Choosing Materials Day 4

Day Four

The materials that we provide in our learning environments are the meat and potatoes behind the curriculum and learning process.
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Why is choosing materials important?
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Materials reflect the values you want to communicate about learning.  It communicates to children that we see them as capable and competent learners.  
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“Children constantly use materials to learn about the world, explore their questions, and represent their thinking.”  Learning Together with Young Children

​The materials we choose can draw children in, and want them to stay for a while to explore, investigate and learn something new in the process.

or...
The materials we choose can turn children away from the learning process.
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When you start to see the learning process differently, you will start to see the potential of the materials to inspire learning. 
Take the time to reflect back onto your own childhood…
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• What did you enjoy doing?
• What are you playing with? 
• How did it make you feel?
• Did you enhance your own play? How?
• What did you learn in your own process of play?

Now take those memories with you as you choose material to invite learning.
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Task:
Gather a collection of materials that draw you in.  Explore these materials with a colleague make a list of all the different opportunities you had in learning with these materials. 
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​If your new here, start here.
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