These are some of the ways in which a child's learning can be supported by an adult, The above are all strategies or approaches a practitioner may use in guiding a child to learn or practice skills.
The Role of the adult
The adult can support and encourage learning by taking in the following roles:
Active participant
Organizer
Facilitator
Provider of resources
Initiator of ideas
Motivator
Observer
Encourager
Supporter
Listener
In supporting children's learning we need to stimulate the children and help them become engaged in the learning experience or activity. Learning experiences should be fun and versatile as well as being attractive to the children. Everyday situations can be turned into valuable learning opportunities, as learning can be promoted in a variety of contexts.
Simple activities such as cleaning, washing up, cooking and going for a walk can be used constructively without expensive resources.
Lots of learning can happen without children knowing!
The E Framework: A framework for the practitioner's role in supporting learning
Experience: Provide experiences, opportunities, resources inside and outside the learning setting.
For example: Inside: planned play areas, cafes, shops, literacy, numeracy, creativity areas. Outside: chalking boards, walks in the local environment, big toys, climbing apparatus.
Extend: Question, listen, intervene in, and extend children's learning where appropriate.
For example: Adult during a local walk - questioning and listening: 'What can you hear?' 'What sound do the leaves make when we walk in them?' adult in the home corner - intervening in and extending a child's play: 'Could you pour me a nice cup of tea please?'
Encourage: Praise and value each child's progress in learning. Help children to achieve tasks and activities they may not be able to achieve on their own.
For example: Adult writing with a group of children - 'I enjoyed your reading so far. What might the dragon do next? I'll help you with any long words you may need so that you can make your story exciting.'
Engage: Become involved in children's learning experiences. Provide for their individual needs.
For example: Adult baking with children - 'You've made some lovely cakes. I enjoyed making them with you. Johnny wants to ice them, so shall we do that, Johnny?'
Educate: Be a role model for children by demonstrating knowledge, skills and understanding.
For example: Adult at story time - 'Today I am going to read you one of my favourite stories. I hope you'll like it as much as I do.'
Explain: Listen to children and answer their questions. For example: Adult responding to a child's questions about where the water goes when the bath plug is pulled - 'The water goes down the plug hole into sewers, which are big tunnels under the street. It then flows along pipes to the sewage works where it is cleaned.'
Examine: Examine children's learning and development through observation and assessment in order to plan for their future development.
For example: Adults meet at the end of the day to review the observations of children they have carried out the day. This review informs planning of the next day's activities to meet the child's individual needs.
The E-Framework can be used in a variety of ways to support learning. As a guide it breaks down some of the strategies used within the Nursery to promote children's learning in a simple, concise way.
Observation
There are different types of observations that practitioners use within the setting. Observations range from long written reports of what the practitioner has observed over a period of time to short, brief notes stating an achievement.
The different observation techniques are:
Free descriptions: detailed objective recordings of what takes place over a period of time, normally under 5 minutes.
Event samples: recordings of a sequence of events, the frequency and occurrence. They may be used to track the number of times an action takes place within a given time. Typically they will be used as a means of recording the effectiveness of an intervention programme for modifying a child's behaviour.
Timed Observations / Time Sampling:recordings of a child's precise actions every 10 minutes. also recording of language, communication and social interaction.
Duration Observation: recording accurately how long children spend at particular activities or using certain equipment.
Frequency Sampling: tracking incidences of particular aspects of behaviour in a child or group of children. Features of behaviour can be identified and the frequency and duration recorded.
Tick List or Check List: method of recording whether or not a child is capable of achieving specific age-related tasks.
Observations are used as evidence as of children's learning and development. They are used by practitioners to collate information on each child, and are used to assess further areas for development. Observations on children are confidential, and are only used by practitioners to create a 'picture' of how a child is developing.
How to stimulate your toddler
As toddlers are usually very active, here are some ideas on how to keep them busy!
