Monday 27 November 2017

How and when do we learn? food for thought

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/seven-sharp/clips/what-s-the-ideal-age-children-should-be-starting-school

Here's a clip talking about NZ children and how they learn.... you might agree or disagree about this education experts ideas about learning, but it's great to keep the dialogue open when planning for children's education ...... click the link

Monday 20 November 2017

handy hints....

From the Kindergarten whānau Library in the cloakroom. This is a user friendly guide from the Office of the Children's commissioner that looks at ways to positively guide children..... if you'd like a copy emailed to you let us know.


Sunday 19 November 2017

Thanks to Easi swim who popped into our mat time hui recently to talk about keeping safe near the water. We love new ways to keep safe here at Kindergarten! We had a turn wearing life jackets if we felt like it.... and seeing how we might be able to move while wearing one...... great work tamariki! some of our more keen and avid dramatic players really got 'into' the idea, and we all had lots to share about the idea of being safe by water and boats........ ka pai tō mahi!



Saturday 18 November 2017

Tangata Whenua at work!

It's always fun to find out how art projects happen..... and how our local tūrangawaewae is developed. Our children really enjoyed observing Ari the carver working on our entranceway project in action. As a group of learners we had lots of questions about the tools he used and he explained a lot to us about what each image meant to him as an artist connecting with our Kindergarten environs. He's also made a very different type of art work to the be added to the front of the entryway 'whare' which he has written down his reasoning for..... one of our tamariki with a great sense of being the people who welcome manuhiri ( visitors) tells all his friends and Kaiako we have to get up there together to welcome him with 'tihei mauriora' and 'the Northland Kindergarten song'. He's absolutely right- so we do! great work being fab tangata whenua my friends............







This from Radio NZ - and Nathan Mikaere Wallace....



'Kids with interpersonal skills come fro homes where there are rich conversations'

From Nine To Noon11:27 am on 21 September 2017 
Employers say many of today's graduates are low on innovation, creativity and interpersonal skills.
So what can parents do to encourage children to think for themselves?
Explore, debate, play and don't focus on academic performance too early, says parenting consultant Nathan Mikaere-Wallis.
A lot of parents think National Standards is the New Zealand curriculum, when it is actually an assessment structure imposed over the top of the curriculum, MW says.
"What's happening in New Zealand is teachers are feeling the push to National Standards and getting kids ready for that test, rather than teaching to the evidence-based document - (in the case of primary schools) the Key Competencies."
While assessment is helpful for early identification of students that are struggling, it shouldn't lead the curriculum, he says.
National Standards are appropriate by the age of 9 or 10, but if your child is under 7, fostering a good attitude towards learning and good self-esteem matters much more than whether they're hitting scholastic targets, he says.
"I think it's damaging asking a six-year-old what reading group they got up to."
Parents can make it clear to both their children's teachers and children themselves that a love for learning, creativity and diversity of thinking is what they value over performance.
If your child is under seven, instead of asking right-or-wrong questions, ask open-ended questions which encourage their right-brain, he says.
New Zealand parents seem to want to strictly focus their children on high-status (left-brain) subjects like maths and science and creative extracurricular activities (right-brain) are in danger of being dismissed as a distracting waste of time.
Yet the countries that traditionally produce the top mathematicians – Hungary, Netherlands and Japan – all have compulsory music education, too, he says.
"Exercising the right brain actually makes them better at a left-brain function like maths."
When it comes to play, stop taking charge and let the child lead. They're the experts, he says.
"We jump in, as adults, with testing questions… 'What colour is this?' Unless you're pretty sure the person knows the answer that's just setting them up for low self-esteem. You don't hear adults say that to each other in conversation."
Be wary of preparing your child for their next stage of development rather than being with them where they are, he says.
"I often joke with parents 'How many of you spend the weekend practising with a Zimmer frame? Not really anyone does that."
The students who get all the 'excellences' in school are rarely the ones who go on to become great leaders and innovators, and it's often the skills learnt from right-brain activities that make you employable, he says.
"If you're really successful at school you've learnt to be very compliant, you've learnt to jump through the hoops, you've learnt to do exactly as you're told … whereas when you go out to the workforce what people are wanting is innovation, thinking outside the square."
Parents can encourage this by creating a home environment where the child feels confident articulating, sharing and debating their ideas, he says.
"Kids that have interpersonal skills come from homes where there are rich conversations which have helped hem develop the ability to think and articulate ... You either come from a home where you learnt those skills from your parents. And if you didn't, it's not likely you're going to get it from school."
Educator, researcher and parenting commentator Nathan Mikaere-Wallis is the director of X-Factor Education.

