Categorie
Educazione per bambini

Family-School communication

Children’s education involves different educational agents, mainly the family and the school. For this reason, it is especially important that there is a good relationship based on communication between both, since this way they are jointly involved in their development and can exchange information about them, their progress, their difficulties, their activities outside of school … A way for the teacher to understand the context of the child and for the family to get to know the person in charge of the child’s education, as well as the things that happen within the educational center.

Everyday life has moments that promote communication between family and school, and, according to Arnaiz (2012), it allows improving the quality of the child’s identity and responding to the child’s needs by reinforcing personal relationships between their personal references with the aim of knowing the child’s life more closely. 

 In this case we are going to focus on the moments of entry and exit since, due to its informal nature and its frequency, it favors the exchange of relevant information about the child and its context. Some of the issues that may arise are: aspects related to health, conflicts, development of skills, behaviors, interests … It is very important that the teacher takes into account the lack of privacy at this time when transmitting certain information (both verbal and physical), the presence of the child and the sensitivity of the family (Menendez, Ruiz & Rebaque, 2002). 

Once we have contextualized what we understand by communication between family and school in moments of everyday life, we are going to present the analysis of the results of listening and observation. 

After analyzing the internship colleges we have been to, we can affirm that most centers do not promote communication with families, not even in everyday life. In the experiences we have had, communication is based on arranged meetings when there is a specific and clear problem, however, on a daily basis it is not considered or only superficially to deal with issues related to physical aspects (diarrhea, constipation, wounds, blows, sleep …). Therefore, we consider that they do not take advantage of the opportunities offered by daily life to communicate and consequently understand each other, know each other, support each other and jointly promote the optimal development of the child, as stated by Arnaiz (2012) and López-Herranz (2004). 

 However, due to what has been worked on the subject Psychoeducational Attention from 0 to 3 years and what was explained at the beginning of the document, the theory is far from the reality that the three of us have observed on this subject. 

Some example of how daily life can be carried out to promote communication between family and school and take advantage of the benefits it has, could be: avoiding that the entrances to the school are an exchange of children in which the family deposits their children in line and the teacher picks them up (in reverse at the exits), but there is a meeting between the agents in which they can have a conversation. Another possibility would be that the teacher shows interest and concern in knowing and understanding the contexts of each of her students, since we consider that one of the barriers that make communication difficult is that it is more difficult for families to take the step due to shyness or shame. 

On the other hand, one of us states that in one of the centers where she has carried out internships, communication between the family and the school is more common and is carried out naturally in everyday life. At the entrances to the classroom, the tutor goes out into the hall to receive children and families, greet them, chat with them and invite them to enter the classroom. Although it was more present, it is true that it did not develop in an individual way but rather globally because the teacher did not stop to talk with each one, only with those with whom it arose spontaneously or with whom she had to exchange some type of information. 

This is closer to what was worked in class since there is a closer and more frequent communication than in the first example. 

From all this, we conclude with the idea that Fabrés (2006) exposes by highlighting the importance of the way in which these moments are carried out since they define the interaction between both educational agents. 

References 

Arnáiz, V. (2012). ¿Cómo se cuida la identidad del niño en nuestra escuela? Aula de Infantil, 65, 27-28. 

Fabrés, M. (2006). En el día a día nada es banal, nada es rutina. In-fan-cia, 100, 14-17.   

López-Herranz, R. (2004). Aula de Infantil. Revista Aula de Infantil, 18 

Menendez, L., Ruiz, J.M. & Rebaque, M.O. (2002). La tutoría en educación infantil. Praxis. 

Authorship

Alejandra Massot, Leire Pérez y Rebeca Vega, 2020.

Categorie
Educazione per bambini

Assembly

The assembly was created in order to provide a welcoming space for all children within the classroom. It is a specific place in the classroom that is intended for the meeting of the class group to discuss different interesting issues for the children or other more unpredictable aspects that may occur in the school. It is done daily, therefore, it can be said that the assemblies are included within the activities of the child’s daily life.

With this classroom routine, the aim is to build complicity relationships with the children, so that the teacher and the students get to know each other better and thus stimulate a more active participation in the knowledge construction.

