Director's Column: Learning From Our Past and Looking Toward the Future – 50 Years of a Play-Based, Child-Centered Curriculum
By Jennifer Winters, Director
Play is the answer to the question, ‘How does anything new ever come about?’ –Jean Piaget
The future of any lasting institution is deeply shaped by its past, and Bing Nursery School is no exception. Since 1966, approximately 10,000 children have come through our doors. Over 15,000 undergraduates have taken courses at Bing and applied what they have learned in child development to become advocates for young children in fields such as medicine, technology, psychology, law, government and education, and as parents. Groundbreaking research, which has made significant and lasting contributions to the field of child development, continues to take place at Bing.
Parents routinely report the positive impact Bing Nursery School has made on their child’s educational journey as well as their own. Many of our alumni have kept in touch with us over the years and we are very proud of the countless paths their lives have taken. More and more we find ourselves welcoming a second generation of children to the Bing community. With that in mind, it’s important to examine the fundamental principles that have guided our child-centered, play-based program for the past half-century, and why these principles remain the cornerstone of one of the most extraordinary laboratory schools for young children in the history of early childhood education.
Over 50 years ago, our visionary founding director, Dr. Edith Dowley, PhD, was greatly influenced by her work at the Kaiser Shipyards as a teacher during the war years. From that came a deep motivation to create a haven for children whose families were part of the war efforts. This led to her having a strong belief in “giving back to children some of the things that modern life has tended to take away from them.” She established three fundamental principles that still guide our everyday practice. They have stood the test of time and are the very foundation of our child-centered, play-based philosophy. Foremost is an absolute belief in the value and dignity of every child and in treating the child as an honored guest. The second principle is giving children the gift of time. The third is supporting the child’s freedom of movement.
These three principles, which Dr. Dowley set forth, were deeply rooted in the leading child development theory and research of the time. John Dewey, an American educational reformist, stressed learning by doing through play and other hands-on experiences, as did Friedrich Froebel, a German educator who is the father of the modern-day kindergarten (he actually coined the name Kindergarten—meaning “child’s garden”).
For 50 years these principles have not only held up but remain integral to the Bing philosophy and curriculum. Here is a look at how they are put into practice and why they remain cornerstones of our program.
Treating each child as an honored guest is woven into every aspect of Bing’s program. Teachers greet children individually at arrival with a variety of activities set up for them. Since our inception, we have selected teachers who, in addition to a depth of experience and credentials in early childhood education, possess the qualities of warmth, compassion, patience and an unwavering acceptance of the child. It is imperative that teachers have the ability to see things from a child’s perspective and view every child as capable and competent. This is the starting point that allows them to welcome and treat each child as an honored guest.
Dr. Dowley wanted to create a school that would give back to children some of what the modern world tended to take away from them. This is put into practice by giving children the gift of time. She was quoted in the Campus Report as saying that she wanted “a world that is designed for them, for their pleasure, for their happiness, for their learning, for their enchantment, for their challenge.” Each day children in the nursery school have two hours of uninterrupted time to play, during which they can make choices with materials and their peers under the gentle, watchful guidance of a teacher. We relish and support uninterrupted time for play at this stage in their lives. It is essential to a child’s complete development—cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically. It is through play that children are free to make sense of the world around them, to inquire, to explore, to try new things and to work together. We as teachers want to follow the child’s lead and create a classroom environment that supports children’s play.
Gift of time: Children have two hours of uninterrupted time to engage in the activities of their choosing.
At Bing, children are free to move between the seamless indoor and outdoor environments. This freedom of movement encourages children to explore. To this end, Dr. Dowley’s original plan included extensive space and a variety of terrains. At Bing, freedom of movement is a principle we strongly believe is a right of every child here. Emeritus Head Teacher Bonnie Chandler was fond of saying, “a child learns geography with his feet.” Freedom of movement also provides important benefits for a young child’s physical and cardiovascular development. Children’s ability and motivation to run to the top of the hill or to go all the way across the monkey bars or climb to the peak of a structure to view their world not only increases and supports their physical selves, but is also deeply satisfying. There is nothing quite so gratifying as hearing a child say “I did it all by myself!”
Children enjoy freedom of movement, which promotes play and development.
Bing was founded with three missions: 1) to provide an exemplary early childhood education experience for young children; 2) as a laboratory school for Stanford’s Department of Psychology to conduct research in child development; and 3) to teach undergraduate courses in child development.
