EARLY LEARNING CENTRE LEARNING

EXPERIENCE
Student Name: Jill Elliott Date: February 16th, 217 Age Group: 18-24
months

Purpose: Purpose:
Reason for developing In response to a discussion with the classroom supervisor I
learning experience. learned that when program planning, the goal is to balance the
This could be in use of wet and dry sensory materials at the sensory bin and craft
response to an table. Since I noticed the children had been using wet materials
observation, in the sensory table recently, I decided to incorporate a dry
discussion with the activity. To relate the activity to the curriculum theme, healthy
site supervisor, and unhealthy foods, I decided on uncooked pasta noodles.
Ontario Curriculum This material would align with the theme of healthy foods
Objective, etc. (grains) and it would be a dry activity the children could
Observation explore in the sensory area.
- Document what you Discussion:
saw and heard During naptime is when the educators plan for the following
- Document non-verbal week. The classroom supervisor included me in the planning
communication (i.e., for the next week by asking for ideas that I might have. As I
body language, began to suggest certain activities that I had tried in the past the
facial expressions
educator informed me of ways in which we could enhance it,
and voice tone)
- Document in detail: reasons why a particular activity would work well, or why a
who, what, where, particular activity might not work as well. This was a great
and when opportunity as it allowed me to experience first -hand the
- Documentation should planning for an early childhood classroom. Through discussing
be written in past those ideas is when I learned the balance they try to maintain
tense, objective, between the use of wet and dry materials in the sensory and
and in anecdotal craft area. I was informed that if they were planning a wet
format
material for the craft area then they would try to use a dry
OR
material in the sensory area. Since I had recently noticed that
Discussion
the sensory table was often filled with water, including during
Document the
my own activities, I chose a dry material, the pasta, for the
discussion between
sensory bin.
you and your site
supervisor that led to
 the planning
OR
Curriculum
Objective
Describe the
curriculum objective
youre aiming to
meet/enhance
through this
experience
Learning Learning Experience:
Experience Uncooked pasta in the sensory area.
What are you planning Objectives:
in response to your 1. The children will engage in sensory play with the dry
purpose? pasta by using both touch, the hardness of the pasta,
- Label your olfactory, the smell of the pasta, and sound, when the
experience (e.g. pasta is secure in a container and the children shake
Painting with cars). them (ELECT, 2007, pg. 36, 5.3).
- What are your 3 2. Exercising fine motor skills, specifically pincer grasp,
objectives for this and tool use with the cups and containers (ELECT,
experience? (i.e. 2007, pg. 36, 5.2).
What interests are 3. Special exploration, by putting the pasta into the cups
you extending?
and containers and dumping them back out (ELECT,
What strengths and
opportunities for 2007, pg. 33, 4.4).
growth are you Describe the Experience:
enhancing/supportin Dry pasta will be added to the sensory table. Children will
g?) be encouraged vocally to come and explore the new
Please Note: You materials. Measuring cups and containers with lids will
should refer to also be provided for the children to use while exploring the
appropriate pasta.
pedagogy to Location:
support your The sensory table.
discussion around Materials:
strengths and Measuring cups
opportunities for Containers
growth (e.g. ELECT, Lids
How Does Learning Uncooked pasta noodles
Happen, Ontario Steps:
FDK Curriculum, 1. Pour the pasta into the clean sensory table
etc). 2. Add the materials (cups and containers)
3. Encourage the children to come over to the sensory
 table
4. Allow the children to explore the materials as they wish
while remaining engaged in their play.
Teaching Strategies:
The first teaching strategy will be Do-It Signals. Instead of
Describe the asking the children to fill the containers, I will make it a
experience: statement, for example fill this container then attached the
- Who will be involved lid. The intent of this is to give the children a clearer
in the experience? understanding of what I expect them to do with the
- Where will the materials and will assist in the children completing the
experience take learning objectives as outlined above. It will also allow me
place? (e.g. Indoors to gain a better understanding of where each child is
or outdoors? In the developmentally, by demonstrating what they can and
dramatic centre, the
cannot do and allow me to enhance my activities for each
creative table, etc).
- List the materials and child.
resources you will The second teaching strategy that I will use is modelling. I
use feel that this will pair well with the first teaching strategy.
- Describe the As I tell the children what they can do with the materials I
implementation of will also be demonstrating it to them. This way if any child
the experience, with is unclear on what I mean by my statement or how else they
a step by step can use the materials provided, they can follow in what I am
description
doing.
- List and describe 2
teaching strategies. I have chosen the first strategy because I have noticed that
How will you use communicating with the children during the activity seems
them? Why have to be an area I excel in however, it mostly consists of me
you chosen these repeating words back to the children, or asking questions.
strategies? This will be a new strategy for me that will allow
opportunity to improve on communicating with the children
as well as give the children an opportunity to demonstrate to
me what they understand. Modelling was chosen because I
felt that it was the one teaching strategy that would
complement and enhance the first strategy.