P O S I T I V E R E L AT I O N S H I P S
I N T H E E A R LY Y E A R S
Child-Initiated
Learning
JENNIE LINDON & LIZ ROUSE
Published in 2013 by Teaching Solutions
PO Box 197, Albert Park 3206, Australia
Phone: +61 3 9636 0212
Fax: +61 3 9699 9242
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.teachingsolutions.com.au
Copyright © Jenny Lindon & Liz Rouse 2013
ISBN 978-1-921613-51-7
Contents
Putting children’s interests at the centre of your program
5
What does child-initiated mean? ...................................................... 5
What does adult-led mean? ............................................................ 7
A balance between child-initiated and adult-led ............................... 10
What is meant by individualised learning? ...................................... 12
The role of early years educators
17
Being a partner in play ................................................................. 17
Positive and supportive environments ............................................ 20
Communicative adults: communicative children ............................... 23
What is sustained shared thinking? ................................................ 26
Leading a child-focused approach
33
Planning that pays off for children ................................................. 33
Promoting active first-hand experiences ......................................... 35
Observation to work alongside children’s interests ............................ 38
A learning environment that welcomes ........................................... 43
Respect for physically active play .................................................. 47
Notes ............................................................................................ 50
References .................................................................................... 51
Putting children’s interests
at the centre of your
program
Y
oung children have only one go at their
perspective on early childhood. Quality Area 1
early childhood.
of the NQS identifies that each child’s current
▪ They should emerge with a store of
knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests
treasured memories, secure that they really
should be the foundation of the program
matter to a small number of adults with
(Element 1.1.2). One way that educators
whom they have spent their time.
achieve this is by supporting children in
▪ Those adults are responsible for cherishing
young children, ensuring that they feel liked
for who they are and competent within their
own world.
▪ Children need an early childhood in which
they have plenty of time to explore alongside
adults who respect young children’s interests
and how they learn.
contexts where they initiate the learning.1 The
EYLF outlines that in practice, educators should
provide a balance between child-led, childinitiated and educator-supported learning.2 The
ideas that follow are linked closely with the NQS
and the EYLF as guiding and supporting practice
of educators across the early years sector.
childhood education and care has been that
What does child-initiated
mean?
every day should be full of opportunities for
The National Quality Framework, through the
children to learn within a nurturing
NQS and the EYLF, has created a strong focus
environment, through their self-chosen play and
on the importance of child-initiated learning
with generous time outdoors. The role of
through framing educator practice to
supporting adults is to protect that time,
encompass children’s active choice about what
provide suitable resources and be a friendly play
to do within any set day. The role of early years
and conversational partner, while taking good
educators is that of supporting young children
care of the physical and emotional needs of
to learn at their own pace and in ways that
babies and young children.
make sense to them. Educators do this by
Genuinely helpful early childhood educators —
‘enhancing child-initiated experiences by
and parents too — need to have realistic
providing additional resources and, where
expectations based on a close relationship with
appropriate, participating in and extending their
Best practice over the long history of early
this individual baby or child, as well as a sound
play’.3
basis of child development knowledge and an
The EYLF affirms the the importance of play
understanding of how children learn.
incorporating a balanced mix of adult-led and
Both the National Quality Standard, and the
child-initiated activity by creating ‘a context for
Early Years Learning Framework support this
learning through which children organise and
make sense of their social worlds, as they
Putting children’s interests at the centre of your program
5
engage actively with people, objects and
4
representations.’
So what does the phrase ‘child-initiated’ actually
mean? In the Oxford English Dictionary, the
word ‘initiate’ is defined as to ‘begin,
commence, enter upon, to introduce, set going,
decide what deserves their time and full
attention on any given day. When learning is
child initiated ‘the educator recognises and
responds to spontaneous teachable moments
that arise in and from play and experiences
initiated by the children.’5
originate’. So, child-initiated experiences are
Best early years practice is full of young
those which babies or children have indicated
children busy following their own enterprises,
they want to do and in this way. The children
fully supported by equally interested adults.
are the originators; they set this current activity
This book is resourced by examples gained from
going from what is available to them. Through
visits to a range of settings and programs
their personal choice, young children —
across the broad early years sector. Here is the
including babies and young toddlers — are busy
first example to begin the process of sharing
directing their own learning.
what child-initiated learning looks like for real
They can do something that is interesting or
exciting to them and then repeat it immediately
if they wish. They can practise those skills they
are motivated to improve. They explore through
actions and their powers of communication,
using what they want to show or ask you. The
phrase ‘child-initiated learning’ can only make
sense when children have plenty of scope to
children in actual programs. Please look for
echoes of your own good practice in this
description.
