WEBVTT
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Hello and welcome to Blooming Curious, a podcast
00:00:07.730 --> 00:00:10.410
that's all about nurturing that natural curiosity
00:00:10.410 --> 00:00:14.410
in our earliest kids and students. I'm Edwina,
00:00:14.669 --> 00:00:17.449
your host from the Ed's Lessons blog, a passionate
00:00:17.449 --> 00:00:20.289
advocate for play and inquiry and on a mission
00:00:20.289 --> 00:00:23.510
to keep children curious and questioning. The
00:00:23.510 --> 00:00:26.750
days of talk and chalk are over. We're diving
00:00:26.750 --> 00:00:30.269
into the world of integrated inquiry and nature
00:00:30.269 --> 00:00:32.960
-based learning. and exploring the strategies
00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.899
that create lifelong learners. So if you're a
00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:39.299
classroom or homeschool educator or even a curious
00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:43.340
parent, then this is the place for you. Hello
00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.079
everyone and welcome to another episode of Bloomin'
00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.579
Curious. Today is the third episode in our Getting
00:00:49.579 --> 00:00:52.530
Started series. We've looked at knowing your
00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:55.130
philosophy and how to use the curriculum to plan
00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:58.729
lessons. And today we're focusing on scheduling
00:00:58.729 --> 00:01:02.429
and timetabling our daily non -negotiables and
00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:05.549
how to integrate inquiry into our timetables.
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So first off, let's talk about visual timetables.
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So visual timetables are a game changer. Kids
00:01:13.010 --> 00:01:16.030
thrive on routines and knowing what to expect.
00:01:16.569 --> 00:01:19.230
And when life is predictable, kids feel safe.
00:01:19.569 --> 00:01:21.969
And when they feel safe, they are, of course,
00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:24.849
better able to learn. Picture schedules with
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colorful images or icons can guide children through
00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:31.170
the day, making transitions smoother and reducing
00:01:31.170 --> 00:01:34.870
anxiety. You can use images of the daily activities,
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playtime, story sessions, snack breaks, whatever
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suits your schedule. It's like a roadmap for
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the day that even the youngest learners can understand.
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And when you're starting off, you can display
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the visual timetable in your morning circle so
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that students know what to expect for the day.
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And eventually... You can give that job of displaying
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the day's activities to children in the class
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as part of their classroom responsibilities and
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roles. You can download ready -made visual timetables
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from websites like Twinkle or Teach Starter.
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But of course, you can also create your own.
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I have found over the years that children with
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neurodiversity really appreciate visual timetables
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and of course for some of these kids it might
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be useful for them to have their own visual timetable
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just with three or so activities that they could
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be following as a whole day may be too overwhelming
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for them. Now onto non -negotiables. Every day
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has these little nuggets. of essential activities,
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whether it's story time, outdoor play, snack
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time, show and tell, or circle discussions. These
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are your anchors. These activities create stability
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and familiarity for the kids. And once you identify
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these non -negotiables, you build your schedule
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around them. Flexibility is key, but these core
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elements should remain constant. As an educator,
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you have to find the time in a week to cover
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your learning areas, English, Mathematics, Science,
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Haas or Humanities, Health and Physical Education,
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Art, Music and Technology and perhaps even another
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language. The curriculum is so overcrowded and
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I'm going to state my own opinion here, which
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might not go down well with many, but this is
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my podcast and I'm going to say what I think.
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And in fact, I'm going to ask you an inquiry
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question. Do young children actually need all
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these curriculum areas? Do any of us actually
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remember what we learned in science or history
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when we were five or seven? I sure don't. The
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only thing I remember from my early years at
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school were the things that I actually did. Things
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like growing beans in a window sill. I remember
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that so clearly. knitting a coat hanger cover
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at age seven I kid you not and very strangely
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learning to form my letters in what was then
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called grade one and this is back in South Africa
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in the early 70s I turned seven in my first year
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of formal schooling and I've turned out just
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fine I distinctly remember trying to shape the
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letter A we were given these little blue cards
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about the size of a postcard and we had to just
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go for it on this little card and form the letters
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of an alphabet. There were no lines to stress
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about staying on a line. It was just simply that
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motion of forming the letter. I remember that.
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So if I had my own way, I would only focus on
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English, math, art, music and STEM, or more specifically,
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inquiry projects sparked by children's interests,
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nature and picture books. But unfortunately,
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I'm not in charge. So how do we create time in
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our schedules for all these learning areas? English
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is a daily non -negotiable. From pre -primary,
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or if you're in America, kindergarten, you will
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focus on phonics and building phonological awareness,
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and that is the sounds in words. Phonics should
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be taught daily, systematically and explicitly.
