What home-nursery has taught me

Gilbert’s 24/7 nursery (we’re always here – where else could we go?) has now been running for 4 weeks and despite having to navigate the very sudden transition from secondary geographer to pre-school enthusiast, there are a number of lessons I have learnt as a result of this experience that I think will be useful to remember when normality is eventually restored:

1. Routine is vital

The school day is built around routines: timetabled lessons; routines in the canteen at break time; specific routines within certain lessons or with a particular member of staff; all the unsaid things that are expected to happen at certain times in certain places. Without these routines, life becomes complicated and messy. This has certainly been my experience these last few weeks. When I have planned what we are going to do and this fits with normal expectations, the day has gone much more smoothly than when I am trying to make things up as we go along – there are certainly fewer tears and less melt-downs on the days where we all know what is coming next. With us being away from our everyday school routines for so long, it is going to be of paramount importance that those normal routines are re-established as quickly as possible when schools do re-open so that once again, certainty and predictability allows for students to focus on the key purpose of school, their learning.

2. Examples and non-examples

I have no recollection at all from our first child as to the stage at which he started learning colours, but it is my current mission to try and teach colours to our youngest. This has not been going well, which suggests I might be trying it too early, but I persevere! However, in trying to get him to distinguish between colours, I have been reminded of previous reflections on the use of examples and non-examples. Colours are a brand new concept to him, with no prior understanding to connect to what I am saying. If I just line up a lot of blue objects and tell them they are all blue, he is not necessarily going to make that connection. However, I appear to have had more success when I have shown him 2 identical objects where the only difference is their colour (e.g. a blue and a red building block), telling him; ‘This is blue’ and ‘This is not blue’. I have written on this subject previously (Africa is not a country) and therefore, when I am back in the classroom and introducing new concepts to students, am going to remind myself of how to effectively use non-examples in my explanations to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the new idea that I am introducing.

3. TV has its uses

There have been times over these last few weeks where it has all become a bit too much and I have needed to hand over to the third parent in order to preserve my sanity. However, it has subsequently been interesting observing our eldest play afterwards and how he incorporates and builds upon the ideas and story lines that he has just been watching. As a geographer, video clips are key to bringing to life the places and processes that can only be described in shadow within the classroom. However, in the perceived need to squeeze everything in (particularly at KS4) and the (well founded) criticisms that can be directed at the overuse of videos, I often look for the shortest video possible, which tries to articulate everything that I want to cover in the most succinct manner. On reflection though, watching our son at play, it is often the TV programmes in which there is a larger narrative that provide the richest source of imagination and which he has the most questions about afterwards. Back within the classroom context, the short clips that I normally show are restricted in what they can communicate (which is often a good thing as it keeps the focus where I want it), but it does mean that students’ opportunities to connect this new information to their current schemata, or develop new schemata, is confined to the narrow sub-set of information that is being shared. To what extent are students therefore starved of some of the geographical richness of the wider and deeper context presented in extended sequences within the best of the documentaries if I only ever show them the briefest of clips? This does not mean that I am going to abdicate my responsibilities within the classroom and pass over all instruction to Sirs David Attenborough and Michael Palin, but it does mean that I might be willing to give over that bit more time to playing a slightly longer clip in order to give students more meaty opportunities to experience and consider our amazing world.

4. The world is still amazing!

I have missed the great outdoors. Being at home for the last 5 weeks has given me an even greater appreciation for the wonders of the world, including those simpler, local ones, including the springing of spring. I very much look forwards to when we are all allowed back out again and I can go back to sharing my love for out incredible home with those I have the privilege of being able to teach.