Have you done choice time? Or choice boards? Have you given your child a choice between foods, clothes, or toys? This is human agency. While kids thrive on routine, they also need choice.
When we think of human agency in the Kindergarten classroom, we are using their interests, respecting their ideas, and showing them that we care about them all at the same time. We can use human agency in school ALL DAY LONG.
Yes, we will need to have assessments, yes we will need to do things we don't want to do. But, if we give kids the power to choose how they are going to participate in school, we are giving them a gift.
Because we are living a crazy life right now, we can use agency to help students take control over their own learning. They can believe they are in charge and that you are there as a facilitator. As I have always said, and I was very glad to hear Kristi Mraz agree, you can put academics into just about anything.
If we give children a choice on what to play, we can work through that to 1) get to know the child, 2) utilize their strengths, and 3) teach them how to be thinkers and doers. I had a boy in my class in 2017 that was 100% hands-on. He was painfully shy and easily overwhelmed. But, when you gave him blocks he came alive. He would build and tell stories. I gave him a paper counting test and he ended up in tears. I gave him a bunch of plastic bears and he did amazing. This is the point where we can take what he CAN do and teach him that he can do more. We can show him how to do things on paper, and when he is ready he will choose to do it.
Ok, ok, I know some of you are like, "You can't just do what you want!" I agree, trust me. There are a lot of times where you just have to fall in line. But, what if in Kindergarten, we taught them to believe that their ideas matter? That they can speak up with their thoughts and feelings? What if we instilled in them the ability to choose the right thing?
How? Well, it starts in play. Children will play with what they are interested in. The dollhouse is thought of as a "girl" toy. Yet, boys will play with it. The cars are considered a "boy" toy. But, I had a very elaborate car collection when I was a child. Why not just watch and see what they choose? You will be surprised at what happens, and then you can choose what to do with it.
We all hear about Inquiry. It is defined as "the act of asking for information". Once you see what they are interested in, you can start to teach around it. Kinders love life! They are curious about everything! And each day is different. Pumpkins, friends, buildings, bugs, marbles, water, it is all there. What we need to flip is us telling them what they are going to learn and begin using what they like to start a conversation.
My launch of K will contain very small groups, which I explained yesterday. I will look at interests and group accordingly. This will build community, love of school, and enhance their curious nature. Take a look at this infographic. These are all of the things we want our students to do. We have to give them the OPPORTUNITIES to learn how.
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