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Observations were taken in a Montessori Long Day Care Centre in Caulfield. Children observed belong the group of 12 to 24 months, daily there could be 10 to 12 children with 3 to 4 educators. A Montessori prepared environment means, children work independently and learn effortless from it (Garhart, Mooney, Carol, 2013). It fosters independance, order and enhance innate childrens curiosity.

It is characterized by a child-centric approach that recognizes and nurtures individual interests and developmental milestones.

the room is conducive to exploration, independence, and self-discovery. The open, well-lit spaces encourage movement and curiosity, allowing children to engage with their surroundings in a meaningful way.

From my first observations, 60% of the children were drawn to sensorial activities such as playdough, water play or the "sensorial corner".

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To summarise the three observations demonstrate how important is for children to engage in sensorial experiences for social interactions and cognitive development as in the three observations its observed how toddlers engaged or gain confidence by observing other peers.

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Why is it essential to support children's learning by providing opportunities for sensory exploration?

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Why is it essential to support children's learning by providing opportunities for sensory exploration?

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Children are capable learners, naturally curious and enthusiastic learners as they are in a life stage where every day they encounter new things, and everyday their skills are developing further. However, without opportunities, stimulation or resources, children will not reach their highest developmental potential.

Supporting children’s learning through sensorial exploration is essential for several reasons:

Piagets Cognitive Developmental Theory

Piaget thought that children’s interactions with their environment are what create learning. He claimed that children construct their own knowledge by giving meaning to the people, places, and things in their world. (Mooney, 2013)

Sensory exploration provides concrete, hands on experiences where children build cognitive structures by actively engaging with their senses. Children can see, touch, taste, smell and move and hear what they are learning (Mooney, 2013)

Vygotsky Socio Cultural Theory:

Providing children with sensorial experiences in small groups will allow social interactions creating opportunities for collaborative learning within the zone of proximal development. As in the 3 observations, I observed how young toddlers learns/imitates from their peers while using their eyes as a sense and eventually engaging and trying. Vygotsky believed that this interaction contributes to children’s contribution of knowledge to their learning. (Mooney, 2013) Another thing to point out across the 3 observations is that these small interactions support language.

The Reggio Emilio Approach:

The Reggio Emilio Approach talks about the importance of sensory exploration as there are various languages that a child could explore for a deeper understanding of the world.

This is supported by the image of the child of the Reggio philosophy, a child who experiences the world, who feels part of the world right from birth; a child full of curiosities (Kamii, 2000).

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What other learning is possible? How will I provoke the children?

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What other learning is possible? How will I provoke the children?

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By proving children with sensorial experiences, the learning has endless possibilities, from wellbeing, independence, sense of achievement, social interactions and cooperation with other children to language development.

I will design sensorial experienced based on my observations and pedagogy of listening during my permanence in this room to enhance curiosity, engagement and exploration. By observing deeply and documented, I could tailor children’s interest and or provoke intentional teaching in small groups.

By promoting small sensorial group experiences not only children will use their senses during play, but they will also create strong relationships with peers and educators as social interactions are more intimate in small groups.

I was wondering if children will be naturally drawn to nature material and/or sounds as inside the room there was not natural resources. However, material was neat and wooden that reflect that nature component. In the outdoor area, there is fake grass and no natural shade from three but from a big plastic structure. Rarely, children had the opportunity to see birds or insects. With that in mind, the following provocations were though:

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Classroom is usually very quiet at the beginning of the day for drop off, children are offered breakfast and after they can choose freely what to do (what is available in the shelves). Children can have the opportunity to incorporate nature inside their room just by adding some sounds as background. Will they notice? Will they try to ask questions? Will they be happy with it, or will they miss the silence?

Natural materials can be brought indoors to provide another setting for nature play. Think of it as “bringing the outdoors in.” (Wilson, 2010)

The space is a powerful and fundamental language (Kamii, 2000)

Set Up:

Where: indoors/room

Materials: Speaker and Ipad

How: Before children come in, take the Ipad and search for birds sounds and connect it to the speaker. Play it.

Observe & document.

Nature based Provocation Outdoors

In the outdoor area there is fake grass and limited natural resources. Wondering if children will notice different sound? Will children start conversations about it? Will children guess? What are the potential learning children could gain from this sounds outdoors?

Nature invites authentic play – the best kind of play for young children! Authentic play is fun, open ended, and freely chosen (Stephens 2009). Authentic play occurs naturally when children and nature are brought together (Wilson,2010) Nature play makes kids healthier by stimulating higher levels of physical activity (Wilson,2010).

