A shift in how we approach tidy up

Tomorrow I will be sharing my class experiences with how we handle "clean up" in class. As part of ongoing training, the staff are asked to undertake research. THe task? A "no compulsory gathering time", week organised by leadership in our school. Prior to the commencement,  my partner and I reflected on "clean up" a lot. Clean up was closely tied to gathering times, as we found that without our usual transition gathering (children came together to sit on the mat prior to outdoor play time, lunch and home time), the class was not getting tidied up in time for the transition to the new space.

A certain reading from “Play is the Thing” about figure/ground relationships got me thinking. We decided to approach tidying from an entirely new angle. Comparisons in the table below.

Interestingly, the week prior to the discussion we had written in our planning and class goals that we wanted to “implement” some kind of roster for clean up. So clean up was on our list of things to work on. Everything happened in a very serendipitous, and timely manner.

Old Way	New Way
Play time was often very ‘messy’ and chaotic.	Play time is quieter and children seem more engaged. I believe this is due to the fact that the teachers are creatively providing provocations and invitations, not just at the start, and tidying is making the figure/ground relationships clear.
Teacher supervised clean up. Doled out praise or negative reinforcement (being honest here) to those supposedly doing or not doing the right thing. This is against both mine and Ivy’s belief in how we speak to children.	Teacher models not only clean up at the end, but models keeping materials tidy during play. Some materials are tidied without mentioning anything to children, others we ask if anyone would like to help.
An example of the less respectful language of the past, spoken loudly above a chaotic whole class cleaning up time:   “Who was playing with the circus toy? T , I think I remember you playing with it. It is your job to clean it up.” T hides in the reading area as soon as I turn my back to supervise another mess and child. “T, I am not happy about this, it’s your job blah blah blah!” T heads to the bathroom to escape.  Clearly he was overwhelmed and was not given enough support to face the tidy of the toys.	An example of the more respectful language emerging now, spoken gently during play: Teacher:  “Hey T, do you think you are done playing with the circus toys?”  T : “Yes” Teacher: “Would you like to tidy that up on your own or would you like some help from me?”
Approach to tidying: child is responsible for own mess, while we were supervisors of the classroom.	Approach to tidying: child is viewed as fully capable of learning to manage and be responsible, yet, we  are respecting their role as the player, and remembering our role as supporter of the play. Being busily immersed in play means they may not have time to think about tidying up! There will be a time and a place to help teach them about tidying, but not EVERY TIME.
A huge mess was left at the end of the session taking 20 minutes or more to tidy.	The class is “played in” yet tidy at the transition times, taking a few minutes to pack away a few things.
Teachers and children would find themselves becoming frustrated and resentful of the children who, during clean up time, wouldn’t clean up.	We understand how overwhelming a huge mess can be to anyone! We avoid the old scenario entirely.
By the end of the tidy up, we were all exhausted cranky.	Now we are NOT.
A gathering time was the only way to avoid chaos. Children who were overwhelmed and uninterested in the clean up began unpacking the materials and playthings we had just packed away. Gathering time brought children away from the classroom. It was crowd control.	No need to gather. Now our transitions are very smooth, we gently remind children that it is almost lunch time, they even can get involved in preparing tables wiping tables setting bowls and spoons, etc.
Everyone had to finish everything they were doing.	Some children are busy on projects.  If they wish they can continue working on things well into lunch time. Usually they are too hungry and when they see peers going to sit down to eat, will put their work away anyway.
Transition was very unnatural. Food was introduced, in an unnatural way on the mat with the whole class there.	Movement to lunch is now very organic as children just observe Class helper preparing buffet so they begin to wash hands automatically. It is much more like at home. They talk about what food they can see/smell. We talk about the food in a more natural conversational way.

Stop Motion Animation Done At Long Last

Animation by the children of 4V
Cant wait to see it on the big screen!!

 

Keep in mind the children were part of this EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

We Are Great Arters!

I eat my words of the previous post in which I proclaim teachers will be painting the children's set for the  graduation show...Today, the provocation I prepared in the late hours of yesterday afternoon really ignited the class.

Using their photographs they took at a trip to a botanic garden, I set up the tables with paint pallettes and special fabric paints.

I cleared a wall by shifting furniture (here in Hong Kong we have little space), and pinned a long piece of unbleached cotton fabric to the wall.

Above is an image of colours I helped the children prepare. Mixing colours to match a 'real' object has never been attempted by children in my class before. I assisted them a little by showing them how to paint a small brush stroke on the photograph to compare.

Above us a flower drawn by a child who always inteprets things differently!

The class was divided for about an hour and a half. The boys were on one side finishing a construction from the previous day (the truck made from milk cartons!) and building with blocks. The girls (bar one or two engaged in role play) were painting the fabric.

 Above is an example of a child who worked very hard to match the flowers to the actual colours.

I began to outline some of the faint flowers with black 'puff paint'. A child took the opportunity to begin sticking beads to the very sticky paint. The idea caught on fast and the art work quickly became a vibrant mixed media piece!