Introduction

The second part of this blog is a reflective blog on 21^st century learning: theories and context.

Throughout this reflective blog I have discussed four contexts of learning. I have chosen to discuss

·         Play

·         Then National Curriculum and the Primary School

·         Learning in other Context (outside the school)

·         Maria Montessori

Reference list

Frobel, 1820. Froebel's Kindergarten Curriculum Method & Educational Philosophy. [Online]
Available at: http://www.froebelgifts.com/method.htm
[Accessed 1 April 2013].

The Child Development Institute , 2003. Types of Play. [Online]
Available at: http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/play-work-of-children/pl1.shtml
[Accessed 1 April 2013 ].

 

Saunders, T. C. S., 1994. The Impact of the National Curriculum on the Teaching of five year olds. London: Burgess Science Press.

 

Teachers-Direct, 2005. The UK National Curriculum explained. [Online]
Available at: http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/teachers-information/uk-national-curriculum.aspx
[Accessed 01 04 2013].

 

Welsh Assembly Government, 2008. Skills framework for 3 to 19-year-olds. Cardiff: s.n.

National Waterfront Museum, 2006. About the museum. [Online]
Available at: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea/about/
[Accessed 30 March 2013].

 

B, I., 2012. Understanding the Montessori Approach. London: Routledge.

 

Montessori, M., 1949. The Absorbent Mind. Italy: s.n.

 

Play

Engaging in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose may seem a useless factor in education however most practitioners would argue that children learn best through play. Children have an inborn wish to explore through play. Froebel said ‘Play is the work of Children’. He discovered that brain development is most dramatic between birth and age three, and recognized the importance of beginning education earlier than was then practiced. (Frobel, 1820)

Play consists of

· imagination

· creativity

· concentration

· observation

· participation

Play can be initiated by both the child and an adult it is self-directed and does not necessarily have an end product. It can be individual or social, it’s not the opposite of work and active involvement is essential to play and learning.

Purposes of play

· cognitive development (imagination, creative thought and problem solving)

· physical development (gross/fine motor skills)

· social development (communication, interaction, cooperation and confidence)

· cultural development (norms, values and acceptance of others)

Parten 1932 devised five stages of play that children go through as they grow

1. Solitary Play:- 0-2 year

2. Spectator Play:- 2-2.5 years

3. Parallel Play:- 2.5-3 years

4. Associative Play:- 3-4 years

5. Cooperative Play:- 4 years+

Parten believed that each child must experience these stages of play in this order as they develop socially however Carol Eckerman’s research contradicts these findings as children younger than 4 years are able to participate in cooperative play especially if the child has siblings or attends a play group or pre-school where the child will experience social play before the age of 4.

Motor/Physical Play

Motor play provides critical opportunities for children to develop both individual gross and fine muscle strength and overall integration of muscles, nerves, and brain functions. Recent research has confirmed the critical link between stimulating activity and brain development. Young children must have ample opportunities to develop physically, and motor play instills this disposition toward physical activity in young children.

Social Play

A variety of opportunities for children to engage in social play are the best mechanisms for progressing through the different social stages. By interacting with others in play settings, children learn social rules such as, give and take, reciprocity, cooperation, and sharing. Through a range of interactions with children at different social stages, children also learn to use moral reasoning to develop a mature sense of values. To be prepared to function effectively in the adult world, children need to participate in lots of social situations.

Constructive Play

Constructive play is when children manipulate their environment to create things. This type of play occurs when children build towers and cities with blocks, play in the sand, construct contraptions on the woodworking bench, and draw murals with chalk on the sidewalk. Constructive play allows children to experiment with objects; find out combinations that work and don’t work; and learn basic knowledge about stacking, building, drawing, making music and constructing. It also gives children a sense of accomplishment and empowers them with control of their environment. Children who are comfortable manipulating objects and materials also become good at manipulating words, ideas and concepts.

Fantasy Play

Children learn to abstract, to try out new roles and possible situations, and to experiment with language and emotions with fantasy play. In addition, children develop flexible thinking; learn to create beyond the here and now; stretch their imaginations, use new words and word combinations in a risk-free environment, and use numbers and words to express ideas, concepts, dreams, and histories. In an ever-more technological society, lots of practice with all forms of abstraction – time, place, amount, symbols, words, and ideas – is essential.

