Learning & Development: Practitioner Role: Part 3 - Under control

In the early years settings that have taken part in the Oxfordshire Adult-Child Interaction Project (see p22), there have been clear examples of three kinds of learning (see Fisher 2008). These are: that which is adult-led - where the adult has planned objectives and stays with the child or group of children while the learning takes place; that which is adult-initiated - where the adult sets up resources or experiences with planned intentions, but which children then access independently; and that which is child-led - where the resources, experiences and outcomes are freely chosen by the child and are under the control of the child (see DCSF 2009).

Our analysis of adult-child interactions within these different learning scenarios shows, quite clearly, how the role of the adult changes in response to the needs of the children and, in particular, how the role changes as a result of who has control over the learning.

KINDS OF LEARNING

Adult-led learning

When supporting adult-led learning, the adult knows exactly what outcomes they want to achieve. They have planned them with care, using prior knowledge of the child's learning experiences and using guidance from the EYFS. In these scenarios, the adult steers and guides children towards those outcomes. They make suggestions, ask questions, tell children the names of things or how things work. In adult-led situations, however responsive and sensitive they may be, the adult remains in control of the process and, usually, the outcomes of learning.

Adult-initiated

In adult-initiated scenarios, the adult also has a clear purpose for planning an activity or experience. Their knowledge of the child or children, and of their previous learning experiences, has given the adult evidence to plan the next steps of learning. The adult then sets up an activity or learning opportunity - such as different mirrors on the rug, or putting capacity containers in the water tray - with the express intention of promoting certain kinds of knowledge or understanding. However, once the adult has set up the activity, they leave the children for a while to get on independently.

The adult may return to the child or group later, but the child or children have the opportunity to take the planned learning in different directions and arrive at different end points, because the adult is not always there. When the adult does return, their role is to be intrigued: What did you make of the situation I set up? Did you learn about or practise the things I thought you would? If not, what were you interested in and what learning did take place?

Through listening to what the children have been doing and clarifying what the children have been thinking, the adult can then steer the learning back to their original intentions, if that is age-appropriate, as well as supporting the independent learning that has taken place. In these situations, the control of the learning is shared: started by the adult, taken on by the chid.

Child-led

In child-led situations, the adult approaches the play not knowing what it is that the child or children are trying to do or what situation they are creating. Child-led learning is often spontaneous and frequently unpredictable. So, in this scenario, the adult must watch and wait and wonder (see Part 2 of this series) to give themselves time to tune in to what the children are trying to achieve.

Having waited for a sufficient length of time, the adult will either be invited in to the play - to be the 'big sister' in the role play, to be useful in holding a piece of a complex construction, to be an 'audience' to the experiments of cars going down a ramp - or the children will be self-sufficient and not need an adult at that moment.

If they can see they are not needed, the sensitive early years practitioner then uses that time for some careful observation of what the children are learning, and what he or she is learning about the children.delete In these child-led situations, it is the child who is in control of the learning, and the role of the adult is to be what the child needs them to be to support that learning.

ADULT-LED AND CHILD-LED LEARNING: MAKING A DISTINCTION

While distinguishing these three different kinds of learning in our DVD footage, the Oxfordshire practitioners became aware that there were times when the role of the adult became confused. Certainly, in the early stages of the project, it was clear that adults interfered too much in child-led learning and possibly didn't 'interfere' enough in adult-led learning.

Put another way, in child-led play, the practitioners talked too much and were in danger of 'hijacking' the child's agenda with endless questions, many of which interrupted children's thinking. Meanwhile, in adult-led situations, adults were sometimes scared to 'teach' too much, their input was rather woolly and they often confused children because they didn't make clear what was to be learned and how that might be done. The following examples might help here:

Supporting child-led learning

In our DVD footage there are examples of adults interfering in the child-led learning of babies through to children in Year 2. In one piece of footage, a toddler's attempt to explore the dough is hijacked by an adult who wants to give the exploration a purpose (theirs) - turning the dough play into 'a birthday party'. In another piece of footage, a Year 1 child who wants to give her teacher a 'doughnut' that she has made is given in exchange a 'lesson' on its shape and size. If the purpose of child-led play is for the child to be in control, then adults have to learn to follow the child's lead and not take over.

