PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN KINDERGARTEN

As one of the basic aims of our institution is continuous quality improvement in early childhood care and education, one of the basic ways to accomplish that aim is to educate preschool teachers to implement innovative approaches in their work with children. One of the seminars that our preschool teachers have attended this year is “Project-based learning in preschool institutions” (authors: Gordana Đorđević and Jelena Krsmanović), which concerns the project approach in working with preschool children. The further text deals with the bases of project-based approach and the ways we have implemented knowledge acquired from the seminar in our practice. .

The project approach is a method in which learning is accomplished through exploration and working on the topic chosen and led together by children and their preschool teacher, as opposed to the traditional approach, in which a preschool teacher is usually the only one who plans, prepares and leads the topic. What differentiates the project approach from other methods is the nature of the topic – it is partially defined, for it is an object of children’s interests, it is important to them and it has a significant position in their lives. In such a process, children can grasp the essence of contents much more and deeper than adults can even imagine. In projects, learning is based on the integrated approach – different situations of learning are imbued with the content from different fields. Such an approach represents only one of the possible ways in which children can learn and develop their abilities and interests. The advantage of project-based learning in preschool institutions is that projects give all the children the opportunity to apply acquired knowledge in practice, for all the activities are based on real life applicability of what has been the object of learning.

In our kindergarten all topics are based on the children’s interests, therefore it was not difficult for us to apply our knowledge acquired from the seminar in our daily practice. In our facility situated in Altina, the children and preschool teachers gathered together in order to create our little garden corner. Plants cultivation and caring for the environment are topics that are discussed throughout the year, thus the springtime was an ideal moment for refining our premises and yards with new plants. Through workshops we have learnt how to plant, how plants grow and how they are cultivated and we were particularly delighted when shortly afterwards the first shoots appeared.

Milijana Lazarevic