Active Engagement

Piggybacking on a recent post titled "Is it Educational?" I want to share more about the "School of Applied Knowledge," a description I use to communicate with other educators and parents about our work with children in school-age care.

A simple description of the school of applied knowledge is that our program invites children to play, socialize, and create together using knowledge and questions obtained from school as a springboard for their work. 

In our classroom practice, children play and have questions. In the search for answers, children utilize the knowledge gained during the school day to fuel play, creativity, and learning. Children's knowledge acquisition at school helps them advance their interests and learn more as they apply it to hands-on projects out of school.

Online, I came across a video created by the Lego Foundation that asks a question about children applying knowledge. What can we do with what we know? The video advances the idea that children experience five areas of practice during play. 

In the next few posts, I want to share the five practice areas in play and connect them to my everyday observations in our school-age program. 

The first attribute is that play is active and engaging. In my experience, children are most happy when they choose their work because it creates investment in what they are doing. When school-age children choose an interest, they dive in and often collaborate with peers with similar interests. The collaboration invites opportunities for conversation, feedback, and new insights.

Communication is an essential part of the creation and continuation of play. As children share ideas, they become the roadmap to where play and the creative process travel. Feedback fosters new ideas, invites depth to the play experience, and creates social involvement that encourages other children to join in the experience. 

In practice, we encourage active engagement through our preparation as an educator. It is essential to prepare the classroom environment to complement the children's current interests by offering interesting materials and opportunities for exploration.

Many school-age programs offer pre-programmed activities tied to a weekly theme or holiday. To invite active engagement, try to avoid this type of project work and invite the children to explore materials and play. Invite children to slow down, take time to think, read a book, create, and talk with friends. 

When children have time and space to explore, they are motivated to engage, so their work moves quickly from idea to action. Our role as educators is to be an observer and co-learner with children. It is beautiful to observe when children are active and engaged. The creativity and focus are extraordinary as they explore what is most important to them and enjoy a rich play experience.