Active Learning We decided to use our inset day to explore the characteristics of effective learning in our setting. I wrote ‘active learning’ on a large flip board and gave yellow post it notes to the team. I asked them to use a few words to describe what they think active learning means. When reviewing the notes, I found that the majority had written along the lines of ‘being physically active’. The Tickell Review describes active learning as arising from the ‘intrinsic motivation to achieve mastery – to experience competence, understanding and autonomy’ (Tickell, 2011, p.90). The second CoEL is not about ‘being physically active’, which is equally as important for young children, but rather refers to being ‘mentally active and alert’ (Hutchin, 2013, p.13). Active learning describes a child’s motivation, and is associated with the need for children to develop concentration and perseverance in order to successfully and actively learn. Learning in this way involves other people, objects, ideas and events that can engage and involve children for sustained periods. Active learning can therefore be summed up as being about concentration, persistence and satisfaction. Taking the criteria from page 6 of the Development Matters Framework, I have provided some observation records where clearly the CoEL of active learning can be observed in action. Can you identify the stated bullet points below from the Development Matters document within the observations that follow? Being involved and concentrating (Concentration): This is when children show how absorbed and focussed they are in their learning through the tasks, activities and experiences they initiate or take part in. It is about the child’s ability to develop concentration over a period of time without getting easily distracted: • Maintaining focus on their activity for a period of time • Showing high levels of energy, fascination • Not easily distracted • Paying attention to details 22 month year old Ayyan laid sprawled out on the carpet in the room. He had a number of cars with him, all of different sizes. He liked cars and it was his favourite toy at this moment in time. He turns his head to the side and lays watching the car. He moves it slowly and watches the wheels, he then reverses it, and repeats this with all the cars. He pokes his fingers into the wheels of one car, and then looks towards the bigger one and does the same. He continues to explore the gaps in the wheels of each car. Across the room, a child is crying as he wants more crackers for his snack, he gets louder and louder and eventually runs near to Ayyan. Ayyan looks up at him, frowns, and returns back to his cars. A practitioner nearby brings over a large tractor with wheels of different sizes at the front and back. Ayyan sits up and his face lightens up as if in awe. He looks at the practitioner and says ‘car’ and touches the wheels and says ‘big’. He then lays back down and starts to explore the wheels of this new addition to his group of cars. Although there is a schematic element to this observation, what it shows is the intensity of attention that arises from when the child is concentrating on following a line of interest in what he is doing. Ayyan clearly has an interest in cars, and this is what involves him in the experience in order to deeply concentrate on the wheels and the gaps that seem to be different within each one. He seems to be paying attention to this detail, and nothing around him could distract him. This supports what is known as deep level learning which is advocated by Ferre Laevers, that when children are deeply involved in what they are doing, it is likely that deep level learning is taking place. For this to happen and for developing concentration over a period of time, it is essential for children to follow their own interests, choices and curiosities. No one suggested this experience to Ayyan, it is his own choice, but the practitioners have provided the environment and resources that they know he will want to make use of and ultimately be involved in. The supportive practitioner demonstrated this by giving him a vehicle which does not have the same size wheels, but still works like the other cars to further explore. Keeping on trying (Persistence): This yet again refers to children’s concentration, but more on staying focused on particular activities and tasks where children can overcome challenges and try things in different ways before giving up and moving on – persistence: • Persisting with activity when challenges occur • Showing a belief that more effort or a different approach will pay off • Bouncing back after difficulties Susan, an EYP at the setting, had set up a water activity in the toddler room. It consisted of a water tray which contained a sea green colour and a number of sea animals and small pipes. On the side of the tray were two drain pipes leading onto a builder’s tray on the floor, which also contained water. 2 ½ year old Amy joined the water activity and Susan told her about how Nemo is lost and that she needs help finding him. Amy uses the small pipes in the tray to look through, Susan asks if she can see Nemo, but Amy says no. Susan then tells Amy to do all she can to find Nemo. Amy continues to look through the pipe in different directions, but upon finding no sign of Nemo, she then decides to shout through the pipe ‘NEMO CAN YOU HEAR US?’ She continues to call out for Nemo. Amy picks up each sea animal ‘Is this Nemo?’ ‘No, it’s a whale’ ‘Let’s keep looking’ ‘Is this Nemo?’ ‘No it’s a reef’ ‘I don’t know where he can be’. Amy say’s ‘It’s a secret’. Susan asks Amy, ‘Is it a secret place?’ she says yes. Without Amy seeing, Susan colours the water brown by dropping a liquid into it. Amy frowns and say’s ‘I cant see now!’. Susan reminds her ‘Remember, do whatever you can to find Nemo’. Amy uses both hands to go through the sea animals but has no luck, she keeps bringing out the same sea animal because she cannot see. Amy goes away to a resource area and brings back a container. She starts to place each animal she brings out of the water into this container. Amy then notices the long drain pipes leading to the tray on the floor. She goes over to the resource box and brings back a small jug. She takes water from the top tray and drops it through the pipe, she tells Susan that she wants to see if he is stuck inside. This activity that Amy was involved in went on for over 40 minutes in the quest for finding Nemo. Susan later told me that Amy loves the 'Finding Nemo' video and that’s why she used this to plan the water activity. Here a clear link can be made between children’s interests and concentration and persistence. Although it was the practitioner that set the challenge for this activity, she clearly used Amy’s interests to capture her concentration and involve her in persistently looking for the lost Nemo. Amy was faced with a