| If you ask a child from Los Alcaparros what their favorite part of the day is, most of them will answer "worktime". Specially the preschoolers know that this is the time of their daily routine in which they will have the opportunity to decide what learning situation they will be involved in and have the chance to make a plan, carry it out and later review their work with others. Children will have opportunities to plan their actions, make decisions and self-evaluate their performance in this designated hour (commonly called worktime by the younger ones) in order to help children plan, do and review in a concrete way helping them make this plan-do-review process conscious one.
The plan-do-review process in preschool
During planning time, the first step to the process, children sit on the floor or at a table in small groups and indicate what their work plan is. The adult is in charge of using different types of strategies to help children plan responding to the concrete thinking stage they are in, such as props, floor maps, pictures of the areas, materials from areas, etc. As children say their plan the adult makes open-ended questions to help each one extend their plan and make it realistic. Once their plan is said children go off to start working. Teachers need to acknowledge the choice or the plan the child makes and make sure that there is a clear intention expressed by the child. The younger the children are many plans will be carried out within the same hour and many plans may not be well thought out or unrealistic. Teachers need to be patient and aware that slowly they will be able to "pull" their students to a better planning process. Children will learn that their plan is the key to a successful outcome. Soon their plans will become more and more detailed until being able to plan for obstacles and offer viable solutions to changes in the process.
Once students are carrying out their plans, worktime begins. Children are actively involved with materials, people and ideas. They are able to work on their own conversing with other children and adults about their plans. Many times, children encounter problems they need to solve giving them opportunities to make new decisions or adaptations to their original plan. Meanwhile, adults are assisting children who need help, helping others get started or make new plans. They allow children to take the lead and encourage them to extend their plans. Once worktime is coming to an end, teacher announce it to the students and both adults and children begin cleaning-up. During worktime, children become aware of their potential to carry-out their own ideas, calculate the use of time and space turning them into future and present problem-solvers and decision makers.
Review time is the last part of this process. It is the moment when children and adults come together to discuss what occurred during worktime. Children sit in the same groups they planned in and taking turns share with the others their work, problems encountered, solutions given, etc. Other children and adults ask open-ended questions and give suggestions showing their appreciation for their classmates’ work. It is the moment in which children gain awareness of their control over their own actions and how their modify them in order to obtain the results they are seeking. |
