In any child care center desoto tx, incorporating collaborative learning into programme planning facilitates higher levels of learning and growth by reflecting the children’s interests and experiences.
Research on children’s early years has established that ‘learning through play’ is the most effective way children absorb new knowledge. A child that is stimulated and excited about their surroundings and the activities available for them will be more receptive to learning. Early Learning Centre Rose Grange is a Tarneit childcare centre that has established successful ways to consult with children and their families and incorporate the collaboration into programme planning.
Consulting with children
Educators at the centre use both verbal and non-verbal clues to observe children’s preferences, strengths and abilities. They view the children as partners in their own learning and encourage open communication between themselves; the children; and their parents, which includes encouraging feedback in all forms.
The educators realise that consulting or collaborating with children during the planning stage fosters meaningful learning experiences. Listening to the children and establishing what they like to do, what things they are interested in and how they prefer to approach activities helps to make their childcare day a productive, happy and worthwhile one.
An Early Learning Centre Rose Grange parent, Spiro, found that his daughter Althea, who started at the centre at age 3, would come home and tell him all about her favourite activities. As they were based on her own interests, she was more engaged in her play.
Getting children involved
The most important part of the collaborative learning process is in the learning centres, where educators must provide experiences and projects that stimulate the child to interact with the activity in the form of investigations, questioning and new ideas.
Collaborative learning also assists children to learn cooperative behaviours with the other children in the childcare centre. This is enabled by activities such as sharing circles where children are given space to share their ideas or concerns. Group activities in the sandbox, water play and craft also help children to ask questions, voice their ideas and learn from each other.
Children’s knowledge forms the basis for learning
Children can be involved in helping design and set up environments especially for new activities or topics. Science topics such as insects or seeds offer opportunities for children to contribute ideas, colours and art to setting up a special corner. This helps the children engage with the topic by having a sense of ownership in the activity from the start. Children’s knowledge starts from their own experience and develops from there. By letting the children have input at the beginning of the topic, they are already using the foundation of their own knowledge to expand their understanding.
Collaborative learning is used to plan programmes in childcare centres, which enables children to become involved in their own learning. It also guides educators in planning the right programme for each individual. Parents such as Spiros find that collaborative learning provides them with more engagement in their children’s learning and forms a strong connection between centre and home.
