What makes classroom experiences valuable?
As teachers, we always want to be prepared for the day. We want to have our lesson plans set up; activities ready and have the routine mapped out in our head. Being Early Childhood teachers we also know how important it is to have a back up plan when the original plan needs to be thrown out the window. It makes me think that maybe there are times when we are too quick to throw something out or too quick to move onto the next topic. What factors makes classroom experiences valuable?
In Rethinking ECE, the story was about exploring the ecology around your school. This year because of budget cuts has numbered our field trips, another teacher suggested taking her class on weekly walks around the neighborhood. It was a great idea that I soon adapted that as well. I can relate to the author about the anxiety of the first walk. I was so cautious about the children’s safety. I was constantly aware of who’s out of line and making sure everyone was safe and counted for that I missed most of walk. After a couple more walks, I thought that the children were going to find this boring and I stopped doing it. It wasn’t until the children requested to go on the walks again that it made me think about experience that they were getting from these walks. It made me question my teaching, I am moving on too quick because I am afraid that the children will get bored? I try hard not to have bored children because that usually ends in chaos but I had to reevaluate my teaching. The author talks about revisiting the same sites and examining each detail. That is how you keep the activity intriguing by exploring every aspect; look at the trees, dig in the dirt, see how many modes of transportation there are, do an activity involving their five senses etc. While the children explore their environment it can tie into themes, or the interest of the children at that time. It’s the same activity but different way of exploring it.
In New Possibility, it was the students that shared in their own opinion what makes classroom experiences valuable. It goes to show with each activity or lesson plan that each student will come away with something different that they learned. At another university, they tried to put ECE majors into the Department of Education. I remember working with other Elementary Ed majors and looking at their detailed lesson plans. At the end of the lesson plan it asked for goals or objectives, as in what do you want the children to learn. I thought how would one go about doing that? As evident from this chapter, even in college, each student learned different things. Students have different obstacles and are so unique that accomplishments vary from student to student. So what makes classroom experiences valuable varies from student to student but I think what’s most important is that each student finds each classroom experience valuable.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteJohn Dewey shares how everyday routines can become aesthetic experiences as they develop rhythm and flow. I wonder how the walks as they are repeated could also develop this same rhythm and flow. Does the need to continue be moving through a curriculum limit the possibility of children experiencing these aesthetic moments? How can the repetition support children in seeing the beauty of the surrounding world?
Being bored seems like a common conversation among educators. Does this relate to the speed of society and media? Can spending the time in one space change how teachers create curriculum, classrooms, and schools?
Jeanne
Aloha Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your posting. I agree that sometimes we're either too quick to throw our curriculum aside or too quick to move onto the next topic. For me personally, sometimes I get too ahead of myself that I forget to "listen" to the children. I too can get "caught up" in the safety and concerns of things, that I end up missing out on "valuable" experiences. I also agree that sometimes we think the children will get "bored" with things that are repetitious, but being creative and exploring the same activity in different ways makes it new and exciting. My question is, how can we as educators continue to be sensitive and open to new ideas and activities that will foster children's learning experiences? Do we need to slow down and re-evaluate things? Should we listen to the children more often? You bring up a great point about making classroom experiences valuable to children.
I also agree that us as "students" need to value our classroom experiences. We do take with us different lessons learned and experiences that we can pass on to the children we work with. I can truly say that I have had many valuable experiences with my ECE professors as well as other students in my classes. Everyone has something different to offer, such as ideas, creativity and personal experiences, all of which has great value and meaning in the ECE field.
Classroom experiences are more valuable if the lessons and activities are appropriate for the children in the class. The more they get out of the lesson the more valuable it will be to them. Teachers play a large role in in making classroom experiences more meaningful and valuable. A teacher who is concerned with providing such experiences for their children should pay attention to the children’s developing interests and look for learning opportunities to share new activities and or information with them. By planning experiences based on the children’s needs and interests they are more likely to be interested and may be more enthusiastic to participate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about schedules needing to be flexible. Sometimes children are just not interested in the activity planned or they may be too energetic for less active activities. It is necessary to have a routine and schedule but if it is stuck to too strictly then the children may become disarrayed when something happens and the schedule veres off track a bit.
I think going outside is a great, cheap way to explore. Children love going outside and if they can learn to appreciate the earth whild they are young they are likely to appreciate it as they get older. I can imagine that it must have been very stressful at first with taking the children outside where there is not their confined and fimiliar setting. I am glad that they enjoyed going out as well and that you took into the children’s feelings into account.