“Materials are subjects of learning.” Materials are items or ‘stuff’ within the classroom that can be transformed and utilized by the children –anything from playdough to markers and cloth. These materials always encompass a variety of size, shape, colour, contrast, opacity, texture, and dimension. They are open ended, flexible, adaptable, manipulative, imaginative, tactile, expressive, experimental, and can be utilized to create/represent in all three dimensions –such as drawing, collaging, and constructing. Materials are always accessible for the children, and are displayed in an aesthetic manner that is organized and thought provoking.
There is a strong emphasis on “getting to know” the material before children come to create with it. We value the natural hands-on process that children employ when they experience materials, especially for the first time. When manipulating materials –be it paint or cellophane etc- we encourage children to feel it, taste it, smear it, splatter it, step on it, throw it, stretch it, cut it, poke it, smash it, and so on. While it sounds messy -and it certainly can be- it is engaging for the children and provides them with endless opportunities to learn about the properties of materials, provoking their imaginations to determine how it could be used in a creative, meaningful way.
With this in mind, we focus on the process rather than the product. That is, teachers consistently express interest in how a child created something rather than what their representation is actually of, and tend to focus on facilitating the children to find the tools and materials needed to succeed with their creation. We have found this process to promote critical thinking while demonstrating to children that we are genuinely interested in talking about their representation, not just uncovering the answer to the question “What is it?”
Providing room for expression is another important aspect of our program. Expression through materials comes naturally to children, and is not a lesson, as such, but rather it is an integral part of the entire learning process. For this reason, each activity within the classroom has ‘layers of possibility’ which accommodates different types of learners, abilities, interests, and levels of play.
