I am observing at the afterschool program at Pillsbury House in south Minneapolis. I am encouraged - as a matter of fact expected - to participate and interact with the children in the program as opposed to just sitting back and observing what is going on. So far this has included basic interactions with the children, reading, talking, and playing games with them. I recently have been cleared to volunteer through background checks and only been in to observe one day for a few hours so far.
The program seems to be more geared towards activities than learning and teaching, even though they do have a library, and there is time scheduled for the kids to read and do their homework. I have not yet been able to identify any type educational philosophies being followed; I will continue to look for clues or examples of any educational philosophy.
A majority of the time is allotted for creative play; there is even a block of time scheduled for the youth to work with professional artists. There is also free time when the kids are encouraged to draw, build things with toys (such as Legos), and make things with their hands. The staff spends most of their time interacting with children, making sure the kids are being kept busy, and helping them with their homework, reading, creative projects, or whatever else they are doing. The staff also keeps busy making sure the kids are behaving, staying on task, and working to resolve any conflicts between them. All of the staff seem to have good relationships with the children in the program, and the children seem to like and respect the staff.
The spaces where the children spend most of their time are generally wide open spaces; one is set up with tables and chairs, has a few separate rooms connected, and is next to the kitchen, while the other space is completely wide open and has toys in the room where they can run around freely and burn off some energy.
The question that I have after my first observation is basically, "What is all this about?" I wonder if the activities have any other purpose than keeping the children occupied until their parents pick them up. I am hoping to get a better idea of what and why in regards to the programming as I spend more time there.
If you look at your third paragraph again, how might you categorize that educational philosophy? I think you are on to something. I understand that you may want more time to get into the observation, but how would you position the philosophy with your brief observation?
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