key findings and areas of
improvement suggested by Ofsted, it seems that the Foundation Phase/Stage in
the UK has hugely improved our Early Years provisions. The results had risen by
nearly 10% in just two years. The basis is to develop knowledge and skills
through play, to learn through play. Having had to stick to a rigid National
Curriculum for so many years, there are bound to be ‘teething problems’.
As it stands, the Foundation Phase/Stage is
still in its own version of early years provision, as it is only five years
since it was implemented. It will constantly progress, becoming better and more
developed, just as the children that pass through it. 494 Words
Outdoor Learning is a
broad term that covers many areas, but its core principles are to promote
active learning and encourage new interests, build skills and provide a
dramatic contrast to classroom learning.
The Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto from The Department for
Education and Skills states “We believe that every young
person should experience the world beyond the classroomas an
essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age,
ability or circumstances.”
The one
aspect of Outdoor Learning I intend to look into in more depth is Forest
Schools.
Forest
Schools, originally a Scandinavian idea, gives learners the chance to
experience and explore the outdoors as an alternative to a classroom environment.
The website www.forestschools.com
writes that every Forest School site is different, they are designed to fit the
environment being worked in and to suit the needs of each individual group
using said environment.
The
groups are overseen by qualified Forest School Leaders who facilitate child-led
activities with the intentions of promoting self-esteem, confidence,
independence and language and communication skills.
˜Forest
School is an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adult’s
regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through
hands on learning experiences in a local woodland environment ˜ - Forest Education Initiative (FEI)
A
Research Summary provided by the Forest Education Initiative shows the impact
that the Outdoor Learning experience in Forest Schools has had a positive
impact on children who have experienced it.
The
findings from the 2005 summary confirmed that the main aims of Forest Schools
were achieved and children’s confidence, social skills and enthusiasm to learn
were increased. (Forest School:A Marvellous Opportunity to Learn, FEI)
Children’s
passion for learning is initiated and/or improved by their fascination of their
surroundings in the woodland. Concentration seems to be heightened and also
their motivation to work and communicate with their peers during group
exercises.
Forest
Schools are definitely the way forward for education. The activities on offer
are suitable for many different age groups. But for children in particular, there
are essential skills to be learnt which cannot be taught in a classroom setting. The dynamics in a classroom are in extreme
contrast to those in the outside world, providing the children with a more
spacious environment and different learning opportunities and curiosities which
would simply not be found indoors.
The Montessori Approach was pioneered by
Italian pedagogue, Maria Montessori. Born in 1870 in Chiatavale, Italy,
Montessori began her work by studying mathematics, natural sciences and physics
at the University of Rome after initially being denied a place studying medicine
due to the fact she was female. She was eventually allowed to study medicine
and in 1896 presented a thesis to the all-male Board of Review who, astounded
by her sheer brilliance, awarded her a full medical degree.
Supported by her mother but contested by
her father, Montessori endured ridicule, due to her gender, for much of her
time at the University. Her studies led her to become one of the first two
female doctors in Italy and for the first ten years of her career she worked
with mostly women and children. Her interest in children with mental
disabilities led her to return to university where she studied Education and
Anthropology.
The development of her methods began when
she was invited to set up a nursery in one of the worst slum districts in Rome
in 1906. She was given very few resources to help her create her new learning
environment therefore having to adapt using what little was given.
Montessori believed that the first few
years of a child’s life were of prime importance and “unequalled in intensity” (Isaac, B. (2012)). She considered self
motivated learning to be the foundation of her method and accomplished this by encouraging
a love and desire to learn.
The method itself seems to be based on two
main principles, a suitable environment for learning and the need for freedom
to learn, but within certain limits. A typical Montessori classroom tends to be
spacious and orderly, believing that too much in a classroom environment tends
to distract a child. There is emphasis on order and responsibility. Unlike
standard classrooms, there are no rows of seats, there are desks and chairs (Montessori
being the pioneer of child-sized furniture) but these are generally placed in
such a way so they don’t appear to be the main focus of the room.
There appears to be a lack of structure or
time-frame. Children are able to choose their own activities, giving them the
responsibility to clear up after themselves and solve their own problems.
Guidance is given by the Montessori Instructors if problems are encountered but
the key is to show a child how they must solve their own problems. Vertical
grouping is also an aspect of the theory. This is where children are not grouped
together by their age, creating an environment free of any major hierarchy and
placing more responsibility and opportunities to learn with the children
allowing them to help each other. All the while observed by the Instructor.
Montessori’s popularity faded by the time
of her death in 1952 but in an ever changing world, methods such as Montessori’s
are needed to prepare our children for their futures. Her theories are practised world-wide, particularly in America, even to this day. Unfortunately,
the name of Montessori is not patented, therefore a lot of schools claiming to exercise
the Montessori Approach are inadequately equipped to do so. Some believe that
the use of ‘old fashioned’ puzzles or a neat and tidy classroom is all the
method consists of. (Soylent
Communications, 2012)
The aim of Montessori Approach is to
observe a child and treat them as individuals. It is meant to supply them with
skills to aid them in solving their own problems, setting them up for later
life.
