Ep72 - Why Your Classroom Might Be Working Against You

Mireia Lopez: Hello and very welcome to Rediscovering Childhood Podcast. And in this new episode, I'm talking, I'm discussing with myself because I'm the host and the guest in this episode. And that's what makes it a little bit different from most of our of the other episodes. I am working with Discovery Playtime, which is my business. Clever kids, a resource supplier resource and an education supplier in Ireland of spaces, environments and resources for early years and primary and many other settings, high quality. And also Little Vista, a software provider for early years. I'm gonna be delivering webinars and the theme, the topic for this month's webinar is environments. How to create environments that help children come alive that help children drive that drive thrive that support their development. And then with Clever Kids, which is providing educational resources and furniture and creating spaces and systems that promote that, that create that environment, I thought what if I put it all together in an episode and that is what I'm doing today. I'm combining It's not new information, it's a new perspective. It's a different perspective from what you may have been asking yourself in relation to how do I create the right environment for the children in the classroom? And we usually as teachers and and educators, my background is in primary school teaching, and for the last ten years I've been delivering workshops and training on play, play-based learning. and also as a mom I I've experienced a lot of play and I think I've just realized lately the best teaching and the best education come from asking the right questions. And with the right questions we can become curious. And curiosity is the key to really understanding and supporting the children the way they need. We don't have all the answers, but for as long as we remain curious, we are then open to finding the answers that we need in this moment. And it is through asking the right questions that we're opening conversations, that we're opening a space where we can then create that safety and that connection with the children where they give us information and we use that information to create the right environments, to create the right activities, the right invitations, the right spaces, the right routines. Everything that happens in the classroom is co-created with the children because it's not that they're telling us what they want exactly, which sometimes they do, but it's getting information not just from their words, but also from how they interact with the space and what can we change, what can we improve. So for me my realization was and even in the workshops that I create through through the business, through Discovery Playtime, it's not what activities can we do here, but It's asking the question, and this is the key. If you take one thing away from this episode, this is it. What do I want children to experience when they are in this space? How do I want them to feel? Because I was when I woke up this morning, I do a little reflection every day before I connect with the world through phones and alarm clocks and everything. And my reflection today was thinking. Do I know any people, any adults? What adults do I know that have memories from school that are not really good? So, in other words, we know a lot of kids who say things like, I don't want to go to school, I hate school, school is boring. So that that's I know that's the experience they have right now, but I don't know if that's going to be the experience they'll remember in 20, 30, 50 years. Because maybe it's the waking up and you know that creates that negative state where you're think you're not gonna like this, but then at the end of the day you come home happy, you actually had a good day. So these are this is the experience you're having in school. So my question this morning, my reflection was, do I know any any adults that had a really bad experience in school? And yes, I do. I've heard that loads of times of so many others who didn't like school. then my next question is what made them have or what made them because nothing really makes you, you just experience that yourself. But what was the context that created that environment where they had that experience? So They have this memory of I didn't have any a good experience in school, I didn't like school. What created that? And I think the answer is not feeling welcome. Not feeling like there was a space for you to to speak up, to share your ideas, to feel heard, to feel seen. That you just had to do what you were told and there was no room for you to investigate, to feel curious, to feel excited. There was no room for that. Or maybe you just had a really difficult life at home, the really challenging circumstances at home and going to school was escape from home, but that's it. You were not interested in anything else because you were in survival mode. So for many reasons school has been and still is a space that people just don't feel good about. So I think I know educators who are here for the right purposes and are in this job for the right purposes and with the right intentions to make a difference, to go the extra mile to really support children the way they need and deserve, they can ask this question to really start shaping the difference that they make. What do I want what do I want children to experience in this classroom, in this space, in this school, wherever you are? And then just write down answer. So I'd like if you're listening now, I'd like you to do that. Just pause this for a moment and ask yourself and write down whatever comes to mind and then keep listening. So when I was doing that with Clever Kids for this month, I thought I'm gonna have different feelings for each week and then focus on each feeling and how do I create that feeling in the classroom? So I'm gonna focus each week on a different feeling. So I want children To feel welcome and curious. Because for me, feeling welcome and feeling curious. It's like one lead to the other. I feel welcome. And then once I feel welcome because I can sense I can sense this is a safe space, then I become curious and I want to know what's in here. But there's no curiosity if I don't feel safe because I'm on survival mode. I'm on an alert. And I'm on fight or flight, and I'm not curious. I just want to make sure this is safe and I'm gonna be okay. So once I feel welcome, then I can feel