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and you will need to find or use a program that
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delivers phonological awareness on a daily basis.
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This shouldn't take more than 10 minutes or so.
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Actually, phonological awareness begins way before
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pre -primary, when children can be made aware
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of the sounds in words through nursery rhymes
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and rhyming picture books. What's happened to
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nursery rhymes, by the way? Oh, and I have a
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blog post where I've created a list of my favourite
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rhyming picture books for children and I'll drop
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the link in the show notes for you. Mathematical
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concepts too are non -negotiable. I personally
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love Dr. Paul Swan's resources where he tells
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you exactly how to plan and how to reach every
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mathematical milestone. I'll link this in the
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website and in the show notes. And by the way,
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I have no affiliation with Dr. Paul Swan. I just
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really love using his resources. And if you're
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in Perth, I highly recommend you attend one of
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his workshops. So English in all its nuances
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and mathematics are non -negotiable. But wait!
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Here's the real cherry on top, inquiry -based
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learning. This method is like the secret sauce
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that makes lessons engaging and meaningful. Instead
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of just telling kids facts, which they'll never
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remember, because do you remember anything that
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the teacher just stood there in front of the
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class and just kept telling you? Let's nurture
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children's curiosity. Let them ask questions,
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explore, experiment, and discover. For instance,
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during playtime, if kids are fascinated by insects,
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turn it into a mini project. Build on their interest
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by reading books about bugs, creating an insect
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habitat, or even going on a bug hunt outside.
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It's about harnessing their natural curiosity
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and make learning an adventure. So just by taking
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this interest in insects, for example, You can
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teach language concepts, mathematical concepts.
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So if you have three beetles, how many legs would
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they have all together? And right there, you
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are now learning about groups of which actually
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repeated addition and multiplication, so three
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groups of six. What about teaching kids about
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asking really good questions that lead to discovery?
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This forms part of inquiry skills, which is part
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of the science and the HASS, Humanities and Social
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Sciences, curriculum. And then in year two, for
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example, you teach report writing. And you can
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check out my favorite book in the world, which
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is Pi Corbett's talk for writing across the curriculum,
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which I'll link in the show notes. So now you're
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linking your writing to this inquiry project
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about insects. And then, of course, kids can
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draw and paint or even make models of their favorite
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insect, which ticks off the art and technology
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curriculum. It's impossible. to teach the different
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subjects a stand -alone. Each should be integrated,
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because life is not neatly organized. Everything
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is integrated. By integrating your subjects through
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an inquiry approach, not only are you meeting
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more curriculum outcomes, you're also saving
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your sanity, and more importantly, teaching kids
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in a really meaningful way. Now the big question,
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how do we integrate inquiry -based learning into
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our daily schedule? So many of my colleagues
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and educators across the world, when I'm listening
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to other podcasts, their biggest concern is,
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well, how do I fit it into my already overcrowded
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timetable? Well, it's simpler than you think.
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You dedicate blocks of time where kids can delve
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into their interests. It could be a part of your
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morning circle or an afternoon session. You allow
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for open -ended exploration within these time
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frames. And this approach not only fosters a
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love of learning, but also allows you to intertwine
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various subjects seamlessly. I've always found
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that English and maths are the heavy lifters
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and they're best taught in the mornings when
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kids are fresh and alert and in the afternoons
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you can use that time for inquiry and investigation
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which will cover everything from art, technology,
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science and humanities. Now you need to teach
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science and has topics so it's not just about
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saying to kids off you go do an inquiry on living
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things for example no no no no you need to teach
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the process of inquiry by modeling each step
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of the process in an I do we do you do fashion
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oh so hey hang on a minute isn't that explicit
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instruction well of course it is Enquiry doesn't
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take the place of explicit instruction. It dovetails
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with explicit instruction, as I've said before.
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For example, if you're talking about life cycles
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in year two, then you teach the life cycle of
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one animal. The kookaburra, for example, or,
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I don't know, the frog. And the whole class follows
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along. And then they replicate the process later
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in their investigation of an animal of their
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choice. In these early years, it's about modeling
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and scaffolding. Kids need those boundaries and
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scaffolds and the guidance, your guidance, to
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feel comfortable and confident. There's nothing
00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:40.679
more frightening for a child than to have to
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do something they don't understand independently.
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No one gains anything from that. And if you want
00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:49.080
to know how to get started with inquiry, just
00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:52.299
how to dip your toe in and have a go, I have
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created an e -guide called Inquiry 101, which
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walks you step by step through the process and
00:10:59.179 --> 00:11:02.259
will help you integrate inquiry into your lessons.