However, the assemblies that take place in infant schools are usually developed through the performance of different individual micro-activities.

Therefore, it can be said that, at present, assemblies maintain an appearance of group activity when in fact they have a totally individual approach.

The activities required within an assembly can only be carried out by a specific child and are limited, among other things, to learning how to set thedate, tell a personal experience or observe the weather, reducing the possibilities of active participation by the rest of the students.

The rest of the classmates limit themselves to listening and observing what the other child is doing.Portillo (1997a;1997b; 2000) was one of the pioneers in our country in defending the usefulness of assemblies in the infant ́s stage.

According to this author, assemblies are a unique opportunity for children to develop their linguistic, social and civic competence, but she also states that attention should be paid to the organisation and usefulness of these kinds of routines, as they can also become a double-edged sword and be carried out in a way that is not appropriate and does not provide any educational value to the child.

As we mentioned earlier, the assembly is an activity that takes place every day in schools. This fact can cause it to become monotonous and repetitive, which can make the child lose interest in it and reduce the possibilities for him/her to develop certain communication and social skills, and therefore lose its educational usefulness.

So, the teacher must try, on the one hand, to create an atmosphere within the assembly that allows the civic and social development of the child and, on the other hand, to manage the communication of the group by creating opportunities that allow all the children to express themselves freely.

References 

Portillo, M.C. (1997a; 1997b; 2000). La asamblea de clase en EI: Un espacio para aprender a hablar y para construir(nos). En Sánchez Rodríguez, S. y González Aragón, C. (2016), La asamblea de clase en Educación Infantil: Un espacio para crecer como grupo(pp. 137-138). Departamento de Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura. Facultad de CC. de la Educación. Campus Río San Juan. Universidad de Cádiz. Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación. Recuperado el 15 de noviembre del 2020 en: https://rieoei.org/historico/documentos/rie71a06.pdf

Authorship

Carlota Argos Bolado y Laura Jiménez Carrancedo, 2020.

Categorie
Educazione per bambini

Feeding II

Eating not only consists on satisfying the physiological needs to achieve physical development, but this is the moment in which you can dialogue, acquire habits, attitudes, develop cultural and social skills, among others. That is why, at school, the dining rooms, schedules, spaces and planning must be adapted, so that children of the first age are stimulated and can appreciate the mealtimes as pleasant periods and of relationships with others.

Infants need to practice, learn new things, help, and collaborate in this moment. When they are very young, little by little they acquire abilities to bite and chew. Also, they require hands to grab food, touching and playing with food is the best way for them to learn and know different things. At the same time, they imitate their close people, so it is important to know which example we are transmitting.

It should be noted that it is not only important that the food provided is healthy to have a healthy development, but that the eating moments should be considered as educational spaces in which the boys and girls talk with their families, their classmates, their teachers, etc., the areas should be quiet and spacious, everyone can participate according to their abilities (setting the table, collecting the dirty plates, helping), and where the opinions and/or tastes of each one are taken into account (choose with whom sit, what to eat and how much to eat, even though all this is supervised by an adult).

Now, it is important to take into account the environment, the presentation of the dishes, the proximity of the silverware or things that are needed, the placement and size of the chairs and tables according to the age of the children. In this way, they don’t need to constantly depend on an adult to get comfortable or to pick up a fork. This is how they can acquire autonomy, in addition to being able to experiment and know their surroundings.

Considering the role of teachers, it is necessary to say that they should see this lunch time as one more educational process that takes place in the school. The person in charge of the dining room must know the students perfectly, in such a way that they know what they like, if they have any allergies, their personal situation, etc., in addition, to be able to talk with their families regularly. It should be said that communication is essential at this time, the adult has to present the food, explain what there is to eat (whether it is meat or fish), what silverware we need and what rules must be done and respected.

References 

Geis, A. (2016). La hora del almuerzo en la escuela infantil: Un momento educativo. Aula de Infantil, (87), 9-13. https://bit.ly/3fmjQSc

Guia Infantil (Ed.) (2016). Alimentación para niños de 2 a 3 años. https://bit.ly/3fk2bKZ

Organización Mundial para la Educación Preescolar (Ed.) (s.f). Aprender a comer en la Escuela Infantil. Experiencias Educativas. https://bit.ly/332xCVg

Pequelandia (Ed.) (2017). La alimentación del niño de 1 a 3 años: Consejos para padres. Escuelas Infantiles Privadas. https://bit.ly/2KkO3FU

Authorship

Noelia Puente Revilla y Cristina Vela Castillo, 2020.

