Page 52 - SEN107 SEN Magazine July-August 2020

SEN 107 senmagazine.co.uk 52 At KidZania, children can have a taste of adulthood, says Prof Dr Ger Graus OBE . Days out I t is not always easy to find the right balance between learning and fun. School days out should be educational but also engender excitement and enthusiasm for learning outside of the classroom. That is where experience-based learning becomes a key tool for child development, by opening up discussion about real world careers and jobs that children may not have otherwise considered. . KidZania - the indoor city run by kids - uniquely gives children an active role in their own education, getting them excited and inspired about what the future holds. By empowering children to experience a menu of aspirations within a variety of different career sectors, their curiosity, creativity and ambitions are unlocked, and the connect between school and real life is made. When planning days out, schools can take this approach and look for ways to connect the practice of experience-based learning to the theory of the curriculum. KidZania’s range of activities and learning have been created with qualified teachers to develop future aware children, with reference to the National Curriculum, life skills and supporting Gatsby benchmarks. Experience-based learning is defined as the process of learning through and from experience and is more specifically learning through reflection on doing. Following the Reggio Children approach, KidZania enables children of all ages and all abilities to pursue their own areas of interest and gain in self- confidence while gathering essential skills to navigate through real-life situations. At KidZania, we want to take children from inspiration to aspiration and help release their full potential. We want to enable children to write their own narrative of possibilities! KidZania gives teachers the perfect opportunity to give their class the chance at playing adult for the day. This approach encourages all children to explore, express themselves and communicate whilst getting a taste of the world of work. Visits can be tailored to the needs of the schools and the children by joint planning between us and teachers. Aimed at ages 4 to 14, our activities aim to empower children through educational entertainment or ‘Edutainment’. Kidzania is at the global forefront of Edutainment, with comprehensive choice of real-life professions in the indoor city at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush London; children can test out being a doctor, nurse, journalist, firefighter, cashier, news reader, pilot, and much more! KidZania’s global research evidences the impact on children’s development; we are supported by partners such as the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. At KidZania all children are equal and go through the stages of earning, spending and saving their own money, called KidZos. By providing children with an active role in their own learning and giving them the power to test new skills, KidZania is a fun, immersive and easy way to connect experience with the classroom. It is up to us, as teachers and parents, to provide our children with the tools and skills they need to be prepared for the real world but also make sure that what we do, whether in a classroom or outside of it, helps inspire them to better and greater things. Now more than ever, it is crucial that schools integrate these learning approaches to help prepare children for the future workplace. Children can only aspire to what they know exist and it is our responsibility to widen their horizons to many possibilities! About the author Prof Dr Ger Graus OBE , Global Director of Education for KidZania kidzania.co.uk @kidzanialondon @KidZaniaLondon Days out