The principles underpinning the role of the practitioner working with children.

The importance of valuing children's interests and experiences.

Why value children’s interests and experiences? Valuing children’s interests and experiences is the basis of helping children to develop their individual full potential. We should encourage children to learn through positive interaction and using hands on experiential methods that will enable them to extend their knowledge and support the acquisition of various skills. The Foundation Phase places great emphasis on children’s interests by encouraging ‘learning by doing.’ The curriculum’s ethos is ‘learning through play’ and gives children opportunities to be creatively involved in their own learning which must build on what they already know and can do, their interests and what they understand. http://wales.gov.uk/dcells/publications/ policy_strategy_and_planning/early-wales /whatisfoundation/foundationphase

A good way to look at valuing children… To value children’s interests is a key element of our role as a practitioner To value a child we must make them feel good about themselves by providing a curriculum rich in experiences that demonstrate that we are aware of their interests If a child is aware that we have valued and taken into account their interests, they will feel good about themselves. If a child feels good about themselves, they develop a sense of self respect When a child develops a sense of self respect they become good learners

What does this tell us? This tells us that there is a link between valuing children’s interests and experiences and positive behavior as the value acts to reinforce the behavior: ‘Experience has shown that the quality of the relationship between the early years practitioner and the children is a crucial element to how well they do both socially and academically. When children see that they are supported and respected it leads to positive attitudes and feelings of being valued, and in turn these help children to develop self respect. Self respect is one of the most important qualities needed to be a good learner. Children who do not feel valued or respected often demonstrate this through inappropriate behavior.’ (Daly. M et al 2004)

continued… (http://www.publications.parliament.uk) ‘In order to support and reinforce positive behavior, schools need to provide an appropriate curriculum, matched to children’s needs and interests – much unwanted behavior stems from difficulties with curriculum access, either because the curriculum is not engaging or because it is not appropriately differentiated’ (http://www.publications.parliament.uk)

Self fulfilling prophecy ‘Research demonstrates that children achieve better outcomes in learning environments where early childhood professionals have high expectations for every child’ (Halvorsen, Lee & Andrade, 2009).

Theoretical views As both Piaget (1940) and Vygotsky (1967) have suggested: ‘Interest reflects the child’s values. Presumably, as the child engages in action with various play objects and develops feelings of competence with those objects, and as the child encounters objects in social contexts that enhance their value, the child comes to feel positively towards them.’ Regardless of the particular direction in which their interests take them, young children will usually be highly motivated to engage in objects of interest in any situation in which they find them. (Fivush. R, Hudson. A 1990)

We can show children in the setting that we value their interests and experiences by: Providing them with rich opportunities and choices in learning through play Observation, assessment and evaluation and planning Carrying out practice according to child centered legislation (Article 3 UNCRC: All actions concerning the child shall take full account of his or her best interests. ) This means that the best interests of children must be the primary concern in making decisions that may affect them. (http://www.childrensrightswales.org.uk/uncrc-principles.aspx)

Motivating children Motivation is a key factor in children’s academic achievement (Archambault, Eccles & Vida, 2010; Uszynska-Jarmoc, 2007). There are many complex factors that can influence children’s motivation including their perceived ability, the value that they assign the task, parental expectations, teacher expectations, emotions, interest in the task, and task difficulty(Archambault, et al, 2010; Jalongo, 2007). This suggests that, as part of our role as a practitioner to value children’s interests and experiences, the ability to intrinsically motivate children to learn through planning appropriate experiences and provision of resources is essential

As stated in Tassoni (2007) ‘Babies and children will always concentrate and therefore learn more easily if they are doing something that they are interested in and enjoying. This means that a key part of working with children is to be aware of their interests.’.

Activity 1 – practice based discussion Arrange into groups of 3-4 Identify a situation during placement or a possible scenario where you may need to demonstrate that you value a child/children’s interests or experiences. What would you do and why? Groups feed back to class.

Supporting self esteem/confidence/identity Children build positive identities through: Collaborative, caring relationships with other people managing and taking risks, ‘having a go’ experiencing success developing resilience, and developing ‘mastery’ or ‘can-do’ attitudes High-quality provision helps children to develop positive dispositions which lay the foundations for becoming lifelong successful learners  

Learning and development Valuing children’s interests and experiences means that we need to value play as this allows us to gain knowledge. Play and valuing interests and experiences are linked. Social and emotional development is important when focusing on valuing children’s interests and experiences. Personal, Social and Emotional Development is recognized as one of the building blocks of success in life. It supports children’s development by helping them to interact effectively and develop positive attitudes to themselves and others. http://earlyyearsmatters.co.uk/index.php/learning-and-development/psed/

Activity 2: Observe the video and make notes on the following: What do we learn about the relationship between play and valuing children’s interests? What examples can you see of how children express interests through their choices of play? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sby38BbLZuY Whole group discussion.

Working with parents Children need a healthy, supportive, stimulating environment in which to grow and develop to help build self esteem and good relationships. Parents and carer’s have a vital role in nurturing positive emotional wellbeing in their children. With this support children are more likely to become confident, happy and ambitious young people. The advice and example given in the family setting have a huge impact on the attitudes our children build towards healthy living. It is important that parents and the school work in partnership to ensure that children get the clear message that they are valued as individuals and their health and well being are a priority to both their parents and the school. Children need the opportunity to talk about things that concern them and to know they will be listened to both at home and at school. When parents work in partnership with the school they can receive good advice and support in promoting the health and well being of their children especially in relation to sensitive issues around emotional health. Our children’s health can be a responsibility shared with a network of people and parents can gain satisfaction from making an important contribution to the life and work of the school. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/health/feelings/index.shtml?p=teachers

References Daly. M et al (2004) Early Years Management in Practice. P.113. Heinemann: Oxford Fivush. R, Hudson. A (1990). Knowing and Remembering in Young Children. P140. New York: Cambridge University Press.) Halvorsen, A., Lee, V., Andrade, F. (2009) A mixed-method study of teachers’ attitudes about teaching in urban and low income schools. Urban Education, 44(2), 181-224. Jalongo, M. R. (2007). Beyond benchmarks and scores: reasserting the role of motivation and interest in children's academic achievement: an ACEI (Association For Cultural Economics International) position paper. Childhood Education, 83(6), 395-407 Uszynska-Jarmoc, (2007). Self-esteem and different forms of thinking in seven and nine-year-olds. Early Child Development and Care, 177(4), 337-348. http://wales.gov.uk/dcells/publications/policy_strategy_and_planning/early-wales /whatisfoundation/foundationphase http://www.childrensrightswales.org.uk/uncrc-principles.aspx http://earlyyearsmatters.co.uk/index.php/learning-and-development/psed/ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmeduc/writev/behaviour/we72.htm