Children at Joglo Preschool take part in the downward dog activity.
The 10 year long journey that Joglo Preschool has gone through at Peace Place, Rumah Damai Pati, contains thousands of stories with thousands of meanings. It’s hard to believe everything that has happened. I feel gratitude for the journey and gratitude because we are not alone. Many great people have supported this journey, too many to mention all of them, but I’d like to name a few.
I mention Nadine Hoover, a peace activist in Friends Peace Teams who has dedicated her life to building peace on this earth through education and through movements of marginalized communities to instill ideas and build awareness to build peace on this earth. Her loyalty and perseverance in accompanying us teachers at Joglo has provided many benefits for children and families in Indonesia. Even now, it is like a fire that continues to be fueled, continues to burn and is strong. She always gives love, so we feel compelled to learn. We realize that it has taken a long time for us to understand what she was saying, and we are still learning!
Many families have come with children who need special assistance. Raleigh, a therapist, devotes her busy time to sharing knowledge with teachers about how to assist children with special needs.
Nanik and the Joglo faculty have been meeting with Raleigh twice a month for three years to discuss and design strategies for diverse learners at Joglo. Our work started with focus on specific students and evolved to understanding and implementation of a Universal Design for Learning, which Nanik presented at UNC-Chapel Hill Inclusion Institute in May 2023. The Joglo curriculum is blended with UDL (Universal Design Learning) which is designed to help children be more able to control and train themselves to be calm and focused. The initial discussion of UDL-recommended activities that we practice include:
Downward Dog
Usually we do it after the opening in the family circle. We play light & lively together by putting our heads down, and raising our bodies higher. At first, the children were only able to manage a short time. But after doing it several times, they were able to hold it until the count of ten. Older children provided additional ideas by lifting one leg up. The sound of laughter filled the room when they succeeded in doing so.
Bring the favorite object as reinforcement.
Some children have difficulty calming down. To get calm they may go for a walk, or sit for a while, then take their favorite toy and play with it. Sometimes they want to be invited to return to the circle, and sometimes they just enjoy themselves. We invite them back, saying “You can bring the toys, but please be quiet and listen.” When they are preparing to do their work, they hold the toy that they are interested in, but then set it down. The toy becomes their reinforcement and supports them to complete their work. After they have finished their work, they get the toy back. And we support them by saying “Now do this first___ (do the prepared activity), then that___ (play with the toy they like).” After they have finished their work, they get the toy back.
Using pictures
To show the sequence of activities, we use pictures of the sequence of activities while we speak. Likewise, when introducing activities, or the names of objects or messages we use pictures. For instance, when recognizing body parts, they point to pictures and then hold their own body parts while learning to pronounce them. We enrich it by providing images of familiar items, such as pictures of eating utensils, school equipment, family members, animals and pictures of daily activities such as eating, drinking, sleeping, bathing, brushing teeth, playing, etc.
In addition to children who have difficulty speaking, pictures are also used for older children in different ways according to their development. In groups of 4-5 students, they look at an array of pictures on the floor. Then the pictures are turned over. The children take turns trying to name what each picture is. After all the pictures have been identified, the way of playing is changed. There are two of each picture, and all of them are face down. The game is to find the two that are the same. The most highly developed children guess the picture while putting the syllables under it.
We share the learning and application of UDL with the parents at Joglo so that they can support their children’s learning at home. We collaborate with parents and children’s caregivers and encourage them to get involved in assisting children, by practicing simple words, playing guessing pictures, or making props. When everyone finds suitable work for themselves, the classroom atmosphere looks calm. Children and parents focus on their respective work and support each other.