C2TCWEYPE5-1
Table of Contents
Case Study
Purple class, a class of 6 year olds, was known for being very excitable and loud. This was a particular problem at mealtimes, when the focus was no longer on learning. The class teacher, however, knew that there was massive learning potential for children at mealtimes; there were opportunities to socialise, learn manners and new vocabulary as well as getting a bit of rest and calming down.
The teacher had the children create some table decorations and she bought some fabric and made little tablecloths as children sat at tables of six to eat their meals. She then set about creating a restaurant with the children. She talked to them about nice restaurants, how people behave, the kind of clothes they wear to a restaurant, and the sort of conversations people might have during dinner. After a week of activities and planning, they set themselves the goal of having restaurant style meals all the following week.
They finished classroom activities five minutes early each day to lay the tables, add the centre decoration and put out some dinner conversation prompt cards. Each table had a different table host or hostess each day who showed their friends to a seat and initiated the first conversation.
The teacher shared her week out at various tables listening to and taking part in the conversations.
The week went well and the noise diminished until by the end of the week it was a joy to be in that dining room participating in unprompted conversations on a range of interesting topics.
- Why did it work?
- How could that now be extended to keep the experience enjoyable and topics of conversation interesting?
- Is it important to have calm meal times?
- How could you get parental involvement in this?
- What area of development might be improved for children as a result of this?
It is rare that there is just one way to respond to a scenario or situation, so do not consider that the response you have chosen to this scenario will be judged as right or wrong. Share your scenario with a work colleague and ask them to tell you if they think you have responded appropriately. Ask them to challenge your response if necessary. You do not need to submit this task for assessment unless asked to do so by your tutor.