Part 2 supporting active learning – Characteristics of effective learning

How practitioners can support active learning – Characteristics of effective learning

We have already begun exploring how practitioners can better promote and support the characteristics of effective learning – active learning in an early years setting; the previous article can be found here. It is important that for a child to be truly motivated to play and learn that they are interested in the experiences available and that activities set are age and stage appropriate, meaning they should be achievable yet offer some element of challenge. Ensuring next steps are carefully thought out will offer children challenges. It is important that all children grasp the concept of ‘keeping on trying’ throughout the whole of childhood as this is a keen motivator to a child learning, achieving and succeeding. Babies often have this motivation deep routed and it shows naturally when they are learning new physical skills such as walking and they will keep on trying until they have mastered the skill. Often as children get older they sometimes loose this inbuilt motivator through fear of failure or lack of interest, it is therefore crucial practitioners do not let this skill of keeping on trying disappear and fully support all children through these difficulties. Carrying a pack of characteristics of effective learning cards in practitioners pockets can act as a great reminder and support tool for planning and setting up activities.

Activities to promote keeping on trying

·         Puzzles – These are often challenging but can be brought for a variety of different stages and ages from simple 4 piece inset board to more complicated multi piece puzzles. These can be purchased to promote and engage a variety of interests. These often take several attempts to get the correcting positioning and piece for the puzzle and children will often bounce back and keep trying until they complete the puzzle

·         Emotion posters– Although this is not an activity it can promote children to keeping on trying. They do allow them to explore how they feel when they face difficulties and that it is okay to feel this way as long as you keep on trying and persist with the activity.

·         Den building – A great activity to support many things in the early years and particularly useful to encourage children to bounce back after difficulties and to be persistent in trying different approaches. Getting the den to stay up can sometimes be tricky and just when they think it’s finished it may fall down or not be big enough. Keeping this activity light hearted and providing some careful support can lead to hours of fun where the children just keep on trying until they get their den just how they want it. Encourage the children to be proud of this achievement and try to leave the den up for as long as possible.

·         Filling and emptying – Filling and emptying with different sizes and types of containers and with heuristic objects. Some will fit, some wont but it encourages the children or babies to keep on trying to fill the containers. Another way this can be done is with shape sorters.