Activities which stimulate curiosity:
Water play
Sand Play
Messy Play - cornflour, shaving foam, soap flakes, finger painting, mud, gravel, spaghetti, pasta etc
Playdough, large boxes, material sheets, bed sheets etc
Activities which build up self-esteem:
Washing up
Dressing up
cleaning, i.e. car, windows, cupboards etc
Cooking
Gardening
Activities which encourage imagination:
Small world play - cars, dolls, animals, bricks, train set, blocks etc
Dolls and teddies
Dressing up
Imaginative play with home equipment, e.g. pots and pans, cutlery, sieves, colanders, bowls etc
Activities which promote physical development:
Drawing and painting
Junk modeling and model making
Collage and cutting magazines, newspapers etc
Papier mache
Obstacle courses
Races
Visit to the Park
A Case Study
This case study is of a 2 year old and 2 different strategies of how to act in response to the child's behaviour.
Jolene, aged two years, was happily playing with her new cars when her father came to get her ready for bed. Jolene was not ready to stop her game; her father was waiting to go out and insisted. Within seconds, a previously happy scene – with Jolene singing tunelessly – changed into a full-blown temper tantrum. Jolene's tantrums could be a frightening sight – a whirlwind of exploding emotions, involving foot stamping, screaming and lashing out.
1.
Her father waited a few seconds and then calmly sat and held Jolene, gently but firmly, until her outburst had died down. Her screams and shouts eventually turned into sobs, and ended in a comforting cuddle. Jolene then went to choose a book to read after her bath.
2.
Her father waited a few seconds and then gently held Jolene by the arms, but Jolene kicked and thrashed at him. He gave up and let go of her and she continued screaming and crying. He sat down and watched until she calmed down again. He gave her the cars and Jolene continued playing.
The following questions are designed for you to think about the way we, as adults, react to children and their behaviour.
Why do you think Jolene reacted so angrily to her father?
Do you think Jolene's father acted in the right way?
How might you have dealt with this situation?
What is the best way to deal with tantrums?
Managing unwanted behaviour
Here are some ideas of curses of action when dealing with unwanted or undesired behaviour:
As practitioners and parents we should be aiming to use positive preventative strategies to avoid unwanted behaviour rather than have to deal with it. This means anticipating potential sources of conflict or danger and making sure that children are well supervised and have interesting activities. However, there will be times when unwanted behaviour occurs and needs to be managed.It is important that unwanted behaviour is dealt with sensitively, Intervention needs to be prompt, calm and controlled. There are several ways in which you can intervene, depending on the situation.
-through eye contact/facial expression. Sometimes a simple look will warn children that they are stepping over the boundary and this will be enough to help them remember that their behaviour is not appropriate. Eye contact may need to be held with a child along with an expression of disapproval. Once the child starts to show appropriate behaviour, you should make sure that immediate praise is given. This strategy is particularly useful if you are working in group situations and you do not want to disrupt the activity.
-Say a determined 'NO!.' Most children respond to this expression and understand its meaning. For this to work, it is important that you use it sparingly. It is also important that children understand that 'no means no', and you do not allow children to continue with inappropriate behaviour. This strategy is particularly effective if combined with facial expression and is useful in situations where children need to be prevented from doing something potentially dangerous.
-Explain the consequences of children's actions. It is good practice to make children aware of the consequences of their actions. They may not realize that throwing sand may lead to pain for a child getting sand in the eye. It is also worth explaining to older children what will happen if they continue to show unwanted behaviour - this sets clear boundaries for them. For example, 'If you carry on kicking the ball towards the road, I will have to take it away in case it goes against a car.' Once you have suggested that there will be a sanction, it is essential that you are prepared to carry out the sanction. Do not threaten sanctions that you cannot justify or carry out, otherwise children will not believe you another time.
-Removal of equipment
taking away equipment should be a final measure, but may be necessary if children have either been threatened with this sanction or they are putting themselves or others in danger, for example tying a rope around a child's neck to play horses. This type of activity may be so exciting that even if you warn children about the dangers, they will still be tempted to carry on. If you remove equipment, it is a good idea to give children something else to do so that they do not go from one inappropriate situation into another!
-Time out. the idea of time out is not to punish children, but simply to allow them to calm down and step back from the problem. Older children particularly benefit from time out, especially if a sympathetic adult can talk about why they are needing to calm down.
The 2 to 3 year old stages
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