nvestigation of the interest continues.
An example from the classroom;
A group of three-four year olds had been drawing and talking about rainbows repeatedly, sharing their experiences of where they had seen rainbows and what they looked like. Their educator asked, “When do you see rainbows?”
Child 1 responded, “Up in the sky.”
Child 2 responded, “After it rains.”
Child 3 then added, “Yeah, when its all wet.”
Child 2 then added, “Yeah but then the sun comes out and dries up all the rain and it goes up into the sky until it rains again” (demonstrating with his hands).
Child 3 then added, “And the rainbow gets stuck in the trees,” (laughing).
Child 4 then entered the conversation with, “It gets stuck above the trees.”
The educator then asks, “But how does the rainbow get there?”
Child 5, “Someone puts it there.”
Child 1, “The rainbow guy makes them.”
The conversation continued with the children agreeing that they weren’t sure how rainbows were made; just that it had to be wet for them to get there.
This conversation provides the educator with lots of information about what the children know, or think they know, about rainbows and it provides a great starting point for the learning program.
- The educator may use the record of this conversation to plan further questions to get the children to express their ideas and understandings in more detail (thinking and reasoning and communicating skills).
- The educator can choose to encourage the children to represent what they ‘know’ creatively, maybe designing and then making “rainbow making machines” with sculpture materials like paper mache or box construction (thinking and reasoning, problem solving, 3D mathematical and creative skills).
- The educator could make a list of research questions with the children about what they would like to know about rainbows and then use the internet or a library visit to find the answers (thinking and reasoning and literacy skills).
This short example provides a snapshot of how an emergent curriculum approach is much more organic and based upon the child’s responses to the learning program, including learning from their misconceptions. The children will be developing lifelong learning skills in a manner that is fun, engaging and interesting to them.
Do you teach using interests or themes?