The Difference Between Adult-Directed and Child-Led Learning

 You have heard me go on and on about the benefits of child-led learning.  I wanted to show you two real life examples from my own house just this morning.  It is important for you to know that both of these examples happened within the same hour.  

My son, Brickston, is in kindergarten this year.  His school has been virtual this week, and then they are going to a 2 day schedule next week.  

Adult-Directed Learning

Today, he was asked to listen to a Pete the Cat story and then complete a worksheet.  On the sheet, he was supposed to write the color words.  He had zero interest in doing this task.  His older sister valiantly came to the rescue and I video taped from across the room.  You can watch their interaction below:

https://youtu.be/__wDz1KKIDs

Brickston is frustrated.  He rubs his eyes and slumps in the chair.  He slams his pencil on the desk.  He is whining.  He says, "I can't draw an R!"

Have you seen this before?

Just 20 minutes later....

Child-Led Learning

Brickston is drawing on a whiteboard.  He has designed a game where he draws a letter, and I have to close my eyes.  When I open them, I have to tell him what the letter is. At one point right before I started recording, he ran to get his blue letter chart from his desk space to use as a reference.  All of this was directed by him.  Watch below: 

https://youtu.be/a_GdeZ5lEU4

Do you see the difference?  Brickston is smiling.  He is eager.  He shows persistence.  

And guess what...he is still writing that letter R that he said he couldn't write!

He is also making words on his own (this would have been just as meaningful of an activity if he wrote a nonsense word).  

I have no idea how he accidentally wrote "rib," but he loved it.  I loved it.  Look how many times he wrote it over an over again!

There is joy in the second video.  Our job as the adult is to continue to find where joy and learning intersect. If we continue to make space and time for child-led learning, joy will follow. 

Individual Sensory Bins

 Individual sensory bins are perfect to use in a physical distancing scenario or in the home!

Because of the virus, teachers are constantly being told what they cannot do in their classrooms.  No sensory tables.  No soft surfaces. No shared materials.  The list gets longer each time I look.  

Here is what teachers need to do:

• We need to remember that we are still experts in the field and we know what children need in terms of development.
• We need to ask why certain guidelines or suggestions exist.
• We need to determine what children NEED, and then find ways to still provide THAT within the new guidelines.  Can we get creative?

I think these individual sensory bins could be an option!

Simply label small containers with the children's names and you are ready for sensory play!  You can play with the materials at the children's tables OR even on the playground.  These bins are also perfect for at home.

Gather inexpensive materials

If you are making these for each child in your class, you need to keep cost in mind.  That is why I used inexpensive materials that would be easy to find and split.

First, you need the bin. 

I chose these bins from Walmart, because I liked that they were clear.  You can find the link here, but I think they are in store only. Look in the food storage aisle for options.  You want them to have a lid and stack nicely.  Label the bins with the children's names.

Next, you need to fill it. 

The sky really is the limit when it comes to sensory bin fillers. You can try water, but I would do this outside first.  My favorite dry fillers are: pasta, dyed pasta, rice, birdseed, popcorn kernels, or any type of loose parts.

Finally, you need tools and accessories. 

Plastic spoons are great for scooping.  Clothespins can act as individual tweezers.  Toilet paper rolls can be funnels.  I put condiment cups, cupcake liners, and paint palettes in our bins for filling and dumping.  You can add wooden dolls or plastic figurines to transition the bins to small world play.

What are you going to put in your sensory bins?

Crafts are Missing the Mark: Product versus Process Learning

Pretty soon school hallways and bulletin boards will be filled with crafts like my fish example. Travel over to Pinterest for a minute and you will see tons of examples under “preschool art” 😢

What do I have against this sad little paper plate fish?

It is focused on a product. The fish I make and the fish you make should look similar in the end. We want the finished product to look like the teacher example. 

This leaves very little room for process learning....the messy middle.

The place where we actually study fish in the water. 

      

The place where we try to draw what they look like moving along the rocks at the bottom. The place where I’m allowed to talk about my knowledge of fish in the creek versus fish in the pond versus fish in my friend’s tank. The place where I try to decide what materials to use to show you what a fish looks like: does this color seem right? Does marker work best? Or should I use clay?

Be honest. Which of the two examples do you have hanging on your fridge? Which type of learning did your child experience?

Open-ended projects allow for children to explore the process of learning without a clear cut, teacher determined end in mind.  Children always accomplish more than what teachers could imagine when we just trust them.  Do you want to try a Reggio-inspired project with your child?  Are you just not sure how?  I would love to help you! 

Sign up for Atelier @ Home!  It is a one-month at a time parent coaching group.  You can find out more here.

If you want to hear me on my soap box about craptivities, you can give this video a listen:

Back to School Traditions

It is almost back to school time!  And this year it is more important than ever to maintain traditions and get your children excited about the year. 

Do you have traditions that you do to prepare for the school year?  I would love to hear about yours!

In our home, we have a few that I want to share with you!

