Promoting an Integrated Approach

to Teaching and Learning

through the Learning EnvironmentBy the NEL ConneX team

The NEL ConneX Team

• Choa Chu Kang Bible Centre Kindergarten

• E-Bridge Pre-school (Edgedale Plains)

• EtonHouse Preschool Vanda• MOE Kindergarten @

Punggol View• MOE Kindergarten @

Riverside• PCF Sparkletots @

Telok Blangah Blk 44 CC• Pre-school By-The-Park• MY World Preschool HQ• Pre-school Education

Branch, MOE

Outline

• WHAT is an integrated approach to teaching & learning about?

• WHY is an integrated approach to teaching & learning important?

• HOW can an integrated approach to teaching & learning be put in

practice through the learning environment?•Learning Spaces & collaborations between EL and MTL teachers

•Making learning visible

•Learning centre and outdoor time

• WHAT have we learnt?

WHAT is

an integrated approach to

teaching & learning about?

To you, what is an integrated approach to

teaching & learning about?To me, it is about helping children make meaningful connections…

A. Across different learning areas

B. Between previous learning, new learning andextended learning

C. Between their interests/experiences and new learning

D. Between different contexts (indoors & outdoors; home& preschool)

What is an integrated approach to teaching &

learning about?The NEL Framework says…

• Plan learning experiences as a whole and inmeaningful contexts and not by distinct subjects

- Plan learning experiences based on themes, stories orprojects that are built on children’s interest and levelof understanding

• Help children draw meaningful connections

- across different learning areas

- between previous and current learning and expand ontheir existing understanding

What is an integrated approach to teaching &

learning about?

Based on our NEL ConneX conversations and literature,

it could be about helping children make meaningful connections…

• Across different learning areas

• Between previous learning, new learning and extended learning

• Between their interests/experiences and new learning

• Between different children’s ideas/experiences

• Between different contexts (indoors & outdoors; home & preschool)

• Across their experiences in different languages

Expanding our understanding of an integrated approach to teaching and learning

What is an integrated approach to teaching &

learning about?

“The integration of the knowledge process emphasizes a fusion of ideas andconcepts within and across subject areas and broader life experiences in anattempt to make education more relevant and meaningful for children.

It is seen as a way to support the transfer of learning and skills from onesituation to another, teach children to think and reason, and provide a morerelevant curriculum to engage their interest.” (Hayes, D., 2010)

Source: Hayes, D. (2010). The seductive charms of a cross-curricular approach. Education, 3–13, 38(4), 381-387, https://doi.org/10.1080/03004270903519238

WHY is

an integrated approach

to teaching & learning

important?

WHY is an integrated approach to teaching &

learning important?

• Learning is a highly integrated process which cannot be separated into distinctdomains (Piaget, 1969; Bruner, 1960) as children do not conceive the world asif it is divided into separate cubbyholes (Barbosa, A. & Vale, I., 2014).

• Children need to learn through concrete experiences which build on eachother and lead to new experiences and further learning (Caine & Caine, 1991).

• The love and joy for learning could be killed if knowledge was presented in afragmented manner (Jensen, 1996; Hinde, E. T., 2005).

• An integrated approach to teaching and learning allows for deep learning(Jablon, 1992; Drake, S. M. & Reid, J. L. 2018).

• The best outcomes for children occur with an integrated approach to teachingand learning (Hamre, Pianta, Mashburn & Downer, 2009; Sylva, Siraj-Blachford,& Taggart, 2003; Sylva et al., 2007).

HOW can an integrated

approach to teaching &

learning be put in

practice through the

learning environment?

