Oh Those Preschoolers!Is Your Interpretive Program Age Appropriate?

Mindy Murdock

Naturalist, Cleveland Metroparks

Interpretation addressed to children should not be a dilution of the

presentation to adults, but should follow a fundamentally different approach. To be at its best it will

require a separate program. – Freeman Tilden

Understanding Young Children

• Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)• Developmental Stages (Children 6 years and under)• Constructivism – Learning Theory (Jean Piaget)• Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner)• Teaching to the Whole Child• Learning Through Play

Developmental Stages and DAP

• Concrete thinkers• No concept of time• Appearance is reality• Cannot think logically or abstractly• Think inanimate objects have human feelings,

thoughts and desires• Can think of only a few things at one time• Egocentrism

Constructivism (Jean Piaget)

• Children construct their own understandings of how the world works.

• Develop own theories about the world based on prior knowledge and experiences both physical and mental.

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

• People have at least eight different intelligences:• Logical – Mathematical

• Linguistic

• Bodily – Kinesthetic

• Musical

• Interpersonal

• Intrapersonal

• Spatial

• Naturalist

We tend to plan for this and neglect the others!

Teaching to the Whole Child

• When planning programs for young children it is impossible to separate:• Cognitive

• Physical

• Social

• Emotional

Mind, Heart and Body!

Learning Through Play• Play is the natural

activity of children.• Relatively free of externally

imposed rules.

• Focus on process rather than product.

• Intrinsically motivated.

• Educators worry children not learning if they play.

• Free play time has dropped 25%.• More structured adult-

directed activities.

• Considered a waste of time/frivolous in society.

• 39% drop in frequency of outdoor play.

Planning for Learning

• Teaching vs. Learning• Appropriate Topics• Authentic Experiences• Inquiry-based Learning• Essentials for Learning

Teaching vs. Learning

Learning Goals• Formal academic

instruction early.• Overly abstract science

• High stakes testing

• Death of natural history studies

• Little time for hands-on experiences

• Learning objectives with unrealistic goals and expectations.

Teaching Goals• Focus on Experience

rather than facts.• What experience do you want

the children to have?

• Process oriented• Developmental appropriate

goals and content.

Appropriate Topics

• Simplest components:• Things you can see, feel, hear or

taste.

• Things that can be experienced first hand.

• Local topics that children experience every day.

• Help children connect to where they live.

• No save the Earth campaigns!

Authentic Experiences

• Use real or as close to real as you can get!• Authentic experiences are hard to come by:

• 71% children say television is major source of information.

• 1 in 5 children under 2 years and 1 in 3 children ages 3 – 6 years have a television in their bedroom.

• 27% of 5 – 6 year olds use a computer.

• Need to interact with natural world (touch, dig, poke, smell, shake and muck about).

• Average American spends 95% of time indoors.

Inquiry-based Learning

• Allow time for children to share things with us.

• Focus on children making discoveries independently or as a group.

• Ask open-ended questions whenever possible.

• Ask questions with no right or wrong answer.

Essentials for Learning

• Hands-on Learning• More than touching and manipulation, it means actively

participating in learning process.

• Open-ended Activities• Encourages children to pose their own questions, test ideas and

share experiences.

• Choice• Children may choose between more than one activity and/or have

the choice not to participate.

More Essentials…

• Learning Stations, Art and Story Time• Promote choice, creative thinking and expression.

• Gathering together with a relevant book can help close a session or generate interest.

• Outdoor Exploration• Allowing access to places may be a child’s only chance

in urban environments.

• Increases confidence, comfort level and coordination in children.

Quality Early Childhood Environmental Education

• Wonder, creativity and imagination can not be taught.• Provide pleasant, memorable experiences.• Emphasize EXPERIENCE vs. TEACHING.• Engage full use of their senses.• Keep children actively involved.• Maintain a warm, accepting atmosphere.• Focus on the wonder and beauty of nature.• Demonstrate your own interest and enjoyment.

How Developmentally Appropriate is Your Program?A child knows the world as being

fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.

– Rachel Carson

Sharing and Questions

Some photos from: https://www.facebook.com/#!/ExplorationsEarlyLearning?fref=ts