Introduction

This blog is about the contexts in which people learn and why they are important to children. A variety of contexts are provided, with a personal reflective input where possible. The aim of this blog is to reflect upon the contexts of learning and give examples of the many different types of education that are available and examples of how children learn. Different critiques are provided for many of the topics covered, and also academics who support them.

The topics covered in this blog are:

• Play in the Early Years

• Indoor Learning Versus Outdoor Learning

• Thinking About Thinking

• Maria Montessori and The Montessori Approach

Play in the Early Years

    Play is a very important part of childhood, and one of which many people reminisce about. Yet there is much debate with academics and in politics about the value of play within the classroom setting, as play is often wrongly associated with not giving the child the ability to learn.

   On one hand, people agree that play assists with a child's learning, and 'allows children to be at their best' (Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, Singer, 2006, p.7). Both individual and group play is important, as group play would assist with communication skills, without the child actually realising it. Independent play would involve skills such as problem solving. These skills that are learnt through play are both significant to a child's development, as they are both crucial in later life.

   Beckley, (2014, p.30) found that play can be 'motivating and stimulating' in the context of learning. Therefore, play in the classroom would assist with learning as it would be able to motivate the children to learn and 

   On the other hand, there are critiques of engaging play within the education setting as it is today. For example, Clarke (1991, cited in Chitty, 2009, p.222) stated that schools were 'too play centred...there is a lot of the sticking together of egg boxes and playing in the sand'. This statement is still relevant today, as the way in which children play is the same, just with advances in technology in over twenty years has changed what children play with. Also, as suggested by Moyles (2010, p3) a problem lies with parents and academics that learning is more often than not been associated with 'formal lessons', and not with play.
   The Welsh Government have introduced into the curriculum for children aged 3 to 7 a Foundation Phase. Children in the foundation stage, because of the introduction of this by the Welsh Government learn through play. Play is natural for children and as the Welsh Government have observed, is valuable within the classroom environment to encourage learning and engage each individual in the lesson.
   

My Experience of Play

 From experience personally, and as an adult witnessing play in a primary school, play is a very important part of childhood and in the classroom setting. I found it rewarding to see children get excited about play, and what they can learn from certain aspects of it, especially if it was integrated within lessons. Play gives the pupils a chance to be involved with other children, working in groups, therefore learning essential skills such as communication skills and problem solving. They enjoyed play and when it is associated with work, the children were even more interested and engaged within the learning setting. 

Beckley, P. (2014) ‘Approaches in the early years: issues and reflections’, in Curtis et al (eds.) Education Studies: An Issue Based Approach. 3^rd edn. London: Sage, pp. 25-35

Chitty, C. (2009) Education Policy in Britain. 2^nd edn. London: Palgrave

Hirsh-Pasek, K, Golinkoff, R and Singer, D. (2006) Play= Learning: How Play Motivates and Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-emotional Growth. Oxford: Oxford University Press. EBook collection: EBSCOhost [Online]. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.v-ezproxy.smu.ac.uk/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE2NzczOV9fQU41?sid=0822b176-1c95-49dc-b079-46a08b22fb58@sessionmgr4002&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_3&rid=0 (Accessed: 29/11/2014)

Moyles, J. (ed) (2010) The Excellence of Play. 3^rd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press. EBook collection: dawsonera [Online]. Available at: https://www-dawsonera-com.v-ezproxy.smu.ac.uk/readonline/9780335240951/startPage/6 (Accessed: 03/12/2014)

Indoor Learning Versus Outdoor Learning

Much debate over outdoor learning has been generated in educational discussions, as it involves such a question about health and safety, and the number of forms needing to be completed by teachers. This provides children with a disadvantage, as they are not fulfilling the children's need to learn in different environments.

    

   The Welsh Government (2008) highlight the importance of outdoor education in the Foundation Phase for children in Wales. Outdoor and indoor learning environments are important to provide the child with a different experience of learning, and maybe even that learning is not just restricted to the classroom, it happens everywhere.

'Indoor and outdoor environments that are fun, exciting, stimulating and safe promote children’s development and natural curiosity to explore and learn through first-hand experiences.' (DCELLS, 2008, p.4)

According to Rickinson et al (2004 p. 15), learning in the outdoor environment is a 'broad and complex' concept, giving examples of different types of outdoor learning that could potentially be offered, such as outdoor adventure education, field studies' and 'agricultural education'. This suggests that there are almost no limits to the different types of outdoor education available. So if this is correct, why are many pupils experiencing little, or even sometimes no outdoor education?