A blog entry that is interesting to those who think about how children learn....

Reading Readiness Has To Do With The Body

reading readiness, kids sit too much,
Sitting down. (public domain by Jusben)
Today’s kids sit more than ever. Babies spend hours confined in car seats and carriers rather than crawling, toddling, or being carried. As they get older their days are often heavily scheduled between educational activities and organized events. Children have 25 percent less time for free play than they did a generation ago, and that’s before factoring in distractions like TV or video games.
Left to their own devices, children move. They hold hands and whirl in a circle till they fall down laughing. They beg to take part in interesting tasks with adults. They want to face challenges and try again after making mistakes. They climb, dig, and run. When they’re tired they like to be rocked or snuggled. Stifling these full body needs actually impairs their ability to learn.
Sensory experience and fun. (CC by 2.0 Micah Sittig)
We know that our little ones walk and talk on their own timetables. No rewards or punishments are necessary to “teach” them. Yet children are expected to read, write and spell starting at five and six years old as if they develop the same way at the same time. Academics are pushed on young children with the assumption this will make them better students. This approach is not only unnecessary, it may be contributing to problems such as learning disorders, attention deficits, and long term stress.
Studies contrasting reading instruction at age five compared to instruction at age seven find earlier lessons may damage reading development. By the time children reach the age of 11, students who were instructed earlier show poorer text comprehension and less positive attitudes toward reading than children whose instruction started later.
Literacy isn’t easy. It requires children to decode shapes into sounds and words, to remember these words correctly in written and spoken form, and to understand their meaning. Allowing reading to develop naturally or teaching it later tends to create eager, lifelong readers. Why?
why pushing school-like lessons hinders learning,
Children pushed to read early (not those who naturally pick it up) tend to rely on right brain processes because that area matures more quickly. These early readers are likely to guess at unknown words using clues such as appearance, context, beginning and ending letters. Their main tactic is memorizing sight words. These are valuable methods but not a balanced approach to reading. Such children may quickly tire after reading short passages or read smoothly but have difficulty deriving meaning from what they read. The procedure they use to decode words can make the content hard to comprehend. These reading problems can persist.
On the other hand, children benefit when they learn to read naturally or are taught later. That’s because, as the left brain matures and the pathway between both hemispheres develops, it becomes easier for them to sound out words, to visualize meanings, and mentally tinker with abstractions. They memorize short sight words but sound out longer words, an approach that is less taxing. As they incorporate more words into their reading vocabulary they more easily picture and understand what they are reading.
developing eager readers,
Developing eager readers (CC by 2.0 Daniel Pink
In order for children to read, write and spell they must be developmentally ready. Some are ready at the age of four or five, some not for many years later. This readiness includes complex neurological pathways and kinesthetic awareness. It includes the proprioceptive sense developed through sensory receptors in the muscles, joints, and tendons: a form of maturation essential for a physical sense of self (even essential for learning how to modulate one’s voice and to hold objects carefully).
Such readiness isn’t created by workbooks or computer programs. It’s the result of brain maturation as well as rich experiences found in bodily sensation and movement.
These experiences happen as children play and work, particularly in ways that cross the midline. They includes expansive movements such as climbing, jumping, digging, swimming, playing hopscotch and catch, riding bikes, sweeping, running. They also include fine movements such as chopping vegetables, drawing, building, playing rhyming and clapping games, using scissors, and playing in sand. And of course there’s the essential growth that comes from snuggling, listening to stories, singing, trying new tastes,  enjoying make believe. Children are drawn to such experiences. Without them, they won’t have a strong foundation for learning.
how to boost reading readiness,
Play is related to reading readiness. (CC by 2.0 stevendepolo)
These activities stimulate the child’s brain to develop new neural pathways. Such activities also build confidence, smooth sensory processing, and create a bank of direct experience that helps the child visualize abstract concepts. Well-intended adults may think a good use of a rainy afternoon is a long car ride to an educational exhibit. A young child is likely to derive more developmental value (and fun) from stomping in puddles and digging in mud followed by play time in the tub.
There are many other factors contributing to reading readiness. Perhaps most important is a supportive family life where play, reading, and conversation are an enjoyable part of each day. But it helps to remember that young children want to participate in the purposeful work of making meals, fixing what’s broken, and planting the garden. They also need free time without the built-in entertainment of specialized toys, television, or video games. Their development is cued to movement. These bodily experiences prepare children for the magic found when shapes become words, words become stories, and they become readers.