Developing A Sense Of Agency And Self-Identity In Early Childhood Education Care

A Sense of Agency

Developing a sense of agency in children implies giving children the opportunities to make choices in their daily life, recognizing, acknowledging and cultivating imagination and curiosity that support children to make independent choices. This paper will seek to provide an insight on a sense of agency in children and a sense of self-identity in children. It also aims to understand the concept of Being, Belonging and Becoming. This paper will also provide a list of teaching strategies that early childhood teachers require to promote children’s sense of agency and self-identity.

A Sense of Agency: A sense of agency in children can be developed and maintained wherein materials and other resources are readily available, opportunities to choose playing independent or in a group and provide routine that are flexible in nature. A sense of agency in children can also be developed when children are given real tasks and challenges, something that helps them to give back to society and something that allows them to be part of something bigger than them ( Dachyshyn, 2015 ). A sense of agency in children can also be developed when children are able to express not only their opinions and choices but also have those opinion or choices create a positive impact. A sense of agency in children ought to be developed and cultivated because it is the foundation for learning and development in children. Children ought to learn and develop through interaction with other people and take part in the environment that they are in.

Sense of Self-Identity: Children develop a sense of self from their second birthday and are able to perceive themselves from the perspective of another person. This self-awareness is reflected in the fact that children start to recognize themselves by the means of a mirror or a photograph. Children also show their self-awareness by their ability to use and comprehend self – referential language such as ‘I’ ‘me’ ‘my’ and ‘you’ (Wong &Turner 2015). Children claiming an object as their own, is also another example of self-awareness. When a child portrays emotions such as guilt, embarrassment and shame, it shows that the self-consciousness of a child is being developed. When children start to think about themselves from the perspective of someone else, it also marks the start of self-concept, i.e. feelings and thoughts about oneself. Children who have positive perceptions about their own self are usually better in academics. Parents and teachers can help a child increase his self-esteem by praising them when they achieve something and also by encouraging them and by helping them to overcome obstacles in life.

Sense of Self-Identity

When children perceive an understanding of themselves, i.e.  when they develop an ‘idea of me’ the way children process their information changes. Once the sense of self has been established in a child they are very likely to bear in mind objects linked with them. This is called the ‘self reference effect’ on memory and it begins early in a person. Selfhood starts when a child is born but children only express the ‘idea of me’ when he or she reaches toddlerhood. Children then begin to gather information about themselves that shapes their response to the outside world.

Concept of Being: The concept of being is about valuing children as they are in the present  rather than what or who they will eventually be in the future. The concept of being is also about focusing on a child’s strengths rather than his weaknesses. It is about focusing on what a child know and can do. It is also about nurturing the characteristics of children such as a child’s sense of awe and wonder, creativity and a child’s drive to learn. It is also about acknowledging the uniqueness of each child.

Concept of Belonging: Belonging explores the concept of who the child is within his or her family. It is pertinent for children to understand their relationship with their family. Meeting with family is important. Families should take trips together. Children show that they belong to a child care centre or preschool when teachers and educators say hello to children when they arrive at a playschool or a child care centre, thereby acknowledging the child and helping him or her develop the feeling of belonging to the playschool or the child care centre. The teachers and educators can also help a child to settle in thereby increasing the sense of belonging in a child.

Concept of Becoming: Children belong ever since they are born, to their family, community, heritage and culture. One should recognize the key role of positive, strong relationships between children and their parents, teachers and educators as the foundation for all development and learning.  This is done by creating a sense of belonging to the group through opportunities for learning, through conversations and helping and guiding children to learn to relate positively to each other.

A list of Teaching Strategies that Early Childhood Teachers require to Promote Children’s Sense of Agency and Self-Identity: Providing opportunities for children to develop a sense of agency is very important (Jennings 2015). While children are fast and enthusiastic learners, their ability to make correct choices grows over a period of time and with the help of proper guidance from their parents, teachers and educators. The educator should support children to hone their skills in decision making, thereby helping the children recognize the plethora of choices and options that are available to them. The educator should also teach children to make good choices and help them to improve their skills in decision making and make the children understand that the decisions and choices that they make, will have an impact on others and therefore the decisions ought to be made carefully.

