Make sure to be properly trained in the specific methodologies applied and in supporting educational activities. Importantly, when you use the discussion plans which appear throughout the portfolio, remember that they are designed to help facilitate the dialogue and not to be used as a questionnaire in which all questions must be answered. If you’re uncertain about applying any practice, consult with a colleague who is also trained, so you can discuss and evaluate the approach together, in addition to using the evaluation tools provided in this project.
When you facilitate a collaborative class discussion (with P4C or other reflective thinking pedagogical methodology), you should aim to increase awareness about the subject matter and help children look for ways to think deeper about the issues. The activities we have developed are designed to raise awareness of climate-change challenges and to promote environmental sustainability. Environmental issues and sustainability are the foundation of all the planned activities, ensuring that each one reinforces these important themes.
The questions of the discussion plans are designed to help the facilitator make sure the focus is on looking for solutions for climate change challenges. Avoid telling children what they should think and search ways for children to help each other answer their own questions about the issue, and elaborate on comments verbalised in discussion. Implement the strategies for inclusion as to make sure everyone is part of the activity and feels they belong to the conversation. The duration of the dialogue in the activity does not have to be long and mostly engage children in a collaborative mindset of collaborative thinking.
In addition, past dialogues can be recalled while doing other activities in the classroom to show how reflective collaborative thinking makes a difference in practice. That is, if you engage in an activity in which you can pertinently recall an idea or conclusion that the children have reached in past activities and dialogues, you can install a new moment of dialogue to show that an idea from past discussion is helping to make decisions in a new activity.
The discussion plans are not to be used by forcing all the questions into the dialogue, and the questions used should be selected to deepen understanding of environmental issues, so use only those that seem appropriate and insightful to you depending on the way the children respond to the activities.
Asking for reason giving (from the child who makes a comment or from other children to help the child who made the comment), cultivating giving examples to build a common ground, looking for consequences of opinions, and following the argument where it leads as to show the logical thread of ideas fosters the philosophical tone of the dialogue. Also, encourage interaction between children themselves and show the importance of understanding others even when they disagree with other people’s statements.
The final section Guide for Child-Centred Dialogue provides concrete practical examples on how to implement interventions that foster the dialogues and the collaborative reflection.
Make sure to be properly trained in the specific methodologies applied and used to support educational activities.
Since the Montessori method involves children’s interests, all moments of activities proposed which have hands-on moments should be done as much as possible to provide autonomy and real-world skills, which they can use to amplify kindergarten activities. Avoid any type of evaluative comments as to enable children to establish their own individual learning process. Wherever possible, connect portfolio activities to existing practices and routines in the educational environment. This helps children experience continuity and strengthens the impact of already established pedagogical approaches.
Make sure to be properly trained in the specific methodologies applied and used to support educational activities.
Though project training sessions and implementation in schools were guided by Montessori methodology and P4C dialogical methodology, the activities can easily adopt other dialogical and collaborative methodologies, and those trained in these will know how to best use these materials. For example, in Portugal, those who use Movimento Escola Moderna (MEM) will find activities that fall under the pedagogical guidelines of MEM.
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