Open work (kindergarten)

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The term open work refers to an educational concept that has enjoyed growing popularity in German day-care centers since the late 1970s . Inspired by the ideas of reform educators ( Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Maria Montessori , Janusz Korczak , Jean Piaget , Alexander Sutherland Neill ), it was primarily elementary educators who decided to take into account the developmental needs observed in the children entrusted to them.

In many places they have dissolved the usual so-called core groups and given the children the opportunity to engage in activities they have selected and initiated in freely chosen play groups. The teachers were able to observe in many cases that the children’s joy in playing, commitment and enthusiasm increased noticeably, that concentration and attention increased and that aggression and boredom decreased significantly. It was shown that well thought-out functional, action and themed rooms (e.g. building and exercise rooms, art workshops) increased the perception and exercise of children's interests and needs and that everyone involved felt more comfortable in everyday life.

concept

The concept is based on an understanding of participation that turns all those affected into active creators and actors in their environment. He is convinced that adults can trust in the development potential of children and that children can find optimal learning conditions for their personal development in self-initiated, self-controlled and self-regulated situations. Adults find themselves in the role of companion, learning partner, listener, supporter, consultant, feedback giver and coach. They accompany the children with "free floating attention" (Schäfer, Gerd E.) and support the children and others. a. through differentiated responses to the activities observed in them.

In open work, the child is seen as fundamentally active, curious and interested. It does not therefore need to be constantly stimulated, motivated and encouraged by the educators. What is more important is a well-prepared environment, ie stimulating (functional) rooms (inside and outside), good equipment and sufficient play, consumable and activity materials (including tools).

Open work in kindergarten is suitable for all children. Since the kindergarten teacher does not work through rigid programs and plans for all children (all the same requirements, tasks or activities at the same time) she has e.g. For example, compared to colleagues in conventional kindergartens, they have the advantage of being able to specifically look after children who are particularly in need of care. A prerequisite for gelingendes learning in the open (as in conventionally working) kindergartens a good familiarization of children and a stable Beziehungssaufbau for "familiarization educator". The Berlin familiarization model developed by the Berlin Infans Institute offers sustainable support in many institutions. The following applies: only when the educator can successfully comfort a child in an emergency situation, the child has settled in satisfactorily. Now the child can calmly and with the necessary serenity pursue his various interests and activities and develop in the pendulum between the educator, who is responsible for trust and security, and his need for exploration.

In general meetings and / or other forms of participation, the children have the opportunity to practice democratic forms of participation. The idea here is to have a committee in which rules, timing, design and furnishing ideas can be discussed, decided and, if necessary, changed with all children and educators in accordance with their age.

A major advantage of open concepts is therefore the acquisition of communicative, i.e. H. to see social and emotional skills. The children practice addressing and making contact with potential play partners on a daily basis, and in doing so acquire and observe a wealth of different communication modalities. They experience successes and failures (e.g. successful collaborations but also disappointments) and can expand and refine their personal behavioral repertoire bit by bit. This gives them a good foundation for lifelong contact and interaction requirements, but also for sustainable and lifelong, motivated learning.

In particular, the recently presented scientific findings in brain research have given the concept of open work in day-care centers a considerable boost. They show that experienced practitioners have developed a technical understanding and working methods that offer great opportunities for future-proof elementary education and considerable opportunities for children to develop their potential.

Open work in kindergartens has received scientific recognition, in particular through the findings of the NUBBEK study (National Study on Care, Education and Upbringing in Early Childhood). This u. a. Scientific research funded by the Federal Government, the German Youth Institute and the State Institute for Early Childhood Education has shown: "that the educational quality in the day-care centers examined is significantly higher if the teams work openly" and "the educational quality was evident in numerous features in all areas the pedagogical work, i.e. with regard to space and equipment, the handling of care and nursing situations, the linguistic and cognitive stimulation, the range of activities possible, in the interaction between specialist and child, but also in the structuring of the educational work. "

There are good reasons to believe that open work in day care centers helps children develop and acquire a wide range of skills. To be mentioned would be z. B. the increase in empathy, self-confidence, initiative, mature thinking and socially oriented willingness to take responsibility. In a world of progressive change and demands for change and adaptation, these qualities appear to be particularly valuable and desirable.

The critical comments reproduced below are therefore not to be regarded as meaningful, especially since they are not backed up with reliable research results.

Education, upbringing and supervision in open work

Some points of the open work are critically discussed with regard to the tasks of education , upbringing and care in the kindergarten area:

  • the responsibility of the educational team for individual learning areas
  • the fading of the educator as a fixed reference person
  • the disregard of the attachment theory , the care, especially of new children, by reference educators
  • the dissolution of the group rooms and conversion into open functional rooms
  • the loss of the kindergarten as a place of security
  • to take the discourse with the children in general assemblies and conferences children, to give them responsibility for their own satisfaction, their learning and for others, is used by some parents of the children and of individual representatives from the Education as overwork viewed

See also

literature

  • Beate Andres: Loyalty needs in open work. In: Theory and Practice of Social Pedagogy. Issue 3/2009, Seelze, p. 18f.
  • Ingeborg Becker-Textor, Martin R. Textor: The open kindergarten - variety of forms. Freiburg im Breisgau 1997.
  • F. Becker Stoll, J. Berkic, B. Kalicki (eds.): Quality of education for children in the first three years. Berlin 2010, p. 203 ff.
  • Holger Brandes: Self-education in children's groups. Munich 2008, p. 154 ff.
  • Mechthild Dörfler: The open kindergarten - ideas for opening up from theory and practice. In: German Youth Institute (Hrsg.): Places for children. Munich 1994.
  • Hans-Joachim Rohnke: On the topicality of opening concepts in day care centers , In: www.kindergartenpaedagogik.de/87.html
  • Hans-Joachim Rohnke: Roots and paths of open work in day care centers (2016), In: www.Kindergartenpädagogik.de / 2334.pdf
  • Cornelia Weise: Open work in kindergarten - practical experience , Saarbrücken 2008, VDM Verlag Dr. Müller

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tietze, W. Becker-Stoll, Bensel, J., Eckhardt, AG, Haug-Schnabel, G., Kalicki, B., Keller, H., Leyendecker, B .: NUBBEK - National Study on Education, Care and Upbringing in early childhood . Verlag das netz, Weimar / Berlin 2013.
  2. ↑ a b Haug-Schnabel, G .; Bensel, J .: in: Kindergarten today: Open work in theory and practice . 1st edition. Herder Verlag, Freiburg 2017, p. 75 .