_630_465_int_s_c1.png "Slow pedagogy – How it might improve your practice")
Packing the day with planned activities can negatively affect children’s learning – slow pedagogy may be a better way, says Katherine Cooling-Smith…
What if we took a step back and made a conscious decision to strip out our preplanning? What if instead we created an environment filled with rich resources that met our children’s developmental needs holistically?
And, what if we spent time out in nature, following the intrigues and interests of the children without any rushed time constraints?
This might feel quite daunting and like we aren’t “doing enough”; however, cramming in activities to evidence teaching often negatively impacts learning.
Rushed sessions or moving quickly from topic to topic can be overwhelming and doesn’t always offer children the optimal conditions for embedding new knowledge and skills.
Over the last couple of years, I have made the move towards a slow pedagogy, and in doing so have levelled up my provision. Here are five ways it has improved my practice…
Deeper opportunities for emotional and cognitive connection lead to empowered children who love to learn…
While meandering along the Essex Way on a warm morning back in May, my three-year-olds shot off to splash through a long, shallow puddle they’d spotted just ahead.
Backwards and forwards they ran until I caught them up with my two-year-old, who had fallen behind after stopping to study a ladybird sunning itself on a leaf – a moment quietly shared between the two of us.
Setting our bags down, I observed as all three delighted in running, jumping, and dancing in the water, until my littlest decided very abruptly to sit himself down right in the middle of it.
I watched as he swished his legs from side to side, feeling the force of the water as he displaced it with his movements. He was noticing that smaller movements made little ripples, while bigger movements made larger waves.
I then watched as his attention turned to a big stone. Picking it up carefully with two hands, he noticed that his wet fingers made some striking marks on its dusty surface.
My other two were occupied carrying and dropping large rocks from a height, exclaiming that the bigger they were, the larger the splash!
I pulled out some watercolour palettes from our rucksack, and for the next few hours we stayed where we were, mark making with water and paint, revisiting the rock-splashing experiment, exploring the hedgerows, building a bridge for ants, and attempting to skim flat stones, before finally settling down on the bank to read some nature books.
Our morning had begun with no set plans, bar the children asking to visit the horses at the stables. It had taken us an hour to reach the puddle after pausing with a snack to watch two pigeons building a nest.
The return journey was no different: more ladybirds were carefully studied, strange bugs were Googled, and our nature books were used again to identify the clouds we could see high above us.
It would be a further two hours before we finally made it back to the setting. In one wonderfully unhurried, unplanned morning led by a small group of preschoolers, we had effortlessly covered all areas of learning and supported everyone’s next steps.
On paper, that might feel far too simple, but simplicity is exactly what I strive for now. The complexity and meaningful learning opportunities come from what I as the educator add in the moment.
It’s the skill of standing back and letting children notice, explore, and test for themselves before stepping in at just the right moment to add opportunities for them to take it further.
I’ve gained greater confidence in my role as a mindful educator…
We are all familiar with that sense of needing to prove that what we are doing is enough. Although a written timetable, perfectly curated tuff tray, and themed display about the life cycle of a ladybird offer a more tangible link to learning and next steps than the child crouched over the buddleia, I now have the courage to know that I can evidence this without the obvious resources and displays.
During inspection, I talk about what my continuous provision offers and the methods I utilise, how authentic resources, loose parts, and access to a wide range of creative and malleable media nurture children’s interests, and that the time allowed for children to just be is where I find the richest teachable moments.
However, it wasn’t until I discovered research by Professor Alison Clark through her book Slow Knowledge and the Unhurried Child: Time for Slow Pedagogies in Early Education that I finally felt truly confident that the slow pedagogy approach was okay, and that really it was better than okay, because the noticeable impact it was having on my children was remarkable.
The children are exceeding expectations for Communication and Language…
The extra time we spend “not doing” opens space for conversation and a huge amount of sustained shared thinking on a much deeper level.
This doesn’t just apply to my preschoolers but also to my babies and toddlers, for whom the time is just as valuable for connecting and building on their prespeech skills and understanding.
I have never shied away from using “big” words and rich, descriptive language around my young children, and sharing these moments of learning together in a relaxed manner nurtures their ability to understand, absorb, and embed language more effectively.
This is further supported by the fact we are chatting about things that have captured their interest, meaning they are wholly engaged.
I can provide richer opportunities for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM)…
An unscheduled approach means we have time to say “yes” instead of “not today” to children’s more complex or messy in-the-moment requests.
If conversation turns to volcanoes, we can pull out the bicarb and vinegar when the spark is there, rather than the next day when it’s passed.
For that child banging a stick against a rock as a hammer, we can offer the woodworking tools and give them all the time they need to explore these and be creative.
I’m a firm believer that you can incorporate STEAM-based opportunities and language into any situation, and I’m always ready to pull out our creative resources when necessary.
This approach offers enhanced mental wellbeing – not only for my children but also for myself…
The truth is that children will meet their milestones whether we pack learning in or embrace slow pedagogy. However, rushed or hurried children often have higher levels of cortisol in the brain and feel stressed or anxious, meaning they are not able to absorb information as effectively.
Therefore, it’s important to consider not just what they are learning but also how. We must also think about our own mental wellbeing, and how slow pedagogy can give us space to breathe in an industry that asks so much of us.
When we curate spaces with resources that spark their interests and fulfil their developmental needs holistically, those rich, teachable moments naturally present themselves.
We are empowering, inspiring, and nurturing both the children’s love of learning and our own.
Katherine Cooling-Smith is an award-winning childminder working in Essex.
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