Placement and connecting it to place

I decided to write up my blog a little early this week as today was my first day of first-year placement. I wanted to write about it while the experience is still fresh in my mind.

It was nice to meet new families and children in the area I was placed and found my mentors and play group teacher very nice. It was nice to see the children having fun playing and engaging in various activities that were set up such as playdough, painting, book corner ect.

One thing that was a concern of mine (and others in my group) is how can we can engage children in learning about place. Everything in the classroom was made of plastics and the children arent allowed outside when the school students are out so I was left wondering though the session what to do.

We had a de-briefing at the end of the session where the girls in my group and I talked about ways we could incorporate learning about place into the program in week 2 without overwhelming the children too much.

In week 2 we will be taking the older children on a nature walk while the yard is empty where the children can collect leaves, bark ect. and really think about the environment. Inside we will have a painting station where children will paint with leaves, bark, small ferns ect. instead of paint brushes. We will also have a big collage set up where children can collaborate and glue leaves, barks and so on onto a large piece of paper stuck onto the table.    

It would be nice to know how everyone else found their first day at placement. What did you like? What didn't you like? What experiences will you be doing next week that relates to the content in class?

Blended Learning

Activity - "receptable" for knowledge

I didn't have to think for long about the questions on this slide before all these horrible memories of boring, teacher-led lessons from secondary school hit me. It makes me want to quiver in my shoes thinking of being back in class, especially on a double period, the teacher going on and on for what felt like an eternity, all this new information we were meant to soak up like sponges. We had no choice but to sit in our chairs, look and listen to the teacher at the front of the room talk about the topic of interest for the next 2 hours because we had a test coming up on that we needed to pass. Can you think of anything worse? ... neither can I. 

Looking back on my high school education I can definitely see the concept of banking education come into play. The classes I were in were rote and teacher lead, based on the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing.

The concept of banking education can apply to certain aspects of education however, every student learns and develops differently. If one way of teaching/ learning is unsuccessful the educator needs to employ a strategy that is better suited to the interests and needs of their students.

Can teaching be organised around schedules, recipes?

I don't believe so. I believe there no one way to be a successful teacher. Teachers need to be able to meet the interests and needs of their students in an environment that changing all the time

Reggio Emilia Questions

CHILDREN

Write down some of the things that you see and hear children doing?In the video the children are playing and painting. The are curious about the environment and discussing various topics of interest. 

What were children interested in?The children were interested in water, animals and building. 

Write down the ways that children are actively engaged with the environment.The children are engaged with the environment through the bird feeders and making environments for animals. 

Write down the ways children are socially interacting.Children are socially interacting by talking about their works, listening and working in teams. 

In what ways are children viewed as capable and competent?The children are able to decide what they want to do with little assistance from the adults. 

EDUCATOR

Write down the things that educators do?The educators plan for and observe the children. They allow the children to do what interests them.

How do educators prepare the environment?Parents helped with various activities and experts set up things outside.

How do educators work together?They discuss notes and other things through meetings and plan learning experiences for the children. 

What does the atelierista do?Helps the educators to create learning experiences that are based on activities the children show an interest in. 

Strategies I could use to co construct learning with children 
I can encourage children to uncover, express and share meaning with others by encouraging the children to share what they think and know.

Learning to be affected - Archie Roach

This song is by Archie Roach called 'Took the children away'. I came across it while visiting the Bunjilaka exhibit at the Melbourne Museum. 

This story's right, this story's true
I would not tell lies to you
Like the promises they did not keep
And how they fenced us in like sheep.
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land.
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away, 
Took the children away,
The children away.
Snatched from their mother's breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away.

The welfare and the policeman
Said you've got to understand
We'll give them what I want. 
Teach them how to really live.
Teach them how to live they said
Humiliated them instead
Taught them that and taught them this
And others taught them prejudice.
You took the children away
The children away
Breaking their mothers heart
Tearing us all apart
Took them away

One dark day on Framingham
Come and didn't give a damn
My mother cried go get their dad
He came running, fighting mad
Mother's tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground.
He said 'You touch my kids and you fight me'
And they took us from our family.
Took us away
They took us away
Snatched from our mother's breast
Said this was for the best
Took us away.

Told us what to do and say
Told us all the white man's ways
Then they split us up again
And gave us gifts to ease the pain
Sent us off to foster homes
As we grew up we felt alone
Cause we were acting white
Yet feeling black

One sweet day all the children came back
The children came back
The children came back
Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The children came back
Said the children came back
The children came back
Back where they understand
Back to their mother's land
The children came back
Back to their mother 
Back to their father 
Back to their sister 
Back to their brother 
Back to their people
Back to their land 
Oh the children came back 
The children came back 
The children came back 
Yes I came back

Archie Roach was institutionalised and then fostered. These are very sad lyrics from his past experiences. 

By 'learning to be affected' I am trying to engage in this scenario of when Archie and many others were taken away. For a second I want to put myself in Archie's shoes and look at this scenario from a different perspective. I wonder how I would feel If I was young and In Archie's shoes?   

My question to everyone is how do we as educators learn to be affected when in comes to the stolen generation of Aboriginal people? What can we do to begin to close the gap?