Games With Rules

Developmentally, most children progress from an egocentric view of the world to an understanding of the importance of social contracts and rules. Part of this development occurs as they learn that games like Follow the Leader, Red Rover, Simon Says, baseball and soccer cannot function without everyone adhering to the same set of rules. The “games with rules” concept teaches children a critically important concept – the game of life has rules (laws) that we all must follow to function productively. (The Child Development Institute , 2003)

http://www.brushymountainchiropracticcenter.com/home-2/kids-playing/

Reference List

Frobel, 1820. Froebel's Kindergarten Curriculum Method & Educational Philosophy. [Online]
Available at: http://www.froebelgifts.com/method.htm
[Accessed 1 April 2013].

The Child Development Institute , 2003. Types of Play. [Online]
Available at: http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/play-work-of-children/pl1.shtml
[Accessed 1 April 2013 ].

 

The National Curriculum and the Primary School

The National Curriculum 1989 was developed to provide schools with a broad, balanced, relevant curriculum accounting for ‘Differentiation’, ‘Progression’ and ‘Continuity’so that we all achieve full potential.

The curriculum aims to prepare young children for adulthood, active citizenship and the World of Work. Pupils must gain knowledge, understanding and skills that equip them for life and leisure and develop positive attitudes.

The national curriculum revised and restructured subjects to provide a range of contexts, opportunities and activities through which skills can be developed and applied in further learning. The subjects have also been updated to ensure relevance to the 21^st century and manageability for learners and teachers.

The curriculum aims to

· Focus on the learner

· Focus on continuity and progression of 3-19 yrs.

· Reduce subject content

· Relevant to the 21^stcentury

· Ensure appropriate skills development is woven throughout the curriculum

· Be Flexible

· Support government policies

The curriculum in schools

· Foundation phase

· National curriculum

· Sex education

· Religious education

· Skills and development

· Personal and social education

· Careers and world of work

What are the purposes of the national curriculum and the Primary school?

· Getting the child used to the formal education setting

· Motivated and engage in learning

· Develop knowledge through the national curriculum

· Formal/informal learning

· Socialisation

· Learning cultural norms and values

· Understanding rules and regulations

· Routines

· Confidence

· Key skills

· Manners

· Enhance personalities

· Experience and independence

The programme of study in the National Curriculum

Skills –pupils will be expected to achieve specific skills related to the ‘skills framework’

Range –shows examples of content which teachers can use in order to achieve the skills

What is the skills framework?

The framework has been developed with the aim of providing guidance about continuity and progression in thinking, communication, ICT and number for learners from 3 to 19 and beyond. These are skills that will enable learners of any age to become successful, whether in school, the workplace, at home or elsewhere, and they need to be firmly embedded into the experience of learners across all their learning. Their development underpins the requirements of employers and others, and will help to address current concerns about skills’ shortages in Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom, Europe and the wider world.

The framework is organised into four sections – the development of thinking, communication, ICT and number across the curriculum. It aims to use language congruent with statements relating to other areas of education – for example, the wording of the Foundation Phase Outcomes and that of the Key Skills qualifications – so that each complements and reinforces the other. It is hoped that teachers will use the four individual sections together to underpin their planning and provide cohesive learning experiences for all learners

(Welsh Assembly Government, 2008).

The advantages of using a National Curriculum is that it gives teachers, pupils, parents, employers and their wider community a better understanding of the skills and knowledge that pupils have learned. It also ensures greater consistency as pupils and teachers move between schools and allow greater opportunity for sharing of skills and ideas between institutions (Teachers-Direct, 2005).

The disadvantages of the national curriculum

· Subjects are overloaded with statements of attainment

· Too many attainment targets

· Little time for reflection and evaluation

· Curriculum is narrowed and lack of spontaneity

· Teachers are over worked and planning is time consuming

· Enormous pressure on children and teachers to attain targets

(Saunders, 1994)

Reference list

Saunders, T. C. S., 1994. The Impact of the National Curriculum on the Teaching of five year olds. London: Burgess Science Press.

Teachers-Direct, 2005. The UK National Curriculum explained. [Online]
Available at: http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/teachers-information/uk-national-curriculum.aspx
[Accessed 01 04 2013].

Welsh Assembly Government, 2008. Skills framework for 3 to 19-year-olds. Cardiff: s.n.

 

Learning in Other Contexts

Learning outside the classroom can deepen the understanding of a concept and it adds value to learning in a classroom. What is learned outside the classroom can be transferred into learning in the classroom.

New and different resources can be utilized when learning outside the classroom as children may be introduced to unfamiliar equipment or information. For example a trip to a local park or beach allows children to understand and appreciate elements in their natural environment i.e. seeing how sea water and sand react when they come into contact with each other, although some schools have sand pits they cannot demonstrate the natural existence of sand is like on a beach. This can be seen as one of Jean Piaget’s schema adaptation of ‘Accommodation’ where the original schema ‘sand pit’ is altered by the natural schema ‘beach sand’.

