Schema Theory with Infants

and Toddlers
What do you see infants &
toddlers doing over and
over again?

• Put things inside other things – dump out

• In & Out
• Balls into box
• Climbing
• Building blocks – stack, knock it down
• Throwing –
• Reading a book repeatedly – over
How we “see”
children affects
how we treat
children.

What if we saw
them as
“expressions of
understanding”?
Schema Theory affects the way we
see children’s:

• Learning
• Sense of Exploration
• Behaviour / co-regulation
Schemas
Where might you have heard the
term schema before?
How they categorize things – schemas (file
folders)
Dog – new information Accommodation
Cat – additional information – Assimilation

Jean Piaget
Where might you have heard the
term schema before?
• Piaget – schema to explain how brains
categorize or organize information
• Assimilation – already have ‘schema’ for
some information, you are adding
additional info to what you already know.
• Accommodation – start a new schema
• Schema = file folders
 Schema Theory
Chris Athey, 1990
• Schemas – Piaget – endless amount of
schemas (file folder)

• Athey – right, however not endless, only 8

schemas
• No specific order

• Inf/todd – physical properties (concrete)

• MUST: explore all 8 schemas by time they
 Schema Theory
Schemas are children’s repeated and
observed play patterns that reflect
and demonstrate their
understandings, perceptions and
knowledge.
Through these actions, children are
exploring the world; their relationship
with self within this world; and trying
to find out how things work.
These play experiences are essential
to children’s learning.(Green, MacDonald & Hadcock, 2012).
8 common types of schemas according to Athey:

Trajectory, Orientation,
Connecting/Disconnecting, Rotation,
Enclosing, Enveloping, Positioning & Transporting

“A schema is a pattern of repeated behaviour into

which experiences are assimilated and gradually
co-ordinated. Co-ordinations lead to a higher and
more powerful schema.” (Athey, 1990).
• No particular order
Trajectory: (both things and self)
Exploration of the movement ,
forward, backwards, vertically… of
things (balls, bottles …) and self
Rotation:

Experimenting with spinning;

self and materials (wheels,
balls …), stirring, circular
marks
The child, not the item determines the schema
• It is the child that dictates the schema NOT
the toy/item itself
• Decides what schema to explore with
• 1 at time

• Same schema across (2-3) diff experiences

Enclosing: (“Around” i.e. frame)
Surrounding things and self with something
else.
Eliminating a barrier
Sharing space (soc/emo)
Capacity
Expansion
Depth
Perimiter
Enveloping:something
completely surrounding
something else
(“In” i.e. purse)
Filling and dumping (purses,
containers), wrapping,
dressing up, covering self
• Enclosing – something goes around
something else but you can still see
• (Picture/photograph in a frame)

• Enveloping – something is completely

covered by something else
• (envelope)
Transporting: moving from
one space to another
SCHEMA – Transporting
NOT DOING before age of 2
- pretending

Moving things (pushing

babies in strollers, carrying
things around in hands,
bags, purses etc.)
• Not pretending. – 2 ½ - 3 yrs.
• Infants – grounded in ‘here and now’
• Toddler – 18 months – imitate (mimic)
behaviours – will repeat actions they have
seen adults do (consistent basis)
Connecting and Disconnecting:

Putting things together

& taking apart (blocks,
clapping hands…),
engaging others
Positioning:

Ordering, arranging; Putting

things beside, lining up,
stacking, nesting
Orientation:

Angles; under, over,

upside down, through,
perspectives from
standing, sitting,
looking up
 How do I know which schema I
am observing?
• Only work on 1 at a time (2 only at
crossover)
• Must occur in multiple areas/aspects of the
day (minimum of 3 separate observations)
 Blocks – lines up on top of each
other
positioning – smallest blocks on bottom and
get larger as the tower gets higher

Connecting/disconnecting – stack blocks on

top of each other and then leave them
• John – stacking blocks, small bottom, larger
on top (P), (C/D) ???
• Outdoor play – balls in basket – and then
dump them out and go collect them again
and repeat (c/d) – red and blue balls, other
children took and played with or he didn’t
pick up
• Snack table – cheese and crackers – puts
one piece of cheese on one cracker and
How are evidence of schemas
visible at each stage of
development?
 Stages of Schema Development
Athey identified four stages that children go through in exploring and
using schema:

1. (infants/toddlers) A period of physical action where the movement

does not carry any real significance.

2. (preschoolers) Using schema to symbolize something.

3. (kindergarteners) Beginning to see the functional relationship

between two things.

4. (School Agers) Using schema to support thought.

Take as an example, a child interested in rotation:

Stage 1 The child twirls around and around. (infant/toddler)

Stage 2 The twirling is used to symbolise a carousel.(preschooler)

Stage 3 The child becomes interested in a yo-yo in that it can be

shortened or lengthened when the string is wound around the yo-yo.
(kindergartener)

Stage 4 The child puts all of these ideas into words and expresses
the reasoning behind rotation. (school ager)
Infant/Todd Preschool Kindergarten School Age
Rotation These tubes are The height of the I’ll use bigger wheels
Experimenting race cars, see how ramp makes the on this go cart to
with spinning, they move fast car’s wheels go make it go faster…
self, wheels, balls faster
Go back to your documentation and identify the play schemas
Trajectory: (TRJ)
Exploration of the movement , forward, backwards, vertically etc of
things (balls, bottles) and self
Enclosing: around (ENC)
Surrounding things and self with something else
Rotation (R)
Experimenting with spinning, self, wheels, balls
Enveloping: in (ENV)
Filling and dumping into purses, containers, wrapping, dressing up,
covering self, painting same spot over and over
Transporting (TRP)
Moving things; Pushing babies in strollers, picking up, dumping
Connecting and Disconnecting (CD)
Putting things together & taking apart; blocks, hands,
Positioning (P)
Ordering, arranging; Putting things beside, lining up, stacking
Orientation (O)
Angles; under, over, upside down, through, perspectives
 
Two Key Ideas about this workshop:

1. Children express their interest in schemas using any

materials. You DO NOT need to purchase or create
new materials. Your learning materials do not need to
change, only your view of children’s learning has to.

2. The same material can be used to explore multiple

schemas. For example: a tube can be used for
Positioning, Enclosing, Rotation and Trajectory. We
need to focus on our skills of observation to find out
what schema the child is using the material for. This
will require us to do multiple, on-going observations.
 What if child is not allowed to
explore one schema?
• Orientation -
• Maps – assoc. w/ lack of orientation
exploration as a toddler.

• Reading –
• bdpq
Re-examining behaviour through
schema lens
• ‘see’ ch’s intentions differently we will
respond to them differently.
• -
 References

Best Start Expert Panel. (2007). Early learning for every child today: A framework for Ontario early

childhood settings. Retrieved Sept. 6, 2011 from

http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/documents/topics/earlychildhood/early_learning_for_every

_child_today.pdf

College of Early Childhood Educators. (2011). Code of ethics and standards of practice. Retrieved Jan.
10, 2012 from
http://collegeofece.on.ca/fr/Documents/CECE%20Code%20of%20Ethics%20and%20Standards%20of%
20Practice%20Feb%202011.pdf

Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2008). Learning together with young children. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2011) Reflecting children’s lives: A handbook for planning your child-centered
curriculum. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Fraser, S. (2006). Authentic childhood (2nd ed.). Toronto,ON: Thomson Nelson.

Stacey, S. (2009). Emergent curriculum in early childhood settings. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

Stacey, S. (2011). The unscripted classroom: Emergent curriculum in action. St Paul, MN:Redleaf Press.