Floating/facilitating?

[mundia]

Hi We have recently been having this conversation and I wondered what everyone calls the person/people who isn't doing a focus activity, isn't observing , but is developing children language through play, encouraging them and chatting as well as all those other things like managing he water, toileting etc etc. Ive always used the term facilitating but noone seems to like it, but I have to laugh when planning says...X' will 'float around!! even though I know what that means, it always conjurs up an image that could make it all look airy fairy.

 

Has anyone got a fabulous title for this person and also has anyone been through the process with their setting of saying exactly what this means? (we often get supply staff who think this means walking around with your arms folded just 'supervising' and every now and then telling the children off.

[Guest]

Sorry to disappoint - we 'float' too...........

[Guest]

AAAgggh!

 

I would love to help as my head thinks that if I am not actually engaged in a focused activity with the children that I am doing nothing. She says that I should be 'teaching' at all times. We have just done a new timetable as we have a new member of staff and although it is OK for the nursery nurses to 'float' it is not for me. So I want to timetable the time when I am supporting child-initiated play in a way that will please the powers that be.

 

The things you have to do!!

Sue

[Guest]

I'VE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!! READY?

 

Bob

 

Get it?!

 

Sorry - it is Friday evening after all.................

[Susan]

?????

 

My brain must be in Friday mode then.

[Guest]

We don't really have a title for this role, but it would be good to have one. Bob is one option! How about curriculum developer, learning facilitator, child initiated play supporter - all very wordy- I cn see an abbreviation coming on!

[Guest]

rather than floating, how about 'supporting others in play' or 'encouraging others in play'..... hmmmm, brain gone dead lol, we have someone that 'floats' but she doesn't have a set name for what she does LOL

 

Dawn

[Guest]

At the moment whatever I call it I get asked "Yes but what are you actually teaching?"

Sue

[hali]

practitioners!!!!!!! sorry it is friday but thats what i call mine do i have wrong end of the stick again!!!!!!!

[Beau]

I'VE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!! READY?

 

Bob

 

Get it?!

 

Sorry - it is Friday evening after all.................

 

:wacko:

 

I'm afraid we float too - I quite like it, sounds really peaceful!

[Guest]

I was going to say 'practitioner' but on my planning I would just put the staff members name, Their job descriptions tell them what their role is, I don't see why it needs writing down every day, but then again.........

 

how about;

 

Playmate

enabler :unsure:

drill sargeant

multi-tasker

wanderer

I am clever at looking busy when in fact I do nothing person

keyworker

assistant :rolleyes:

Teacher :wacko:

Aunty

Nurse, cook, bottlewasher,parent,negotiator,dictator,supervisor,conflict manager,cuddler,storyteller,actor,analyst,theorist,child developer,confidant,joker/comedian,nanny,minder,reminder (have you been to the toilet, had a drink, put the toy away, wiped your nose.....),

 

Me, I'm just Peggy, or Ziggy (new child couldn't remember my name and made this up I think!), or piggy (pronounciation!) or when on a recent home vist for a looked after child, the child asked her foster carer, can I have the social workers pen? so I am designated social worker too.

 

 

...........................................any more anyone.

 

 

 

 

Peggy

[Guest]

I don't get the b.o.b. either can anyone explain please....

 

Peggy

[mundia]

I think I got the bob, but then when you queried it I thought maybe I didn't get it afterall!

 

I was really thinking of something that was different because of the specific role that person may play, like when we call a person who may be observing, the observer (well we do, perhaps others dont?)

I was also wondering about the role for the un initiated or in our case, when we get lots of supply people who don't understand what it means, does anyone have a description, typed out already which they may be willing to share to save me reinventing the wheel?

[Guest]

Sue,

I've been ooking at the OFSTED webiste - the Foundation Stage:a survey of 144 settings (March 2007)- as our school has OFSTED in on Tues/Weds and saw this:

 

20. 'Where children’s achievement was satisfactory rather than good, practitioners planned suitable tasks but did not engage themselves well enough with the activities which children initiated. For example, a group of children in Foundation Stage 2 were excited by an activity to search for ‘treasure’ (plastic letters) in the sand. No one encouraged the children to recall letter sounds or think of words beginning with those sounds; the children simply stored the letters in a bucket and played in the sand. Similar practice was seen in other areas of learning. For example, beads or blocks were often available for children to play with, but practitioners made few comments to help children appreciate patterns, see relationships or improve their understanding.

 

The following observation by an inspector was typical:

Small world play in the nursery was basic, with boys pushing cars around a track but with little talk about what was happening, collaboration, or development of their ideas. They needed help from an adult to extend their play. An adult gave this briefly, but the play deteriorated again when she moved away to work with other children. '

 

 

 

How about 'play extender'

[surfer]

Our "floater" role is called "Play Support".

 

Sue

[Sue R]

No, I like Bob - well he's the one that brings in the scaffolding!

 

Sue

[stedeford]

How about C.I.S. child initiated support

[Guest Wolfie]

Well I think I DO get the BOB thing - "bobbing" as in "floating"? If I'm right then I am SO pleased with myself because I am ALWAYS the last to get anything!!!!

[Guest]

or is it bob the builder as in 'scaffolding' the learning?