As a laboratory school, Bing has thrived for the past 50 years. Stanford’s psychology and linguistics faculty have made significant advances in understanding child development through their research conducted at Bing. Research on social modeling by Professor Albert Bandura, PhD, showed how the power of observational learning could change behavior (the Bobo doll study). Longitudinal work on delayed gratification (the Marshmallow Studies) by Walter Mischel, a former Stanford professor, PhD, shed light on willpower and suggested that children’s ability to wait for a later reward relates to important life outcomes (see page 9 for more information). Research by Professor Mark Lepper, PhD, highlighted the value of intrinsic motivation and that superfluous rewards undermine motivation. Research by Professor Eve Clark, PhD, on language acquisition informs us about how children first acquire language. Research by Professor Ellen Markman, PhD, on language development examined the “naming explosion,” looking at how preschoolers’ vocabularies increase very quickly over a short period of time and how young children come to learn word meanings. Studies of cognitive development and theory of mind by Professor John Flavell, PhD, helped us understand children’s ability to think about the difference between appearance and reality, and distinguish thinking from talking, feeling, seeing and knowing. The research now being conducted at Bing is as groundbreaking as ever. We look forward to this facet of our mission continuing to flourish and supporting Stanford psychologists to provide new insights into child development.
Bing fulfills its mission as a provider of exceptional undergraduate education by offering courses such as Psychology 60A, Developmental Psychology Section; Psychology 146, Observation of Children; Psychology 147, Development of Early Childhood; Human Biology 3Y, Practicum in Child Development. Undergraduates have a unique experience at Bing combining theory and practice, which serves them well in their understanding of child development and has valuable application to their later studies in psychology, medicine and education, and as parents. The course reviews give a good picture of the student experience at Bing. Special projects, internships and observation opportunities are available to students in education, human biology, linguistics and psychology.
Recently we expanded the original three-fold mission of the school to include a fourth: sharing our knowledge and experience in early childhood education and child development with parents and educators. This is being done through the Bing Program for Parents and Educators. Efforts here include a summer session for educators, a speaker series, informal coffee talks for parents and guest lectures. Since inception, our summer sessions have been oversubscribed, with educators attending from across the country and around the world. The parent coffee talks have been equally well received. We look forward to continuing our service to parents and educators in the years ahead.
As we pause to reflect on the past half century with an eye toward the future, we are pleased to see that the founding principles of Bing Nursery School are as relevant, appropriate and effective now as they were then. And we remain as committed to them as ever.
Throughout the past 50 years of ever-increasing change, our practice and the research have shown that the most effective way to support young children’s development (cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically) remains a play-based, child-centered program. Built upon our founding principles of treating the child as an honored guest, giving them the gift of time, and providing them freedom of movement, we’re convinced now, more than ever, that Bing is supporting young children to be confident, inquisitive, creative, flexible and collaborative. These are the attributes that will be even more important in addressing the challenges they will encounter in the next 50 years.
More information on Bing’s guiding principles, research and undergraduate teaching is available below.
Children as “honored guests”
One of the things that’s the most powerful to me about the guiding principle of respecting children is the way the environment was set up to suit the child’s perspective—everything from the size of the furniture, the size of the hills, what it would really look like for them as they’re coming in. I think that sets the stage physically and figuratively for how we should look at all of children’s play and the things they are doing with materials. Seeing things from their perspective allows us to appreciate the intentionality behind their play. That not only allows us to see the value in what they are doing and their competencies with everything they’re doing, but it also models the respect that we want children to learn for each other and for adults in creating an environment that really is about mutual respect. –Colin Johnson, Head Teacher
Treating them with respect shapes how they think about themselves and their relation to other people in the world. ... It conveys that we view them as capable, and they come to see themselves as capable and valued people. It frames how much you feel like you’re invited to participate, whether your ideas matter. It encourages them to engage with you because they know they’re being heard. It forms a sense of connection. –Adrienne Lomangino, Head Teacher
Gift of time
Children need time to play. Without uninterrupted blocks of time, a child may only touch the surface of their learning. When children have the gift of time to explore and follow their curiosity, they become self-motivated. They develop creativity, imagination, and a long attention span. They can take their learning to a deeper level and gain mastery of a skill. –Mary Munday, Head Teacher
Giving children the gift of time relates to Edith Dowley’s idea of giving back to children what modern life has taken away. In our modern society children can be overscheduled—art classes, music classes, dance classes, zoos, parks—it’s tempting to have children try it all. But that doesn’t leave room for the child to follow what they find intrinsically motivating. This is important because we want to teach our children about themselves: how to find their passion, and find what makes them happy and inspired so they can be lifelong learners, and create things that they find joyful and support their families and communities. –Stephanie Holson, Teacher
Freedom of movement and gift of time: A child pauses after playing at the water table and surveys her options while deciding what to do next.