FOR EXAMPLE: The drummers who
became plumbers
An absorbing child-initiated experience stretched
over close to 40 minutes in the afternoon at Hillside
Early Childhood Centre. It started when three boys
started drumming and tapping on the outdoor
equipment with the spades from the sandpit.
This choice meant that there were no more
spades in the sand area, so one educator
suggested, ‘Shall we go and find some sticks
inside. I’m sure we have some.’ The children
came back with handfuls of sticks – some
wooden chopsticks and some long paintbrushes, which they held by the brush end.
Five children – four boys and one girl – started to
drum on the fixed outdoor cylinders that
reverberated like drums. The children used
different techniques, then one boy tapped
one stick onto his other stick and told the
educator, ‘That’s what real drummers do.’
One boy started to tap two drum cylinders at
the same time. The girl was experimenting
with tapping the metal bars of the bridge
structure of their outdoor climbing
equipment.
Another educator joined the children and
began to experiment with his own rhythm,
also using two chopsticks. He didn’t suggest
that the children – now three boys – copy him;
he was playing alongside. But they chose to
6
Child-Initiated Learning
imitate some of the rhythmic patterns that the adult
had created. He and the boys continued to drum
together in companionable sound-making, sometimes
keeping very close to a shared beat. After some time,
this educator moved to join the girl who was still
experimenting with tapping the metal bars of the
bridge.
Effective early years educators understand the
When next observed, the boy drummers had moved
across to the other side of the garden and,
accompanied by other boys, were now on their knees
in a line where the firm surface joined the soft earth.
Everyone was single-mindedly digging at the very
edge of the garden with their sticks. The educator
who was with the drummers at the outset was sitting
and watching the boys. Her open-ended question
about what was happening brought the reply, ‘We’re
fixing the pipes, because the water’s stuck in there
and we’re going to get it out.’ Chopsticks were now
being used as tools to make holes in the earth. One
boy was twisting his chopstick and explained, ‘I’m
going to get these screws out to fix the pipe.’
teachable moments as they occur, using them
The conversation and the hard digging work
continued for another 15 minutes or so. There was
conversation between the children – in the end a
team of six plumbers, including one girl. Two
educators were close by, one of whom was digging
with the children. The plumbers were sure that they
had to find the pipes, which at one point became
cables, and that it was definitely not a good idea for
water to get stuck. There was some discussion
around what they would have to do when they finally
reached the pipes.
One of the educators explained afterwards to me that
the centre had been flooded recently due to water
overflowing, and one family had experienced a
similar problem at home. Either of these events could
have been behind the pretend play sequence.
What does adult-led
mean?
Child-initiated experiences are not better than
adult-led — no more than experiences
organised by adults are of a higher quality than
those initiated by the children. The two broad
types work in different ways, and educators
need to create a balance between the two.
difference and, within a suitably flexible day,
there will not be a firm division between childinitiated and adult-led, but rather a flexible toand-fro. The educator provides a balance
between child-led, child-initiated and educatorsupported learning and recognises spontaneous
to build on children’s learning.6
In adult-led learning, the educator has
purposefully selected this time to encourage a
specific aspect of learning or to discuss
something in particular. The educator takes a
leading role, building on the interests and
initiations of the children, to enhance and
support an aspect of children’s learning and
development, leaving scope for children to
influence what happens and where to take the
learning further.
An adult-led activity could be a small group
time, whole group mat time, or a planned
experience created in response to an idea
stemming from children’s prior interests. In
adult-led learning, the educator purposefully
plans the learning experiences, the learning
strategies and the outcomes they are seeking to
address — reflecting on why this learning
experience is important — and initiates the
experience with the children through
intentionally arousing or capitalising on the their
interests.
