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Exploration, Asking Questions and Problem-solving by Students

In any learning environment, the centre of attention ought to always be the student. From the very early learning years, learners have to be conditioned to take charge of their learning through perpetual exploration, questioning and solving problems. This post identifies ways in which a learning environment that fosters exploration, desire to find out more and the drive to offer novel solutions to problems can be sustained. To get the most out of any learning situation, the early childhood learner has to be constantly involved and his or her interest sustained through deliberate planning and execution of the teaching process.

Perhaps the first and easiest way to task students with problem solving and exploration is through the infusion of learning through play. The early childhood learner is still steeped in play, and there perhaps ought to be no distinction between class time and play time. Play for the learners at this level include use of toys, symbolic play, didactic game, sensory game and even construction games (Hännikäinen & Munter, 2018). Infusing learning material in the games played and songs sung provide the learners with an opportunity to inadvertently take up the content desired and also explore through the help of others. In play, children not only gain the benefit of psychomotor development but also learn the virtues of team work, leadership and how they can remain inclusive. This is especially true in multi-cultural classrooms where all the children ought to feel included in the learning environment.

Secondly, learning for these children can be enhanced through artistic and skill activities. The teacher handling learners within this category have to prioritise such activities through which the nascent beginning of the learners’ self-expression is cultivated. These activities include modelling, painting, drawing, practical and household activities. Because these activities provide a platform for these learners to take charge of their learning, demonstrate creativity and build on their imagination, such activities are instrumental in the learning process for them. Such activities also include musical games, songs, auditions and text games (Hännikäinen & Munter, 2018). The advantage that the promotion of such activities brings into the learning process is that they allow for the personality and expressive side of the learners to be known from the outset. Through them, what the children think, imagine and hope for can be communicated even before they speak.

Exploration and problem solving in early childhood classrooms can also be enhanced through communication and creative activities. Such activities include telling stories, having memorization exercises, reading images and using books. One of the cardinal aims of early education is to ensure that the learner can communicate clearly and with no visible strain. To develop this skill, they have to be taken through the creative activities mentioned above. These activities can be complemented by awareness activities like talks, didactic games, experiments, observations and readings by pictures.

The final way through which curiosity and exploration can be sustained is through the infusion of content learnt through technology. The exemplary teacher is always thinking of innovative ways in which learning can be done rather than simply relying on traditional repetitive learning activities and resources (Gagnon et al. 2017). This is where the element of technology comes in. Infusing technology in whichever subject one teaches is much more likely to increase interest in the subject and encourage novel conversations by students on the same. Even while in the formative learning stages, technology can be used to bring currency into the topic of study, make the content more engaging for the students and arouse their curiosity especially if they are allowed to operate, question and possibly use the applications provided to potentially create novel innovations.

As discussed above, the early childhood learner must always be engaged through play, have their self-expression fostered through artistic and skill activities and be encouraged to cultivate their communication and creative skills. Besides, their awareness skills can also be developed through a raft of awareness activities and the infusion of learning through technology. Only then can an environment that puts learners at the core be realized.