Freedom of Movement
I think fundamentally children are active learners and much of their learning comes from interacting with the world and materials around them. Having opportunities to explore fully with their bodies is critical for their engagement in the world. As teachers, it’s our responsibility to give them opportunities or invitations to physically engage. Many children do it intuitively; other children need to have a little bit of guidance to move in that direction. Teachers need to understand where children are on that continuum. Teachers can support those who might be a little more risk-seeking to be able to create boundaries for themselves. For those who are perhaps a little risk averse, teachers offer support in building confidence about their skill set and provide them opportunities to test that in a way that makes them feel comfortable and gain more confidence and competence. … Large motor development is critical to brain development and lays a foundation for future fine motor growth. You can’t underestimate the need for that. –Peckie Peters, Head Teacher
Why is freedom of movement so important to children? Children need to move their bodies and minds to develop, to be able to have sensory experiences with the environment, to be able to explore in order to learn. By giving children two hours of uninterrupted time to move through the environment, we’re essentially giving them a laboratory for learning. They can choose the activities that they’re interested in, they can move from one area to another, they can engage in rich social-emotional, physical play throughout a carefully maintained environment. … We’re opening up so many pathways for them to be able to explore and from that we’re helping to develop their predisposition to what interests them. –Beth Wise, Assistant Director
When I think about a Bing child’s freedom of movement and freedom of choice, I think about autonomy and self-directedness. … Children gain a sense of ownership and autonomy when they can move freely and make their own decisions. It helps them to feel confident and ultimately it helps them to feel competent because they can move to an area, they can leave it, they can come back to it. For children to have that at ages 2, 3, 4 and 5, that’s amazing because generally in our society we don’t give children that freedom, that kind of choice. –Todd Erickson, Head Teacher
Undergraduate students’ course review
Most rewarding class I have taken at Stanford. The in-classroom experiences at Bing taught many life lessons. –Autumn 2012-2013
I really enjoyed the course—it was a great chance to apply something practical amongst all the theory. To really witness Bing in action, and see the care the teachers have for the students and families was a privilege. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in working with children in a classroom level—even though they are very young, the concepts apply and one can see how the future shapes from this early stage for all children.–Spring 2006-2007
One of the best classes I’ve taken at Stanford. Everyone should take this class to understand more about children and human behavior in general.–Spring 2009-2010
This class was great, and I loved being in the classroom with the children. I was nervous at first, but it’s so refreshing to be with 3- to 5- year-olds when I’m constantly around college students who are stressed and busy. I would love to come back to Bing to interact with the children, but even more than that, the community of teachers seems wonderful. I got so much from my liaison teacher, and I feel like I learned so many skills from the experience. When students are studying to be teachers they often don’t have the “clinical experience” early on, so I’m glad I got to do this. I would love to be a preschool teacher now, especially in a play-based classroom!! Thanks for such a great class. I honestly learned so much, and I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned and apply it as a parent or future educator. –Autumn 2013-2014
Research at Bing
I think that it’s wonderful to have a resource [Bing Nursery School] that has contributed so much to the research excellence and scholarship of faculty at Stanford who are interested in developmental issues, that has promoted the careers of newly trained graduate students who then go on to be stars in the field, that provides opportunities for undergraduates to get experience that they otherwise wouldn’t have and at the same time is a first-rate, wonderful place for parents to send their children. It’s not as if there have been trade offs or compromises in some ways. No matter what perspective you look at it, people are incredibly respectful and appreciative of what Bing provides and I think that’s a real achievement. –Professor Ellen Markman
Not only can you test your hypothesis there, but you can look at how the children change over the years. That’s just crucial. Otherwise, researchers have to rush around to different cities and find schools that will cooperate. It would be hard to see how our students would accomplish everything they do without Bing. –Professor Carol Dweck
Bing is a unique resource. From the wonderful rapport that researchers have with the children in their studies to the feedback and support that the school staff give at all stages of the research process, it’s hard to imagine a better place for doing work with young children. –Professor Michael Frank