"Un"prompted. "Un"scripted. "Un"planned.
Could very well be the worst nightmare of my pedagogy classes. Lesson one: Always have a slew of open-ended questions. Also, always have a plan and then a plan for that plan and don't forget a back-up plan for that.
That being said, every teacher that I've worked with is extremely skilled in improvising and adapting to the unscripted scenarios in everyday teaching. Here's where I put my disclaimer: of course you are going to plan in education settings. There are multiple reasons to why you lesson plan (a big one being standards and being able to prove what you are doing and why to the "higher-ups"). But, right here, right now, I do not have "higher-ups" to please with my make-shift, home-school teaching where I'm using my children as my test subjects.
I have not sat down and made a schedule or in-depth lesson plans with objectives and specific assessment measures. We do have a sort of routine down. We have spent the majority of the days outside, *10/10 recommend. We have a bit of inside time in the morning, just to get ready for the day (breakfast, coffee, reading) and spend the rest of the morning outside. We go inside to eat lunch and put Jax down for a nap. Otherwise, the rest of the time has been spent outside. Of course, this slightly shifts on a day to day basis.
While we are outside it is 95% child-led, unscripted and unprompted play. Usually, I haven't been joining much (unless one of the boys invites me in to play). Mostly, I'm outside with my laptop, my notebook, or my iPad because I'm still working full-time from home. I enjoy observing as much as possible, even if I wasn't obligated to work. I think it is just as important to sit back and observe as it is to be involved in children's play. Uninterrupted play, I believe, can sometimes be the most magical.
Let's talk today (April 1st):
This morning, we got going around 7:00. I made coffee, the kids ate breakfast, and then we relaxed on the couch for a while. I read a chapter out of our Harry Potter book aloud while the kids colored.
We got outside before 8:30 this morning. I had my work out with me and the kids were running around finding things to keep busy. Mertell would come over and show me his mud soup ingredients and Jax would follow him around like an excited little puppy.
I heard a tiny scream from the other side of the house. I walked over to see what the fuss was about. Jax was stuck in the mud, the mud was around the ankles of his boots. Mertell ran down from his search in the woods to come to his brother's aide. He lifted him out of the mud and set him on the ground next to the puddle, telling him not to go in there. Jax, of course, was intrigued and immediately wanted to repeat whatever it was that had just gone on. Mertell stopped him, looked around, and told him to wait there. In a series of trips to a lumber pile that was close, he had designed his own bridge across the mud puddle. After watching this whole ordeal go down from a distance, I walked over. I strolled up without saying anything and he started showing me what he was doing and explaining his thinking behind everything. He had built a bridge over the mud puddle so that Jax wouldn't get stuck anymore. He used words like "sturdy", "deep", and "balance" to discuss his strategy. He was so excited to have figured it all out on his own and I didn't drill him with a bunch of questions (open-ended or otherwise) during the process so he was free to think and create in his own space.
I am sure that this happens all over, with so many other children, especially when they are able to have that time and space to think and problem solve. This entire process had me completely giddy because it is a concrete example of hands-off learning in an outdoor setting. Although it may seem like a simple act to toss some lumber in a mud puddle to help your little brother, further reflecting shows a more complex scenario. Problem solving, persistence, balancing the needs of others, mathematics (spatial awareness), and scientific inquiry are some development objectives that appeared in those 10-15 minutes.
This is just one example that stood out to me during these past few days of the type of learning that I love to witness. Did I plan it? No. Did I facilitate it? Not in the slightest. But, that is the beauty in moments like these. So, if you're feeling bad about not being a "good enough teacher" for your children during this time or overwhelmed with the sudden task, here are a few takeaways that I can give you at this point.
Take a step back and notice:
What they are interested in
How they interact with materials around them
When problems/complications arise, how do they react and what actions do they take
Observing and reflecting is such a powerful tool to use with children (and people in general). If you reflect to them your observations, they will know that you find what they do important. Self-esteem boosts and attachment are two wonderful reasons to observe and reflect your children's actions and feelings.
Also, a friend found today (Mertell loves mooseg)