Introduction

Learning can and does take place almost everywhere whether it is intentional or not. Schools and nurseries are the traditional and conventional contexts for learning but there are many others in which learning takes place where we may not even realise. This blog focuses on four specific learning contexts some traditional and some not.

Maria Montessori was an educator at the turn of the twentieth century and her methods were revolutionary for the time. The firing line museum is a place whose main focus is to educate and has an excellent educational programme with great links to primary schools. Learning through play is an idea which is fairly new to UK schools but has been embraced and is having great success and Forest schools is a concept which sees woods and forests being used for safe exploratory and imaginative outdoor learning.

Montessori

Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle in Italy in 1870. She studied medicine at the University of Rome and it was while working in women and children’s hospitals and asylums that she realised that some of the negative behaviours demonstrated by the children weren’t the symptoms of a medical problem but the result of a poor education. In 1900 Montessori became the director of a pedagogical institute for children with special needs and in 1906 she set up the ‘Casa Dei Bambini’ a nursery in the slums of Rome which looked after young children while their parents went out to work. It was in this nursery that Montessori’s teaching methods which are still used today were first implemented (Isaacs, 2010).

Montessori outlined a theory of children’s development; she described three stages in which a child develops through and within these stages she explains that there are sensitive periods in which children learn specific skills. A child is in the absorbent mind stage from ages nought to six and in this stage Montessori said that children have an instinctive desire to learn and during the sensitive periods they develop creative, communication and orientation skills. Childhood is seen at ages six to twelve and Montessori describes this stage as calm with the child eager to learn and in the sensitive periods of this stage Montessori says that children develop moral and cultural skills. The stage of adolescence which runs from ages twelve to eighteen is described as volatile because it is in this stage that puberty occurs and in adolescence children aim to find a group of peers who they can best identify with (Isaacs, 2010).

Montessori classrooms are designed around three main principles: offering freedom to promote individual responsibility, to recognise each child as individual and nurture them to their full potential and to promote independence (Isaacs, 2012).

The characteristics of a typical Montessori classroom are:

-Vertical grouping: children of different ages are educated in the same classroom; they are grouped into three year age spans.

-There is always access to an outdoor learning environment

-The classroom is spacious and can be easily re-organised

- All resources are always available and within easy reach of the children

- Plants and other elements of nature can be seen within the classroom

- Where possible artefacts and objects are used to provide concrete experience for more abstract learning

- A Montessori classroom has a calm atmosphere but buzzes with activity (Isaacs, 2012).

Pupils of a Montessori school can often be seen cleaning up and putting away resources after they have finished playing with them without instruction from a teacher (Feez, 2010).  This is because the Montessori approach instils from the very start that the children have the responsibility to look after the resources for themselves and others.

The Montessori approach to education was one of the influences of the foundation phase in Wales and shares some of the same characteristics such as constant access to an outdoor learning environment and child sized furniture (Welsh Government, 2008). This holistsic approach is based on a childs natural curiosity and instinct to learn.

However an entirely Montessori approach can almost solely be seen in private education where children generally do not have the social and emotional behavioural problems that are associated with poverty and deprived areas. A purely Montessori education may not be as successful for children who come from poor social backgrounds and who have the additional needs that can accompany this.

 
References List

Feez, S., 2010. Montessori and Early Childhood: A Guide for Students. London: Sage.

Government, W. A., 2008. Framework for Childrens Learning for 3-7 Year Olds in Wales, Cardiff: Welsh Government.

Isaacs, B., 2010. Bringin the Montessori Approach to Your Early Years Practice. 2nd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Isaacs, B., 2012. Understanding the Montessori Approach: Early Years Education in Practice. Abingdon: Routledge.