Importance of the Learning Environment

“Children learn by interacting with their environment and activelytransforming their relationships with the world of adults, things, events,and, in original ways, their peers.” (Malaguzzi, L., 1993)

“Thoughtful and appropriate design of physical environment can offer thecapacity for exploration, learning through play, peer interaction, and thedevelopment of self-confidence and social skills.” (Berries, R. & Miller, E.,2011)

Important Aspects of the Learning

Environment to consider • Physical environment

o includes both indoor and outdoor spaces

o physical arrangement of the space can influence children’s learning and how theymake connections across different learning areas and across different contexts

• Temporal environment

o children need sufficient time to make connections between previous learning, new learning and extended learning and between their interests and new learning

o teachers need to decide how to effectively and meaningfully use time

• Interactional environment

o caters to the social and interactive needs of children

o through interactions with others, children can make connections between eachother’s experiences

Ms Angeline GohMs Masturah AbdullahE-Bridge Pre-school (Edgedale Plains)

Helping Children Make Meaningful Connections through the Learning Environment(Learning Spaces and Collaborations between EL and MTL teachers)

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What can you observe from these images?

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Objectives

• Children will be able to communicate effectively in both their first and

second language holistically.

• Children will be able to be more proficient in their second language

through listening, reading and writing skills.

• Children will be able to gain cognitive, academic and employment

benefits in the future.

Why do we have a language immersion approach?

18Credits: Sojo Animation

Learning environment as a 3rd educator

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Pairing of EL and MTL Language Immersion Classes

K1A (English Homeroom) | K1B (Mandarin Homeroom)

Each Homeroom is led by two teachers (Main Teacher and a Co – Teacher) who are competent in the

language.

An example of schedule

Class / Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

K1A English Mandarin English Mandarin English

K1B Mandarin English Mandarin English Mandarin

Tamil Language Programme (morning sessions)

Malay Language Programme (afternoon sessions)

Providing the structure for collaborations

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Learning spaces in the EL and CL Homerooms

Wonder & Discovery

奇妙与探索

Express & Connect

表演与呈现

Imagine & Create

想象与创意

Think & Solve

思考与益智

Reflect & Share

讲述与分享

Design & Construct

设计与建构

Language & Literacy

Discovery of the World

Aesthetic & Creative Expression

Numeracy

Motor Skills Development

Social & Emotional Development

This allows for

opportunities to:

• present learning

spaces beyond

single learning

domains

• make meaningful

connections across

different learning

domains

PLANNING PROCESSLearning Space: Wonder and Discovery

Term 3 Week 1 – Week 3

Focus Domains:

Discovery of the World

Social and Emotional

Tuning in:

• Explore various products that are eco-friendly and one-time use.

Finding Out/ Sorting Out:

• Engage in a comparison of the materials of each product.

• Identify common habits and actions that can contribute to global warming.

Children will be encouraged to document their observations of their lifestyles at

home and in school.

Reflection:

• How do we use one-time use products in our daily life?

• How can we change our lifestyle to reduce the impact of the damage to the

world?

Action:

• Responsible Decision Making – What can we do to advocate for these

sustainable practices at home and in school?

Learning Domains Learning Outcome (s)

Discovery of the World

Explore and experiment with possible/different way of reducing/reusing/recycling classroom materials.

Conduct simple investigations to find out why things happen andhow things work.

Develop tentative explanation and ideas.

Social and Emotional

Discuss the different ways they can contribute to their family (e.g.different ways to reduce, reuse and recycle at home)

Attempt to take on tasks and challenges collectively and/orindividually.

Explore different ways of solving problems e.g. discussion, takingaction, collaborate with others.

PLANNING PROCESSLearning Space: Wonder and Discovery

PLANNING PROCESSLearning Space: Wonder and DiscoveryTerm 3 Week 4 to Week 7Focus Domains:

Discovery of the World

Cognitive and Numeracy

Tuning in:

• How do we store our food items at home and in school?

• What happens to our food items (e.g. bananas) when they are left in a container for a

period of time? How long can fresh food last?

Finding Out/ Sorting Out:

• Engage in a an experiment to find out how long fresh food lasts.

• Record predictions through a graph chart and make daily observations of the various fresh

food.

