"Instead of making kindergarten like the rest of school, we need to make the rest of school (indeed, the rest of life) more like kindergarten."
I remember kindergarten exactly the way Mitchel Resnick describes in his introduction paragraph about being a time to tell stories, draw pictures, and share. We had our "learning time" where our teacher taught us basic words and the sounds that the letters made, but it was nothing like the kindergarten that kids are going to now. Everything is so structured and students don't have a time to explore and learn on their own. I always think that it is so amazing how excited children will become when they discover something on their own. It might seem like something so basic and ordinary to us, but to them it is a big deal. I think it also gives them confidence and encouragement to try more things on their own.
"In traditional kindergartens, children are constantly designing, creating, experimenting, and exploring."
Recently schools are being encouraged to incorporate more higher order thinking skills into the classroom. Although there is so much that students need to learn it is incredibly hard to teach a higher order thinking skill when they are being lectured to from a book. I believe they need that type of learning, but what is being read to them can be expanded on so much if they are given the opportunity to "learn on their own". They need a chance to try and brainstorm and try new things to see what works. If you are teaching a lesson on simple machines, give them a variety of materials and let them design and create their own simple machines.
"How can we use new technologies to integrate play, design, and learning? One way is to provide children with the opportunity to design their own games."
As a teacher, how could you not LOVE this idea. Not only are you incorporating higher order thinking skills with your students, but as the teacher you are also learning. Kids have such great imaginations and can think of so many great things that may have not even crossed my mind. I am amazed at some of the ideas that kids can come up with for something that seems so simple.
Additional Resource:
Crisis in the Kindergarten- I thought this article went along great with what we read for this week. It discusses "play time" being taken out of kindergarten and early education to be replaced with a more structured curriculum. Here is just one point from the piece that I thought was a little disheartening. "All young children, not just those living in poverty, need the support of teachers who understand the value of play. For the fact is that most children today don’t have enough playtime even at home. Many affluent children now need help entering into creative play because of the surfeit of media and organized activities in their lives. They struggle to bring their own ideas to the fore. As one kindergarten teacher put it, “If I give the children time to play, they don’t know what to do. They have no ideas of their own.”
Thank-you so much for this resources! I'm giving it to all the elementary school teachers in my Inclusive Practices to read! I'm glad you recognize the importance of play in early childhood education!
ReplyDeleteWhen students are given assignments that allow them to be creative, they are using critical and creative thinking skills without even knowing. Sometimes when teachers force students to be creative, they are not as excited and do not have the confidence to learn that concept. We should trust our students and give them more opportunities to be creative.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is so much that is required to teach children. I believe that we have went from an exploration education world to a strict regiment that is not to be altered. Digital Technology could offer some relief in the way that it can help to cover the "required" material, as well as give the students a new medium in which to explore.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with what you said about everything being so structured that students are not finding the time to be learn on their own and be creative. I realize that some structure is a necessity, or chaos would ensue. However, if teachers would focus on trying to cover less of a variety of content, then they could spend a little more time allowing students to utilize higher order thinking skills, evoke creativity, and explore the subject or content matter more deeply. I feel that sometimes teachers rush through content just to have covered it, but that does not promote the highest level of learning; it does not provide the students with the opportunity to discover their own capabilities.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your link. The debate about kindergarten recess and playtime is definitely an important one; it will have a tremendous impact on the future of education. Play is not only a great learning tool, it is also an outlet for children to express themselves and break away from the regular structure that engulfs today's educational system.