This is me, under construction!

Active listening

The main reason for listening to young children in preschools is the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Article 3 states that in all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.

Article 12 states that parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

Article 13 states that the child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.

Article 14 states that parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Many other reasons are for preschool teachers to cultivate children’s expressive and creative abilities with the aim of strengthening their self-esteem, health awareness, and confidence and communication skills.

And each preschool shall systematically evaluate the achievements and quality of preschool activities with active participation from preschool personnel, children and parents as relevant.

The Preschool should be a democratic forum and learning community where personnel, parents and children are active participants and influence decisions concerning the preschool.

The operating practices of the preschool should stimulate the cooperation of the children, personnel, parents and the local community.

Children should have opportunity to take part in evaluation their education, set objectives and make suggestions concerning feasible means.

An effort should be made to allow children to express their opinions concerning the data and information that follow them between school levels.

Democratic work methods employed in the internal evaluation where regard is shown for the views of those take part in preschool activities increase the quality of these activities. Preschool teachers, other personnel, parents and children are the most important participants in this work. These parties should have equal opportunity to reflect on and discuss preschool activities.

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Consultation and democratic views

Teachers should keep in mind that their attitude matters and that it is important that they have a positive attitude towards listening to the children’s ideas and views. They should be aware of the children’s voices in all daily activities in the preschool. They should listen actively to what the children have to say and encourage them to have a democratic dialogue. The teachers should be a good role model and integrate democracy into the daily play and learning. They should also give the children every opportunity to participate actively in the preschool.

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Children are capable learners

Teachers should view children as capable learners and offer them the opportunity to affect their own lives and environment. They should promote children’s expression every day in the preschool. They should also seek the children’s opinion on matters in their daily lives and have a clear purpose in doing so; to let their views have effect on the preschools activities.   

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Children are specialists in their own lives and teachers should emphasizes on their experience

 

Young children can give us insight into their attitude and thinking. It is not a question of right or wrong, but about their experience. It is up to the teacher’s interpretation and reflection on the diverse expression of children and what they are really saying and what matters in their daily lives.

 

Different kind of listening

There are different kind of ways of listening to children and making what they are saying have influence on the preschool activities.

• Active listening

• Everyday listening

• Formal consultation

 

How do we hear children's voices?

First and foremost we as adults must think that it is important to hear what young children have to say. If we think that, we find ways to listen. They are of technical nature and vary. We also have to have some grounds for listening and want what children say make a difference.

 

 

 

The Mosaic approach

Its aim is to find practical ways to let the voice of children be heard, react to it and recognize the ability of young children have and express their opinions.

• Attitudes important - for children - for consultation

• Multiple methods - not only what is said

• Participation - children specialists in their lives

• Reflections on the interpretation and meaning

• Flexibility - active, effective listening

• Focus on the experiences of children

• Integration, part of the daily work

 

Approaches

• Documentation and Learning stories

• Interviews in groups

• Art, music, theatrical performance

• Photographs

• Drawings

• Tours

• Play conditions

• Portfolios

 

Documentation and Learning stories

• Body language

• Facial expressions

• Children are social beings from a young age

• Conflict and power struggle in play situations

• The youngest children - what are they saying?

• Documentation

• Learning Stories

 

Group interviews

• Together in a group

• To empower children

• Drawings and toys

• Settings that children know

• Language that children understand

 

Art, music and theatrical performance

• Children have hundred languages

• Expression in art

• Expression in song and music

• Theatrical performance

• Roll play  – to put oneself in another's shoes 

 

Photographs

• Favorite place in preschool – why?

• The most boring place – why?

• Difficult – why?

• Happiest place – why?

• Saddest place – why?

• Coldest/hottest etc.

 

Drawings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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                        A boy hurting me

 

 

Play conditions

• Joy and companionship

• Power struggle and conflict

• What are the kids thinking about?

• To be there and observe

 

Tours

• Gives insight into many thoughts that children have

• Exchange departments/exchange schools

• "They tell you so much"

 

Portfolios

• Show children's development and learning in play and daily activities

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Children's participation

Children’s participation in preschools takes many forms and shapes.