FOR EXAMPLE
At Wonderland Childcare Centre, Owen, the assistant
room leader, was playing a simple board game with
Harry (aged 4). They had a large dice with either one
or two dots on each side. The aim of the game was to
move around the supermarket board, picking up
items of (pretend) fruit and vegetables from the
spaces and adding them to their own little basket.
This activity is a good example of an adult as a
supportive play partner, enabling children to engage
in a chosen activity which would be unlikely to be
possible without the adult.
The pair were joined by Eva (aged 3), who asked if she
could also play. Eva and Harry were very focused:
taking turns to throw the dice, identifying the one or
two dots, counting their moves on the board and
Putting children’s interests at the centre of your program
7
working out if they had, or had not, gained a piece of
fruit or vegetable this time. Owen also took part in the
game and he was ready to help Eva, who was a less
confident counter. The two children, out of choice,
usually repeated the name of the food they had
gained for their basket. They wanted another go and
then a third child arrived and asked to join.
The three children played another full game,
with Owen focused on showing the new
player how the game worked. He
continued to support the play discretely,
guiding with, ‘Can you pass the dice
to Eva, please’, confirming that the throw
was one or two and guiding, if necessary,
the direction of counting to move the
pieces. Sometimes he helped the children
to anticipate the play with, ‘If you get one,
you’ll get the onion. If you get two …’
There is no direction in the NQS that
there should be a given number of
group or mat times. Certainly all adultled activity should not just be during
carpet time, circle time or other forms
of getting young children together in a group in
which there is a need for listening as well as
talking.
When using these opportunities for adult-led
learning it is important for the educator to be
clear about the intent and identified learning
shared conversation about something of direct
interest. However, adult-led experiences are not
exclusively about a group time, scheduled or
not.
outcome of this group learning experience. By
Thoughtful educators and teams also consider
having a clear intent, the educator can then
what kind of shared group time works for young
determine how and when to group the children,
children and the most sensible timing within a
and how many children need to participate in
day or session. Is it always appropriate to have
the group, as well as make decisions on why all
whole group time each day? Whose interests
children may or may not need to participate.
does having all the children sitting together for
It is reasonable to say that, especially for young
a lengthy period of time serve?
children, small groups are more supportive for
An important question to ask when planning a
children to engage with the learning. A small
group time experience is what leads you to
group might be defined as being no larger than
believe that bringing young children together in
one in which the guiding adult could easily
a focused group time is the best approach. What
stretch out and touch each child, and this is
are you hoping to offer them, in what ways are
particularly important for younger children. If
your plans directly linked with children’s current
the group gets much larger than this size, you
interests and understanding and — just as
will not hold the attention of those young
important — what makes you think an adult-led
children who cannot get close to you.
group is the best way to support this focus of
Adult-led experiences might be those which
include a small group of children in a focused,
8
Child-Initiated Learning
learning?
Any adult-led or initiated activity should have
plenty of scope for children to influence the
Reflection on practice
direction of the activity. Any plans for group
Consider all the different aspects of learning
time need to be open-ended, and any small
that are reflected in this example from Garfield
group circle time should not be planned down to
Preschool. Think about the events recalled and
the last detail, although there should be a broad
planned and the children’s ability to participate
outcome and aim identified before initiating a
in and enjoy this kind of discussion.
group time experience. Key participants should
be included, based on levels of interest and
Educators might introduce children to a
individual focus. This allows for the experience
particular material, skill or idea then, over time,
to be open enough for the children to take the
direct adult help will be needed less because
lead.
children become adept at this skill or area of
knowledge and can operate independently. This
FOR EXAMPLE:
At Garfield Preschool, the two teachers come together
with their groups at the beginning and end of each
morning and afternoon. For the rest of the day, the
children experience free flow between the wellresourced indoor and outdoor environment shared
by the two classes and the team of four educators.
is known as ‘scaffolding’, a tem introduced by
The focus of these group times is that children reflect
on what has happened, discuss evolving plans and
share their current projects. The adult facilitates the
conversational exchanges and individual contributions.