Reflection:

• How do we practice an eco-friendly lifestyle?

What are the common practices to extend the shelf life of our food items?

Save Food Diary – How much food do we waste in a day?

Action:

• Responsible Decision Making –What are the alternative products that we can use instead

of plastic or cling wrap? What can we do to advocate for sustainable practices?

Within the same learning space, children’s learning can be deepened and connections can be made across other domains as well.

Learning Domains Learning Outcome (s)

Discovery of the World

Explore possible ways of reducing/reusing/recycling outside the classroom

e.g. at home, in public.

Conduct simple investigations to find out why things happen and how things

work.

Use 2–Dimensional or 3-Dimensional representations to record observations,

e.g. collage, 3D models.

Cognitive & Numeracy

Participate in planning for inquiry experiences, e.g. gathering materials

required, assigning roles, thinking about the next steps of action.

Describe and interpret the data on a picture graph.

Compare mass/length/height of 2 objects and use appropriate comparative

vocabulary.

PLANNING PROCESSLearning Space: Wonder and Discovery

PLANNING PROCESSLearning Space: Wonder and Discovery 学习空间：奇妙与探索学前中班：第三学期 第一周 - 第七周

学习领域： 探究世界 认知和计算

起步：• 请幼儿观察、寻找学校和课室里浪费或节约的现象，如：水资源浪费，走廊里的感应灯。• 讨论：为什么在生活中会出现浪费的现象？我们可以用哪些方式改善这些现象？

发现／整理：• 通过用秒表、量杯等激发材料，幼儿发现每次洗手的时长、用水量等。• 幼儿用图画、书写等形式，记录自己洗手的次数。“你们用什么样的方式记录自己洗手的次数呢？”• 幼儿用桶和测量杯测量安装节水器和正常水龙头洗手后的用水量，了解测量单位毫升（ml) ，尝试

记录数字并比较多少。

反思:• 幼儿通过比较每次洗手的用水量，反思“怎样做到节约用水？”• 老师和幼儿共同思考：“我们如何做到水的循环利用？”

行动:• 通过观察生活中不同节水器的特点，幼儿利用不同的激发材料制作节水器，如：在回收区找节水器

的外壳、防水材料（气球、透明胶带）、过滤物品（纱布、棉花）等。• 幼儿可以将活动体验中的水资源用于浇灌植物等，从而了解水的循环再利用。

Connections can be made across children’s experiences in the EL and MTL homerooms

Learning Domains

学习领域

Learning Outcome (s)

学习目标

Discovery of the World

探究世界

对科学的理解 － 通过简单的调查研究事物为何发生以及如何运作

进行简单的调查找出事情发生的原因以及如何运作。

幼儿的态度–对他们生活的世界展现兴趣–发展对周遭世界的积极态度

探索和实验使用不同的方式减少/重用/回收课堂材料。

探索在课室以外的地方减少/重用/回收的可行方法，如，家里和公共场所。

Cognitive & Numeracy

认知与计算

在日常生活中运用计算和数字经验

描述并尝试说明图表中的数据。

使用“多一个”来形容10或者更多的数量。（如，9比10多一个）

测量

使用合适的比较级词语来比较两个物品的长度/高度/重量（如，长/短、高/矮、重/

轻）。

PLANNING PROCESSLearning Space: Wonder and Discovery 学习空间：奇妙与探索

IN THE CLASSROOMLearning Space: Wonder and Discovery 奇妙与探索

Helping Children Make Meaningful Connections through the Learning Environment(Making Learning Visible)

Ms Jezmin MumtazMs Jamie BongPre-school By-the-Park

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Curriculum Approach: Play. Discover. Create

Children are engaged in intentionally planned learning experiences through theprocess of our Culture of Thinking as we strive to Make Learning Visible(Harvard’s Project Zero) through different methods.

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I see, I think, I wonder, I create.

