Supporting Our Learners

*In response from week 1-Meghan and I spoke*

                  In the reading, “Bringing more than I contain’: ethics, curriculum and the pedagogical demand for altered egos” by Sharon Todd shares information from Cornelius Castoriadis about ontological violence in regards to teaching.  As educators, we want to refrain from only presenting our beliefs about education to the families of our students, however it will happen in some instances because we all have our own biases which we constantly work to overcome when working with our students and their families.

                  This article has some valid points and connections, but when we are talking to families and referring to our tiny students in kindergarten I would not explain learning as becoming as an “inherently violent activity where the social environment exacts a traumatic price from the psyche” (Todd, 2001). My biggest question that I take away from this article is how would I share the information in the article with families without using the psychological and philosophical language?

                  Todd cites Castoriadis and states that “educators teach in the hope that others will learn and change” which has been a large assumption within education (Todd, 2001). Later on, in the article she refers to a scenario that a student teacher experience while in a kindergarten classroom in which a student had an accident in her pants due to not be able to use the washroom during ‘O Canada’, In this scenario the teacher was ignoring the student in hopes that this would be a lesson they take from their accident and establish a routine, and potentially use the washroom before the morning announcements comes on. As teachers, we want our students to learn and change, but not in the same way this article describes. As a teacher, I want my students to change with what they learn, not change in order to learn

                  A quote that stood out to me in this article is that “the [student] learns to become a being in relation to others it encounters, learning values, behaviours and modes of thinking within the nexus of culture, language and social relations” which Castoriadis sees a violent influence (Todd, 2001). Majority of students, even people, learn by watching and doing which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it has negative impact when we encourage them to learn in ay that isn’t their own.

Reference

Todd, S. (2001). `Bringing more than I contain’: ethics, curriculum and the pedagogical demand for altered egos. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(4), 431-450. 

Materials in the Classroom

Materials in the Classroom

            Being an early childhood educator means knowing your children and knowing what they like and dislike. Having a classroom environment that encourages the students to investigate and solve problems based on their interest promotes an effective learning environment. Christina Vintimilla states in her article that an early childhood classroom must be set up in a way that allows for the students to explore the different materials that “must be simple, fast, diverse and, like a cat chasing its tail, ‘developmentally appropriate’.” (Vintimilla, 2016). At a young age, providing one simple material and allowing the children to use and create relatively anything would allow for greater inquiry because they have the flexibility of using the materials as they see and feel them.  For instance, a child will more likely enjoy painting with their fingers in comparison to asking them to pick up a paint brush and paint a flower with pink petals. Simply allowing the students to use the material is various ways is a step to promoting inquiry within the classroom.

            Mrs. Ricca’s Kindergarten blog has activity centers with various themes. The Halloween section of this blog has centers to math, literacy, science and art. Using themes can allow students to be more actively engaged in the work because it can appear to be more ‘fun’ for them. Play based education is often misconstrued as too much fun and not enough learning because educators are not actively involved in their teaching experiences (The Kindergarten Program, 2016). Play-based education provides space for children to learn through doing and exploring which is what The Kindergarten Program Manual outlines. The materials that are chosen are have to be purposefully. The materials will help students “express and think critically about ideas and emotions, as they listen and speak, view and represent, and begin to read and write” (Ministry of Education, 2016). In class, we spoke about how using materials does not have to be for one purpose. If paper was laid out, it can be used is various ways; after a real aloud, science lesson or even paired with other materials (paint, charcoal, pastel).

References

Vintimilla, C.D. (2016). Encounters with a pedagogista. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 1-11.

Ricca, N. (2013, October 3). Happy October! [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://mrsriccaskindergarten.blogspot.ca/search/label/Halloween

Ministry of Education (2016). The Kindergarten Program. Ontario: Queen’s Printer