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I give you examples and some templates you can
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use in lessons too. So you go to resources .edslessons
00:11:10.230 --> 00:11:13.870
.com forward slash inquiry 101 to get your copy
00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:16.330
and I'll link it in the show notes for you, too
00:11:16.330 --> 00:11:20.009
So remember guys your timetable is a tool. It's
00:11:20.009 --> 00:11:23.769
not a strict rule book be open to change and
00:11:23.769 --> 00:11:26.129
adapt based on the needs of the interests of
00:11:26.129 --> 00:11:29.710
your children and Most importantly stay flexible,
00:11:29.710 --> 00:11:31.730
you know all sorts of things happen during a
00:11:31.730 --> 00:11:34.389
day. There's an assembly or you know, you've
00:11:34.389 --> 00:11:38.379
got a an incursion of some kind. Or if you're
00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:40.220
homeschooling, you know, you're going to take
00:11:40.220 --> 00:11:42.500
your kids to the park or whatever it is, so you
00:11:42.500 --> 00:11:45.519
stay flexible. Go with your children's interests
00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.519
and go and listen to episode 9, which is last
00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:51.419
week's episode, where I talk about using the
00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:53.899
curriculum for lesson planning. So that's a wrap
00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:56.809
for today, people. I hope that these insights
00:11:56.809 --> 00:11:59.730
help you create a more structured yet flexible
00:11:59.730 --> 00:12:03.049
learning environment and if you thought any of
00:12:03.049 --> 00:12:05.870
today's information was helpful then please share
00:12:05.870 --> 00:12:08.309
it with someone else who could benefit and that
00:12:08.309 --> 00:12:10.509
way we spread the word and ultimately more kids
00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:12.769
benefit and that's really what's most important
00:12:12.769 --> 00:12:15.889
and the purpose of this podcast. Don't forget
00:12:15.889 --> 00:12:18.129
to tune in next Tuesday for more exciting tips
00:12:18.129 --> 00:12:20.909
and discussions about how we can best serve the
00:12:20.909 --> 00:12:23.649
educational needs of our children in this day
00:12:23.649 --> 00:12:27.720
and age. Most importantly, keep them curious.
00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:30.759
Next week we'll be talking about how to set up
00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:34.820
an inspiring learning environment. So until then,
00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:36.620
stay blooming curious.
00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.730
Hello and welcome to Blooming Curious, a podcast
00:00:07.730 --> 00:00:10.410
that's all about nurturing that natural curiosity
00:00:10.410 --> 00:00:14.410
in our earliest kids and students. I'm Edwina,
00:00:14.669 --> 00:00:17.449
your host from the Ed's Lessons blog, a passionate
00:00:17.449 --> 00:00:20.289
advocate for play and inquiry and on a mission
00:00:20.289 --> 00:00:23.510
to keep children curious and questioning. The
00:00:23.510 --> 00:00:26.750
days of talk and chalk are over. We're diving
00:00:26.750 --> 00:00:30.269
into the world of integrated inquiry and nature
00:00:30.269 --> 00:00:32.960
-based learning. and exploring the strategies
00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.899
that create lifelong learners. So if you're a
00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:39.299
classroom or homeschool educator or even a curious
00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:43.340
parent, then this is the place for you. Hello
00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.079
everyone and welcome to another episode of Bloomin'
00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.579
Curious. Today is the third episode in our Getting
00:00:49.579 --> 00:00:52.530
Started series. We've looked at knowing your
00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:55.130
philosophy and how to use the curriculum to plan
00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:58.729
lessons. And today we're focusing on scheduling
00:00:58.729 --> 00:01:02.429
and timetabling our daily non -negotiables and
00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:05.549
how to integrate inquiry into our timetables.
00:01:06.390 --> 00:01:08.810
So first off, let's talk about visual timetables.
00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:13.010
So visual timetables are a game changer. Kids
00:01:13.010 --> 00:01:16.030
thrive on routines and knowing what to expect.
00:01:16.569 --> 00:01:19.230
And when life is predictable, kids feel safe.
00:01:19.569 --> 00:01:21.969
And when they feel safe, they are, of course,
00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:24.849
better able to learn. Picture schedules with
00:01:24.849 --> 00:01:28.290
colorful images or icons can guide children through
00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:31.170
the day, making transitions smoother and reducing
00:01:31.170 --> 00:01:34.870
anxiety. You can use images of the daily activities,
00:01:35.230 --> 00:01:37.629
playtime, story sessions, snack breaks, whatever
00:01:37.629 --> 00:01:40.390
suits your schedule. It's like a roadmap for
00:01:40.390 --> 00:01:43.189
the day that even the youngest learners can understand.