Concept of Being

It is important that children develop their skills and strengths. Teachers and educators should listen, respect the ideas and words of a child, and recognize the capabilities of children. When children are allowed to make their own decisions, it leads to independence and agency (Stratigos, 2015). Teachers, parents and educators should also ensure that children have a voice of their own. When children have an opinion and are allowed to voice their opinions on what is going on around them, they feel that they are important and that their ideas and opinions matter. Educators, teachers and parents should encourage a child’s sense of agency by welcoming their views and suggestions and responding respectfully and thoughtfully to their suggestions, questions and ideas, when one plans for something. A child’s view should be taken into consideration while making plans. Parents, teachers and educators  should be able to read the cues because this is very important as very small children may not be able to communicate their needs and wants verbally and therefore have to take recourse to non verbal cues. Teachers and educators should encourage discussions and debates for older children thereby helping them to contribute to decision making. When parents, teachers and educators respond to children as individuals, the message that they give out is that each child is important and so are their views and opinions. This in turn leads children to develop their self-esteem that incorporates a combination of agency and independence.

 In order that a child has a strong sense of identity, a child ought to feel secure, safe and feel and realize that their teachers, parents and educators support them (Jennings, 2015). This can be done by parents, teachers and educators, when they acknowledge and respond sensitively to signals and cues of children. They should also respond sensitively when a child attempts to initiate a conversation and help to bridge the gap between the unfamiliar and the familiar. They should be emotionally available to children and listen to a child’s expression of thoughts and feelings. They should acknowledge the uniqueness of each child and spend time interacting and conversing with a child.

In order that children develop their sense of agency, educators and teachers should promote a child’s sense of belonging, wellbeing and connectedness (Stratigos, 2015). They should also provide children with a plethora of opportunities to engage independently with tasks and games. Teachers and educators should display delight at the attempt of a child and also encourage a child. They should motivate and encourage children to succeed when they are faced with life’s challenges and encourage and guide children to make good decisions and choices.

Concept of Belonging

Early Years Learning Framework: The Early Years Learning Framework is a guide that comprises of Principles, Practices and five main learning outcomes along with their sub outcomes based on community, wellbeing, identity, learning and communicating. The Learning Outcomes are meant to focus on what a child can achieve rather than what they cannot. Within the Early Years Learning Framework there are three basic concepts and theories which is known as Belonging, Being and Becoming.

Strategies to include Belonging: Belonging refers to a feeling that one is a part of a family. A child’s sense of belonging can be referred to their relationships with their family members. Strategies to include belonging include accepting diversity in people and being respectful, show of mutual respect, interact and engage with children, provide caring and positive relationships, appreciating a child for his or her individuality, meet the needs of each child and provide a sense of security to children.

Strategies to Being: Being is to experience life in the present. It is important that children understand that adults accept them for who they are and that others care about them. Strategies to being include appreciating skills, giving a plethora of opportunities to children so that they can explore and learn, having respectful relationships with families and children, understanding the uniqueness and individuality of each child, recognizing the skills of each child, allowing a child to express themselves and celebrating the achievements of each and every child.

Strategies to Becoming: A child’s sense of becoming refers to the various changes that a child experiences as they learn, grow and develop. Strategies to Becoming include implementing school readiness, encouraging independence, focusing on the positive traits of a child, enabling a child to be confident, building a strong foundation for learning, acknowledging the self, developing and maintaining relationships and expanding on skills.

1. Principles:The five principles include secure and respectful relationships, partnerships, high expectations and equality, respect for diversity and ongoing reflective and learning practices.
2. Practices:The practices include holistic approaches, responsiveness to children, intentional teaching, learning through games, learning environments, cultural competence, continuity of transitions and learning and assessment for learning.
3. Learning Outcomes:There are five main learning outcomes. They include Children should have a strong sense of identity. Children feel connected to the world and contribute to the world. Children develop a strong sense of well being. Children are involved and confident learners and children are effective communicators.

