But they NEED to learn how to follow directions...
I've been thinking lately about adults' constant need for children to "follow directions."As adults, we say that children need to learn to "follow directions" because it is expected. If that is the case, why is it expected, and are we really preparing them for life outside the four walls of the classroom, or are we just focused on creating "good students?"
As an educator who works with adult learners, I can tell you that adults often need reminders and rarely follow directions the first time they are given.
Suppose we use this as data to guide our teaching practices. In that case, this is evidence that the way we hyper-focus on these skills is not actually beneficial to anyone involved.
Let's look at a typical scenario in an early childhood classroom:
A child is asked by an adult to wash their hands, get their lunchbox and find a seat at the table. During this task, the child has to complete several routines without distraction.
They need to make their way to the sink, turn on the water, push up their sleeves, wet their hands, add the correct amount of soap, scrub their hands, rinse their hands, dry their hands, and put the paper towel in the trash. Next, they need to make their way to their cubby and pick up their lunch box. Finally, they need to make their way to the table with their lunchbox, find a seat and sit down.
Suppose we know that a child's attention span is growing. They are still learning to resist impulses and distractions.
Isn't it understandable that they might not be able to follow all of the steps in this routine without getting off-track?
The scenario is an example of a classroom routine. Instead of focusing on the "following directions" narrative, let's find a way to make this daily routine meaningful for the children.
- Start by including the children in the process
of creating a routine
- Break up the steps in the routine
- Add visuals for each piece of the routine
- Support and Guide