School Clothes Shopping

I can remember going to the City Center with my mom every year right before school started.  I looked forward to picking out new outfits for my first days of school.  I have carried on this tradition with my children. 

Of course this year, our shopping trips have looked a little different (thanks to a pandemic).  My husband and I taken turns shopping with each of our children individually.  We did this so we could manage the masks and the social distancing easier.  Honestly, I think the children loved the one-on-one attention. 

First Day Pages

I have been doing these since my 7th grader started preschool.  I make a quick template on my computer and have my children fill them out.  I take a picture of them holding on the first day of school.  I LOVE to look back to see how their handwriting has changed.  It is so neat to see how their aspirations develop over time.

The Night Before School

Every year, I read my children The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.  It really is the most precious story!   We read the story and then I draw a kissing heart on their wrist with a permanent marker.

I'm happy to announce, that even though my daughter was entering into middle school last year...she still brought a marker to me and told me "you have to do it." You can see the post below :)

Do you want to watch a read-aloud of this story?  

What are your back to school traditions?

Are you still trying to figure out your back to school plans?  That makes this even trickier!  If you are looking at preschool options, I would love for you to check out Atelier @ Home. 

What's New in the Atelier!

Do you have a child between the ages of 3 and 5 years?  Are you looking for a way to provide authentic, play-based learning opportunities while still meeting your child’s developmental needs?

Do you want to start Reggio-inspired project based learning, but don’t know where to begin? Are you looking for ways to provide the preschool experience at home? Or are you looking for a way to enrich your child’s learning in addition to their daily early childhood program? 

THIS is the coaching group for YOU!

 

I want to help you set up engaging PLAY invitations

You may be on the fence about this next school year.  This is one step you can be confident to take.  Whether or not you send your child to preschool, or you keep them home, Atelier @ Home will help you provide meaningful and individualized learning experiences for your child. 

 

     What will I get for my $33 monthly investment?
*  Weekly personalized calls.  We will talk about your child’s interests and brainstorm invitations for exploration.  I will guide you through a Reggio-inspired project with your child and will show you how to embed the weekly early learning standards into the project.

 

Why Jessica?

I have been studying early childhood education for 17 years.  I was an intervention specialist in a public preschool, before transitioning to a preschool special education supervisor.  During my time working in the public preschool classrooms, we implemented a Reggio-inspired approach.  In 2017, I completed the University of Toledo doctoral program and earned my Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a focus in early childhood special education. For the past five years, I have served as an assistant professor at a state university in the early childhood program. 

In the spring of 2019, I achieved a career-long dream of visiting Reggio Emilia, Italy.

I climb up on my soap box any chance I can get to advocate for children’s right to play. I know that many families are being faced with the tough decision of whether or not to send their child to preschool this year.  Preschool may not be an option due to closures. I KNOW there are other options for “online preschool” or “packaged preschool curriculum” out there.  I have seen it.  I could whip one of those up, too.  But, I would not be able to stand behind that.  My teaching philosophy does not support cookie-cutter learning.  I believe that each child is unique.  That is why this program coaches the parents to meet the individual needs of your child. 

How it works:

At the beginning of the month, we will meet for our first individual call where I will learn about your child. Together, you and I will begin to brainstorm directions for your child’s Reggio-inspired project.  You will share with me the toys and materials you have in your home.  I will coach you on ways to set up these materials in inviting play centers.  Through our private Facebook group, you will receive weekly observation recording sheets.  These will record how your child is authentically using that week’s standards during their play and project work.  Each week, I will release 2 videos of me holding a read-aloud.  These read-alouds will focus on that week’s standards.  It is your choice whether or not you want to show these to your child or if you would like to recreate what I do with your own book and materials. Each month will feature 2 Q&A Facebook Live videos in the private group that you can participate in or watch the replay. 

I can’t wait to start this journey with you! The Atelier @ Home program will give you the confidence you need to engage in play based learning with your child at home. You and I will team together to facilitate your child’s learning through a project that is individualized just for him/her!

Join Jessica’s Atelier @ Home September Group TODAY.  It closes on the August 28

Authentic Name Writing Activities

Let's experiment.  Grab a piece of paper and write your name 5 times.

We could even get REAL creative and ask you to "rainbow write your name" (use a different color of pen each time.  Fun?  Okay.  Now I want you to do this every day for a week.  Still fun?  Imagine if you are 4-years-old and I ask you to do this every day, before you can go play.

 

I think you would start to despise this. What is the point of this activity?  To practice writing your name, right?  Is there a better way?  I think so!

Give children authentic opportunities to write their name!

Authentic opportunities means that they are writing their name for a purpose.  You can still do this often, but the reason changes.  You can have children (either in your home or classroom) write their name only for more than just the sake of writing their name.

Artwork

When you provide lots of materials and opportunities for children to write and draw, they will natural begin to make marks and letters.  You can see more about the development of writing here. 

After children make a masterpiece, ask them to sign it!  Remind them that artists sign their work.  You can even read one of my favorite books!  At the end, Vashti asks her new friend to sign his creation. 

