NEN Explain: Schemas Chris Athey

What are Schemas?

Schemas or repeatable behaviours, speech and thoughts are patterns of thinking within an individual that exists underneath the content, context and specific experiences being taught. This means that a schema is not directly linked or related to an object, topic or skill being used, learned or practised. They are instead mental frameworks, actions or patterns of thinking that an individual uses to make sense of the world around them.

Schemas are both innate, leading to some being demonstrated from birth and acquired during an individual’s life as they encounter new experiences. However, the vast majority of schemas are developed in their earliest form within the first few years, and these patterns of behaviours become more complex and more numerous, eventually becoming grouped together so that an individual no longer needs to perform singular, isolated actions but instead is able to coordinate their actions, behaviours and responses. These repeatable patterns of behaviours, speech and thoughts can extend learning as they become intertwined with an individual’s thought process, thus allowing for later related experiences to be more easily assimilation.

Early schemas can form the basis for later learning. Athey (2007) describes how early ‘back and forth’ schemas can be observed in young children moving toys around a setting in pots, cars or other containers. Later, ‘back and forth’ actions can be supported and extended with, for example, stories of going and coming or through the use of map-reading, map-playing and map-creation.

These patterns of behaviours or schemas are mental models that the brain uses to organise and store information. Schemas are essentially built from our memories of our unique experiences and support in enabling an individual to interpret and respond to those experiences in a way that is meaningful. Enabling an individual to categorise and classifications the knowledge, skill or understanding they are gaining. As such, schemas are not static and can be modified as new experiences and information are assimilated.

In contrast to Piaget’s work and thinking, where he used the idea and term schema to refer to the general and sometimes singular cognitive structures which are developing in children under the age of five. Athey suggested that there are many different definitions of a schema rather than a singular one.

The definitions or areas in which Athey believed children’s learning and development could be described can be in seven forms, which she later divided up into nine-play schemas. These areas are:

Dynamic vertical
Dynamic back and forth/side to side
Dynamic circular
Going over and under
Going round a boundary
Enveloping and containing spaces
Going through a boundary

The Nine Play Schemas

Trajectory schema

The trajectory schema is one of the first patterns of behaviour commonly observed in infants and young children. This schema is characterised by the child’s fascination with movement, both of themselves and of objects in their environment. Babies exhibiting this schema often engage in throwing objects or food from their pram or highchair, climb and jump in puddles, and delight in exploring the flow of running water. Their curiosity about movement and trajectories seems to be a foundational aspect of their early development.

Through the trajectory schema, children learn about cause and effect, spatial relations, and the properties of objects in motion. They also develop their motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they engage in activities like throwing, catching, and manipulating objects in space. Additionally, the schema provides a basis for further learning in areas such as physics, math, and engineering. Overall, the trajectory schema is an important aspect of children’s early development and helps lay the foundation for their future learning and exploration.

Transporting Schema

Children within the transporting schema have a natural inclination towards moving things around from one place to another. They often engage in the activity of transporting various resources, such as toys, books, and other objects, repeatedly. To do so, they use different methods, including carrying them in their hands, stuffing them in their pockets, using containers or baskets, or even employing transporters to move them around.

Within this schema and through the activity of transporting objects, children learn various skills and concepts. They develop their gross and fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and balance. They also learn about spatial awareness, cause and effect, and problem-solving. Additionally, transporting objects helps children understand the concept of size, weight, and distance. Overall, transporting objects is a valuable activity that supports children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development.

Transforming schema

In a transforming schema, children are encouraged to engage in hands-on activities that involve exploring the changing states of different materials. Through a variety of experiments and observations, they learn how to transform solids into liquids and then back into solids again.

Within this schema, these activities help them to understand the properties of different materials and how they can be altered through external factors such as heat, pressure, and agitation. By actively participating in the process, children develop a deeper understanding of the science behind these transformations and gain valuable problem-solving skills that they can apply to other areas of their lives.

Enclosing Schema

Children within the enclosing schema often display a natural inclination towards creating enclosed spaces, such as constructing fences or barricades to create a sense of containment for their toys or even themselves. In some cases, they may even build a train track or other structure and place their toy animals or figurines within the enclosed centre space. This behaviour is particularly common among children who are exploring their environment and developing their spatial awareness skills. Enclosing schema can provide a sense of comfort and security for children, as it allows them to feel a sense of control over their environment.

Within this schema, children can learn a variety of skills by having a sense of security in their environment. For example, they may learn decision-making skills, problem-solving skills, and social skills. When children feel safe and secure, they are more likely to explore their surroundings and try new things, which can lead to learning and development. Additionally, children who feel secure are better able to focus on tasks, interact with others, and regulate their emotions.

Rotational Schema

Children who exhibit a rotational schema tend to have a strong inclination towards activities that involve turning objects on and off, such as taps, switches, and knobs. They may also enjoy playing with objects that can be wound and unwound, like strings or ropes, and have a fascination with hoops or other circular objects.

In addition, these children often derive a great deal of pleasure from physical experiences that involve twirling, spinning, or rotating their bodies. This may involve spinning around on the spot, rolling down hills, or performing other similar movements.

They are also highly interested in objects that turn, such as wheels and windmills, and enjoy playing with toys that can be spun, rolled, or rotated. They may spend a lot of time rolling tyres or balls around, turning lids, or watching the washing machine on a spin cycle.

Children within a rotational schema are often developing their understanding of cause and effect. They are learning about how turning a dial or flipping a switch can produce a specific result, such as turning on a light or starting a machine. Additionally, they may be developing their spatial reasoning skills as they manipulate objects that rotate or spin, such as figuring out how to roll a ball around obstacles to get it to a specific location. In a rotational schema, children may also be exploring their own physical capabilities and limitations as they twirl, spin, and rotate their bodies.

