In this episode, Alistair Bryce-Clegg, and International Educational Consultant Sue Asquith, explore continuous provision in the outdoors. Alistair asks Sue the million-dollar question; how do we define it, and what should practitioners consider?
Open-ended opportunities
Sue explains the importance of open-ended learning opportunities. What resources are likely to inspire children in their early childhood? And what activities will spark curiosity without constant adult intervention? It is this that creates those magic learning moments!
Sue adds that open-ended learning opportunities encourage children to learn and interpret in their own individual way. With this, practitioners can watch, scaffold, and teach based on the child’s genuine and unique interests.
Unplanned magic moments
Children bring many unplanned moments, but also the learning environment plays a huge part as well. While outdoors, you might suddenly hear a helicopter or native plane or one of the emergency services driving past. These magic, unplanned moments offer new and exciting conversations with children that will spark further curiosity, learning, and exploration.
Sue and Alistair talk about how learning outdoors can feel very different from learning indoors. When children are outdoors running, climbing, transporting, and experimenting with concoctions, or perhaps jumping in puddles, it is sometimes hard to see where there is learning in that. But once we understand the learning potential associated with the outdoors, it opens a range of possible experiences.
Cultural Capital
Sue and Alistair explore the concept of Cultural Capital in Early Years practice. This is the understanding that not all children, practitioners, and environments have access to the same resources. Alistair suggests that aside from respecting the cultural capital that everyone brings, it is important to acknowledge the different experiences and utilise this to inspire new learnings. For example, if exploring Autumn with people who’ve not had that experience previously, regardless of where they grew up or their culture, then take it back to basics and all explore those first-hand learning experiences together.
Throughout episode 3 of our TTS Talking Podcast episode with Sue Asquith, you’ll hear these insights plus so much more!
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