10 Tuesday 7th April, 2009 The Island Features encourage constructive play. A “maths” area has scales for weighing and many Blubbery manipulatives for matching, sorting and counting. Nearby is the art/craft ‘researchers’ area with crayons, coloured pencils, scissors, glue, plasticine, magazines, drawing paper and scrap materials, lend fin to each neatly stored in plastic trays on open shelves. “A place for everything climate science and everything in its place”. A table TROLL RESEARCH STATION, Antarctica displays items collected from nature (AP) - and which can be examined with a Into the Antarctic enigma, the puzzle of a magnifying glass. Wall displays careful- place with too few researchers chasing too ly exhibit individual art achievements, many climate mysteries, slowly waddles the rather than twenty identical pictures. elephant seal. Posters of fruit, vegetables, vehicles, The fat-snouted pinniped, two ugly tons of parts of the body, trees and flowers blubber and roar, is plunging to its usual frigid offer visual stimulation.. By the win- depths these days in the service of climate dows are several pots for growing science, and of scientists’ budgets. plants and flowers, as well as a small “It would take years and millions and mil- fish tank. The pile of individual mats is lions of dollars for a research ship to do what for story or circle time. Every child has they’re doing,” Norwegian scientist Kim a laminated name card which is taken Holmen said of the instrument-equipped seals, from a box and placed on a wall chart whose long-distance swims and 1,000-foot when arriving in the morning. Displays (300-meter) dinnertime dives for squid are giv- are regularly changed according to ing investigators valuable data about a key ongoing themes, and can become a piece of southern ocean. focus for speaking and expanding Climatologists and others say the icy con- tinent has been monitored too thinly for too knowledge. An outside play area is long in a warming world. Weather stations, equipped with tyre swings, climbing glacier movement detectors and research frames, boxes and tyres for building treks over the ice are too few and far and jumping, and a paved track for tri- between. cycles, pull-along trucks and scooters. “We’re monitoring routinely a small por- The sand and water play areas are shel- tion of the continent. I’d say 1 percent,” said tered under a simple canopy. A large David Holland, an Antarctic expert at New storage box holds different sizes of York University. by Douglas King douglask- Mediocre Training balls, bean bags, jumping ropes, bats The reason to worry is clear: If all the [email protected] and hoops. land ice here melted, it would raise ocean lev- This carefully prepared environment els 187 feet (57 meters) worldwide. allows children to a choice of exercise That theoretical possibility would take ecoming a pre-school teacher has and provides a structure for teachers to many centuries, but “Antarctica is huge, so never been easier. There are now of Montessori and guide children’s activities at appropri- even a small change would make a big differ- Bnumerous institutes and organisa- ate times. During the course of the ence,” said Jan Gunnar Winther, director of tions that offer either Montessori or gen- morning there will be “circle time” the Norwegian Polar Institute which operates eral pre-school courses lasting one year when children are encouraged to talk, this research station in East Antarctica. or less, as well as a more recognized pre-school teachers take turns, show things of interest, and Even a 1 percent loss of Antarctic ice qualification such as that offered by the where teachers can introduce ideas and would raise sea levels 2 feet (65 centimeters), Open University. With the expanding Creativity and innovation by teach- opportunity for creativity or spontaneity. games to develop language skills and a slow-motion disaster for global coastlines. availability of pre-school education, ers are not often in evidence so the Teachers have been trained to use these concepts. Circle time might also Clues to the future emerge in bits and there appears to be no lack of employ- daily routine requires little planning materials step by step without deviation. include poems, songs and something pieces, sometimes in chunks: ment prospects for those completing or preparation and simply repeti- At the other end of the scale are those special. A daily story time is not an -In 2002, the floating Larson B ice shelf courses. However. having a certificate or schools that have few materials apart tion. Many assistant teachers are optional add-on but an essential ingre- fringing the West Antarctica peninsula, a piece diploma does not always imply that from an assortment of mixed-up games kept occupied in cutting and drawing dient to develop listening and speaking