Processing lived experiences: Principles of the situation-oriented approach
Armin Krenz himself points out that the situation-oriented approach is more of a general attitude than a pedagogical concept. Appreciation of the children and their own identity, as well as the experiences of each individual day, are the focus. The approach combines basic assumptions from three different disciplines:
According to the findings of educational research emotional and social competencies in children cannot be formed "externally" – the only sustainable form of education arises from the child itself. Armin Krenz deduces from this that one should primarily provide children with security and zest for life should be the primary aim in order to give them an impetus to shape their lives themselves to develop.
One of the basic assumptions of attachment research is that children especially need close social relationships to develop self-confidence, openness of perception and other social competencies. Educators in kindergarten should therefore, according to Krenz, not be teachers and instructors, but above all caregivers who provide security.
The neuroscience, Krenz says, furthermore assumes that emotional well-being is fundamental for self-formation . Therefore, the goal of daycare work should primarily be to convey joy of life to the children so that they engage openly and willingly with new experiences and can process what they have experienced.
Impressions and expressions
Educators who follow the situation-oriented approach are encouraged to observe the children attentively. According to Krenz, children express through the forms of expression available to them what occupies them in everyday life, so that educators can begin processing there. These forms of expression are:
Behavior
Play
Movement
Language
Dreams
Painting
Observation and interpretation of the modes of expression require close cooperation between educators and parents; therefore, this is considered a prerequisite for the situation-oriented approach.
Situational approach vs. situation-oriented approach
Parallels between the two concepts: In its basic features, the situation-oriented approach is comparable to the widely used situational approach. Both concepts aim to support children in understanding their individual environment, interacting with it, and shaping it responsibly.
Fundamental differences between the two concepts: The situational approach is based on group work – all children are confronted together with project-based topics they are likely to encounter in everyday life. The situation-oriented approach is much more individual: educators take up the children's personal experiences and support them in fully processing them.
Situational approach: The situational approach, which has been implemented as a pedagogical concept in many daycares since the 1970s, is didactically oriented. It is primarily about preparing children for their future, by role-playing certain situations before they are experienced. This is intended to familiarize children with everyday topics, but also with "big" themes like death or separation.
Situation-oriented approach: With the situation-oriented approach, the priority is that the children fully process their own experiences and in this way develop their social and emotional competence. In daycare work, children are therefore not prepared for specific situations; instead, already experienced situations are discussed to strengthen the children emotionally.
Image credits
Child with finger paints - © Julaszka - stock.adobe.com