challenge and she tried all she could to find Nemo. The discolouring of the water was a clear challenge as Amy could no longer see through the water. She found that she kept picking out the same animals and therefore changed her tactic to putting them to the side as they came out. The practitioner’s words offered a clear challenge ‘Do all you can to find Nemo’, Susan was clearly encouraging Amy to persist in the face of any challenge she may come across. Amy responded by demonstrating a clear motivation to persist in what she was doing, and built on basic skills which support the ‘development of a resilient disposition’ (DCSF, 2007). Enjoying achieving what they set out to do (Satisfaction): This is when children experience a sense of satisfaction in what they are doing, not necessarily because of producing an end product, but by a personal reward a child gets when they achieve their own goal and build on their natural motivation to obtain long term success rather than just looking for approval from others: • Showing satisfaction in meeting their own goals • Being proud of how they accomplish something – not just the end result • Enjoying meeting challenges for their own sake rather than external rewards or praise In the outdoor area, one of the fences is covered with paper, and on the floor are three paint bottles and tools for mixing and painting. 4 year old Agata is by this area. ‘What colour are you going to use?’ Rasheda the practitioner asks. Agata tells her red. Rasheda goes on to inquire what she intends to do with the red. Agata tells her that she is going to make magic colours. Rasheda asks how she intends to do that, Agata just smiles. Rasheda goes away from the area to support another child with their shoelaces. Agata goes about painting some of the paper red, she then paints another colour next to it and then the third. Agata then calls for Rasheda to come over. When she does, Agata tells her that she is going to show her magic. Taking a blob of blue paint, Agata brushes it over the red painted paper. As the paper turns purple, Agata says ‘Magic!’. Rasheda of course shows Agata that she cannot believe it, Agata continues to change the other colours and her grin widens. As other children approach, Rasheda tells them that Agata has just done magic and encourages Agata to show the other children, which she does. Children respond by saying 'Wow!' And for her to show them again and that they want to try. Agata responded ‘Okay I will show you one more time’, and she went about doing so while the children stood and watched. Later when Agata’s mum arrived to collect her, Agata was heard telling her about what had happened and that she had done magic. It was clear that Agata knew how to mix paints together to form different colours, but what she wanted all to believe was that she could do magic; that was her goal. The responses she gained satisfied her that she had indeed succeeded in making them all believe that she had created magic with the paints. Sharing the experience with her mum showed that what had happened earlier that day still remained with her and she was proud in explaining what she had done to prove that there was magic there. In order for children to be successful and enjoy the personal pleasure of success and satisfaction, the goal needs to be child’s own (Hutchin, 2013, p.16). Own goals stem from intrinsic motivation, where a child is fully signed up to it. If children do form goals for an external reward, then once they receive the reward there is little motivation to continue. If you note, there was no praise from the practitioner, just a way to show Agata that she could not believe it so that Agata would continue with what she was doing, and gain a personal sense of satisfaction, which in turn can raise and develop her self-esteem and confidence to continue. As children grow in confidence they can then make decisions based on thinking things through in a logical way (DCSF, 2007). How effective is your environment in engaging children through Active Learning? Use the following questions as prompts to further explore your provision for active learning. How does your environment allow children to choose their own activities – what they want and how they will do it? Do you provide something new and unusual for children to explore on a regular basis? Are children able to follow their interests for extended periods of time? How do you capture particular things, places, experiences that fascinate children? How are children’s curiosities aroused and how is this noticed? Does provision allow for time and freedom to support children to become deeply involved in experiences/activities? Are mini projects developed in order for children to maintain focus and persist on things over a period of time? How well are opportunities and experiences planned for individual children that are challenging yet achievable? How do you reward children? And what do you reward them for? How is intrinsic motivation developed rather then relying on external rewards or the approval of other people? How are parents helped to see the benefits of encouraging intrinsic motivation? How are children supported to become aware of their own goals, make plans, and to review their own progress and successes/satisfaction? How can you observe the CoEL – active learning in action? Use the following questions to identify this CoEL within your observations, but also to learn from them to further enhance your provision. Being involved and concentrating Can the child concentrate? Do they concentrate better on self-chosen or adult led activities? Does the child keep focused on a self-initiated activity for a long period of time? Is this at any activity or always at a particular activity/area in the environment? Does the child show high levels of energy, fascination? In what way? Are they concentrating and involved in the activity without being distracted? Any examples? What are they easily distracted by? i.e. children, toys, noise Do they show attention to detail and care with what they are doing? Can the child sit and listen when others are talking? Do they demonstrate concentration through silence or thinking aloud? Keeping on trying Does the child show persistence – not giving up even if it means starting again? Do they ask for help/support if they need it? Or does it have to be offered? Do they discuss solutions for challenges with other children or adults, or work through things themselves? Enjoying achieving what they set out to do Is there a sense of satisfaction and pride when they have completed an activity; do they want to show/tell people? Do they relish challenges and continually try to make things better? Do they evaluate themselves and try different things as a result? Are they ‘intrinsically motivated’ – achieving things for themselves as opposed to adult praise??
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