But the reception team are consistent that their role is
not to teach children along pre-planned and firmly
adult-led lines.
become more competent and confident, they do
Several children discussed their morning activity.
Marie, a focus child for this week (see page 34),
discussed her plans for a puppet theatre. She showed
her frame and described her frustration that it kept
breaking. The teacher added that she had asked
someone else for advice and the suggestion was that
they needed to focus on making ‘strong corners’ for
the frame. Other children joined actively in the
discussion about how to solve this practical problem.
Another child had done a drawing of the theatre,
which the adult referred to as ‘your design’. The
children talked about the project some more and then
Marie used puppets, and three chosen child
companions to tell her created story.
assistance. Sometimes children want you as an
By the end of the day come-together time Marie had
finalised her narrative – a version of the Sleeping
Beauty story. She told her story with a puppet and a
theatre created out of an open cardboard box. She
was followed by another girl who told yet another
version of Sleeping Beauty through four characters
represented by paper shapes fixed to lolly sticks.
in providing these first-time experiences for
Bruner and then taken up by Vygotsky in
describing how adults guide and lead children’s
learning.
Children will appreciate your help and guidance
with a skill or area of knowledge that is
currently more of a puzzle to them. As they
not need the same level of adult support and
guidance. While you continue to be important to
them, because you have a sustained
relationship that has been built over time you
can now let go and step back a little while the
children continue the learning with just a bit of
admiring companion who responds swiftly to,
‘Look, look!’ Young children act so as to engage
educators and should be confident that, of
course, the adults would be just as interested or
excited.
Young children cannot ask to do something
again, such as go to the market, until they have
done it at least once before. There are many
valuable experiences that will not be available
to them without some prior organisation and
guidance from a familiar adult. Educators need
to seek out and acknowledge the parent as the
first and most important educator of their child,
their children. These valuable experiences will
travel with children from their family time to the
early years setting.
Older twos and over threes will often tell you
about interesting times from their home life.
Putting children’s interests at the centre of your program
9
Continued and open communication with
what you can do with a large cardboard box if
families is the vital channel when babies and
nobody gives them this kind of open-ended
very young children cannot share their
resource. Adults are also crucial because they
experiences in words.
organise the timing and flow of a day that
Within the EYLF, intentional teaching has been
identified as one of the key principles for early
years practice. ‘Intentional teaching involves
educators being deliberate, purposeful and
welcomes young children to pursue their
consuming interest in, for example, how you
run a garage, real and pretend, and to initiate
spontaneous conversations.
thoughtful in their decisions and action. [It] is
Child-initiated experiences have been freely
the opposite of teaching by rote or continuing
chosen by individual children or small groups of
with traditions simply because things have
friends. The adult role is to come alongside as a
‘always’ been done that way.’7 Intentional
friendly play companion, a partner in
teaching is more than just adult led learning; it
conversation or sometimes just as an interesting
requires a combination of adult-directed, adult-
onlooker, who is learning from this informal
initiated and child-initiated learning.
observation, and to build the learning and
▪ Adults cannot lead an activity without
development as co-constructor with the children.
initiating it — but what is the starting point?
What has set off the train of thought or
hands-on exploration that the adult is
leading? Why has it been determined that
this is the experience and learning focus that
the adult will lead?
▪ Any adult-led activity should have emerged
from your knowledge of the children with
whom you spend your days, your
observation of what currently interests
children, and your observations of their
strengths and capabilities. You can only lead
learning effectively by starting with the
interests of these babies or children. How
effective would an adult-led project on the
beach be if none of the children had ever
been to the beach, or at least not in recent
times.
Links to your practice
Some educators are confused about what
exactly is covered by the term ‘child-initiated’.
One issue raised is: how can young children
truly initiate any activity, because an adult has
always done something? Is this a question for
you, or something that puzzles your team?
