Desaru Learning Journey

These days, children get to go on overseas trips in primary school. Yes, at P1! I recalled my first overseas school trip was at sec 2 to melacca. Well, that also meant that parents need to go along. Since we are applying leave, must as well bring mei along and make it a family holiday.

We covered 3 destinations- Desaru fruit farm, chocolate factory & wong's kampong. At each destination, gorgor had to complete some quizzes after each visit or activity. In Reggio, it encourages the child to learn and explore the environment- real life, in action, from self-observations, interactive instead of reading from books or listening to teachers. We (yah, parents included) learnt more about fruits, how chocolate is made and Malay culture. We also survived long bus rides with rowdy boys while we were trying to catch forty winks while caught in the PIE jam.

It was a long day for all of us. To reinforce the learning points, we recapped our experience from photos we took over the weekend. Documenting our memories through collage and captions. Last but not least, gorgor had to email his teacher about his trip. I realized how ICT has become an important communication channel to a kid now. He needed to address his teacher and sign off with his name instead of simply submitting a composition or diary which is already tough enough for a P1 kid.

That aside, I'm sure the children will remember their 1st overseas school trip like how I remembered mine. It's the beginning of the learning journey and more eye-openers in the days to come.

Co-creating the Environment

Nothing beats learning in the environment created by the child himself. Depending on the child's age, ask him for his opinion where to position the furniture. Give him 2 choices and ask him why he chose 1 over the other. Tell him it's his table where he writes & draws. Provide accessible writing materials near the table.

Start a home library. Bring the child to choose his own books or ask him what books he likes to read. Involve the child to arrange the books from biggest to smallest or arrange according to titles.

If the child is going to have his own room, let him be responsible for cleaning up the room. Discuss where he should keep his toys and books after use. Use the walls to display his writings and drawings. Discuss how often he wants to change the exhibits or whether he wants to set a theme for the display and help him work towards his goal.

By co-creating, he will feel the ownership of the environment and instill his sense of responsibility towards maintaining it.

Peer Learning

Being the first born, my boy was surrounded with adults. In fact, I am the next youngest in the family. There are no children in the family until his arrival. He had no playmate at home and he found it difficult to communicate with children his age.

When mei was born, she has a big brother to look up to. She follows whatever he does. She learned to walk and talk faster. She can play with other children easily.

Children learn by observing others. We often joke about our boy is actually an old man wrapped in a boy's body. He sits like a coolie and eats peanuts with tea as he spent much of his younger days with his grandparents.

In school, children learn from peers. They pick up good and bad habits from schoolmates. They talk about what their friends have done and make their own judgements and imitate if they find it "cool". They compare themselves with their friends. They start to have their own social circle as they know more people.

Given the correct environment, peer learning should be encouraged. In class, they form project groups to discuss their research work. They share information and learn from one another. In disagreement, they learn to resolve disputes. In agreement, they reinforce their beliefs among friends. They build confidence through the process.

Among the group, there are natural leaders and followers. Each child is different. In class, the teacher tried to rotate the leadership role so that everyone has a chance to lead and take on responsibility.

At home, we are generous with praises. When a child has done well, we praise him/her so that the other child learn to do better. We recognize the strength of each child and hope the other is encouraged to work harder. With 2 children, we want to simulate the positive environment that encourages peer learning at home.

Child-led Activities

The learning environment must be equipped with accessible materials for the child to explore at all times. When they were younger, activities need to be closely supervised, especially those involving cutting. Now that they can use the scissors safely, we have designated areas for art supplies and stationary within reach.

We don't start with a specific theme but discuss what is to be done and what materials are required. Parental intervention is left to the minimum unless the child needs help in a specific area.

Yes, we keep a constant supplies of toilet rolls, tissue boxes and bottle caps. They are about the most versatile materials which can be used to make about anything the child can imagine.

When they were younger, I had to research on themes and simple instructions will be given. If the task is technically too challenging, they can follow standard "templates" and add colours and decorations to their creations.

The artwork are usually displayed for a period of time until a new piece takes over. Before they are thrown away due to limited storage space, we take photos to document the art pieces. The children enjoy looking through their archives of artwork. It is surprising how much they can remember about the process and the thoughts behind even if it was done sometime back.

Our children have started formal school with structured curriculum. Home activities are meant to supplement and enrich their learning experience. They can decide what they want to explore and learn in a relaxed environment, instilling independence as well as collaboration depending on the activities chosen. They learn to communicate their needs and ideas. They take ownership of what they have done and learned.

Our Living Environment

Like more than 75% of Singapore population, we live in highrise apartments of floor area less than 100sqm. Our children do not have large play areas at home but is spoilt for choices for community facilities in the neighbourhood. Every inch of our Environment is our teacher. Let's explore!

Counting up & down

If you are taking the stairs, count the steps 1,2,3... For younger kids, restart from 0 at each flight. For older kids, add the total number of steps.
If you are taking the lift, count down from the floor you are staying 10,9,8...Blast off!

Social Etiquette

We will meet our neighbors along the way. Greet each other with a smile. In a lift, show your child how to hold the lift for a neighbor to come in. Say Thank You if someone holds the lift for you. Children learn by example. When they are older, they will do the same. Move into the lift as much as possible if the lift is crowded. Say Excuse Me if you need to move out from a crowded lift.

Reading signage

Our residential address are identified by block, floor and unit numbers. Show the child the 3 signage. While picking up the letter from the letterbox, show your child how the address is written on the envelop with reference to the signage.

If the child can read more words, read all the signage along the way and explain what the signage is saying. It may be a no smoking sign or a directional sign. Verbalise your journey and point to the word if it appears on the signage. Eg. Why is there a cigarette butt here when it is a non-smoking zone? (pointing at the signage)

Science

Why is it more strenuous to walk up the stairs than walking down? Why are there fallen leaves? Ask questions along the way and let the child ponder and explain in his own way. You are cultivating an inquisitive mind and imparting analytical skills. It doesn't matter if the answer is wrong! Put in some encouraging words before you reveal the answer. When the child ask a question, do not brush it aside. If it can't be answered off hand, suggest a session to research into the topic on Internet.

Playing along the way

The playground may be where we are heading but the play doesn't start there. A game a scissors paper stone at the doorway while waiting for daddy. Jumping from one colored tile to another in a "follow the leader" manner. With some imagination, the tile pattern at the lift lobby can become a pond (blue tiles) with petals (accent tiles). Make sure you step on the correct colour or you'll be eaten up by the crocodiles!

The Environment as the Third Teacher

In Reggio-Emilia approach to education, the Environment is the third teacher, providing space and opportunities for the child to explore and think.  As a partner of Reggio, I was keen to research more into my parental role to complement what my child is learning in school.

The Environment is not limited to the physical space.  In fact, it is defined by the people and events happening around us.  With technology advancement, the Environment has indeed extended into the virtual world which has untapped endless potentials.

I've decided to start this blog to share my intepretation of this Environment.  I'm not an educator by training.  My perception is from a parent's perspective, a partner who provides support to the Teacher or Researcher.   Being a trained Architect, I hope to extend my design knowledge on to this realm and share how the Environment can help mould the child, the Protagonist.

I hope to document the learning moments that inspire...