The National Waterfront Museum is a great example of learning in other contexts especially for children in Wales as the museum contain a lot of detailed information of welsh mining history and a lot more of welsh heritage.

What can children learn at the museum?

· British history

· Welsh history and culture

· Transformation of transportation (railway)

· The industrial revolution

· History of Sports

· History of music

The museum is targeted at all ages although the foundation phase and KS2 is more accommodated for. The museum offers interactive games and workshops, geographical maps and animation activities. The sensory approach is highlighted in the museum with plenty of interactive activities i.e.

· Hearing games – children hear a sound and have to guess what the sound relates too

· Scent games – children can open the doors of the smell board and guess what the smell is

· ‘Hands-On’ – the child uses his/her hand to direct the mouse

· The museum also caters for deaf children with sign language on videos

(National Waterfront Museum, 2006)

Although formal learning is taking place at the museum, park or beach etc. the child is un aware that learning is taking place as they are not in the conventional ‘learning environment’ i.e. classroom. What the child learns is also more likely to be remembered as they teacher can prompt them with ‘remember when we went to the beach… what can we remember from the museum?’ etc. this is known as informal learning as learning has taken place in an informal setting.

Learning about a certain topic can be made easier with an educational visit however learning outside the classroom offers the opportunity to attain skills that aren’t always achievable in the classroom environment. What skills can you develop outside the classroom?

· Cultural norms and values

· Motor skills

· Communication

· Cooperation

· Independence

· Rules and regulations

· Creativity

· Awareness and safety

· Exploration and experience

· Respect and appreciation of the environment

· Informal learning

Reference list

National Waterfront Museum, 2006. About the museum. [Online]
Available at: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea/about/
[Accessed 30 March 2013].

 

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870. She was the only woman to study medicine in the University of Rome in 1892 and was one of the first women doctors in Italy.

Montessori set up her first nursery in 1906 in the San Lorenzo slum district of Rome. It was the first ‘Children’s House’.

In a Montessori children’s house each pupil is nurtured as an individual to ensure he/she reaches their full potential. Montessori developed her own resources which are still used in her establishments today.

Maria Montessori was the first person to advocate the importance of the first six years of life. Her ambition for the Children’s house was to lay a firm foundation for further learning. Her success has stemmed across 100+ countries with over 22,000 Montessori schools.

In a Montessori classroom there is a strong family/community environment with the ages of classrooms ranging from

1. Birth to 3

2. 3 to 6

3. 6 to 9

4. 9 to 12

The collaboration of ages in each classroom creates a progressive learning environment where the younger children learn from the older children along with children learning from other children their age.

Montessori organised children’s development in three six year periods

1. Birth to 6: ‘The absorbent mind’ which begins to function in the womb. Montessori named the ‘mneme’; this is closely linked with human tendencies – genetic predispositions which determine our unique human characteristics. She named the absorbent as at this age the child is able to absorb information with ease she believed this was possible because of the childs inner drive she named the‘horme’

2. 6 to 12: ‘Childhood’ Montessori believed this was the most productive stage where the child embraces social life with enthusiasm and new energy. At this stage the child has an innate desire to satisfy his/her curiosity.

3. 12 to 18: ‘Adolescence’ this stage is characterised by it volatile nature which requires an understanding adult to support the young person. Puberty is a key factor in the adolescence stage as the young adult has to identify his/her social group along with tremendous physical changes in the body. (Isaac, B 2012)

Quotes from maria Montessori

‘Never let a child risk failure unless they have a reasonable chance of success’ (Montessori, 1949)

‘The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist’
(Montessori, 1949)

Both these quotes can be seen throughout Montessori’s ideology of early years education as her programme allows children to take responsibility over their own learning along with the guided structure of the inconspicuous teacher.

What makes Montessori classrooms different for foundation phase/stage classrooms?

Similarities between the foundation phase and a Montessori classroom	Differences between the foundation phase and a Montessori classroom
· Child sized furniture · Light bright colourful rooms · Educational toys · Children are given the opportunity to display their work on display boards · Outdoor and indoor learning · Informal play based active learning · Holistic learning	· Children have the choice of what they participate in · No set tasks or lessons · Vertical grouping- wider age group · No routine · Not curriculum based · Guided learning · No hierarchy · Teacher is not focus of Montessori classroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjOvCC0jVCs

Reference List

B, I., 2012. Understanding the Montessori Approach. London: Routledge.

Montessori, M., 1949. The Absorbent Mind. Italy: s.n.