In Harts Ladder of Participation one can see how children are manipulated into

participating in events that they have no control over and understanding about up

to child-initiated shared decisions with adults on matters than the child understands.

This is important for teachers to bear in mind.

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What do children say?

So, what do children in preschools say when you have found ways to hear their voices?

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The youngest children

The youngest children from 2-3 years old talk a lot about their friends and what they are playing with. They also like to express their freedom to choose partners to play with and toys.

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Friends

• Are in active contact with each other

• Seek to have contact with other children

• Show affection

Cooperate play

• Share toys

• Play in home area

• Ball playing

• On horseback

To get to decide what to do

• Choose a play area

• Choose a favorite toy

• To cope with something

 

Preschool children

The children age 3-4 years old talk about conflicts with other children and what they are doing in the preschool.

• Ingunn: Sometimes we hurt ourselves. Then we cry.

• Alma: Sunna scratched me here once. Then I cried.

• Ingunn: It is sad if we cry.

• "I could not dress myself," said Egill. "The kids help me," he said.

• Alma: We paint and do all kinds of things.

• Gisli: We sing in the preschool.

• Ingunn: We are singing a song about the vacuum cleaner that eats all the dirt.

• Gisli: We were singing a rain song. The Vacuum Cleaner song, it's new.

• Ingunn: And we also sing “Siggi was there”.

 

The oldest ones

The oldest children in Icelandic preschools are 5-6 years old. The talk a lot about what they learn in the preschool.

• We are in the school group. Yes we are all in the school group, we play with the language, roll play and count numbers.

• We practice for the real school says a girl.

• And we do a lot of stuff, we practice, remember when we went to the National museum. 

• And then we go practice our reading skills said a boy and a girl said: We have to be well behaved.

• We puzzle hard and big puzzles,  yes because we are going to school soon.

• We study a lot said a girl. We are doing a lot of studying.  I have bought myself a study book she said.

• We will soon graduate from preschool and then we will go to the school and learn a lot.

• We sing: it is fun to learn in our group.

 

What do you learn in preschool?

We learn that you cannot hit the other kids. And rule number one is that one kid speaks at a time and number two to listen while others speak. Rule number three do not fight and hurt. Number three, it is a very important number (Boy)

 

What do you get to decide?

We don’t get to decide nothing. No nothing, the women rule. Woman as Halla, she gets to decide everything (Boy)

 

How long do you stay in the preschool and what do you get to eat?

• Long, I go quarter to thirteen (girl)

• Sometimes I stay for long and sometimes I stay a short time (Boy)

• We get to eat otherwise we would be hungry. We get all kinds of food, chicken for lunch and cinnamon rolls in the afternoon and cheese bread. The best food is pizza and hot dogs, like we got yesterday at lunch. I like pizza and hot dogs and burgers and cinnamon rolls are the best food in the preschool.

 

The effect of children's voices

After having thought that it is important to hear what young children in preschools are thinking, experiencing and saying, and having found ways to hear their views teachers should bear in mind what effects the children voices have on individuals, the preschools and the community. Here is what the Icelandic preschool teachers think the effects are:

• On children

• To listen to children has an affect on their self-image. They learn that their say matters and they are listened to. Maybe they will get unafraid to express their views in the future.

• On teachers and staff

• We see another point of view by listening to the children. We are so caught up in our own and in our routine.

• On parents

• I think that parents could learn a lot about their kids by listening to what they say. I think by documenting what the children are doing we often show the parents new sides of their child.

 

Effect on Preschool

• I think they have everything to say about that. The work is planned around what the children want. It doesn’t matter how the activities are planned if they don’t like the activities or have no interest in it them, then it doesn’t work.

• We [the staff] had decided that it would be a bit of fun to have a mud kitchen outside with a stove and all. We, the teachers could see a fine location for it. So in one outdoor activity we carried the stove to the spot and asked the kids "where do you want to have the mud kitchen?" Then they chose another spot inside the forest which is a much better location and not as windy so the mud kitchen is there. We just changed our plan, which was actually quite a decent plan, but the kids found a much better spot.

 

Effect on Community

• I am sure that their views could have a major impact, but I do not know if they are heard.

•  Sara teacher said: "Who listens?"

•  Lara teacher added: "How can you bring these voices across?"