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Royalty free photo by: Dan Krakau
Retrieved at: https://www.pexels.com/
Involving Nature In the Classroom
Involving Nature In the Classroom
I took an interest in this during my final year of community college. Whilst researching global ECE practices I came across the forest classroom that is increasing in popularity in New Zealand and Finland. The dichotomy between these classrooms and the typical American ECE class took me by surprise. The children in these classes were outdoors every day, all day, no matter the weather. Additionally, the children were primarily doing free choice play outdoor with a few meeting times and group experiences each day. Most shockingly the children, aged 3-4, were given saws, screwdrivers and pocketknives to use throughout the day. Looking at international school performances New Zealand and Finland are among the top.
I took the idea and looked for similar schools around the world. I found one in China with an entirely open floor plan and trees growing through the building. More locally there are schools around the US that’re working to naturalize their playgrounds and include more nature in the everyday learning of children.
Resource 1: The Forest School of New Zealand: This is an example of an entirely outdoor education program in New Zealand. On the page you’ll find examples of their daily educational experiences and a pedagogical explanation of why they teach the way they do. https://www.theforestschool.co.nz/
Resource 2: The Raleigh School Outdoor Experience: This is a page describing the learning experiences available at the Raleigh School in Raleigh North Carolina. On their page they explain their reasoning for moving away from traditional commercial preschool settings and more towards a naturalistic setting. https://www.raleighschool.org/preschool/our-outdoor-experience
Resource 3: Outdoor Classrooms an Increasingly Good Idea Article: In this article it is discussed how outdoor education holds increasing appeal since the outbreak of the coronavirus. It also discusses initiatives globally to increase the availability of naturalistic education environments. https://globalgoodness.ca/en/outdoor-classrooms-increasingly-popular-idea/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqaWdBhAvEiwAGAQltnV5bds-224vwgc-qc1STK2GuDjfSsLGWPlYOYKMw7ZK-cOmtChCDhoC24YQAvD_BwE
Royalty free photo by: Lisa Fotios
Positive Discipline in ECE Classrooms
Positive Discipline in ECE Classrooms
This topic is a great passion of mine because I believe the best aspect of connecting with children in an empathetic manner leads to the best educational outcome. Children are their own people and interacting with them understanding this and using firmness and kindness together such as practiced when following positive discipline builds rapport while helping them to help themselves.
The first time I read about this topic was during my first semester as an ECE Student, we were asked to write a paper on what discipline means to us. Most papers came back about types of punishment and things along those lines. My paper was about structure and empathy. After discussing our papers our instructor broached the topic of positive discipline in an ECE classroom. The main 6 principles of positive discipline are:
The adult’s attitude sets the tone.
Children learn best through natural and logical consequences.
All behavior is communication.
Limit setting should be done in a firm but kind manner.
For discipline to be effective there must be a connection.
Everyone deserves respect.
Resource 1: Classroom Management Expert Article: Positive Discipline: Why is it important in classroom management. In this article the principles of positive discipline are discussed. In addition to what positive discipline is there are also examples of positive discipline in use and the benefits of using it. https://classroommanagementexpert.com/blog/positive-discipline-why-is-it-important-in-classroom-management/
Resource 2: Blog: Using positive discipline in the classroom: In this blog post examples of using positive discipline in the classroom are discussed. This blog also goes into further detail about the benefits of using the specific positive discipline techniques. https://study.com/blog/using-positive-discipline-techniques-in-the-classroom.html
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