Supporting adult-led learning

But in order to feel able to follow the child's lead in play situations, early years practitioners must be confident that children will learn what they planned in adult-led situations. Adult-led learning might take place one-to-one or in a small group (for older children), but it stems from an adult's planned intentions for that child or group. Yet all too often, having identified these planned outcomes for learning, adults seemed nervous about supporting children to achieve them. All too often at the beginning of our project, we saw adult-led learning where:

• children were unclear about what it was they were learning, and adults did not keep children 'on track'

• adults were too easily distracted by issues that arose 'on the way', so that the final objective was never reached (this regularly occurred after adults asked 'What do you think?' or 'Shall we have a think about that? and then never found their way back to the original objective)

• children were confused because they were told something was right - or wrong (however kindly) - but never told why.

This is not to suggest that adults simply tell children what they should know rather than facilitate exploration and investigation. Rather, they need to keep an eye on the planned outcomes and, if a child meets a learning hurdle - if they become confused or uncertain - adults shouldn't be afraid to give them direct help to get over the learning hurdle and on their way again.

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES: HOW TO START OR EXTEND A CONVERSATION

The strategies that are effective in starting, maintaining or extending a conversation will vary according to the learning situation, and the age of the child or children involved.

As we have analysed our DVD footage, the Oxfordshire practitioners have recorded those strategies that consistently seem to be effective in consolidating or extending children's thinking. Here are some that have worked well.

Commenting

Commenting is particularly valuable for those working with children who have little verbal language - very young children, those with English as an additional language, those with language delay - where words, grammar, figures of speech are reinforced and modelled by the adult. For example:

'I can see you're trying to...'

'I notice you've...'

'You've put the...'

'There's a blue one alongside the pink one...'

As with many strategies, even 'commenting' can be overdone. When the adult speaks too much, their words become like background music, and the child only notices when it is switched off!

Pondering

Pondering is a very unthreatening way of asking a question and avoids it sounding like interrogation. Pondering suggests that the adult is interested in the question too, rather than having the answer all along:

'I wonder if...'

'I wonder why...'

'I wonder whether...'

Imagining

Many young children have vivid imaginations and it is vital that adults encourage their creative thinking in a whole range of contexts. Children need to be 'in someone else's shoes' to imagine what it is like to be someone or do something outside their normal range of powers, as well as to use their creativity when model making, constructing and weaving stories:

'I can imagine...'

'I wonder what that could be...'

'Perhaps...'

'Let's pretend we are...'

Connecting

It is crucial that educators help children contextualise what they are learning so that they come to understand that past and present learning connects in some way and can support learning in the future:

'Do you remember when/how...'

'It's just like when we/you...'

'If you can manage that today, you can try this tomorrow.'

Thinking aloud

Sometimes asking children 'Why don't you try this...?' gets little response, whereas the more indirect 'I think I'll try this...' often leads to children following the adult's lead and extending their repertoire of ideas:

'I'm going to try...'

'I remember when I tried...'

'I did something like this before...'

Talking about feelings

It can be a great temptation as caring adults not to talk to children about their feelings. But research tells us that in order to manage feelings, children have to confront them (Gerhardt 2010) and to be able to name them. Doing so as situations arise naturally is the best way to give children permission to express what they are feeling and convey that it is normal and 'acceptable' to feel the way they do:

'I think Sophie might be upset because she's missing her mummy too.'

'I can see you're excited because daddy's coming soon.'

'I think you're cross because you wanted that trike and Andrew got there first. Let's have a cuddle and then it will be your turn.'