of ice the size of Rhode Island, collapsed into these graduates are competent to teach, and toys stored in a large box which shapes or pictures ready for children skills and as an introduction and invi- the ocean, and the glaciers behind it began or in some cases, to run their own cen- offer little opportunity for constructive to paste and colour. Those schools tation to literacy. Specialists are unnec- dumping land ice into the sea more quickly. tres. and imaginative play. “Play is the work that can afford it, delegate music, Scientists are now watching for the imminent There are no generally accepted stan- of the child” is an adage incorporated dance and physical education to part- essary as teachers should be capable of teaching singing, simple percussion, collapse of another peninsular ice shelf, the dards for pre-schools in Sri Lanka. They into both theory and practice in early time and qualified teachers who may Wilkins. dance and movement. are free of government control and any- childhood education. “Play” does not have scant understanding of the -In a new analysis of the sparse data, sci- Parents with special skills such as one can start a school, anywhere and in mean an anything-goes atmosphere, but development and needs of the under entists reported in January that Antarctica any kind of premises .The cheapest cost an organization of the environment and fives. The three or four hours in the cooking, art or drama are welcome to warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 only 200 rupees a month, whilst the materials where positive play can evolve, morning are occupied with eating, come and share these with the chil- degrees Celsius) between 1957 and 2006, more prestigious schools can charge 2000 independently or co-operatively, and toileting, maybe a devotional time, dren. At least once every term trips are contrary to earlier belief that much of the con- rupees or more plus an enrollment fee. sometimes requiring Vigotsky’s “scaf- outdoor play, plus the familiar made to places of local interest such as tinent was cooling. But monthly fees don’t always equate folding” by the teachers. colouring, sticking and alphabet a bakery or temple. A birthday chart -In 2004, grass began growing on the with quality and few parents have the Too few teachers have insight into the work books, and its soon time to get indicates who has a birthday and time warming West Antarctica peninsula. Just last knowledge or insight as to what consti- educational development of the young ready to go home. is made for a simple celebration. month, researchers reported on dramatic bio- tutes good early childhood education. A child. Much of the art and craft seen at Has anything been achieved? Yes. Teachers maintain records of the logical changes under way: a decline in plank- quick search on the internet for “Early pre-schools shows a high percentage of Children have enjoyed a shared experi- social, educational and physical devel- ton in the nearby sea, in the krill that feed on childhood education” displays thou- teacher’s work rather than that of the ence and have been kept busy. This opment of every child, and these are it, and in the penguins that feed on the krill. sands of web sites which include profes- child. Displays of 20 seemingly identical socialization and using pencil and shared with parents. The end of year “Antarctica is changing rapidly in unpre- sional journals, articles, research and pictures have allowed nothing of the concert includes many of the songs, paper will stand them in good stead dicted ways,” Holmen, the Norwegian insti- training courses concerned with the child’s natural creative ability to shine poems, dances and stories that are part when entering first grade. But not tute’s research director, told environment min- subject. A closer look at some of these through. “They haven’t learnt to cut of the weekly activities, rather than much else will have taken place.. isters and other international officials visiting sites and it quickly becomes obvious just properly yet” so better the teacher does elaborate displays rehearsed for many this outpost in East Antarctica’s icebound Precious little stimulation towards dis- how lacking in quality many pre-schools it for them, including drawing the duck weeks in order to impress parents. In- mountains in February. covery, thinking and verbal skills and are in Sri Lanka. or elephant ready for colouring. service teacher development is a regu- He said the shelf collapses in the west excitement in learning new concepts. How is it that so many Montessori Montessori herself introduced an phi- lar feature through workshops and vis- may eventually be replicated here in the east. In fact the hidden curriculum teaches and pre-schools are so poorly organized losophy and methodology that need to be its to other centres.