Set Up:

Where: Outdoors

Materials: Speaker and Ipad

How: Before children come in, take the Ipad and search for birds sounds and connect it to the speaker. Play it.

Observe & document.

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Child A working on his fine motors skills and another child B was carefully observing and a smile was on his face while doing it. Child didnt took a turn, after child A was done, child B left the table. 

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Child A working on his fine motors skills and another child B was carefully observing and a smile was on his face while doing it. Child didnt took a turn, after child A was done, child B left the table. 

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Children were making a track. Child A said "its soft" "walk" 

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Children were making a track. Child A said "its soft" "walk" 

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Children were painting with cotton pads. one child started using her hands, the other children followed. 

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Children were painting with cotton pads. one child started using her hands, the other children followed. 

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Vygotsky believed that much learning takes place when children play. Vygotsky believed that this interaction contributes to children’s construction of knowledge— to their learning.

Vygotsky’s primary contribution to our understanding of young children’s development is his understanding of the importance of interaction with teachers and peers in advancing children’s knowledge. Today’s Reggio-inspired educators also believe that what children learn from their peers and from the materials in the classroom is as important as what they learn from theirteachers (Mooney, 2013).

Set Up

Where: Indoors/Outdoors

Materials: Speaker, book, your voice, puppets, a bottle to spray mist water, fabrics or textures.

How: set a basket for an educator to engage with a small group of children to tell a story. Ask opened questions such as what to do you think this object is for? How do you think the rains feels? (depending on the story? ) Use the mist when you talk about rain or water. How does it feels?

Piaget claimed that children construct their own knowledge by giving meaning to the people, places, and things in their world (Mooney, 2013) Therefore, by an educator reading stories to children where they can get familiar with the concepts, environment, actions or people can help their understanding in more complex concepts as time, professions, activities and places.

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As children have shown interest in sensorial activities, especially activities that requires paint and water. Wondering if STEAM projects can encourage open ended questions and or “AW” factor for young toddlers. Steam projects aligns with Regio Emilia Approach with hands on experiences to promote science and enquiries in small groups for language development.

Children have a strong sense of identity: children initiate exploration and independent learning, show interest and curiosity through observing, listening, selecting and making choices. Australian Government Department of Education and Training. (2009)

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Implementations:

Maria Montessori believed in the innate curiosity of children and the importance of the prepared environment. Children are naturally curious and are open to new discoveries through observing, listening, touching, feeling and tasting.

I choose to implement a nature based provocation that allowed me to prepare and set something new in children’s environment. I set up birds sounds, river sounds, jungle sounds, and storm sounds at different times indoors and outdoors to observed how children will interact with this sounds.

I set up birds sounds on a speaker outside, up in a tree, and waited to observed children’s reactions. I observed how children were wondering with their eyes open. A child asked, “What’s this?” I asked: -What do you think? “Birds?” another child replied, - “Water!” A child, said, “I don’t like” “I don’t like” -What you dont like? an educator asked, she claimed “Birds!” educator turned the speaker off.

In the afternoon, a storm sound background was set up. Children were drawn to the sound with their eyes wide opened looking around to find where the sound was coming from. They started to ask, “What’s this?” “What’s this?” “Whats that” I used open ended questions for them to have a guess, “water” “rain” “Its raining” Another child with a big wide smile said, “its not raining, its sunny” I used a bottle to spray water to create some mist, children started giggling while saying “its not raining” Children started walking on the wooden edge, and started stomping and making a sound with their mouth copying the sound of the storm. Children were imitating birds sounds and making movements with their bodies.

Piaget believed that open ended activities do not have a predetermined result, product or answer. He believes it support children’s cognitive development because they ask children what they think. Maria Montessori in the other hand believes sensorial experiences support children to refine their senses and lay the foundation for abstract thinking to enhance independence thinking and self-directed learning.

In conclusion, children initiate exploration and independent learning, they show interest and curiosity through senses, are open to new discoveries and develop learning by themselves. This provocation allowed me to use my deep listening as, I didn’t have any expectation or final product awaiting for children to do, but rather I wanted to observed what they want me to show them. Children showed their cognitive learning is developing so fast that some of them were able to make sense of the weather as how it was possible that they hear rain but its not raining, its sunny. They showed me what they knew and I had the opportunity to introduced the word “Thunder”, They end up making music with their bodies, they transformed their play into a beautiful song, perhaps, more music should be introduced? More sounds? To complement the lack of natural life or resources available in the room and outdoor space? Children were living an experience with their senses. I modified the times and spaces where the sounds where heard to observed the children which went well, however, I had to consider that not all children will feel confortable with sounds in their spaces? is this because the montessori environment it quiet? is it because they are not expose to nature?