Categorie
Educazione per bambini

Feeding I

School feeding 0-3 years

Feeding is a daily activity that takes place every day. As this is an activity that is present so many times in our lives, adults tend not to give it the importance it really has, seeing these moments as a process of ingesting food for survival or necessity, losing the pleasure of eating, relating to others or learning (Ritscher, 2010).

At these moments, different things always happen, because as Rabotti (2020) mentions that relationships, words, games or feelings, among others are intertwined. For this, it is important to pay special attention, even to the smallest details, and to accompany the children in these acts to promote their autonomy and personal development. For it, a series of criteria will be defined below which, from our point of view, will define this act in a kindergarten (0-3 years).

First, it is essential that children’s schools for 0-3 years have their own kitchen. In this way, children will be able to eat freshly made and homemade food and not food provided by a caterer because it is pre-cooked food. In addition, kitchens can be used as a kind of “laboratory” where they can interact with the food. In this way, lunchtime will be a moment to long awaited and with which they will enjoy (Ritscher, 2010). Besides, the kindergarten has to provide quality food, that is, it must promote and encourage healthy eating.

On the other hand, attention should also be paid to the atmosphere surrounding this activity, avoiding and removing all types of noise conflicts, unpleasant moments, televisions or toys, among others, because this can lead to children being distracted and they don’t want to eat.

Another important aspect to have in mind is the furniture and cutlery. These should be adjusted to the size of the children in order to not hinder the process of eating.

Finally, it is advisable to organise the children in shifts (depending on the number of children) so that the teacher can give the necessary time to this event, as well as establish a bond of trust with each of the children through interaction between them. In this way, lunchtime will become a learning space where children will have the opportunity to develop and promote their autonomy, communication and relationships with their teacher and their schoolmates (Sensat, 2019). 

On the other hand, the activities of daily life at school are quite different from reality, being much faster and more stressful (Ritscher, 2010). Besides, adults have this act internalized, so they don’t tend to capture the processes and successes of children. Therefore, it is important to plan intentionally what we want to happen (Blasi, 2003). 

In the same way, it is important that meals time resemble the children’s subjective time. Therefore, the moments related to feeding have to be flexible, adapting and adjusting to the individual rhythms of each child (Fabrés, 2006). Besides, meal time shouldn’t be longer than necessary because some children can’t sit in a chair for a long time, others need little time to eat, while others need more time to carry out this act (Thió, 2011). 

Therefore, the teacher has to take care of their behavior and he has to adapt to the needs of each child at lunchtime. Patience and empathy are attitudes you have to have. It is important that during the meal, the teacher interacts with the child, explaining at all times what is being done. Besides, it is essential that if any pact is made with the child, it is fulfilled because the child may feel cheated (Thió, 2011). In the same way, the teacher doesn’t have to focus only on whether the child has eaten everything, he has to focus more on how the child is eating in order to know what are your achievements and difficulties for helping you (Ritscher, 2010). Finally, it is important to let the children experiment, let them decide how to eat, as well as serve their own food. Therefore, it is necessary to let them free because in this way, the memento of the meal will be fun, entertaining and attractive (Thió, 2011).     

References 

Blasi, M. (2003). La vida cotidiana de 0 a 6 años. Aula de Infantil, 11. 5-10. 

Fabrés, M. (2020). En el día a día nada es banal, nada es rutina. Revista In-fan-cia, 100, 14-17.

Ritscher, P. (2010). Comer con todo detalle. Infancia: Educar de 0 a 6 años. 119, 25-27. 

Sensat, R. (2019). Una mirada a las rutinas cotidianas. Infancia en Europa hoy. Infancia, 1.

Thió, C. (2011). La comida más allá de la nutrición: autonomía, autoestima, responsabilidad. Aula de Infantil, 59, 44-45.

Authorship

Raquel Gómez Ruiz y María Cristina Ocejo Arce, 2020.