 

The Firing Line Museum

The Firing Line is a charity organisation which runs a museum in Cardiff Castle. The museum tells the story of the Welsh soldier from the year 1615 up until the present day. Some of the aims of the museum are to open up access and interactive participation for all sections of the community and ‘To establish a dedicated military museum in Cardiff which will link to the national curriculum’ (Firing Line, 2013). The museum has a dedicated education officer who runs a flexible programme for primary schools to reinforce history topics being taught as well as using history for cross curricular teaching. I was able to speak with Joanna Wenman the education officer on a recent visit to Cardiff castle and she outlined the methods used in the programmes. The most popular themes that the museum ran programmes for were; Victorian Britain, WW2, Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale, however the museum is completely flexible and is willing to adapt to other topics depending on the needs of the school. Joanna will usually make a visit to the school in advance of their trip to the museum to meet the children and begin some of the work (for the WW2 topic she takes an evacuee briefcase containing replicas of items that an evacuee child would have carried on their journey to the country side); she stated that this makes the children more comfortable and confident when they arrive at the museum. For the Victorian Britain theme the children are given a character when they arrive at the museum with information on that person. The educational programmes are designed to be relatable to children. There is a focus on items and events that would specifically have affected children of a similar age of those visiting the museum. For example there is a large ceremonial drum on display that was carried and played by a ten year old boy leading the infantry into battle during the Crimean war.

The museum is interactive and child friendly.  If an object is not in a glass case then it is free to be played with. There is a section of the museum that contains replica military jackets, helmets and equipment for children to try on play with and I was informed that when there is a school visit a genuine musket rifle is taken out of display and the children are invited to hold it.

As well as history, the museum incorporates other curriculum subjects in its activities. During science and engineering week the museum held an event about inventions and the development and workings of military weapons. It also holds an annual art competition called ‘The Big draw’ where children are encouraged to produce a drawing concerned with a particular theme.

Eilean Hooper-Greenhill states that museums offer concrete, object based experiences which not only bring more meaning to learning but embed it for longer (Hooper-Greenhill, 2007). This is something I feel definitely takes place at the firing line museum.

History is brought to life at this museum; the children can see and touch replicas and real objects from history and can take on the role of a historical character. They are submerged in the topic they are learning about in a child friendly environment. By using role play, allowing the children to touch objects, and making the learning relatable to children the museum successfully reinforces classroom learning in an alternative environment.

 References List

Hooper-Greenhill, E., 2007. Museums and Education: Purpose, Pedagogy, Performance. Abingdon: Routledge.

Line, F., 2013. Cardiff Castle Museum. [Online] Available at: http://www.cardiffcastlemuseum.org.uk/ [Accessed 20th March 2013].

 

Play

Play has been found to be extremely important in the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of children (Bruce, 1996). Play is difficult to define but Macintyre (2001) outlines certain characteristics which make an activity play; it gives pleasure and is enjoyable, it does not have a prescribed goal or outcome and so can be abandoned freely and the child has chosen to participate or initiate the play.

The idea of play being incorporated into young children’s education and its importance for their development began in Germany with Friedreich Froebel. He created the first Kindergarten in 1840 after observing German peasant children playing naturally (Saracho & Spodeck, 1998). Froebel was the pioneer for play in early education and psychologists such as Piaget and Vygotsky have since emphasised its importance in their theories of children’s cognitive development (Faulkner, 1998). Mildred Parton observed children’s play in much more detail in 1932 from a more social perspective. She was able to see several different stages of play taking place. According to Parton solitary independent play often seen in children aged nought to two years old is when a child is playing alone and separately from others, parallel activity is when a child is playing beside others using the same or similar toys but not participating with others and can usually be seen in children aged two to three years old, associative play occurs at around three to four years and is when a child is participating in group play where there is no attempt for any member to direct other children, and co-operative play is when a child is participating in group play which has a set goal or end product to be achieved and where one or two members will direct or control the play and/or determine who is and is not included, this type of play will usually take place at around age four and above (Faulkner, 1998).

Play can be categorised into several different types. Active play is physical and includes things like jumping and kicking, constructive play is the child putting mental blue prints into physical form using things such as building blocks, make believe play involves imitation and using people or things as representations of other things and games with rules involve co-operative play and an understanding of the need to take your turn, obey the rules and record scores (Sheridan, 2011).