Designing of an Indoor Space for Children: An indoor learning space can be a room where children are taught through drawing, painting and the reading of storybooks and building blocks. The size and shape of the room, laundry areas, store areas etc should be considered while designing an indoor learning space for children. Furniture should be arranged accordingly to create separate play spaces. One should ensure that there is adequate light in the room. Colurful beads, coloured bottles of water and glass crystals can reflect light and create rainbows in the room. It can be overwhelming for children if there are too many bright colours in one particular space. Hence, one should use softer tones and pastels that will help calm a child as well as an adult. There should be an adult-sized chair for parents and educators to sit with the child. One should provide a variety of spaces for reading and relaxation, construction with playing blocks, hiding, noisy play and pretend play.

Concept of Becoming

 Designing of an Outdoor Space for Children: An outdoor learning space can be in a garden where children are taught through fun and games thereby helping them to build team spirit and sportsmanship. Outdoor learning spaces offers a plethora of opportunities that is not available indoors. Play spaces in natural environment include edible gardens, trees, sand, rocks, water among other elements of nature. These spaces promote open-ended interactions, risk-taking, spontaneity, discovery, a spirit of exploration and a connection with nature. An outdoor learning space could include stepping stones, tiles, stones, rocks and shells, winding paths, pipes and poles, logs for climbing and balancing and climbing frames among other things. Outdoor spaces may include tents, a place for sustainable water play, a garden, spaces for ball games, an outdoor eating space, a quiet secluded space among other spaces. The outdoor learning space will help children be in touch with nature. It is also important to have shaded areas so that children can play outside on hot days. One should consider real grass rather than artificial grass.

Sensory play promotes early learning experiences in babies. One can indulge in sensory play with children thereby stimulating brain growth and cognitive development in a child. Sensory play also increases fine motor and gross motor skills. It also promotes self-discovery and creativity. While playing with babies, one ought to keep their physical well being and their health in mind and focus on their movement skills. Parents, teachers and educators should also keep in mind the social and emotional development of babies. They should focus on body awareness and help them to develop and build trust and love with the people around them. Parents, teachers and educators should also try to develop the thinking abilities of babies and help them to have to have general knowledge. This can be done through the process of touching and tasting and by repeating an action. Parents, teachers and educators should also try to develop the communication skills of a baby by repeatedly urging a baby to talk. Babies should also be taught language so that they are able to communicate. A teacher can learn a lot about empathy from babies. The development of empathy in adults can help create a caring and a peaceful society.

Toddlers also learn through their senses and love to feel, touch, smell and taste to understand the world that is around them. Using everyday items, children can be taught to measure. Although the ruler is the conventional tool that is used for measuring purposes, one can experiment with months, seasons etc to make the learning process more interesting. One could nurture a child’s helpful spirit by promoting organization at one’s home. Children love to explore and parents can arrange for a scavenger or a treasure hunt. Parents, teachers and educators should also teach toddlers to share. Toddlers should also be encouraged to read by parents, teachers and educators. One can learn to be patient from toddlers and imbibe patience in one’s daily life.

Teaching Strategies for Promoting a Sense of Agency and Self-Identity

Preschoolers can learn a lot from number matching games, rice art. Young children learn through play and activity so the building blocks of preschooler’s are not just entertaining but they are teaching how to solve problems and even physics. Preschool is also a time to develop good habits and develop self- esteem. Preschoolers will learn to recognize and name the alphabets. Preschoolers also learn to name several colours and basic shapes. Preschoolers also learn how to count and name the numbers. Preschoolers should be taught cooperative play by their parents, teachers and educators. Preschoolers should also be taught to play with other children. Last but not the least, preschoolers should be encouraged and guided to develop a sense of understanding of the world around them. Parents, teachers and educators should always be there for them to quench their thirst for knowledge and answer their innumerable questions. Preschoolers should be encouraged to ask questions and parents, teachers and educators should be patient with them and answer their questions thereby quenching their curiosity. One can learn how to be courageous from preschoolers and also try new things.

CONCLUSION : Thus in conclusion it can be said that parents, teachers and educators should come together and help a child grow into a well rounded individual. They should work in tandem with each other so that children reach their full potential. Children are the future of society and they should be nurtured with all the love and care and inculcated with the right values and principles so that they grow up to be good human beings.

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