It is essential to give space for play, exploration and sensorial opportunities for children as Erick Erickson mentioned "children’s play is interpreted as children’s initiative aimed at fulfilling a significant developmental need for social exchange and problem solving relevant to their age. When denied the psychological and social space necessary for experiencing a sense of initiative, children develop self-doubt and guilt. Persistent selfdoubt can have an adverse impact on the self-esteem of a growing child". Batra, S. (2013).

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OBSERVATION  TEMPLATE

For this assessment, you will use the pedagogy of listening to choose 3 separate times to observe children aged B-2 and gather artefacts of them. These need to be related times (meaning they can be connected around the same ideas, materials, or questions).

Number of children: 3                                                                   Date:27    /02    /2024

Age: 18 Months – 24 Months

Observation 1

During the art session in the morning, I observed a 22-month-old child, Child A. The child demonstrated a keen interest as she was carefully observing her classmates while standing next to them, particularly focusing on copying their actions. During the art activity, she was looking at her hands, moving her hands and eventually sitting down at the table. After a while she put her hands on her lap without engaging with any children or participating in the experience. The child was asked what colour should be put out to mixed and no respond was giving. Later, a very loud “No” was pronounced. Towards the end of the activity, child was observing other classmates that started using their hands to paint, mixed the colours and consequently, joined and did the same. The child used her right hand to take paint with the cotton pads and started pressing onto the paper. The child was looking at her hands and started using them to take paint from the containers and mixed it onto the paper. She smiled while doing this and looked at the educator with bright eyes.

*Child in the left corner observing by end joined and copied classmates.

Number of children: 4                                                                   Date: 28   /02    /2024

Age: 16 months – 24 months

Observation 2

During a sunny hot day, an educator asked the children if they should put water or ice in the sensorial table. Some children replied, “Ice”. One child said “My turn first” while sitting down at the table with a very confidence voice. The educator asked Child A “Would you like a turn?” Child A replied “No” with a very loud voiced while moving away from educator but decided to stand in the side of the table. Child A looked yet interested in the activity as he was observing with open eyes what other children were doing. Child B was touching the ice while saying “Cold” and then licking it. Child A slowly starting to approach to the tray with ice, movements were quite slow, until eventually he was holding a block of icy with one hand and said “Cold” and licked it. Another child said “Its melting”

Number of children: 4                                                                   Date:        01/03 / 2024

Age: 16 Months – 24 months

In the afternoon, during free play in the outdoor area, a group of children were constructing with the big blocks. Child A, 18 months, started to take his shoes off and staring pointing the block with a grunting noise. He started to grab them and lined them up and started to walk on top of them. While doing this, he was giggling and looking up for an educator. I smiled.

The children that were constructing started to copy him and walk like him with a movement of balancing.

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Color mixing experiment for STEAM provocation

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Color mixing experiment for STEAM provocation

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Learning the abstract concept of heat/melting through a sensorial activity. 

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Learning the abstract concept of heat/melting through a sensorial activity. 

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Australian Government Department of Education and Training. (2009). Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

(Garhart, Mooney, Carol. Theories of Childhood, Second Edition : An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget & Vygotsky, Redleaf Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=1105424.
Created from vu on 2023-11-01 09:00:31.

Wilson, R. (2018). Nature and Young Children: Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in Natural Environments (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315148533

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These 3 observations suggested the children developing sense of social awareness indicating the emerging social and cognitive skills. In terms of COR advantages approaches to learning, Infant-toddler does express initiative, emotions, built relations with educators and children, join play with other children, move with their whole body and communicate verbally and non-verbally. Children listen and respond, explore objects with their hands, feet, mouth, eyes, ears and nose. Children imitate and pretend as well as exploring vocal pitches sounds (HighScope, 2013)

These observations can also be related to Vygotsky Zone of Proxima development, which refers a child can perform with help of a more knowledgeable individual. Children observed, were through imitation stretching their cognitive abilities by imitation peer’s actions. Peers can act as scaffolds, without knowing they are guiding their peers through social interactions, taking turns, another key concept of Vygotsky (Mooney, 2013).

Brief interactions that children had with educators while been observed such as smiling back or looking for respond also demonstrate the key factor in social interactions and bonding time through play. Children can view a rich image of the educator to build a close and trustworthy connection (Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2015).

During these observations, children also demonstrate a natural drive to sensorial activities and a sense of belonging. According to Piaget, children need to see, touch, taste, smell and move and hear what they are learning (Mooney, 2013) Children that didn’t want to engage at the beginning ended up engaging because they saw they peers doing it, plus their natural curiosity.