From Casual to Black Tie – Teachers can create Formal Experiences from Informal Experiences by observing carefully during Routine Elements of the day. This is the essence of child-centeredness in the early education curriculum. Here are some simple examples:

• Babies on their stroller travels around the campus react to seeing a dog.  Teacher plans an experience on pets.
• Toddlers being helped to wash their hands put the water on their faces and react to its temperature.  Teacher plans an experience on hot and cold.
• Twos jump into a puddle on their way to the playground.  Teacher plans an experience on rain.
• Threes enjoy pretzel sticks at snack time.  Teacher plans an experience using pretzels to make lines and letters.
• Fours fight while in line at the bathroom.  Teacher issues a Challenge of the Day and creates a Word Wall about using words to express anger and some experiences that build self-regulation, turn-taking, and patience.
• Fives notice the letters on the ambulance that passes by are backward.  Teacher plans a journaling assignment and an experience with mirrors to see if they can figure out what the letters spell out.

Sparks! – The Reggio Emilia curriculum developed by Loris Malaguzzi after WW II, suggests that teachers create ‘provocations” which are thought-provoking, aesthetically pleasing experiences for young children in which the teacher creates a purposeful and intentional but open-ended activity in which children work with and manipulate materials in any safe way they choose.  The teacher observes and documents, adds language or facts as needed, asks open questions, and encourages the children to use what Malaguzzi called their “hundred languages” to express what they are doing, what the materials feel like, how they may be used, what they might be made of, how they might be paired with or compared to other materials, and any other ideas and learning they may discover.

I strongly believe that ALL Formal Learning Experiences must be provocations; all must be thought-provoking, open-ended, purposeful, attractive to the children*, and intriguing to take part in; all Learning Experiences must inspire, encourage, and engender primary, secondary, and spontaneous learning.

*Lots of teachers are very into Reggio these days and I love it, BUT I have a BIG BUT. There is a tendency to make these provocations very femininely attractive from the teacher’s or parents’ point of view, with natural woven baskets, gauzy materials, tiny holiday lights, and other Pinteresty-looking things, rather than being attractive to the preferences of the children. Many of the children may not be lured into a learning experience that is stereotypically “pretty”.

Use the other Reggio device, “loose parts” and raw materials that are not stereotypically feminine in your Sparks. Throw a box of nuts and bolts in there and a basket of rocks or sticks from the playground and rolls of duct tape with potty paper tubes. Observe what does interest your children and go with things that may not look orderly and sweet, but will truly encourage participation.

Tires Ain’t Pretty – Long years ago there were commercials for a tire store in Orlando, using the catchphrase, “Tires Ain’t Pretty”, and they aren’t, but can you imagine the children’s interest and engagement levels if your playground or classroom had tires full of sand, building blocks, toy vehicles, math counters, pine cones, nuts, bolts, keys, locks, BOOKS and all kind of learning materials? I can.

Ignite a Fire of Learning – Make all your Learning Experiences SPARKS!

– Strong Purposeful Appropriate Real Kid Stuff

Next Blog: Execution of Experiences – The Human Factor