Changing the Locations of Resources to Change Preschoolers’ Perspective

Educators spend countless hours planning curriculum, organizing materials, selecting physical classroom spaces, and evoking provocations. Even with all the preparations that pre-K teachers complete, students will arrive at school and for several days quite often will not respond as you intended to your hours of hard work and commitment to their educational interest. You ask yourself, “What did I do wrong?”

Subtly changing the locations of weekly classroom offerings, however, can provide students with different perspectives, ignite curiosity, spark new ideas and imaginative thinking, and build social and emotional connections. All too often, teachers may feel the need to leave things as they are and simply wait to see the responses of their students. While there can be value in this, I have had amazing results with small, delicate changes that have proven to be monumental and extremely beneficial to my students with regard to social interactions and imaginative inquiry.

Tweaking materials or rearranging tabletops and floor choices for optimal exposure can help students’ form deep connections with curriculum investigations, ensuring that all our students are educated.

Pre-K teachers need to be diligent in noticing the behaviors and interests of their students. Documentation is a vital and useful tool for keeping an active record of the many combinations and locations of resources, loose parts, manipulatives, and nature items. Documentation also supports strategies used and redesigned for optimal learning for pre-K students on a weekly basis or longer, depending on the level of wonder and layers of investigation by students.

Invitations and Provocations

It’s best for educators to first determine the number of invitations and provocations they’re designing for their class as they plan for their week of instruction. An invitation is a way to draw in your students by inviting or presenting a situation that is tempting—it is child-led, and they have control over the play or investigative activity. A provocation is something specific that an educator has in mind to deliberately stretch the knowledge and experiences of the child. 

When an educator intentionally provides materials for children, set up in a way to inspire learning, the child still needs to follow their own ideas without adult-defined outcomes. If the child chooses to interact with the resources presented, the invitation is accepted. If this spark ignites engagement, then you have a provocation.

If the invitation is ignored, it becomes an opportunity to reflect on why. Could it be that the children were just not interested? What happens if children respond in a completely different way than expected? These questions should spark reflection and professional inquiry, along with detailed documentation.

How to Observe and Document

The educator should be far enough away as to not disrupt or distract students, but also be able to see and hear clearly:

• They need to make mental notes of student actions that stand out or are unexpected and
• notice how students are using the materials, so
• they can note imaginary scenarios and engagement with peers and
• observe if students are asking questions, role-playing, or self-talking regarding materials or their play.

Educators understand the value of consistent, well-collected, trustworthy, and usable documentation. Classroom documentation can be beneficial to teachers, families, therapists, counselors, and students. Teachers need to be sensitive to any privacy and legal ramifications and precise when using a variety of data tools to acquire information regarding students. 

Documentation is extremely helpful at parent-teacher conferences, when generating specialized reports, or when sharing a moment with a student revealing a photo taken of their art or even the Lego model they worked so hard on. Some ideas for documentation follow:

• Keep a journal or simple clipboard with blank sheets of paper to write down notations.
• If available, use a camera to take photos of students and their actions.
• If possible, use a recording device to capture unique moments spoken during group gatherings or during sharing presentations. 
• Create computer files for each student in order to keep long-term, school-year documentation.
• Use portfolios to house a section designated for student documentation records, notes, and printed photos.
• Create a classroom documentation area by hanging a bulletin board where photos, student quotes, teacher notes, research materials, and extraordinary curriculum connections by students and teachers can be displayed.
• Use these observations and documentation to support school-home connections.
  

Before and After Outcomes

Education is broad in terms of the different types of learning environments and the many different types of educational philosophies. However, they all have one main goal in common: providing the best education for children. 

Whether you are setting up classroom centers, tabletop choices, floor choices, art projects, or a nature-based activity, students require an environment where they are free to explore materials openly, expand their imagination, make predictions, and develop critical thinking skills.

To ensure that our students are exposed and intrigued by challenging, creative, and thought-provoking materials, as well as classroom multilayered research opportunities, educators may need to make adjustments, keep an open mind, observe, and be willing to change directions. 

Holistically, we know that every child is an individual and has their own set of unique qualities for learning. We cannot possibly hit all the markers for every student we teach throughout our educational career. Flexibility and attentiveness, therefore, are key.