“I see, I think, I wonder, I create”provides a useful framing forteachers & children to considerwhat to put up and how to organizethe learning environment.

As the children revisited what theysaw and what they thought, theyoften had new wonderments whichcould lead to extended learning andthe creation of something new.

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I see, I think, I wonder, I create.Making meaningful connections across different learning areas as well as children’sinterest / experiences and new learning.

The children expressed theirfascination of how animals usecamouflage and demonstratedtheir learning through a craft andwriting activity. This was put up inthe learning environment.

As they revisited their work, theywondered about whethercamouflage was used else where.This spurred the teacher to invitea daddy to show how camouflageis used in the army.

Live example of camouflage

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I see, I think, I wonder, I create.Making meaningful connections between previous learning, new learningand extended learning.

StoryRead by teacher and

children Sparked children’s interest in other

habitats

Children did research in non-fiction books

Class project: Giant Panda paper mache

Individual ProjectChildren created

habitats and animal sculptures using

loose parts

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I see, I think, I wonder, I create.Making meaningful connections between different contexts, indoors and outdoors

The N1 children rolledballs dipped in differentcoloured paints down aplastic sheet in theirclassroom. The olderchildren saw this andsuggested an outdoormess and make activity tobuild on what they hadlearnt indoors.

N1 Indoor ActivityCentre-wide Mess and Make Activity

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Big Books: A book of Reflections and Ideas

Big books are used throughout the year, with eachclass having their own documentation of children’slearning. The pages are individualized according tochildren’s current interest and are made available forcontribution by children and families.

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Big Books: A book of Reflections and Ideas

Big books can be viewed by childrenthroughout the year. It helps them reflect ontheir learning and make connectionsbetween their prior knowledge/ experiencesand current learning.

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Making meaningful connections across children’s experiences in different languages

Big Books: A book of Reflections and Ideas

Big Books are documented inboth languages and showcasedifferent experiences in theclassroom.

In this way, children can makeconnections between theirdifferent experiences in theclassroom.

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Big Books: A book of Reflections and IdeasMaking meaningful connections between different contexts – Home and Preschool

Comments by parents in the BigBook can range from what has beenobserved at home, to differentexperiences they have had withtheir children as well as new ideasto try out in our classrooms.

Through the Big Book, parents canbuild on what children experiencedin school and teachers can build onwhat children experienced at home.

Ms Khoo Ai HoonMs Geetha V SegarMOE Kindergarten @ Riverside

Helping Children Make Meaningful Connections through the Learning Environment(Learning Centre and Outdoor Time)

GUIDING FACTORS

Learning

Environment

at MK@Riverside

Positive relationships

Social & emotional learning

Sense of agency

Sense of belonging

Set high expectations

Work collaboratively

with parents

Enhancing Learning Centre (LC)

& Outdoor Time

Relationship

Time

Space

SPACE: For enhanced LC time, all areas in level 2 (and for enhanced outdoor time, all outdoor spaces in level 1) were made accessible to all the children. They were given the autonomy to move the resources between the areas/spaces.

(allow for connections between different learning areas)

TIME: Longer time for play by combining snack time and learning centre time/ outdoor time once a week (allow time for children to make connections to extended learning)

RELATIONSHIPS: All classes come together, allowing K1 and K2children to play together with all teachers on board to mingle with them (allow for connections between children’s experiences)

SPACE: Learning Centres(shared space across one level of classrooms)

Promoting meaningful connections across different learning areas

SPACE: OutdoorMaking connections between children’s experiences between indoors and outdoors

TIMEProlonged time protected for the children to make connections

between previous learning, new learning and extended learning

RELATIONSHIPSMaking connections with peers, adults, resources and the environment

RELATIONSHIPSMaking connections between two groups of children’s learning

PM children created small houses

PM children then added a MRT

AM children found the MRTtrack on the floor the next

day and decided to fix it and added more things to

stablise it.

