Don’t do as I do, do as I say!
Jenny Eland, Birmingham City University
What was the context/situation/challenge?
In a previous existence as an Officer-in-Charge of a large social services day nursery that was changing to family-centred work I had to attend a residential one week intensive training course on dealing with emotionally /sexually abused children and their families. After which I would be expected to cascade this information and train my own staff. Although I was a trained social worker and held a nursery teaching diploma the prospect of gaining correct, appropriate information and passing this on to my staff seemed a little daunting. I was also aware that some of my staff were not looking forward to the change of direction of the nursery so I was not looking forward to the after event of “retraining” them. The course I was to attend was being run by some very well known “experts” in the field of child protection which also added to my anxiety plus the other attendees were fellow Officers-in- Charge and senior social workers.
What were the particular characteristics of the situation that engaged you in an immersive way.
We played. Because we would be dealing with children we got on the floor and played with toys. We explored the concepts of what toys represent through play, we painted pictures and talked about our childhood. We went on walks. We read books (children’s) looking for hidden stories and opportunities to explore feelings and emotions. It was almost a let down near the end of the week when we had to act as adults and reflect on what we had done (and link this to theory!!!) and create an action plan.
What forms of learning / personal development / change emerged from the situation?
This was active learning at its best. Through the five days I experienced many emotions and various levels of stress. It made links to what I already knew in a non threatening safe environment. It made me value what I did for a job. It taught me to value difference and helped me become less judgemental. I found that we all had a shared ethos and although we worked in a variety of fields we all wanted the same thing. It made me reflect on my own skills, attitudes and highlighted my strengths. It taught me not to be scared of words. It showed me what child/person centred really means.It gave me confidence and in practical terms it gave me the way forward through new skills and knowledge. Ultimately it gave me the impetus to change jobs and move into Further and then Higher Education
What words/concepts/feelings would you use to describe the immersive experience? What did being immersed mean to you?
Frightening. Unnerving. Exciting. Enjoyable. Liberating. Empowering.
Being immersed to me meant having the freedom to learn and be myself.
What principles or lessons can be drawn from this story?
And the moral of this story is…
Having (successfully) trained my staff I decided to spread my wings and became on FE lecturer. Did I put what I had learned from my immersive experience into operation? NO-well not immediately. I taught. I told the students what Paiget and others said- I lectured on the value of play- I talked about supporting learning. Then one day I picked up a new book by one of the expert from the training course and light went on in my head. Instead of talking about play why didn’t we play? Why didn’t we learn through hands-on experiences? Why didn’t we have fun?
What I had been advocating really was don’t do as I do, do as I say.
So -
In designing learning opportunities let them be just that, start from what the students know well and build it in.
Don’t be afraid to play remember as Shaw said “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Just be aware of what play means to you.
Never be afraid to experiment and move out of your comfort zone
Play is an approach to action, not a form of activity. (Bruner)
Don’t do as I say, do as Ido
Page Information
|
Wiki Information |
Recent PBwiki Blog Posts |
Create your own educational wiki!