00:01:43.890 --> 00:01:46.049
And when you're starting off, you can display
00:01:46.049 --> 00:01:49.090
the visual timetable in your morning circle so
00:01:49.090 --> 00:01:51.469
that students know what to expect for the day.
00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:54.900
And eventually... You can give that job of displaying
00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:57.099
the day's activities to children in the class
00:01:57.099 --> 00:02:00.060
as part of their classroom responsibilities and
00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:03.120
roles. You can download ready -made visual timetables
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.939
from websites like Twinkle or Teach Starter.
00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:08.259
But of course, you can also create your own.
00:02:08.509 --> 00:02:11.370
I have found over the years that children with
00:02:11.370 --> 00:02:14.610
neurodiversity really appreciate visual timetables
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and of course for some of these kids it might
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be useful for them to have their own visual timetable
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just with three or so activities that they could
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be following as a whole day may be too overwhelming
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for them. Now onto non -negotiables. Every day
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has these little nuggets. of essential activities,
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whether it's story time, outdoor play, snack
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time, show and tell, or circle discussions. These
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are your anchors. These activities create stability
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and familiarity for the kids. And once you identify
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these non -negotiables, you build your schedule
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around them. Flexibility is key, but these core
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elements should remain constant. As an educator,
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you have to find the time in a week to cover
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your learning areas, English, Mathematics, Science,
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Haas or Humanities, Health and Physical Education,
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Art, Music and Technology and perhaps even another
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language. The curriculum is so overcrowded and
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I'm going to state my own opinion here, which
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might not go down well with many, but this is
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my podcast and I'm going to say what I think.
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And in fact, I'm going to ask you an inquiry
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question. Do young children actually need all
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these curriculum areas? Do any of us actually
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remember what we learned in science or history
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when we were five or seven? I sure don't. The
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only thing I remember from my early years at
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school were the things that I actually did. Things
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like growing beans in a window sill. I remember
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that so clearly. knitting a coat hanger cover
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at age seven I kid you not and very strangely
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learning to form my letters in what was then
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called grade one and this is back in South Africa
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in the early 70s I turned seven in my first year
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of formal schooling and I've turned out just
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fine I distinctly remember trying to shape the
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letter A we were given these little blue cards
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about the size of a postcard and we had to just
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go for it on this little card and form the letters
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of an alphabet. There were no lines to stress
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about staying on a line. It was just simply that
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motion of forming the letter. I remember that.
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So if I had my own way, I would only focus on
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English, math, art, music and STEM, or more specifically,
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inquiry projects sparked by children's interests,
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nature and picture books. But unfortunately,
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I'm not in charge. So how do we create time in
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our schedules for all these learning areas? English
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is a daily non -negotiable. From pre -primary,
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or if you're in America, kindergarten, you will
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focus on phonics and building phonological awareness,
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and that is the sounds in words. Phonics should
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be taught daily, systematically and explicitly.
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and you will need to find or use a program that
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delivers phonological awareness on a daily basis.
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This shouldn't take more than 10 minutes or so.
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Actually, phonological awareness begins way before
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pre -primary, when children can be made aware
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of the sounds in words through nursery rhymes
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and rhyming picture books. What's happened to
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nursery rhymes, by the way? Oh, and I have a
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blog post where I've created a list of my favourite
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rhyming picture books for children and I'll drop
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the link in the show notes for you. Mathematical
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concepts too are non -negotiable. I personally
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love Dr. Paul Swan's resources where he tells
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you exactly how to plan and how to reach every
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mathematical milestone. I'll link this in the
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website and in the show notes. And by the way,
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I have no affiliation with Dr. Paul Swan. I just
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really love using his resources. And if you're
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in Perth, I highly recommend you attend one of
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his workshops. So English in all its nuances
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and mathematics are non -negotiable. But wait!
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Here's the real cherry on top, inquiry -based
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learning. This method is like the secret sauce
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that makes lessons engaging and meaningful. Instead
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of just telling kids facts, which they'll never
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remember, because do you remember anything that
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the teacher just stood there in front of the
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class and just kept telling you? Let's nurture
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children's curiosity. Let them ask questions,
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explore, experiment, and discover. For instance,
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during playtime, if kids are fascinated by insects,
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turn it into a mini project. Build on their interest
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by reading books about bugs, creating an insect
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habitat, or even going on a bug hunt outside.