Enveloping Schema

Children within an enveloping schema tend to be fascinated with the idea of hiding or covering up objects, including themselves. They often enjoy engaging in activities that involve dressing up or donning costumes, as well as filling and emptying bags and containers with various objects. This schema can manifest in a range of activities, such as playing hide and seek, building forts or dens, or even wrapping themselves up in blankets or other materials to create a sense of enclosure. Overall, the enveloping schema is characterised by a desire for containment and a fascination with concealing or enclosing objects and people.

Children who engage in the enveloping schema tend to develop a sense of spatial awareness and an understanding of containment. They also learn to experiment with different materials and textures as they wrap, cover, and conceal objects. Additionally, this schema can help children develop their creativity and imaginative skills as they explore different ways to create and use enclosed spaces. The enveloping schema provides children with an opportunity to explore and experiment with their environment and can support their cognitive, physical and social-emotional development.

Connecting Schema

Children within the connection schema exhibit a desire to join items together. In this schema, children enjoy exploring various resources like strings, ribbons, and ropes to tie things. They find pleasure in connecting and disconnecting objects such as rail tracks, blocks, and puzzles. Children with connecting schema tend to enjoy construction toys like building blocks, magnetic tiles, and Legos, as it allows them to create structures by joining pieces together. They also enjoy doing arts and crafts activities where they can glue and stick different materials together, such as paper, beads, and fabric.

Children with a connecting schema learn important skills such as problem-solving, spatial awareness, and fine motor skills. They learn how to join different objects together, which helps them to understand the concept of cause and effect. This schema also promotes creativity and imagination, as children can create new structures and objects by combining different items. Additionally, doing arts and crafts activities can help them to develop their sensory skills by exploring different textures and materials.

Orientation Schema

Children within the orientation schema will want to explore their surroundings from various perspectives. They may enjoy rotating objects or even themselves around and upside down just to get a different point of view. For instance, they may crawl under a table and look up at the ceiling or climb up a tree branch and gaze down at the ground. Additionally, some children may bend over and peek at the world through their legs, which can be a playful and amusing experience for them.

Furthermore, children often find it fascinating to use various tools to explore their surroundings from different angles. They may use cardboard tubes to create a telescope-like effect or binoculars to magnify objects in the distance. They may utilise a magnifying glass to inspect small objects and details up close. All of these activities help children to develop their spatial awareness, enhance their curiosity, and encourage their creativity.

Through exploring their surroundings from different perspectives and using tools to examine objects, children within the orientation schema learn about spatial awareness, depth perception, and the relationships between objects in their environment. They also enhance their curiosity and creativity as they discover new ways to interact with their surroundings. Overall, these activities help children to develop important cognitive and motor skills that will benefit them in many different areas of their lives.

Positioning Schema

Children within the positioning schema focus on organising items by aligning them in a specific way and categorising them into different groups based on characteristics such as size, colour, and theme. For example, a child may enjoy lining up their toys in a specific order based on size or colour, or they may sort their blocks into groups based on their shape or pattern.

Through the positioning schema, children learn important skills such as classification, spatial awareness, and problem-solving. They also develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they manipulate objects to align and organise them. Additionally, this schema helps to foster a sense of order and predictability, which can be comforting for children as they navigate their environment and learn about the world around them.

What do they learn from schemas?

The process of schematic play involves repetitive actions that allow children to construct meaning in what they are doing. In fact, babies and young children learn best when they are given opportunities to engage in active learning through hands-on experiences. This type of learning allows children to problem-solve, question, predict, imagine, speculate, and develop independent choices as they make decisions in an area they are familiar with.

It is important to understand that children use play to develop a methodical, systematic, and logical collection of information through their senses and movements as they interact with practitioners, each other, objects, and materials within the nursery environment. This process enables children to explore their surroundings, take risks, and learn from the outcomes of their actions. Through play, children develop a sense of curiosity, creativity, and imagination, which are vital skills that help them in their future academic and social lives. Therefore, providing children with ample opportunities to engage in schematic play is crucial to their overall development and growth.

The four stages of schema development

Athey’s theory on schema development suggests that children’s cognitive growth can be best understood in terms of four distinct stages of schema development. During the first stage, children engage in exploratory play that involves physical actions that don’t necessarily carry any deliberate meaning. They touch, manipulate, and move objects in their environment to gain a better understanding of the world around them.

In the second stage, children begin to use symbols to represent objects and events in their environment. They may use language to express their thoughts and feelings, or they may use drawings or other forms of representation to convey their ideas. This stage is marked by the emergence of symbolic thinking, which allows children to communicate more effectively and to begin to form mental representations of the world.

In the third stage, children start to recognise the functional relationships between objects and events. They begin to understand how one object or event can affect or influence another and develop an awareness of cause-and-effect relationships. As they gain a better understanding of the world around them, they begin to develop more complex schemas that enable them to make predictions and solve problems.

Finally, in the fourth stage, children are able to use their schemas to support more abstract and complex thinking. They are able to think beyond the immediate situation and use their schemas to reason, plan, and solve problems. They can also use their schemas to understand more complex concepts, such as justice, fairness, and morality. The fourth stage is marked by the emergence of metacognition, which allows children to reflect on their own thinking and to monitor and regulate their own cognitive processes.

An example of schema development can be seen in a child’s understanding of a “dog.” In the first stage, the child may simply explore the physical characteristics of a dog, such as its fur, tail, and paws. In the second stage, the child may associate these characteristics with other animals with fur, tail, and paws, such as cats. In the third stage, the child starts to understand the differences between cats and dogs and that the term dog only belongs to one of the animals.

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