Collecting

According to (MacNaughton & Williams 2009) collecting is 'the process of gathering things together'. Collecting various items in the classroom can be used as a teaching strategy
which aims to enhance children's interest and learning about their natural, social and cultural worlds.

Collecting enhances numerous skills across all areas of development, one way this development can be facilitated is through a collection of leaves. Since it is Autumn now children may collect leaves which can be sorted into different categories such as shape, colour and size. By collecting and sorting children's cognitive skills are enhanced as they classify and match the leaves.

The educator can also use open questions about the leaves such as 'Where could we find more leaves like this?'
This type of question could relate to place thought as children may become more interested in the environment and want to collect, touch, smell, question other types of leaves and plants.


What are some other examples of collecting you can think of? What areas of development are enhanced/ what skills are enhanced with the example of collecting you have thought of?

Can they be linked to past-present, learning to be affected or place thought in any way?





References:MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2009, Techniques for teaching young children; choices for theory and practice, 3rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, NSW.

Past present - Beginning to recognise a place for Early Childhood Education in Australia

In chapter three of Disrupting Early Childhood Research (2016) there is a section that briefly describes the Early Childhood Education field in New Zealand. In New Zealand the Early Childhood Education field includes children from birth through to five years old and free compulsory state schooling is provided for children between ages five to eighteen years. However, Early Childhood Education is not free and not provided for by the Government, much like here in Australia.

Research has shown that teaching and learning in the early years influences children’s learning and development in the future (Goodfellow, 2009; Otto, 2014). Due to these findings the Government, over the last two decades, has showed interest in developing the Early Childhood Education field through funding and regulation. 

My question to you is should Early Childhood Education become free like state schooling in the near future? Whatever your answer, what are your reasons behind your decision and how do you think it will affect the ongoing learning and development of our children in the future?



References:
Disrupting early childhood

Goodfellow, J 2009, The early years learning framework: getting started, Early Childhood Australia Research in Practice Series.

Otto, B 2014, Language development in early childhood, Pearson, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Linking Demonstration with Place Thought

For week 3 I read chapter 4 from Techniques for Teaching Young Children. This chapter was about demonstrating which I found very useful. 

MacNaughton, G & Williams, G (2009, p.48) states that demonstration is seen as 'a useful technique for teaching children to respect the environment'.  

I've thought about this reference and how it could be linked to place thought in an early childhood setting. The more time children spend outside the more they are attuned to the different sounds, movements, and fragrances from outside. The more time they spend outside the more they learn to respect the world around them, this is especially true if educators demonstrate their enjoyment in nature as well.

My question for this week is what types of sustainable practices could you, as an educator, demonstrate to your future students  so they can begin to learn how to respect the environment more?

One example I thought of was if children are particularly interested in the different trees and plants in the garden outside and want to continue to see them blossom and grow the educator may demonstrate how to conserve water when washing hands. This way children, over time, will begin to understand the importance of water conservation and the effects it has on the plants that grow in their garden.

References:
MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2009, Techniques for teaching young children; choices for theory and practice, 3rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, NSW.