Characteristics of Effective Learning Activity

10 Minute COEL training activity

The following is a short training activity like the ones that are featured in our Characteristics of Effective Learning Pack.

Have a look at the observation below:

‘Ed looked carefully at the brown paper. He used his hands to feel it and shook and pulled at it. He held it up to his face and tried a piece in his mouth. Then he went back to feeling it and looking at it carefully. He leaned forward and tried to crawl on it. Then he noticed that there was a toy wrapped in it. He pushed at the paper to move it out of the way to get to the toy. The paper sprang back but he tried again until he successfully got the toy’

Which characteristics of effective learning do you think Ed is showing in his play? Scroll down for our ideas:

Playing and Exploring: at first Ed explores the paper. He shakes it and pulls and mouths it to see what it will do.

Active Learning: Ed shows a lot of interest in the paper and explores it for a long time, giving it his full attention. He doesn’t give up when the paper gets in his way when he is trying to get the toy.

Creating and Thinking Critically: Ed looks really carefully at the paper and tests his theories about what it is by shaking, pulling and mouthing it. He adds to his knowledge of its properties when he discovers that you can hide things in it.

Find out more about how children learn

Characteristics of Effective Learning Pack

This pack gives you all the tools you need to put the COEL into practice in your childminding setting. The pack contains business tools, information, printable posters and activities.

Get the Characteristics of Effective Learning Pack