When you think about your job as an educator, what do you think your role is?
For most of us, we'd probably say to teach children or to educate children.
But when we reflect on that, it's so much more.
Education is a broad term, and depending on where you sit on this
education journey or continuum, it will mean something different.
And I certainly hope you can't hear next door banging and I just wish they'd stop.
And of course education is changing and it's changing rapidly in this
technological age, we find ourselves in.
ipads and apps are now, the teacher's competition.
Technology is often more exciting for children, than what they're getting in
a classroom, or even in their own homes.
And this is where I see our role as educators and
parents a little differently.
. I see us, not just as facilitators of learning, but also as curators.
We need to create the spaces and the opportunities that make learning more
engaging than an app or a game on an iPad.
And I believe that technology has no place in an early childhood education.
Oh my golly gee wizz now the haters are all going to come out.
But this is because not only are studies coming out thick and fast
about how it affects young children's brain development or the way in
which children's brains are wired.
Technology is simply something that is consumed.
It's not active and there's no need for imagination.
Now
I know some of you will say that's rubbish.
Well, I can tell you this and I know many, many educators who have been
in a classroom for many years will attest to the fact that children's
behavior, their focus and their language acquisition have deteriorated
in line with access to technology.
And I know I have said it before, and perhaps it isn't so much the technology
itself, but rather the quality of the technology and the time spent on it,
that may be the problem, but either way technology is addictive and I
believe it does more harm than good to young children's developing brains.
Now, when we talk about young children and giving them experiences or
opportunities to engage in real learning, there is simply no comparison to real
life, to real hands-on experiences.
Even something like Minecraft, which could be very creative and has the
need for problem-solving, still cannot hold a candle to real life experiences.
When you're mixing something, whether it be cake batter or cement, you need to
have a feel for the consistency to know whether you're on the right track or not.
And no Minecraft game is going to give you that.
Feeding chickens in a game and feeding chickens in real life are
two very different experiences.
So, how do we create these opportunities for children to experience real learning.
Well, something that's come up time and time again, even in the interviews
I've recently had is that you and I are the key to children's learning.
Our passions and curiosity matters because if we aren't curious, how
can we expect kids to get curious?
Because curiosity and passion for learning are contagious.
So it starts with us watching and listening, asking questions,
encouraging kids to share their ideas with each other and curating
spaces that provoke curiosity.
In episodes, 11 and 12, I spoke about creating inspiring indoor
and outdoor environments.
So perhaps after this episode go and listen to those
if you haven't already.
I also created a free checklist for setting up and inspiring
indoor space, which you can get@resourcesdotedlessons.com,
inspiring space checklist, or put it in the show notes for you.
Now when we want kids to explore and be excited about learning, we need to
provide objects and resources that light them up that give them real experiences.
If you just have a boring outdoor space, and it's just grass,
how can you make that exciting?
Or, you have an attractive outdoor area that's been beautifully
designed, but now what?
What opportunities are there for kids to engage with that environment?
Perhaps you could provide magnifying glasses or long
strips of fabric or purposefully
sow seeds that grow into herbs or flowers for picking so they can be used for
potions and cooking in the mud kitchen.
Or setting up paint brushes, and water for painting a wall water does no harm,
it will dry, but the kids would get that whole painting motion, which of course
is great for fine motor development.
Or perhaps you want to set up a bird bath or a bird feeder so that you
can observe the birds that visit.
I've done this in my own students and they just absolutely loved looking
out for the birds and identifying which bird it was that was visiting.
You could even have a bird poster, somewhere, and then create a graph where
each time a bird visits you add a counter or a pebble, and so you create maths
experiences that collect data about the types of birds that visit your garden.
The same goes for our indoor spaces.
Think about art galleries and museums.
They are beautifully and attractively, curated.
They're not crammed with stuff or just stuff it's randomly
shoved in because you've got no place at home for it anymore.
And that's exactly why there are gallery and museum curators, whose
job it is to find ways to arrange and display objects in a way, that
are not only attractive, but in ways that invite exploration and wonder.
And that's our job.
To be curators, to ask ourselves why we place certain objects or
resources out for children and what are they going to gain from them?
And these objects.
Are these objects going to inspire curiosity or are they just going
to be clutter for no real purpose?
The way we organize materials and even the types of materials we have
in our learning spaces need to invite kids to experiment, to investigate,
to explore, to create and imagine.
I've spoken with guests so many times already about the power of
open-ended materials and loose parts that allow children to be creative.
They allow kids to express themselves in ways that aren't limiting.
You can go check out episode 25 my interview with Marcus Veerman the creator
of the Nudel Pod and the Nudel Kart where he talks about how loose parts impact
children's learning and development.
Now when we start a unit of work, we need to be thinking about how we're
going to get kids curious, perhaps taking a walk around the school or to a
nearby park, to pick up natural objects.
It may be used for pattern making classification or art or all of the above.
Or perhaps we're going to set up zones in our space where each zone
provides a different experience or opportunity for children to interact.
By putting a basket of loose parts or pine cones in a block area, for
example, or perhaps different types of brushes and paints in the art area.
Or stick insects or mealworms in our science area.
Together with magnifying glasses, books, and posters and nature journals.
Each child will be drawn to an area of their interest.
These might be the very first inquiry projects that they do.
Personal inquiry projects about things that the children are interested in are
so powerful, especially when you get started, because it gives you insight.
Into what these kids really love.
And think about each area, not as something the child has to do.
It's not a literacy station or math station.
These are areas where you are inviting kids to explore and interact.
And this requires a bit of thought on your part.
A personal inquiry project is a really powerful way to get to know
your learners, as I said, their interests and their strengths.
And it's a great way to get them hooked on learning because it's
interactive and hands-on, and there's really nothing better for a child.
And I guarantee you that these types of experiences make learning fun for kids.
And isn't that what we ultimately want?
For children to love learning.
If you haven't already you might want to listen to episode 28 for all
the different ways you can document and capture children's learning.
And if you would like more strategies, and insights just like these delivered
to your inbox, then you should subscribe to my free weekly newsletter
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My subscribers get access to all the juicy bits and inside information,
so go Get Curious by signing up at resources.edlessons.com/getcurious.
I'll link it in the show notes for you.
Now I'd just like to thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast.
It means the world to me, because I know you could have chosen
one of a thousand out there.
So I'm deeply grateful to you for choosing this one.
Thanks so much.
And if you found anything here inspiring or helpful, then tap the
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And would that I'll love and leave you until next time.
Don't forget, stay blooming, curious.