curious. So, how do I create that? And then what I'm doing with Clever Kids is picking the right furniture and resources and products and items that will create, will support that space physically. And then we have two elements, obviously, in the room. We have the physical space, so furniture, resources, doors, indoor space, outdoor space. And also we have the people, the human resources. And for us to create so we can then look at the two different things. How do we, teachers, educators, and people in the room, create that welcoming space I'm developing a framework called Play for Growth and one of the pillars of this framework is the role of the adult because It's very important how we guide their education, but it's also important to adapt to how society is evolving and changing and understand where we're heading and how do we prepare children for today's world. And it's not for tomorrow, it's for today's world. And sometimes we forget that we think school is preparing them for when they're adults, but childhood is part of their life. So we're not just looking forward, we're looking at the present moment as well. Are they having fun? I said this to my kids this morning, is that If we're not having fun in our life, what is the point? What is the point? So that's why another key element of my framework is the difference between play and playfulness. It's not that kids have to play all day, but it's how can we add more playfulness into the things that we're doing every day? So going back to what do I want children to feel in this classroom? I want them to feel welcome and curious. I want them to feel calm and regulated. I want them to feel that was my topic for week two two. I want them to feel independent and confident in themselves. That was my theme for week three. And then week four is I want them to feel comfortable. And also feel like they have freedom. So it's building comfort inside their freedom. Freedom can feel overwhelming for for a lot of people and children. So it's giving choice and building and creating a sense of freedom within safe choice in a space that feels comfortable. So it's also in flexible seating, for example. How do I create stillness? inside movement or movement inside still stillness. So we'll get to that later. But it's just to give you an idea of the feelings that came up with to me, how do I want children to feel in a classroom? And even like close your eyes and picture yourself walking inside your classroom for the first time many years ago. How did you feel versus how would you have liked to feel? What was missing? That's important as well. So it's that's why I said it's it's important to ask the right questions. And when we ask the right questions, we get information. And information and awareness is key to then take action. And we will never create the perfect environment that works. Perfectly for every child, but it's about staying curious and making changes. And that's why at the end of this episode we'll talk about the reflection cycle. In the Aistear curriculum in Ireland, there's a very specific part that talks about that reflection cycle. But it's really important that we're always getting feedback from what's in front of us. And then we use fit that feedback to reflect, make changes, and then go back and see what happens next. Because We're also role modeling for our children the learning cycle. It's not like you learn something and then you know everything. You learn something and you're always learning and you stay curious and you're always open to learning more and and to learn from the children as much as they learn from you. Because I think I see the classroom as a partnership. We're all learning from each other and that is really beautiful. So Back to this play for growth framework. I have my six dimensions of growth, and again, they're not new. All I'm doing is changing perspective and adapting it to today's world. But for me, what I understand as holistic development is that we're supporting the child to grow in all areas of development. So all the different areas that we can develop as human beings are being developed in equal levels. We're not Only targeting the cognitive level and that's what we've been doing for a very long time. And the IQ was so important because it's intelligence and we're measuring intelligence with tests and exams and living certs, all of that. Are we actually measuring intelligence or are we just measuring memory? And that's what's coming up now. We're measuring memory based on also how we feel the day of the exam, because if we're feeling in pain that day, our memory is gonna be not as good as it would be on a day where we got a great sleep and we have all the right circumstances at home and everything is working perfectly and this is the way we communicate. We're all different human beings and neurodiversity is showing this more and more that we're all different. We all we all process things in a different way. We all communicate in different ways. We have different learning styles, we have different communication styles, we have different love languages, we have Different circumstances at home, different experiences, different needs, different interests, different goals, different ways to see and experience success as we grow older. So these exams mean nothing. And then in the adult world, when they when we go for a job, employers don't hire as much anymore based on what you know, but it's more about the skills. It's how you use what you know, it's how good you are. taking constructive feedback and improving how good you are at problem solving and multitask multitasking. Well that's a that's a topic for another day. But if you know under pressure, let's let's let's switch multitasking for working under pressure when a lot of things are coming at you at a at at the same time. How do you deal with that? How do you deal with difficult conversations? And and these are the important skills. How are are you kind to your colleagues? Are you paying attention to detail? Are you picking up on different things that are going on and being proactive and coming up with solutions rather than just problems? So these are the important skills that employers would look for. So what about we create a space in the classroom to promote learning and development in these areas? And that is what preparing children for tomorrow's world or for today's world because to when I say today's world in 2026, that is tomorrow's world. That's