Supporting the child to make choices and decisions

Often, in our attempts to give children choice, we make that choice too broad. Very young children may need their choices constrained so that they become manageable. By supporting children's choices and decision-making, we help them increasingly to have control over the consequences of their actions:

'Would you like the red ones or the blue ones?'

'Do you think baby bear would rather have eaten his porridge or gone for that walk?'

'Would you like to use charcoal or chalk?'

As I have said earlier in this article, there are times when adults' support of children needs to be more direct and challenging.

Explaining/informing

Early years practitioners shouldn't shy away from 'teaching' by explaining and informing:

'If you turn the saw like this you'll be able to cut right through.'

'Maybe if you put a weight on the end it will help.'

'I think your ball is getting stuck because that piece of track isn't fixed together properly.'

However, it is important that any 'information' comes after the child has had the chance to show whether they already know this or has attempted something and is becoming frustrated.

Enriching/elaborating

Scaffolding learning requires practitioners to enrich and elaborate on what is happening in children's play:

'Baby play' at nursery - 'Sometimes mummies use a changing mat so their babies have somewhere soft to lie.'

Children making sand muffins in the sandpit - 'If you use the sand at the top it's wetter and sticks together better than the loose sand at the bottom.'

Helping child with dressing-up clothes - 'I'm looking for the zip because that tells me where the back is.'

Provoking

Sometimes we need to stop children in their tracks by challenging their thinking. Here we need to say or suggest something that makes them readjust what they currently know or what they expected to happen:

Teacher is supporting 'cat play' in nursery. One of the children comes and holds up her paw and says it hurts. Teacher reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small wooden block which she 'dials' like a cellphone: 'Hello...is that the vet's? Oh hi...it's mummy cat here. One of my cats has hurt her paw. Can we have an appointment? Oh really... Oh OK...well I'll ring tomorrow then.' (Turning to the girls with worried expression) 'Do you know what the vet said? The vet is ill. So they can't see any animal.' (The girls look confused for a moment, then one of the says 'I'm a vet, I know what to do' and the play continues.)

Staying quiet

Finally, as we saw in Part 2 of this series, there are times when practitioners should remain quiet; times when children need to be given the opportunity to think rather than answer an adult's questions; time for the adult to stay attentive but not be intrusive; time for the adult to watch and wait and wonder at what children are doing and thinking and learning.

CONCLUSION

The role of the adult is complex and varied. Effective early years practitioners are 'light-footed' in moving from one role to another to suit the learning situation and the needs of the child. It is crucial to be clear about the purposes of learning in order to offer appropriate support to children and to say the right thing at the right time for learning to continue.

Julie Fisher is an independent early years adviser and visiting professor of Early Childhood Education at Oxford Brookes University

ABOUT THIS SERIES

This four-part series of articles explores the issues that have arisen for practitioners involved in 'Interacting or Interfering? The Oxfordshire Adult-Child Interaction Project'. The scheme, which is ongoing, aims to give practitioners a better understanding of their role in supporting early learning and what helps or hinders adult interactions with young children.

Taking part in the project are 14 practitioners, who work across a variety of settings and care for children aged from six months to six years. Participants include colleagues who have worked together for more than two years and each agreed to be filmed once a term for two years.

The four parts of the series are:

• Part 1, Effective communication (Nursery World, 23 January 2012)

• Part 2,Tuning in to children's thinking (Nursery World, 20 February 2012)

• Part 3, The adult role in child-led learning (Nursery World, 19 March 2012)

• Part 4, How to have conversations with children (Nursery World, 16 April 2012)

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/go/learninganddevelopment

REFERENCES

• Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009) Learning, Playing and Interacting. Nottingham, DCSF Publications

• Fisher, J (2008) (3rd edn) Starting from the Child. Buckingham, Open University Press

• Gerhardt, S (2010) The Selfish Society: How we all forgot to love one another and I made money instead. London, Simon & Schuster

Photographs by Justin Thomas at Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School and The Slade Nursery School and Children's Centre, Oxford.