Today commenced the first day of the Early Years Learning Project and
was a very relaxed environment. To be honest I feel that the environment was
filled with great learning experiences, however, my mentor believes that
children need to be re-directed when they are on the same activity for a long
time… I do understand children need to have a variety of learning experiences
and can get attached to one experience, however, I also strongly believe
children are growing learners who are able to make decisions themselves, based
on how they feel. I love seeing children engaged in experiences that excite
them, but most of all, are enjoying their time. I feel that taking them away
from an experience isn’t what I want to do because children need to express
themselves within the learning environment. Overall I had a great time working
with the students, as well, as parents and children throughout the program and
I do feel that it is very beneficial for both parents/children. It allows the
children to interact with other children, and also moves them out of their
natural environment.
From reading MacNaughton & Williams chapter 9 called grouping I have
been able to make connections the learning from placement. I believe my past
experiences with grouping, haven’t always been essential for my learning as I
have been apart of the level of ability grouping which I feel isn’t the best
tool for grouping, as children can feel embarrassed about being in the lower
levels. I also feel children will develop further within mixed ability grouping
as children learn off each other. Placement is a great example of mixed age grouping,
as the range of children that are offered for the program are between 0-5 year
old which means children of those variety of ages, can interact freely within
each other. Mixed grouping ability ‘enhances literacy learning. For instance,
using mixed groups of children that include children without language delay may
provide additional modeling opportunities for children with language delay’
(Lonigan et al. 1999, p.318). I truly believed mixed grouping of gender,
culture and different ages is essential to the development of children as it
allows for demonstrating our diverse culture, great interactions and allows
children to learn from a variety of children.
References:
MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2009, Techniques for Teaching Young Children; Choices for Theory and Practice, 3rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, NSW.
References:
MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2009, Techniques for Teaching Young Children; Choices for Theory and Practice, 3rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, NSW.
Its nice to read about your experiences in placement and how you have made links with theory and practice.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting reading how your mentor prefers to re-direct children who have been in one station for too long. Is there any reason for this? If the child looses interest and is just hanging around one particular station for no reason maybe it is a good idea to re direct the child. However, if they are enjoying and are interested in the experience I don't see any reason why they should be moved.
I find that what you said about our mentor to be true, and I agree with you that I also found it uncomfortable to limit the time children spent on the one activity.
ReplyDeleteI am a strong believer that children are capable, confident, creative and active learners, able to make decisions themselves, based on how they feel. Because of this it is instrumental that we as educators provide experiences that are rich in possibilities that will help them in each developmental stage and milestone, as during childhood children develop the skills they will require to reach their potential throughout life.