what we've always been we've always thought of tomorrow's world as what is actually happening already today. So we are living in tomorrow's world. It's today's world. So when I say today's world or tomorrow's world, actually It is the same thing. So I think it's important to support children in all different areas of development. And there are lots of different ways to categorize these areas. For me, the most important ones and the ones I'm developing in my play for growth framework is physical growth. So when it comes to environments and creating the right experiences and environments for the children to feel welcome, to feel curious, to feel calm, to feel regulated, to feel connected, to feel co comfortable. Physical growth. Can children move in here? So if one of the feelings I want is for them to feel independent, make their own decisions. And I have created different spaces or a combination of spaces that support all six areas of development. Then I can look at each feeling and each emotion and each type of experience that I want to create in the classroom and see where they can take place. And that's going to allow me to find ways of improving the spaces in the classroom. So I'm gonna go back to the six dimensions of growth, our physical growth, and then they're all attached to a question, and that question is what's gonna help us improve the environment in the classroom. So Physical growth, can children move here? Emotional growth? Can children regulate? Can children express how they feel? Can children have a space where they can actually pause and even acknowledge, understand, or notice that they're feeling something? And then we can take it from there. Cognitive growth. How do we challenge them to go from where they're at now? to the next level of growth and that's another part of my framework. But how do we bring them from their developmental stage where they're at now their comfort zone to one step further. How do we expand their comfort zone? How do we challenge them in a safe way? And how and and are we creating a space of cognitive growth to make decisions, to question things, to test their own ideas and thinking and become curious. And then we have their social growth. Can they communicate with others? Can they socialize? Can they connect with others safely? We have physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and we're missing two more. Creative growth. So important in today's world. So important. Creativity is the key skill. If I had to pick over there are so many different skills we can develop, but if I had to pick only one skill to promote the most in schools, like say, okay, six years of primary school, we're only gonna we're only gonna we're only gonna create activities and environments and spaces and experiences and projects and lessons and everything all around one skill. What that what would that skill be? I would pick creativity. Because creativity is thinking outside the box. It's problem solving. It's never giving up. It's attached to resilience. Creativity means I don't just have one way of doing things. I have a million ways. And if one way fails, it's taking me to the next way. And that's probably better than what it was before. Because I also have more experience now and it's always it's never giving up. And it's being and then it's attached it's linked with imagination. I can imagine things before they exist and then I figure out how to make them happen through my creativity. And it's just so important. When you're creative, you're self expressing yourself, you're finding ways of connecting with the world and with others and with yourselves and expressing and understanding in in many creative ways in in business, entrepreneurship, creativity is key to success and that is what I want my children to have. And I'm very concerned that school is actually doing the opposite or it has been doing the opposite. And it has been suppressing down children's creativity by not allowing that space to come up with their ideas, to question things. They have to do this, but why? There's nothing wrong with asking that. It doesn't mean they're gonna rebel against it. They just wanna know, okay, why am I using my time? Because there's only one thing that we don't get back in life and that is time. So if we want them to spend their time, which is absolutely precious in doing what we tell them to do. It's totally normal that they ask but why? Why do I need to do that with my time? Why do I need to do this homework? What is this teaching me? How does this homework benefit me? That is amazing. If my children question homework or whatever and don't do it and they have a very valid reason why they are not doing it, I'll say fair play to you. I support that. And I'll write a note and they're not doing their homework. And that's absolutely okay. There is no research that actually proves that homework has a benefit. And that is also a topic for another day. But All I'm saying is those skills are the most important thing. So creative work growth was another one. Is this space encouraging creativity and imagination? And then the last one is self-growth. So it's self-awareness, introspection, understanding oneself. And is is this space the question would be, is this space allowing children to be themselves? Do they feel safe enough? To be themselves, to make decisions, to feel to be independent and to decide what they want to do. Do we trust them? And again, how does the adult create more physical, emotional, cognitive, social, creative, and self growth? And how does the physical environment create all of that? So we have two different ways of doing it, and if we can combine the two together, it is just amazing. That's what a perfect environment looks like. It's not perfect because it's perfect, it's perfect because We are able to use the environment and when we're we're to to learn from it and keep readapting. It's because we're willing to have conversations, because we're taking feedback, using observations as feedback to keep improving. It's not because we've reached the top of the mountain. It's because we keep climbing. And we never stop climbing. And we're always reaching new ways of doing things and new perspectives. And that is what perfection looks like. And it's the same with parenting. Perfect parenting doesn't exist. Well, I do think it does, and I think it's trying our best. That is as perfect as it gets, and that's why to try our best so we can improve. We