Using ICT to support consultation with young children - Dalry Nursery School

Children developed skills

The children enjoyed working in this way and developed many skills during the process.

• Most children already had experience of using the digital camera and this allowed them to use it in a purposeful way and also to discuss (with the rest of their group and their key worker) the reasons for taking particular photographs.
• Having the photograph as a prompt also enabled the children to contribute more to the discussions and they seemed to be more confident about giving their views.
• Staff reported that the quality of discussion and language from children during feedback was of a very high quality.

Staff learned more about the children

The staff also found out some very interesting facts from this consultation. One child did not enjoy playing at the small world area because the castle door was broken. The staff member asked what we could do about this. The child replied ‘If you get me a screwdriver I could fix it‘, and he did!

Another child who spent time at the sand area reported that he did not like it. When asked what he didn’t like, he reported that there were only baby toys to play with and then explained the type of resources he would like to use in this area.

Working in this way empowered the children and enabled the staff to be more responsive to their needs. It also encouraged staff to focus on individual children and to listen attentively to their input.