AM children rearranged the houses, made a pond for the “animals” to drink and added a playground

Making connections & combining ideas

Increasing

complexity of playImpact on

childrenIncreasing confidence

in making choices,

self-regulation &

creativity

More independent

learning & sustained

shared thinking

Solving problems

independently

Understanding that children need time to play,

explore and learn hands-on

Impact on

teachers

Understanding that the provision of

an experiential learning

environment needs to consider

space and time

Understanding that teaching and

learning needs to be responsive to

children’s interests and needs

Building Capacity

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Building a Learning Culture

• Provide time and structures for sharing/dialogues, planningtogether and reflection

• Provide opportunities for collaboration across levels & between EL& MTL teachers

• Build teachers’ competence & confidence through shadowing, on-site mentoring, on-the-job training, peer learning & sharingpractical /easy-to-use strategies/tools

• Provide opportunities for piloting of new ideas• Build up middle level leaders

WHAT have we learnt?

What is an integrated approach to teaching and learning about? It is about helping children make meaningful connections:

• Across different learning areas Learning centres can be conceptualised based on broad skills (e.g. “Think & Solve”, “Express & Connect”) rather than discrete learning areas; children can be allowed to move between learning centres and move resources between the centres.

• Between previous learning, new learning and extended learning-Intentionally put up materials in the learning environment to help children make connections between previous learning and new learning and help them think about what else they would like to explore or learn (e.g. the use of the framing “see, think, wonder, create”).- Provide enough time for children to explore and deepen their learning through making connections between previous learning, new learning and extended learning.

• Between their interests/experiences and new learningPut provocations/stimuli in the learning environment to help children make connections between their interest and new learning.

• Between different children’s ideas/experiencesProvide opportunities for children to exchange ideas/share experiences (e.g. allowing children of different levels to play together).

• Between different contexts (indoors & outdoors; home & preschool) Help children build connections in their experiences in different contexts (e.g. outdoor experiences building on indoor experiences and vice versa; partnering parents so they can build on children’s learning at home).

• Across their experiences in different languagesCreate opportunities for EL and MTL teachers to communicate & collaborate to set up learning spaces so that children can see connections and coherence in what they experience across the centre’s programmes.

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Designing purposeful learning environmentsPhysical environment• Purposefully put up materials (e.g.

familiar things, children’s work, provocations); consider how to use what is being put up

• Allow children to move between different learning centres

• Set up the indoor and outdoor spaces such that indoor and outdoor experiences can build on each other to help children make connections

Temporal environment• Provide sufficient time for children to

make connections and extend learning

Interactional environment• Provide opportunities for children to

interact and make connectionsbetween their experiences (acrossclasses/levels/sessions)

What is an integrated approach to teaching and learning about? It is about helping children make meaningful connections:• Across different learning areas • Between previous learning,

new learning and extended learning

• Between their interests/experiences and new learning

• Between different children’s ideas/experiences

• Between different contexts (indoors & outdoors; home & preschool)

• Across their experiences in different languages

Useful ideas/strategies• Conceptualise learning centres to focus on

broad skills (e.g. “Express & Connect”, “Think& Solve”) rather than discrete learning areas

• Use framings like “I see, I think, I wonder, Icreate” and “K-W-L” to decide what to put upand how to organize the learningenvironment

• Extend play time (e.g. combining snack andlearning centre time) to allow sufficient timefor children to make connections and extendlearning

Building Teachers’ capacity• Have a shared vision; build a centre-wide

learning culture• Provide time and structures for

sharing/dialogues and planning together andreflection

• Provide opportunities for collaboration acrosslevels & between EL & MTL teachers

• Build teachers’ competence and confidence–provide scaffold such as shadowing, on-site mentoring, building middle level leaders & sharing of practical /easy-to-use teaching strategies/tools

• Empower teachers to pilot new ideas

https://tinyurl.com/NEL-Connex-ECC2019

We would like to hear from you!

Thank You!