Pattern Seeking Minds Are Good Healthy Signs
pattern seeking minds are good healthy signs
rch: esea R oject arents a Pr rs and p chem tione S y cti ivel elp pra y and effect h o tool to re closel them t “A ling ct mo ildren, enab enhance intera ng ch nd ment a natural you elop with ge dev the child’s ” ra n. encou through to lear g n r. learnin te motivatio hittake ndy W We na uk and and in elnycz M by Val rch Resea undert aken
hat are W hemas? sc
What are schemas?
When young children are allowed to play freely, they often repeat actions over and over again through sensory-motor behaviour, roleplay and representation (drawings, paintings etc). The patterns of play that are revealed through these repeated actions and behaviour can be interpreted as ‘schemas’ as they allow a child to explore and learn about their world in a way that reflects their own learning preferences and intrinsic brain patterns. Schemas can be identified through regular observation, and can be categorised under a number of headings.
Introduction
This booklet reports the actions and findings of a small-scale action research project into children’s schemas undertaken over a nine-month period (November 2005 - July 2006) in Crewe, Cheshire. This was not a definitive study but more a prelude to a potentially much larger piece of work to be carried out over the next few years.
Helping children to realise their potential through play
Understanding schemas can be useful as a framework for helping practitioners interact more closely and effectively with young children. It enables them to encourage development and enhance learning through the child’s innate motivation to learn. Understanding schemas may also help to develop closer relationships with parents through shared observations, which lead to mutual understanding of the individual child, enabling both to learn more deeply about the child from the child’s intrinsic learning patterns. The researchers Val Melnyczuk and Wendy Whittaker, hope to encourage an interest in
rch: esea R oject arents a Pr rs and p chem tione S y cti ivel elp pra y and effect h o tool to re closel them t “A ling ct mo ildren, enab enhance intera ng ch nd ment a natural you elop with ge dev the child’s ” ra n. encou through to lear g n r. learnin te motivatio hittake ndy W We na uk and and in elnycz M by Val rch Resea undert aken
hat are W hemas? sc
What are schemas?
When young children are allowed to play freely, they often repeat actions over and over again through sensory-motor behaviour, roleplay and representation (drawings, paintings etc). The patterns of play that are revealed through these repeated actions and behaviour can be interpreted as ‘schemas’ as they allow a child to explore and learn about their world in a way that reflects their own learning preferences and intrinsic brain patterns. Schemas can be identified through regular observation, and can be categorised under a number of headings.
Introduction
This booklet reports the actions and findings of a small-scale action research project into children’s schemas undertaken over a nine-month period (November 2005 - July 2006) in Crewe, Cheshire. This was not a definitive study but more a prelude to a potentially much larger piece of work to be carried out over the next few years.
Helping children to realise their potential through play
Understanding schemas can be useful as a framework for helping practitioners interact more closely and effectively with young children. It enables them to encourage development and enhance learning through the child’s innate motivation to learn. Understanding schemas may also help to develop closer relationships with parents through shared observations, which lead to mutual understanding of the individual child, enabling both to learn more deeply about the child from the child’s intrinsic learning patterns. The researchers Val Melnyczuk and Wendy Whittaker, hope to encourage an interest in
Bibliography: Athey, C (1990) Extending Thought in Young Children, Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd. London Bruce, T (1997) Early Childhood Education, Hodder and Stoughton Educational. London Gopnik, A, Mettzoff, A and Kuhl, P (1999) How Babies Think, Weidenfeld and Nicolson Laevers, F (1996) The Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children LIS-YC, Manual and Video Tape, Experiential Education Series No. 1, Leuven, Belgium: Centre for Experiential Education Nutbrown, C (1999) Threads of Thinking, Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd. London Piaget, J (1953) The Origins of Intelligence in Children. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Vygotsky, L (1986) Thought and Language, MIT. Massachusetts Whalley, M (2001) Involving Parents in their Children’s Learning, Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd. London Chris athey, one of the pioneers of schemas in early years said of the Crewe project “almost all young children are loved by their parents, often passionately in the very early years, but many parents do not find their young children interesting. Introducing schemas, which precede concepts and are universal patterns beneath the everyday content of behaviour, surprises and excites parents. The search for schemas provides common ground between parents and professionals. as the parents can provide examples from home they are genuinely equal partners in such projects. Parents become enthusiastic because they understand that there are rational reasons behind what the children are doing. I think this is an excellent piece of work, well thought out and well executed.” (Chris athey,2006)