For many years I have been interested to work with children. After a few opportunities of work experience in a primary school, I decided the older children didn't interest me as much as the infants and foundation stage. I'm currently studying Education studies at Swansea Metroploitan university, my goal is to pass this course and achieve a place on the PGCE, to get the qualifications I need to be able to teach.
21st Century learning is one of the areas of my course we're studying. In this section of the course you explore and learn different ways in how a child learns, in the different environments in which they learn and different theorists ideas and beliefs on how children learn and the process they use. This is why I started this blog, as one of my assignments and assessments my task was to set up a blog posting on interesting topics we came along.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Learning in other context
Learning inside a classroom is the most common and typical method of schooling being used by schools today. However it is important for a child to understand that learning can take place outside the classroom. This is supplied by the schools through multiple opportunities. These range from school trips and day visits, to places which then child can benefit the childs learning.
There are numerous places in which a child can learn outside the classroom, such as museums, religious places of worship, home, zoos and many more. These can be linked to learning inside the classroom by maybe relating to a particular theme subject the class is learning about. Many people believe it is important for children to experience learning outside the classroom environment. However, it is more important that the children are able to use that knowledge and understanding gained outside the classroom and apply it to relating matters inside the classroom. (Donna.M.Qualters, 2011)
Depending on the type of informal context the children are learning in, different academic skills can be used.
For example, in:
Museums
Most museums have separate tours and activities for schools to participate in when on a visit. Here students can use multiple skills such as communication skills, motor skills and observational skills. Activities supplied by the museum are usually subject related, most involves maths, history, science and geography skills.
Zoos
Many zoos has separate hours for public and open the venue to schools separately. Here students can learn about animals their natural habitats and their appearance. Sometimes zoos contacts schools for students to participate in competitions such as designing a poster, resulting in them using their creativity skills, imagination and fine motor skills.
I think learning in different contexts is a good experience for children. When learning in informal contexts children can still apply academic skills and learning techniques but the fact it's in a different learning environment makes it more enjoyable for them. if the children are enjoying learning about something the more interest they take and attention they pay. I believe it is important factor that some fun is had when learning has it can help the learning be more memorable. Overall, I think it's important children has chances to learn outside the classroom in different environments as its gives them a chance to enhance all their skills and knowledge.
Reference
Donna.M.Qualters.
(2011). New directions for teaching and learning. Experiential Education:
Making the Most of Learning Outside the Classroom: New Directions for Teaching
and Learning, Number 124 , 111 (124).
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Montessori
First set up in 1906 by Maria Montessori , the Montessori education system has been running for over hundred years with schools scattered all around the world. Known for their unique way of teaching, Montessori aim is develop the whole child by working with them through their discovering.
Maria Montessori had many beliefs about a way a child learns, these are now the goals of the Montessori education system. One big belief is a child needs a prepared environment to learn in. This is put in action by filling the classroom full of child size furniture, having a light and spacious room and decorating the room with children’s work. Montessori even made her own toys for the children to learn with, mostly made of wood as she wanted them to last. Another is independence, it is important to let a child be “lone scientists”(jean piaget) to build on their confidence and self belief. Correcting a child when wrong is not necessarily telling them off it’s letting them know the right way so they can put it into practice.
Theory
Maria Montessori spent many years observing and studying children in an school environment Here she gained many unique beliefs and ideas on a child's development, the way children learn and should be taught. She split a child's learning stages into three categories: the absorbent minded 0-6, childhood 6-12 and adolescent 12-18. Each of these stages contained three learning periods and stress periods.
Maria Montessori had many beliefs about a way a child learns, these are now the goals of the Montessori education system. One big belief is a child needs a prepared environment to learn in. This is put in action by filling the classroom full of child size furniture, having a light and spacious room and decorating the room with children’s work. Montessori even made her own toys for the children to learn with, mostly made of wood as she wanted them to last. Another is independence, it is important to let a child be “lone scientists”(jean piaget) to build on their confidence and self belief. Correcting a child when wrong is not necessarily telling them off it’s letting them know the right way so they can put it into practice.
Differences
There are lots of similarities between the Montessori school and the foundation phase and stage, however Montessori have different aspects to main stream school. Teachers at Montessori have a more relaxed role, they don’t have much involvement, rather than tell the children what to do they guide and observe their activity. Maria Montessori believed you should "Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed." She believed the staffs role was to observe each child and to correct any mistakes made to send the child in the right direction. Every class were made up of numerous staff members and of students at a mixed age.
Overall, I believe that the Montessori way of teaching and learning is very effective and has been proved to work well. Unlike most schooling, they put every child's needs first by nurturing and guiding them through their learning and development stages.
References
References
Issac.B(2012)Understanding The Montessori Approach, London : Routledge
Lillemyr, O. F. (2009). Taking Play Seriously: Children
and Play in Early Childhood Education-- an Exciting Challenge. United
States of America: IAP.