The answer is that, of course, young children
can only begin a chosen enterprise with the
available resources and within their learning
environment, which adults determine. Toddlers
cannot embark on a sustained exploration of
10
Child-Initiated Learning
A balance between childinitiated and adult-led
The EYLF promotes a balance between childinitiated and adult-led experiences, while
leaving educators to make decisions on what
this might look like in their own practice. The
Effective Provision of Pre-school Education
(EPPE)8 research identified several messages:
▪ The most effective early years settings — in
terms of children’s learning — had a balance
of about two-thirds child-initiated
experiences to one-third adult-initiated
experiences.
▪ The best programs had a pattern in which
educators came alongside and supported the
children’s learning and development in about
half of those child-initiated experiences.
▪ What is of most importance is not the
amount or balance of adult-led and childinitiated learning that occurs, but the way
educators actually behave when they are
interacting and engaging with young
children. Adult actions and communicative
interaction make the difference for children
within child- and adult-initiated experiences.
Research reports such as those by SirajBlatchford et al show clearly that the most
effective early years settings have alert
educators who are ready to be part of children’s
game?’ Her idea was to create a moving walkway
with the technique that the children chose to use
again on following day (the day discussed above).
freely chosen play and conversation, but
without taking over that experience for their
own adult purposes.9 Genuinely helpful adults
offered comments — not a stream of directive
questions — and they joined in the play on
children’s terms. The research has also tracked
the significant impact of a positive homelearning environment, and a strong partnership
between families and educators.
Best practice is that there is a relaxed flow
between experiences that are initiated by
children, those initiated by adults and who leads
at any given time. Adults are partners in the
play and conversation. When an educator
supports the child to lead the learning they are
acknowledging and respecting that child as a coconstructor and are enabling the learning to take
a path that may not have been apparent to the
educator.
FOR EXAMPLE: The moving walkway
At Ladybirds ELC , three children were working their
way across a significant stretch of the outdoor area
towards the door to the inside of the centre. They had
a system of four milk crates, which formed the basic
walkway. But they moved forward by the child at the
end lifting up a crate, passing it along to the front
child who put down in front to form the next
section. Sometimes they had two crates
moving from back to front at the same time.
On the first occasion, children had constructed a
substantial walkway all across the garden. The
educator had then introduced the idea of awarding a
medal. On the day outlined in the example, the
educator had already printed a sequence of photos
from the earlier enterprise, creating a long visual
story of the milk crate walkway. The run of photos
was laminated and displayed, as well as the educator
discretely checked whether the current structure had
shifted and needed to be realigned.
The milk crate structure continued to be extended by
the children. The afternoon group built further on
what had been left from the morning. It became a
longer structure with lower sections which enabled a
queue to form – and children chatted as they moved
patiently towards their turn. Access to the structure
also then included two wooden planks. By the end of
the afternoon, two children were attempting, within
their individual turn, to move along the plank on their
stomachs, moving their hands and pulling themselves
along.
The children focused on their system, taking
care with placement. They had an efficient
and relatively speedy approach. One child
announced what was clearly the aim of the
whole team: ‘We’re going to get all the way to
the door, OK!’ When the walkway team had
almost made it to their goal, another child
called out, ‘And I’m going to give you a medal.’
As the children triumphantly stepped off at
the door, an adult close by said, ‘Well done!
You did it!’
There was a back story to this child-initiated
event. Earlier in the week, an educator had
noticed the enthusiasm with which children
were building with the generous store of milk
crates available in the outdoor space. She
suggested, ‘Would you like to try a new
Putting children’s interests at the centre of your program
11
Links to your practice
You aim for a positive continuity between the
▪ In what ways have you created direct links
between family life and children’s experience
during their time with you?
children’s home life and their time with you.
Partnerships with families starts from first
reflect a child’s existing interests when they join
What is meant by
individual learning?
you. There is no sense in trying to make the two
When planning for either child-initiated or adult-
sources of experience identical. However, there
led learning it is also important to have an
is every need to make connections for and with
understanding of the child as an individual, and
children between the different parts of their life.
