Participation in real experiences makes connections in the brain.  Connections create learning.  For an experience to create high quality learning or learning of primary, secondary, and spontaneous kinds, it must be offered in an overall environment of safety, physically, emotionally, and educationally. 

Good Learning Experiences Include:

• Purpose
• Feedback & Repetition
• Accountability
• Opportunities to use some or all the Learning Methods  – Movement, Sensory Stimulation/Exploration, Manipulation of Appropriate Materials, Construction, Role Play, and Expression
• Opportunities for SARA – Selection, Action, Reflection, and Application

Purpose – Experiences should relate to specific developmentally appropriate learning objectives (I call them Strength Expectations).  This means that the learning experience should be intentional in its creation – there should be a point to it.  An experience would be called ‘not purposeful’ if its intention is too far above or below the community’s developmental level (Toddler or Twos working on coloring book pages; Threes trying to recognize letters with worksheets; Fours or Fives using only plastic blocks for building).  All ‘work’ in preschool should be purposeful play.  It’s hard for some parents, administrators, and some teachers to respect purposeful play as a valid learning method, but all evidence shows it to be the most valid and practical system.  Programs should make every effort to educate parents on this issue and to believe in, use, and promote the value of purposeful play.

Hee, Hee, Hees and ABCs – When we talk about purpose and relating directly to standards or strength expectations, it should be remembered that humor, relaxation, curiosity, wonder, and joy are among those expectations!Sometimes the purpose of taking part in a learning experience is simply to have fun.  Teachers need to use humor, whimsy, and a sense of fun in creating experiences because sometimes the greatest learning comes from the silly things like water play in the sprinklers on the front lawn of the school, putting play dough on (but not IN) your nose, and doing a conga line on the way to the playground.

Feedback and Repetition – Experiences must have ways for the child to be both stimulated and informed of his own progress.  A ‘jack-in-the-box’, for example, is surprising and stimulating to a Baby.  She learns that she can receive that stimulation from turning the handle to make the surprise recur.  A Four can put a toy car at the top of his block ramp, watch it race to the bottom, and learn to control its speed and direction.  (The beginning of physics).   Feedback is also provided by Repetition.  Children must have a way to practice the strength or skill over and over, and practice is essential to learning. Feedback is ‘trial and error’ learning and Repetition is practice.

Accountability – In this sense, Accountability means both the learning from the experience and the experience itself can be assessed.  If it is purposeful, it can be assumed that the experience will result in learning that is measurable, but teachers also need to assess the experience itself to see if it achieved the desired results, if it needs to be repeated, changed, or discarded.

Next Blog: Formal Learning Experiences