Address envelopes and sign cards

A well stocked writing center is a must for both the classroom and home.  Pick up a box of envelopes the next time you are at my favorite store, The Dollar Tree, and have these available for children to write letters back and forth.  Save old Christmas cards and left over Valentine's Day cards for children to sign their name to. 

Sign-up Sheets

Sign-up sheets can be used for a variety of things in both the classroom and home.  Sign-up for dessert!  Sign-up for a turn on the swing.  Sign-up for lunch choices.

Voting

This one of my favorite alternatives to the "signing-in" activity that is seen in most preschools.  Set out 2-3 containers.  Label the containers with different choices.  Here I used the choice of song.  Invite children to write their name on a piece of paper (remember you can use a variety of sizes of paper) using their choice of writing utensil.  After they write their name, they drop it into their choice bucket.  After everyone votes, I will take all the names out...lay them in a row for each choice.  Instantly we have a floor graph.  We will listen to the song that had the most votes first.  We will still listen to the second song...don't worry :)

Did you catch the replay video?  You can watch it here. 

Are you looking for other letter activities that promote play and exploration?  Check out this post!

What other ways do you incorporate name writing authentically into your day?

Instead of Worksheets...Do THIS to Learn Letters!

You know how I feel about worksheets and workbooks, right?

You might have been surprised to find out that I bought a handful while I was at the Dollar Tree the other day.  Some of you thought maybe I lost my mind and bought glitter.  But I assure you, I dislike workbooks even more!

It might have been the only purchase from Dollar Tree that I thought I might regret :)

So WHY did I buy them?

I am actually very excited to show you that you do NOT need them!  You can use some of the other treasures I bought from the Dollar Tree to play and learn with letters!

What is wrong with the workbook?

Workbooks/worksheets are close-ended.  This means that there is only one right answer.  For young children (preschool and kindergarten) we should be promoting thought and exploration.  As soon as we tell a child that they are wrong, their motivation is stifled.  Just imagine for a moment, the scenario below: (I am the one who filled this out, I couldn't bring myself to subject my children ;) )

Parent: Write the letter G.

Child: (Copies the capital and lower case letter)

Parent: Make sure you stay on the line.  This G is not touching the bottom line. 

Parent: Circle the picture whose name begins with g.

Parent: Yes, guitar and gum are right.  Mouse does not start with g.  It starts with M.  Why didn't you circle the next one?  It starts with G.

Child: Mmmmm-monkey.

Okay, the child is NOT wrong with the gorilla/monkey and gate/fence examples.  Do you see how this would be exhausting for a child?  Do you like to be told that you are wrong?  This is more of a "testing" tactic versus a learning experience.

Workbooks do not promote active learning.

Active learning requires 5 core elements:
1. A child should have MATERIALS.

2. A child should be able to MANIPULATE those materials.

3. A child should have CHOICE during the activity.

4. The activity should promote child THOUGHT and LANGUAGE (talking about their reasoning).

5. The activity should allow for adult SCAFFOLDING (this is supporting the child's exploration, helping them to the next level).

Workbooks do not meet these 5 core elements.  I'm not even sure they include any of them.  What do you think?  

So what can you do instead?

You are here because you want your child to learn about letters.   How can we give children opportunities to play with letters, but in a more hands-on and developmentally appropriate way?

Dollar Tree is redeeming itself here.  Look at what I bought:

Wooden Letters and Ice Cube Tray

I found the letters in the craft center.  I love including these in my loose parts collection. I grabbed a few ice cube trays just to give my children a place to sort the letters.  Children can come up with their own sorting categories: letters in their name, letters that have straight pieces, letters that have curves, etc.

Pool Noodles and Paper Towel Holder

I took 2 pool noodles and cut them into pieces.  I wrote capital and lower case letters on each with a permanent marker.  I had to squeeze the paper towel holder with a pair of pliers to make it skinnier for the noodles to fit.

After lots of exploration with the materials, you can use this to begin working on the child's name. This is a great way to begin to explore the child's name.  Set out just the letters in the child's name on a tray.  See if they can build a name tower.

Letter Beads

These can also be found in the craft section.  You can include pipe cleaners for the child to string them on.  We actually dropped a few into each ice cube tray and filled with water.  We are going to "excavate the letters" tomorrow.  

Wood Blocks and Tweezers

The small wood blocks are from the craft aisle and the tweezers are in the school aisle.  I used a paint pen to write the lower case letters on each block. We made "alphabet soup" by pouring all of them into a large bowl.  I invited my children to pick out a cube using the tweezers.  A way to extend this is to invite children to write what letter they found on the mini-etch a sketch board. 

Alphabet Stamps

This is not a Dollar Tree find, but you can get the ones pictured here. I love stamps because it is still supporting fine motor development, but it is a little easier than a paper pencil task.  You can obviously use stamps on paper, but you can also stamp into rolled out playdough.  Get a great recipe here. 

Speaking of playdough, here is another great post with a letter invitation. 

You can see all of these activities in action on this FB video.  Go here to watch it!