Sightlines Initiative

promoting creative and reflective practice in early childhood education

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Making a Start: a Pedagogy of Enquiry | Learning in Nature

a pedagogy of enquiry

We know that:

  • Young children are creative, strong, powerful learners
  • Educators and children thrive in creative enabling environments
  • Early years and primary educators can be creative, critical and reflective.

However, it is not easy to turn beliefs, values and aspirations into practice: there's often a gap between what we want to do and what actually happens

  • External pressures can push educators towards 'delivering' instruction rather than facilitating engaged learning
  • Even when we encounter engaged learning, we often don't know where to start in building an appropriate pedagogy and feel disheartened.

Our Developing Environments of Enquiry framework and the related Learning to Learn in Nature context is designed for everybody who wants to resolve these dilemmas.

The Developing Environments of Enquiry framework:

is centred on valuing children as competent, sociable, imaginative and expressive learners. It aims to develop a pedagogical approach which focuses on children's fascinations and enquiries using many expressive languages. It is additionally informed by the experiences of colleagues in Reggio Emilia whose early childhood centres are built upon and embody such an approach.

THE FIRST DAY will focus on:

  • Essential principles and practice which need to be addressed in systematically undertaking reflective practice
  • The key element Encounter, Enquiry, Exchange, Expression, and how these can underpin your approach (examples of work from Sightlines action-research and preschools of Reggio Emilia)
  • How this approach meets official requirements.
Learning to Learn in Nature is about:
  • Young children learning in wild places, and educators learning with them
  • Being in connection with nature and bringing that connection back to the classroom
  • Learning as a process of continuous enquiry, an expression of insatiable fascination with the world.

Since 1998 we've been linking work in nature with developing pedagogy; our book Learning to Learn in Nature relates our most recent experiences. 

THE SECOND DAY  is for those who also wish to build their pedagogy from deep experiences in the natural environment. We will focus on practical experience in a local woodland, addressing the sensibilities and practicalities of learning in nature as part of DEoE practice. It is open to participants on the preceding day, to those who have attended previous introductory days, and to settings who are already engaged with us on DEoE work.

Here is a slideshow from our 2015 weekend, with participants comments
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The venue, travelling and staying ...

The Saturday venue is Greenwich University: a lovely and historic location on the banks of the River Thames, which has welcomed our professional developments now for the past two years. 

This GoogleMaps link will help you define your best route there, including underground across London.

There are various good hotels within Greenwich Village: we have used both DeVere Davenport and Ibis. We advise early booking, as it is a popular area for tourism.

On Sunday we will be in the nearby Oxleas Woods, travelling directly there from your overnight hotel. At lunchtime we will be provided with lovely sandwiches from the cafe in the park.

Preparing and attending ...

We highly recommend you read either of Adventuring in Early Childhood Education and Learning to Learn in Nature . Our videos  'The Sounds of Leaping', Doing The Right Thing' and 'Rising Sun Woodland Preschool' will also be useful. We have found that you are likely to benefit most through attending with colleagues: so plese do consider this as your most worthwile option. The experience itself will be much more fun for you, and you'll be much better able to make this weekend a first point in an ongoing professional development journey in your setting.

Dates, Details & Booking

Date Saturday 11th June 2016
End Date Sunday 12th June 2016
Price £300
First Day Only £190
Location/Map University of Greenwich
Download info Introducing Developing Environments of Enquiry Learning in Nature - 2016.pdf

We are no longer accepting registration for this event

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