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It's about harnessing their natural curiosity
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and make learning an adventure. So just by taking
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this interest in insects, for example, You can
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teach language concepts, mathematical concepts.
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So if you have three beetles, how many legs would
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they have all together? And right there, you
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are now learning about groups of which actually
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repeated addition and multiplication, so three
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groups of six. What about teaching kids about
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asking really good questions that lead to discovery?
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This forms part of inquiry skills, which is part
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of the science and the HASS, Humanities and Social
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Sciences, curriculum. And then in year two, for
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example, you teach report writing. And you can
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check out my favorite book in the world, which
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is Pi Corbett's talk for writing across the curriculum,
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which I'll link in the show notes. So now you're
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linking your writing to this inquiry project
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about insects. And then, of course, kids can
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draw and paint or even make models of their favorite
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insect, which ticks off the art and technology
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curriculum. It's impossible. to teach the different
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subjects a stand -alone. Each should be integrated,
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because life is not neatly organized. Everything
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is integrated. By integrating your subjects through
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an inquiry approach, not only are you meeting
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more curriculum outcomes, you're also saving
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your sanity, and more importantly, teaching kids
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in a really meaningful way. Now the big question,
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how do we integrate inquiry -based learning into
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our daily schedule? So many of my colleagues
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and educators across the world, when I'm listening
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to other podcasts, their biggest concern is,
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well, how do I fit it into my already overcrowded
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timetable? Well, it's simpler than you think.
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You dedicate blocks of time where kids can delve
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into their interests. It could be a part of your
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morning circle or an afternoon session. You allow
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for open -ended exploration within these time
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frames. And this approach not only fosters a
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love of learning, but also allows you to intertwine
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various subjects seamlessly. I've always found
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that English and maths are the heavy lifters
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and they're best taught in the mornings when
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kids are fresh and alert and in the afternoons
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you can use that time for inquiry and investigation
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which will cover everything from art, technology,
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science and humanities. Now you need to teach
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science and has topics so it's not just about
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saying to kids off you go do an inquiry on living
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things for example no no no no you need to teach
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the process of inquiry by modeling each step
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of the process in an I do we do you do fashion
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oh so hey hang on a minute isn't that explicit
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instruction well of course it is Enquiry doesn't
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take the place of explicit instruction. It dovetails
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with explicit instruction, as I've said before.
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For example, if you're talking about life cycles
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in year two, then you teach the life cycle of
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one animal. The kookaburra, for example, or,
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I don't know, the frog. And the whole class follows
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along. And then they replicate the process later
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in their investigation of an animal of their
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choice. In these early years, it's about modeling
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and scaffolding. Kids need those boundaries and
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scaffolds and the guidance, your guidance, to
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feel comfortable and confident. There's nothing
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more frightening for a child than to have to
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do something they don't understand independently.
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No one gains anything from that. And if you want
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to know how to get started with inquiry, just
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how to dip your toe in and have a go, I have
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created an e -guide called Inquiry 101, which
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walks you step by step through the process and
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will help you integrate inquiry into your lessons.
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I give you examples and some templates you can
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use in lessons too. So you go to resources .edslessons
00:11:10.230 --> 00:11:13.870
.com forward slash inquiry 101 to get your copy
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and I'll link it in the show notes for you, too
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So remember guys your timetable is a tool. It's
00:11:20.009 --> 00:11:23.769
not a strict rule book be open to change and
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adapt based on the needs of the interests of
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your children and Most importantly stay flexible,
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you know all sorts of things happen during a
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day. There's an assembly or you know, you've
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got a an incursion of some kind. Or if you're
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homeschooling, you know, you're going to take
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your kids to the park or whatever it is, so you
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stay flexible. Go with your children's interests
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and go and listen to episode 9, which is last
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week's episode, where I talk about using the
00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:53.899
curriculum for lesson planning. So that's a wrap
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for today, people. I hope that these insights
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help you create a more structured yet flexible
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learning environment and if you thought any of
00:12:03.049 --> 00:12:05.870
today's information was helpful then please share
00:12:05.870 --> 00:12:08.309
it with someone else who could benefit and that
00:12:08.309 --> 00:12:10.509
way we spread the word and ultimately more kids
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benefit and that's really what's most important
00:12:12.769 --> 00:12:15.889
and the purpose of this podcast. Don't forget
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to tune in next Tuesday for more exciting tips
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and discussions about how we can best serve the
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educational needs of our children in this day
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and age. Most importantly, keep them curious.
00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:30.759
Next week we'll be talking about how to set up
00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:34.820
an inspiring learning environment. So until then,
00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:36.620
stay blooming curious.