Froebel believed that ‘Play is the highest level of child development’ (Lilly 1967, p.83). Play is now recognised as an essential element of children's education. Play forms the basis for the UK’s foundation phase/stage, America’s Kindergarten, the Montessori approach and many other early years practices across the world. For most children playing comes completely naturally and does not need to be taught and this is where its benefits lie. Playing is the expression of a child’s natural curiosity to explore and make sense of their world and educational practices that exploit play to its full potential can only prove beneficial to children.

The video demonstrates children taking part in what Parton describes as co-operative play. It’s clear that the boy with black curly hair has taken on the role of leader and is attempting to direct the play and the other children.

References List

Bruce, T., 1996. Helping Young Children to Play. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Faulkner, D., 1998. Play, Self and the Social World. In P. Barnes, ed. Personal, Social and Emotional Development of Children. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. pp.232-85.

Lilly, I.M., 1967. Friedrich Froebel: A Selection from his Writings. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Macintyre, C., 2001. Enhancing Learning Through Play. London: David Fulton Publishers.

Saracho, O.N. & Spodeck, B., 1998. Multiple Perspectives on Play in Early Childhood. New York: State University New York Press.

Sheridan, M.D., 2011. Play in Early Childhood: From Birth to Six Years. 3rd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

 

Forest Schools

 

Forest school is the idea of using a forest as a learning environment which began in Scandinavia. The UK took on this idea in the 1950’s and it has since proved especially popular in early years, key stage one and foundation phase/stage teaching. However, forest school can be useful for children of any age.  The forest school ethos is to “encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences over an extended period of time” (Forest Schools, 2012). It can help to develop motor skills, independence, personal and social skills and awareness of the environment in children. It gives the opportunity for all learning styles to be used, for practical activities to be undertaken and helps to extend cross-curricular teaching (Lamb, 2011).

Forest schools are able to successfully address many of the learning outcomes set out in the Welsh governments’ framework for children’s learning in the foundation phase. For example six out of the seven areas of learning come with specific recommendations that children should be given the opportunity to experience outdoor learning (Welsh Assembly Government, 2008). More specifically it helps to promote co-operative working, can form the basis of further classroom learning for almost any subject, can improve understanding of the local environment to name but a few. Liz O’Brien published a research report in 2008 which was made up of observations of children aged three to nine in forest school over an eight month period. O’Brien found children had developed in three overarching themes: social skills, motivation and concentration and new perspectives. In addition it could be seen that the children displayed an improved awareness of the impact of their actions on others, had better team work skills, increased creativity in play and improved vocabulary (O'Brien, 2009).

It’s easy to see how forest school can be successful in the foundation phase. In this setting it is often used as an environment for children to take part in creative play, where the teachers will take on the role of a facilitator and not direct or influence. The children play freely and the activities develop naturally with the teacher engaging in some questioning and/or sustained shared thinking. The video demonstrates the usefulness of forest school in key stage two where it is being used more formally than foundation phase/stage to extend subject specific classroom learning. The children are vocal about how much they enjoy putting into practice the theory they have already learnt.

In an age where technology seems to rule, especially for children, forest school can provide a setting for children to engage in some old fashioned outdoor play. This opportunity for outdoor learning and playing may be rare for some children whose school or home may not have a safe or suitable outdoor play area. Forest school can provide a safe environment for children to explore and play creatively, something which benefits their overall development. 

Forest Schools Website Link

References List

Government, W.A., 2008. Framework for Children's learning for 3 - 7 year olds in Wales. Government Report. Cardiff : Welsh Government Welsh Government.

Lamb, C., 2011. Forest School - A Whole School Approach. In Forest School for all. London: Sage. pp.29-40.

O'Brien, L., 2009. Learning Outdoors: The Forest School Approach. Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 37(1), pp.45-60.

Schools, F., 2012. www.forestschools.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.forestschools.com/ [Accessed 28 February 2013].