Sports Day

   Personal experience of being in an outdoor learning environment was when the annual sports day took place. The children were all excited to get away from the classroom for a few hours, getting involved with the various activities available. The day put emphasis on physical education and the importance of sports. As parents were there, the children were excited to show them what they can do, and were encouraged by the parents to listen to the teachers and learn from the other older pupils what to do. Overall, the day was a great success as the pupils enjoyed themselves, and they learnt important skills such as working in a team, communication and their confidence increased as the day went on, as everyone was congratulated, no matter what they came, first and last place.

Rickinson et al. (2004) A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning. Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council.

Wales: Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, (2008) Framework for Children’s Learning for 3 to 7 year olds in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. [Online]. Available at: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/141111-framework-for-childrens-learning-for-3-to-7-year-olds-en.pdf (Accessed: 01/12/2014)

Thinking About Thinking

   What children learn in school has become a question of debate (Nutbrown, 1999) due to the introduction of the national curriculum in 1988. As this curriculum set out a guideline of what teachers should be teaching their pupils, people have been debating over what knowledge children need to know to prepare them for the future.
   Nottingham (2013) has suggested that a lot is debated in the media about what children learn in school, but little is asked about why children learn. It is a natural process for children to think and they want and need to learn about the world, to prepare them for the future.


   Philosophy for children (P4C) is a programme designed to introduce pupils to thinking about and questioning ideas, and as a group, feeding back and sharing those ideas. The programme is designed by Matthew Lipman, and it can be taught to both primary and secondary school pupils.
  Despite this, according to Daniel and Auriac, (2011), Lipman's approach to teaching philosophy for children is 'not philosophical in their essence.' The authors then go on to mention 'Piaget's theory of cognitive development', and that a child is not able to 'think critically and reflexively.' This argument suggests that the way that many children are taught Philosophy for Children around the world, is not logical, due to the fact that the children are not capable of thinking to that level.
   A typical session of the philosophy for children programme would involve the group of children sitting around in a circle, with the teacher. The lessons are very specifically designed to ensure that philosophical discussion reaches the highest quality. A book would be read, a different book is suggested for each age category. Everyone would be expected to allow others to speak when submitting their thoughts and questions back to the group, and the only way to be allowed to speak would be through a pupil putting their hand up.


Mind Map created by amybalsdon22 with ExamTime


Daniel, M. Auriac, E. (2011) ‘Philosophy, Critical Thinking and Philosophy for Children’, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Volume 43 Issue Number 5, pp. 415- 435. EBSCO [Online]. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.v-ezproxy.smu.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2ee110a1-0c32-484c-b280-3e433735e078%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4109 (Accessed: 08/12/2014)

Nottingham, J. (2013) Encouraging Learning: How You Can Help Children Learn. Oxon: Routledge

Nutbrown, C. (1999) Threads of Thinking. 2^nd edition. London: Sage.

The Montessori Approach

   '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, cited by Mooney, 2000)

 

   Maria Montessori was an Italian Physician who designed a new approach to education at her time. She became interested in the way that children learnt, and found that children who were not as privileged as those who had access to education, still learnt in the same way and according to Mooney (2000, p.22) she found that the 'problems existed not in the children, but in the adults'. This was considered almost revolutionary at the time, as many of the people blamed the children and the way that they had no access to an education.
   Although there are little schools/nurseries in the United Kingdom following Maria Montessori's approach to early years education, her impact to education is still visible to this day in standard schools. Montessori believed that the child should be the controller of his or her own learning, and the teacher should simply act as the observer, 'The instructions of a teacher consist merely of a hint, a touch - enough to give a start to the child.' (Montessori, 1965 cited in Isaacs, 2012, p.46) This was extremely different to the general teaching methods at the time, as children would have been sitting in rows in classrooms, listening to what the teacher was telling them, in the style of a formal lesson.

   Through using specifically designed furniture and toys, children in a Montessori school are able to shape their own learning, while the teacher acts as an observer, and as Isaacs (2012, p.13) suggests, observation as the 'key tool' for learning, 'cannot be disputed.'

   The Foundation Phase in Wales has also been influenced by Montessori's approach to education. As stated within a previous blog post, the Foundation Phase encourages learning through play, and contains certain ideas that can be seen in the Montessori Approach to Education. An example of the influence of the Montessori Approach to the Foundation Phase is 'Through their play, children practice and consolidate their learning with ideas, experiment, take risks, solve problems, and make decisions individually, in small and large groups.' (DCELLS, 2008, p.4).


Isaacs, B. (2012) Understanding the Montessori Approach in Brunton, P. and Thornton, L. (eds.) Early Years Education in Practice. Oxon: Routledge

Mooney, C, (2000) Theories of Childhood. St Paul, Minnesota: Redleaf Press

Wales: Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, (2008) Framework for Children’s Learning for 3 to 7 year olds in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. [Online]. Available at: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/141111-framework-for-childrens-learning-for-3-to-7-year-olds-en.pdf (Accessed: 01/12/2014)