Observe, Play, Experience

Teacher Observation: Dewey believed that a teacher should base his/her curriculum around observations of the children not only in school, but also observations about their home life. (pg. 6). He believed if a teacher did this, s/he could provide truly educational experiences for the students. Montessori also suggested that if we carefully observe children, we can have a more accurate understanding of what they need that they may not be getting (pg. 33) Vygotsky, who's theory centers on scaffolding and ZPD, believed that the only way for a teacher to know if a child could be pushed further, or needed further assistance was through "keen observation" (pg. 85).

Play: Piaget believed that children should be provided with large blocks of free play time. He believed that if they were interested and involved in their work, they should be allowed and encouraged to keep working (pg. 74). In a similar way Vygotsky believed that social interaction and providing children opportunities to work together would support learning. He believed that learning does not happen just by doing, but also by talking. In this way, I think of Vygotsky's connection to "play" as social play, not playing and exploring with material (pg.92). Montessori also believed, like Piaget, in large blocks of free time. She believed that if children are capable of concentrating for large amounts of time if they are engaged in their work and that children should not be interrupted in this kind of work (pg. 30).

Real World Experiences: Erikson believed that children in the initiative vs. guilt stage needed to explore with real life experiences and tools. If they can use real tools and participate in real life activities, their initiative and competence blossom (pg. 55). Piaget also believed that experience leads to true understanding. These real life experiences could be as simple as cooking, or taking the taxi. (pg. 75) Montessori believed that keeping real, working equipment accessible to children instilled in the children a sense of responsibility. She also believed that children should be provided with tools, furniture, and materials, that are their size but work just like adult sized materials (pg. 25)