 

I quite like the CIS term because this reminds the adult that their 'interactions' should take account that it is a child initiated activity and to be careful not to turn it into an adult led one through their interaction. ( if you see what I mean). To 'interact' not 'interrupt' is the key, I think.

And I must admit I don't think it is always appropriatte to always focus on 'extending' childrens play, at this time, as described by the Ofsted reports, Thanks Marie they were very useful examples. If we continually focus on extending, like the example given of bringing in a phonic letter sounding focus, we as adults are then making assumptions that our 'learning' focus is more important than the childs innate learning focus, the child may be collating the letters and 'counting' them in his/her head, or imagining they are real treasure to store and hide within their own 'play context'. Thus changing the childs focus may actually change the childs enjoyment of what may be mathematical problem solving / imaginative development. In child initiated play I think that the adults should play alongside, on an equal footing to the child, maybe even enabling/letting the child lead the adult in their chosen play/exploration of the resources.

 

Peggy

[Beau]

Well said Peggy. My development worker came in the observe us a while ago, the focus being Mathematical development. On that particular day our focus activity was a baking one, where there was plenty of measuring and counting etc. We also had the wild animals out and one boy spent ages pairing them up, rearranging them into size groupings and counting them, which she missed entirely even though he was engaged in that for more than 20minutes. That day we also had our large building bricks out, which was the first time some of the children had seen them and they were really excited. There was lots of interaction between the children, co operation and dialogue, imaginary play, construction. All she was interested in was the fact that an adult hadn't stepped in the get the children to count the number of bricks..............

[Guest]

Great example Beau, If I was one of those children playing with the bricks and an adult came along and started arranging or pointing at the bricks for me to count, guess what I would want to do with the bricks , Yet if another child came along and interrupted me ( pretend child) an adult would tell the child off saying, wait until she's finished. How can we expect children to learn the concept of sharing, which means waiting your turn when we ourselves barge into activities and role model non sharing behaviour

 

Peggy

[catma]

Personally I loathe the term "float". In my experience this gives carte blanche for an adult to wander around doing nothing very much, and certainly not "working directly with children" most of the time (FSCG). It is often justified as being "free" to deal with mishaps. My other bete noir is "observing" which entails wandering around with a clipboard and a wadge of post its waiting for something interesting to happen so it can be written down, rather than actually engaging with children, when interesting things WILL happen!!!!!

 

I think of the adult role in this context as being primarily in 3 parts:

Leading an adult directed activity. A timetabled event.

Carrying out narrative observations in a "standing back" way (different to capturing those incidentally observed things) This should be time limited and have a clear focus, preferably being pre- timetabled for that particular day at an appropriate time.

Working alongside children as a "Play Partner" (whilst still noting any interesting observations etc)

 

The third is the hardest. This requires absolute knowledge of effective pedagogy and the curriculum as children's play can go off in any direction and "missed opportunities" is a frequent ofsted criticism. Now I don't mean wading into the blocks and forcing chn to count them to 10. I mean being able to develop learning through "sustained shared thinking", modelling langauge and behaviours, using skillful questioning strategies, posing problems or dilemmas................it requires listening to children and working from their lead not directing their play in a way you think it should go. It takes a skilled practitioner and essentially cannot be "planned". However it is impacted upon by the types of provision made in the learning environment so this is where the potential learning and teaching is planned for.

 

So I go for Play Partner as my preferred option!!

[Marion]

I agree with Catma apart from the term "play" which is often criticised by other Key Stages so personally I like Learning Partner.

[Guest]

Sorry about the Bob comment, must have been feeling glib! Its probably a family joke too which doesn't help. When my youngest was learning to swim she was very sneaky and claimed she was swimming when actually she kept putting her foot down and having a quick push. She was quickly named 'Bob' because she bobbed along in the water..... floater ......... Bob?! Never mind!

Actually, I think its a bad joke something like 'what do you call a man floating on the sea? Bob!'

Edited April 29, 2007 by Guest

[Guest]

I'm currently reading up on Vygotsky ( theory for my degree) in between posting on here.

He describes this adult role as play-tutoring, teacher/child learning relationship. Also much emphasis on peer-tutoring

child/child learning relationship.

So, another name could be play-tutor.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Marion, I take on board your comment on the use of the word 'play' but it would be sad if we stopped using it because some people don't recognise it's value, in fact if we stop using it in terms of childrens learning then play may stop too.

 

'Play' to me is too important a word to take away from a teachers vocabulary.

 

peggy

[Guest]

Unfortunately the use of the word play is where I have problems as my head does not think I should 'play'. However I just need another term for doing it so Marion's 'Learning Support' might work.

 

Sue

[catma]

get your head to read the eyfs! Play is definitely where its at. I'm with Peggy, as someone said somewhere else, children don't differentiate between work and play and neither should we! Thats the one thing I wouldn't compromise on - and I would argue that point vehemently, even with a headteacher. who should know better!!!!

[Guest]

Can't get the other connotation of 'learning support' out of my head Marion. We know it has nothing to do with additional support for SEN but is that what implications others might read into it?

[Marion]

Hi LJW I said 'Learning Partner' rather than Learning Support for that reason as SENco I'd get really confused......It doesn't take much!