Play
Play is an important concept in a child’s process of learning. It is through play a child experiments, by experimenting the child’s discovers, by discovering the child gains its own knowledge and understanding. Understanding what you learnt is an important part of learning which helps put knowledge into practice.
Throughout the education system play can be found concerned more with the foundation stage and phase, reception and a little in the lower years of primary school. It is at a child’s early years in which the child learns the most through doing, watching and copying from others actions . There have been many theorists who had their own beliefs and ideas on how a child learns and what benefited them most at certain ages. One particular theorist, Jean Piaget believed children to be “lone scientists”. He thought it was important for children to learn and discover new things by themselves as its helps with their understanding of process which they can later put into practice. It is because of this view Piaget received a criticism. Many believed he underestimated a child ability at some ages and over estimated their ability at others.This is an important process however this is not the case at all times, children need some guidance for example if a mistake is made they need to be corrected to know the right way instead of continuing to carry out the wrong way.
There are many benefits other than knowledge children can gain through play. Play can help with a child’s social development, to play with others communication is needed. Through play children seem to find the confidence to communicate and get more involved than they would otherwise. E.g. In role play children are allowed to explore different roles and emotions, and how to express them. Role play also helps build on the child's creativity by using their imagination. Physical development is also seen through play, apart from keeping them healthy and fit through active play, play can also help them gain some important skills. Fine motor skills and gross motor skills are often used through a child’s play. E.g whilst learning to skip or playing simple ball games such as catch. Cognitive development massively evolves through play and is seen as one the most important as it helps their concentration span and memory skills. E.g. colours and shapes are use through many games and puzzles which also builds on their problem solving skills
However, there can be disadvantages to child’s play.Child’s play should be child centred and free choice but in some cases it's structured and planned. If too structured and planned the plays is not so effective and can affect the children in negative ways. If not enough time is being provided for child play over period of time it could start to effect the development of the child’s skill .
Overall, play is important in a child's development whether in school or outside of school. It helps the child progress by gaining important and essential skills and develops existing skills further. I also believe it is important for schools to balance the structured play and child free play so it benefits the child.
Referencing
Lillemyr, O. F. (2009). Taking Play Seriously: Children
and Play in Early Childhood Education-- an Exciting Challenge. United
States of America: IAP.
Image 2 :http://www.ladybirdspreschool.org/
Outdoor Learning and Forest School
Learning inside a classroom is the most common and typical method of schooling being used by schools today. Nevertheless there are many activities which take place outside the classroom which learners can benefit from. These range from school trips, day visits, work experience and practical activities such as sports day. Although more and more opportunities and experiences to learn outside the classroom environment are being provided, it’s not something being used to its full potential.
Forest school
Originating from Sweden in the 1950’s, forest schooling has been operating in the Uk since the 1990’s and later took to Wales in 2002. Forest schools are system of learning outdoors away from the usual class dynamic. The system tends to students all ages where the environment does the teaching.
The forest school operates through a series of sessions a term, during these sessions numerous activities are carried out relating to survival and essential skills and the National Curriculum. From experience and research it is proven that the forest schooling has a lot of benefits. It helps builds the students health, physically through activity and mentally through building upon their confidence and self-esteem; social skills, working on activities independently or as a team; it could also be used a place of escape for children experiencing problems at home.
Overall, outdoor learning can have its advantages and disadvantages. Whereas some believe this type of learning is helps stimulate the learner and is more beneficial and effective . Many believe this way of teaching and learning are only except able under particular conditions, such as teacher surveillance and some reinforcement being used. This particular worry is linked to whether this independent and experiential learning can work for students in higher education. (Donna.M.Qualters, 2011)
More older students may look at this type of learning as an escape from the classroom or a break from learning. I have experienced a situation like this on a week held at my secondary school for year 9 called “motivation week”.One of the weeks activities was held at a local park, where there was a mission to find the location of all 24 letters of the alphabet to reveal the number that went along with them. On the day of our forms turn, it was a very miserable rainy day, so only two girls out of the whole form turned up with a change of clothes, the rest got to sit in the bus cheering the rest along. So I do believe this opportunity may not suit all students . However, I do believe it effective way of learning through a system where the students are unknowingly learning the national curriculum and essential skills through exploring independently to a certain degree and experimenting. I also believe forest schooling should be introduced to more schools.
References
Donna.M.Qualters. (2011). New directions for teaching and learning. Experiential Education: Making the Most of Learning Outside the Classroom: New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Number 124 , 111 (124).
Related
When doing a little research, I found a blog called “prestonlodge.net – life skills ”. It's blog used by the students and teachers as a diary of experiences of learning which have taken place over a number of years outside the classroom environment.
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