Part 1 of 3
Intentional
teaching
When educators are intentional, purposeful
and plan for children’s learning, this helps children to be active agents in
sourcing their own learning. This can be achieved by allowing children to make
decisions about, plan for and help set up their preferred method of learning.
Children might decide how to research information on dinosaurs for example, or
what they would like to cook in a cooking experience.
Genuine
decision making
Sharing the power that adults hold,
and trusting that children are competent decision makers can support children’s
agency.
For example, educators can:
arrange
activities, routines and the physical environment so that children have a range
of opportunities to make choices about what they will do and how they will do
it
provide children
with the opportunity to make choices in circumstances where their decisions
will be able to be accepted.
Supporting agency involves
educators taking a step back and critically reflecting on, “Do I need to decide
for children?”.
Instead, consider ways of setting
up environments, routines and learning experiences that support children to
make decisions and have agency independently of adults. For example, asking
children what they know about areas of interest and what they would like to
find out more about.
Think about ways educators
support children to make their own choices throughout the day.
Responsive interactions
Talking respectfully with children, and having
conversations where children’s ideas and thoughts are genuinely sought and
valued, is the key to engaging children in decision making processes. As
children develop, they will be able to participate in increasingly complex
decision making.
Talking with children about what they think and
responding to what matters to them will give children a sense of ownership over
the decisions that they have contributed to.
Examples of responsive interactions include:
Promoting
independent exploration and appropriate risk taking
Asking questions
that give children the opportunity to initiate and lead their own learning
- What do you think?
- What do you want? Why?
- How can we do this differently?
(or safely, enjoyably, easily)
Allowing
children to establish their own routines, behavior, guidelines and
consequences, or taking cues from children’s behavior
Providing
flexible and unhurried routines which allow children to make choices about
decisions which affect them
Using behavior
(rather than the clock) as a cue for meal time or moving from one structured
activity to the next
Providing
children with the opportunity to participate in large periods of uninterrupted
play and taking cues for providing structure or resources (this will allow
children to negotiate where and with whom they would like to play)
Acknowledging
and responding to children’s contributions by ensuring their ideas and
interests are reflected in the program
Promoting
independence and self-help skills through the opportunity to participate in
routine tasks like preparing meals, setting up environments and selecting
resources.
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