MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES ON GROWING UP IN AN URBAN COMMUNITY
Paula Owens
Teacher Fellow
CanterburyChristChurchUniversity
Research by a teacher correspondent of the Register of Research in Primary Geography
Abstract Some key observations on the perception and use of outdoor areas by nursery and reception children at a school in the regenerated docklands area of London. Research upon young children’s perception of their environment has continued in schools in East London; the research is on going but reveals a considerable contrast with the rural children with whom previous research was undertaken and adds to the information provided by Jane Graham on nursery schools in West London . Outdoor provision, planning strategies, mapping skills, language development, direct and indirect experience of the children are features in real time compared with theoretical observations . The implications for the development of values and attitudes at Foundation and National Curriculum Stages towards both environmental and cultural needs are noted. Fieldwork skills
Address for correspondence
Paula Owens
Deputy Headteacher
Eastchurch C of E Primary School
Warden Road, EastChurch
Sheerness, Kent ME12 4EJ
MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES ON GROWING UP IN AN URBAN COMMUNITY: some key observations on the perception and use of outdoor areas by nursery and reception children at a school in the regenerated docklands area of London
Paula Owens
Teacher Fellow
CanterburyChristChurchUniversity
Email:
Paula Owens has continued her research upon young children’s perception of their environment
(Occasional Paper No 1 2000 p.79-84) The schools are in East London; the research is on going but reveals a considerable contrast with the rural children with whom previous research was undertaken and adds to the information provided by Jane Graham on nursery schools in West London in the Occasional Paper 1 (p.45-48)
Event
/Theory
/Implications
Outdoor provision
Observations revealed good provision in the outdoor area. This provision included shrubs, trees, flowers, patterned paving, seating; shade and a range of play equipment for climbing and exploration. / Titman (1994) stated the importance of the outdoor school environment. Her research showed how children interpreted and made meaning of their surroundings. / Children need varied and stimulating surroundings that promote childhood exploration, social interaction and language. Surroundings and contexts may act as behavioural cues.Planning
Planning documents revealed careful and collaborative planning between staff for the weekly use of the outdoor area. The nursery children had more opportunity than the reception children for using the outside area in curriculum time. / Many geographers have stressed the importance of planning for the outdoor environment and utilising first-hand experience (Matthews, 1992; Wiegand, 1993; Palmer, 1994) / The current Early Years curriculum would appear to allow children more access and opportunities for geographical activities in the outdoors than the National Curriculum. A school culture that promotes careful planning and use of outdoor areas raises the perceived value of outdoor space.Mapping skills
Nursery children (three year olds) were observed using knowledge from fieldwork activities in the immediate locality to perform simple mapping tasks successfully. The children were engaged in the task, and able to add information to a map with teacher support. / Many geographers have urged that environmental competencies, including mapping skills, should not be underestimated in very young children (Spencer et al., 1989; Scoffham, 1998). / Fieldwork skills provide valuable opportunities for learning, even with very young children. Children as young as three are capable of using and interpreting simple maps.Event
/Theory
/Implications
Language
Of the children questioned, the nursery children were able to use more language relating to real events and features in the outdoor environment than the reception children did.Overall, children used very little vocabulary relating to natural features of the outdoor environment, despite a recent programme of planning that included fieldwork studies centred around trees in the locality. / Geographical ‘naming’ vocabulary is an important part of early environmental competence and is best acquired using first-hand experience of the outdoors (Ward, 1998; Stables, 1998a).
Research showed how younger children with recent learning experiences in the outdoors, used more detailed language to name features than older children in the same school with less recent experience did (Owens, 2000). / Although the same size was very small, this finding raises interesting questions about use of first-hand environmental experience in promoting language acquisition. As has been suggested by research, children’s ability to develop environmental awareness, i.e. values and attitudes, is affected by the relevant range of language at their disposal. Therefore, a curriculum promoting outdoor experience and vocabulary may help children to develop environmental values and attitudes.
Direct and indirect experience
While remembering experiences in the outdoors, some reception children, for whom English was a second language, mentioned only one named feature relating to their outdoor environment. However, their description of imaginative play was rich and descriptive. Their play was inspired by a popular television cartoon series, and they knew the names of all the characters and key aspects of the plot. One of the five year old children was able to spell some character names. / Children gain experience of the world in what Wiegand (1993) described as a merging of direct and indirect experiences, the latter of these terms relating to experience gained through books, media and computer simulations. Stables (1998b) stated that children of today have far more access to these kinds of experiences than children have in the past, and that the bombardment of many cultural images did not give children enough time to reflect and form attitudes and values. / If the balance of children’s experience of the world, from direct and indirect sources, is tipped in favour of the latter experience, how will this affect the development of children’s values and attitudes? The question becomes more problematic with the consideration that many indirect experiences children are exposed to, e.g. via video games, promote a fantasy world. While there is arguably a place for such experience, educators should promote experiences in real space to ensure a balance.Bibliography
Matthews, M.H. (1992) Making sense of place.. Hemel Hempstead Harvester Wheatsheaf,
Owens, P. (2000) ‘Where has all the wonder gone’. in Bowles, R. (Ed) Raising Achievement in Geography. Register of Research in Primary Geography pp.81-87.
Palmer, J. (1994) Geography in the Early Years. Teaching and Learning in the First Three Years of School. Routledge, London.
Scoffham, S. (1998) ‘Young geographers’. In Carter, R. (Ed) The Handbook of Primary Geography.Sheffield, The Geographical Association, , pp.19-27.
Spencer, C., Blades, M. and Morsley, K. (1989) The Child in the Physical Environment. Wiley.
Stables, A. (1998a) “Environmental awareness” as “environmental literacy”. Environmental Education Research, 4, 152-164.
Stables, A. (1998b) ‘Proximity and distance: Moral education and mass communication.’ Journal of Philosophy of Education, 32, 399-408.
Titman, W. (1994) Special Places, Special People. W.W.F. / Learning through Landscapes.
Ward, H. (1998) ‘Geographical Vocabulary.’in Scoffham, S. (Ed) Primary Sources. Research Findings in Primary Geography.Sheffield, The Geographical Association, pp.20-21.
Weigand, P. (1993) Children and Primary Geography. London Cassell