can't improve, we can't do it perfectly, but we can improve what our best looks like by keep learning, keep being curious, keep observing things and taking that feedback to do better next time. That's what perfection looks like. when you walk into a your workplace or your home, let's say you finish work, you go home, you open the door and you enter your home, you're gonna have thoughts entering your head, your mind. straight away automatically you're not deciding that you're not creating them on purpose they just enter your mind and these thoughts create emotions also automatically and then these emotions are how you feel and those emotions are in the conscious mind so emotions are the conscious mind signal Sent from our subconscious mind. But again, that's a topic for another day. what I'm saying is the environment triggers thoughts. Thoughts trigger emotions, and those emotions put us in a state based on the emotions and frequency. And those emotions based on how we feel, that's going to trigger actions. We take actions, we can react, or we can pause and respond, but that comes from how we feel. If we feel really angry, we're more likely to react and do something that we may regret. If we are calm or we pause, we regulate and then we respond, we're less likely to regret our behavior or our actions. Because then the repetition of these actions create the behavior. So behavior is just when the actions repeat. again and again and again. So when we look back at our children in the classroom, we can't really take their behavior away. We can't take their actions away because we don't know what they're gonna do and when they're gonna do it. It just happens. We can't take their emotions away. We can't take their thoughts away. It all happens automatically. But we can change the environment. And by changing the the environment We're changing everything. We're changing the thoughts because there'll be different thoughts entering their mind. If you walk into your home and your house is really messy, a few weeks ago, I went back home and I didn't realize my son had been looking for his shin guards and he had taken flipped every single box in the house while I was waiting outside for him to look while he was looking for them inside. So I was outside. I didn't see what was happening inside the house. And then when I went back inside I thought someone had broken into the house because everything was everywhere and my thoughts were I don't wanna be here. Feelings uncomfortable, mm-h horrible, frustration, anger. I spent so long tiding this place up Now it's so messy and now I'm not gonna have time for this because I have to clean up this and I don't even wanna sit on the couch. I don't wanna be downstairs. Let's go for dinner. But if I go for dinner now I'm gonna have to spend money, other that I d wasn't planning on so and these are all the thoughts that enter my mind just because the environment. And then I feel angry, I feel frustrated, I feel and then actions I shout on my child, or I give out to him, or I create a consequence instead of saying, Actually, you know what? I think I actually lost those shin guards 'cause I was cleaning up all this stuff and I think I think I actually thrown through them out. So let's go buy new shin guards. So the two different things and it's just because of the environment. But we adults have a more of a fully, hopefully developed brain I can realize that I feel frustrated and then I have a system so I pause, I take a deep breath. Actually, and then I become curious. Is there another possibility that he wasn't just messing up the house he thought he wouldn't be able to play his match if he didn't find his his shin guard. So he had a reason. So by me becoming curious, our connection is safe and my response is much more mature and supportive and helpful and I feel much better because otherwise guilt is going to absolutely kill me. if I react instead of respond because then at some stage I'm gonna know I actually threw them out and I also got mad at him and then now he doesn't trust me and now we're angry and so it just gets you nowhere. So it's the same in the classroom. If we can change the environment, making make little changes. It's not like going in and change the whole place at once, but what can we create what can we do in this environment and then again it's asking the right questions. To make it more welcoming, to create more curiosity, because curiosity brings motivation. Curiosity is the fire for motivation. If we feel curious, we want to learn, and that intrinsical motivation then it it leads the way and it takes us to the actual learning cycle. So let's give a few examples. A child throws all the toys all over the floor and every time he's playing and he never puts them back on the shelf. So there are three questions that you can ask yourself to be able to take as much information from this situation, use it as feedback, and use the reflective cycle to then make changes in the environment that supports this child's needs, sets boundaries, and teaches new skills all at the same time. So these three questions when when children are playing, you can ask yourself, what are we noticing? What am I noticing here? And just reflect on that. So a child is throwing all toys on the floor and he's not really playing with anything specific, just throwing things on the floor. maybe you can notice his energy, his feelings. What do you think his thoughts are? What do you think his feelings are? And what are the actions? What can you see? Because sometimes we make stories, we think it's one thing or another, but what can you see? What are you noticing? Obviously, safety comes first, so keeping things safe comes first. What might the child be communicating? So why are what what are they trying to communicate? I have an an example yesterday I was at the park with a friend. she was telling me about her son finding some things very, very challenging. So I became curious and I was observing and when he was complaining they speak a different language. So she had to translate to English, so I couldn't really understand what the child was saying. But based on what I saw and what she told me, I could see that this child doesn't feel thin. the root of the problem was that this child doesn't feel seen So it builds frustration and he feels disempowered and he feels Like everything is bad and everything is gonna go wrong because you know, he's just the negative side of everything. But