There are many different methods to encourage and enhance learning in the early childhood classroom. I have the fortunate opportunity to see this learning from a teacher's point of view, and a parent's point of view. As both of my children are in early childhood classrooms, I watch as they explore and create everyday with their teachers. In my daughter's preschool class, the children engage in play based learning. Recently, the children were involved in recreating the outdoor classroom at the school. The children looked up plants that would survive in Arizona's hot climate, and then took a few days learning how to put this planting plan into action. The results are astounding! The children now have first hand experience of how to build a sustainable garden.
My son's kindergarten classroom is not lacking either in terms of creative approaches to teaching. This classroom is child-centered. The teacher determines what the children are interested in and curious about. Then she creates centers and activities to enhance this learning. Recently, the children showed an interest in space exploration. The teacher then created research projects, art activities and found literature to support this creativity. The classroom is now filled with the research they've done, the art they have made, and looks quite a bit like a space camp for kids!
These teachers have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Do you feel that these "out of the box" approaches are as valuable as the old school direct instruction methods? How can teachers enhance their students' learning through these types of approaches to teaching?
