"Learning is a social act, and talking with peers and adults helps students clarify misunderstandings, work through confusion, and deepen their thinking... (there are) ways to help students use talk to deepen their learning and understanding of academic content. But in this moment, as students are coping with constant change and uncertainties, talk can also be a strategy for dealing with emotional challenges." - Jennifer Orr, Author/Educator
One of the primary roles school plays in a child's life is to provide a safe, supportive place to develop independence, begin to establish personal identity and be inquisitive as they approach new situations and information. When children enter Kindergarten, we begin a slow dance with them, scaffolding experiences and gradually releasing responsibilities related to making choices about learning, friendships, engaging in tasks, communicating with care and respect, asking questions, making responsible decisions about their actions, applying critical thinking to novel situations and furthering the growth of their personal identities as they progress through school.
As educators, we intentionally employ numerous strategies to engage children in activities and situations where they are able to consider options, discuss their perspectives, explore different possibilities, generate new ideas and practice new skills, gently nudging them towards independence as learners and as individuals.
Despite the restrictive circumstances that have emerged through the pandemic and impacted the flexible operation of schools, we have continued to offer these teachable experiences and interactions with our students, albeit in constricted conditions. The ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 situation has interrupted the typical flow of experiences schools are able to offer as well, subsequently disrupting the usual progression towards independence of our learners over the past couple of years.
Yet children need to develop independence, critical thinking, empathy and responsibility for healthy maturation and growth. And teachers - educators - all possess an array of possible experiences that will foster opportunities for in-person learners to continue their gradual journey towards independence and help them to make sense of a suddenly very crazy world no one was prepared to navigate.
"Students of all ages must be able to talk to advocate for themselves (and quite possibly for others). If students can articulate what they feel and need, we can help them more effectively."
- Jennifer Orr, Author & Educator
Some strategies we use in schools to support learners with building independence and developing skills to make sense of their world - even in the time of COVID - are briefly described below. These strategies are simple in concept and may be easily adapted by families who may be considering how to best support fostering independence and positive social-emotional growth during these days of unexpected events that so frequently rock the predictability of the world in which our children are currently living.
- using picture books to encourage students to identify their own feelings and needs will offer opportunities for children to share stories and experiences, to question and imagine, explain or investigate events and situations from a secure place and perspective, even when their world feels uncertain; as they identify with characters, they also identify with themselves and begin to make better sense of what may often seem like an incomprehensible world at times and they come to understand their emotions are completely okay and others are feeling the same way from time to time
- another strategy that supports students' independence is to celebrate small successes with them - this requires helping children understand the tasks being asked of them can be broken down into small steps and that small steps are much more doable than trying to accomplish one large task all at the same time
- as we help learners understand the smaller steps, we also note when they have accomplished one small thing, and then another and another; they build on one small success after the other and are motivated to continue growing and learning
- sometimes teachers use checklists to help children understand the small steps, or exit slips, visual or sequential charts as well - these scaffolds (or supports) build confidence and independence
"The power of the small wins...(are) straightforward and convincing." - Mike Gaskell
- Sometimes children need a framework to help them express their feelings, questions, ideas, concerns that might be impeding their journey to independence - when these situations occur, educators (and families) might use sentence starters or a skeleton of ideas to support children in capturing, identifying and understanding what they might be worried about, or might be causing them to hold back from trying something new or expressing their own perspective
- a few sentence starters might include such things as:
It would be helpful if I had…
Right now, I need…
I am finding this really hard because…
I wish I could…
I’m feeling really ______ because…
I’m feeling _______ and I don’t know why.
I am really _______ and I don’t know what to do
(Jennifer Orr)
"Every moment, our brains are bombarded with millions of bits of information—far too much to process. Which means we tend to ignore most of what's happening around us, paying attention only to what we find interesting, novel, or compelling." - Bryan Goodwin
If students are able to articulate their feelings, ask for help to get their needs met, identify small goals and celebrate achieving them, these emotional supports and understandings will move them successfully towards independence as they celebrate their small successes and begin to identify who they are going to become in life. Developing oral language skills (also called 'talk skills') encourages children to work through their own personal challenges and emotions, as well as foster self-advocacy and, ultimately, independence.
Lorraine Kinsman, Principal
Eric Harvie School
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