also how this child learns in the context of the
contact, and what you understand from those
early conversations helps you to respect and
▪ In one early learning centre a child was
intrigued by knights and castles. He brought
he or she engages in. Understanding each
in his favourite book about the subject which
child’s individual learning and development,
led to some enthusiastic building. A parent
skills and knowledge, strengths and interests is
whose child also attends the setting had a
important for planning meaningful and engaging
large collection of Lego knights they had
learning experiences. However, it is also
enjoyed as a child. He brought these to the
important to understand the influences that
centre for the children to use, which
have impacted on this learning and develop-
supported and extended the children’s
ment. Social constructivist theory of learning
imagination, play and engagement in the
outlines that individuals learn through
topic. It also then led to the children ‘writing’
interactions with others, and it is this theory that
and illustrating a number of fairy tales based
has shaped early years practice in recent times.
on their prior understanding of knights,
The EYLF presents a framework for educators to
princesses and literature genres, which the
reflect the rich and personalised experience that
educator ‘published’ as books for the children
many parents give their children at home by
to use in the library corner.
identifying partnerships as a key principle for
▪ In a large inner city long day care setting,
guiding educator practice. Partnerships with
the children are regularly taken on excursions
families based on trust, respect and mutual
to explore the immediate surrounds of the
understanding and which recognise that parents
centre. Each room has its own ‘My Local
are the first and most influential teachers for
Community Book’, which documents their
their children lead to positive outcomes for
experiences of their neighbourhood visits.
children.10 Like parents, educators should
Children add their drawings and emergent
deliver individualised experiences that enhance
writing, or explain to an adult to scribe what
the development of the children in their care
they want written. The books and the
and gives those children the best possible start
substantial wall display in the centre foyer
in life.
also include what some children do on
Early years practice should be a personalised,
outdoor trips with their own family. One
home-like experience — wherever it takes
example was a description of what two
place. Children should be supported to develop
children had enjoyed as they watched the
their individuality their individual potential and
boats in the harbour on the weekend — an
sense of identity in nurturing, responsive and
experience they also raised in spontaneous
calming environments, where educators provide
conversation during the next outing of their
respectful interactions that foster and promote a
room. The parents brought in some photos of
positive sense of self and self-worth in each and
the family outing which were included in the
every child.
foyer display.
12
social and cultural experiences and interactions
Child-Initiated Learning
It is crucial to their future success that
children’s earliest experiences help to build a
secure foundation for learning that can be
further built throughout their school years
and beyond. Educators must be sensitive
to the individual development of each
child to ensure that the experiences
they undertake are suitable for the
stage they have reached. Children
need to be stretched and challenged,
but not pushed beyond their
capabilities, so they can
continue to enjoy learning.
Vygotsky spoke of working
within a child’s zone of proximal
development11 where educators
can support children through
scaffolding their learning
through supporting and
encouraging their confidence
and skill development.
Early years educators play a
key role in helping young children
to stretch from their current skills and
understanding — and to ensure that every child
receives an enjoyable and challenging learning
and development experience that is tailored to
involvement with children’s chosen play and away
from trying to organise the play in advance. Their
approach focuses on how to provide continuity of
learning, to view a situation and experiences through
children’s eyes. The team describes the approach as
‘picking up the threads running through children’s
learning’ and they adjust this perspective as
appropriate for the full age range from babies to 4year-olds who attend the centre. Here are two
examples of how educators brought individualised
learning alive.
meet their individual needs.
Individual or personalised learning is definitely
not about detailed written plans of everything
that will be made available for each child and in
what way. Respect for children as individuals
sits comfortably with a flexible approach to
forward planning and plenty of adult attention
for creating an interesting and easily accessible
learning environment from which children can
choose and organise themselves. Educators
cannot possibly take an individual approach if
they have embraced a one-size-fits-all in terms
of planned experiences.
FOR EXAMPLE
At the Parktown Early Years Learning Centre the team
has discussed at length the issues involved in creating
an environment in which adults are play partners with
babies, toddlers and children. They have reflected as a
team on how to put their energy into sustained
Going with the flow of very young
children’s immediate interests:
Best practice across the age range of early childhood
is to notice and respond to young children’s current
interests and the focus of their chosen efforts.
Educators need to be especially sensitive and in-themoment with babies, toddlers and very young
children. In the outdoor area of the under 3s,
educators remained alert to what had caught the
attention of toddlers and 2-year-olds.
Putting children’s interests at the centre of your program
13