it's not like he pushed his sister for no reason and then he went back to he's not failing seen So how can we create a space, both the family unit, the people, the humans, and the actual physical environment? Where this child actually feels seen. So maybe we can start f adults can start noticing things that this child is doing. Not just take it for granted when he does something, maybe you say I'm thirsty and he brings you a glass of water without you having to ask for it. So make it a kind of like a big deal. Like, you know, notice the the the initiative in that. That was really kind. It's kindness of the skills. And just that he knows you can see beyond his actions because he's looking for you too. He's he's he just wants to feel seen. So anything at all without really, you know, growing that too much of, you know, you're amazing, you're the best. You're we're not doing that. But we're focusing on the skills and specific activities that we see because we want that child to know that we can see him. And then they won't need to be asking for that in some other ways that are not so positive. and then the third question is what could we change in the environment to promote that? Again, it's the environment or the people in the room. So what can we change then to create space for that? And it's a feeling, it's just it's always a feeling because the feeling is what goes right before the actions. So if we want to create a better, more positive, more kinder actions, more connected. Children in the classroom that feels safe, that feels excited to be there, that feels like they belong, that make want to make friends, that know how to make friends, that know how to play, how to interact, to create. How do we do that? So again, how do we do that through the adults in the room and how do we do that through the physical environment in the room? So if we want that child to be seen in the classroom, Maybe we could give him more responsibility and say, I'm so excited for you, you're gonna be my helper today. And I was so looking forward to coming here today, and I was really hoping you would be here as well, because I have a really amazing job for you, and I just couldn't do it without you today. So I'm so so glad you're here today. That child straight away feels seen, feels important, and we're telling the other boys and girls as well. Johnny's gonna help me today, he's gonna be my helper, so I'm so happy he's here. So everybody can see that we're all happy that he's here today. And this is all going to make a huge difference. And then in the environment, can we create space where he has autonomy? Can we let him pick the story of today's storytime, for example? So it's understanding what is causing everything else, and it always comes down to a feeling. An emotion, how we feel, and that is the difference between when someday we're all mixed with robots, which is probably gonna happen soon. We humans have emotions and we react a lot. So, what if we could change that and we could pause more and become more curious and respond instead of reacting? And another one could be Constant climbing on everything. So maybe they need more movement. So it goes back to physical growth. How can we add more movement in this classroom? So these are the questions that can help you understand what's happening. And again, it's reflection, reflection, reflection. And it might take a while to find the answers, but it's about reflecting again and again and again then we can get to the road. that's asking why five times. So when you ask why the first time you just say the most superficial answer that comes to mind right there. But when you say it and why from the why. So for example if I say, why is this child throwing things on the floor? because he's angry. And why is he angry? Because he wanted to go outside but it's raining so he can't go outside. Why can't we go outside? So you see you you you answer and then you ask why to the answer and then you give another answer to that quest to that why and then you get another answer. So that gets you to the root of the of the problem. So why can't we go outside? 'Cause we we don't have a raincoat. And why don't we have a raincoat? Because the mum never brought it. Can we maybe maybe give a mom the a call to the mom and see if she's around, she could bring a raincoat, or make sure that he brings a raincoat tomorrow. And and then he can go outside and tell him, okay, let's plan our outdoor play date for tomorrow, because tomorrow we're gonna make sure that we can go outside, even if it's raining. And what would you like to do tomorrow? And just have something to look forward to. But it helps you identify the problem and find a solution. Together with the child so he feels seen, he feels heard, and that we notice their needs and we understand what's causing the action, the emotion, the thoughts, and we can change the environment to really support what they need. So I'd just like to go back to the question, what do we want children to experience here? And I hope you find this episode useful. If you wanted to learn more, I have a webinar that's the one I'm doing with Little Vista, but it's available for any early year settings on environments. And then also we can do some we can take a look at your spaces, and I could do a consultancy. We can have a free consultancy session if you want to look at your spaces, and we can look at Doing a training session or coming into the setting and reviewing the spaces or creating more a specific space from clever kids that can absolutely take your setting to the next level in relation to how children feel in that space and how adults feel in that space as well, because it's so important that adults feel. also welcome and comfortable and calm and regulated. So that goes both ways. That goes for the children and for the adults. And that's why together and I love working through this card playtime with my Play for Growth framework and with Clever Kids because we're all on a mission to make the environment to support children the way they need and deserve to create what is going to support them to live a more meaningful life, to create the right experiences and more meaningful and intentional environments where we can all come alive, feel more joy, feel more excited, feel so welcome, feel so curious, want to engage with what's there, and that's what's going to unlock our next level self and we can become the best version of ourselves whatever we are.