Conference.

Multitasking and scenario building.

Privileged pedagogical devices to organize teaching in Early Childhood Education1
Mg. Rosa Violante.
2013
Multitasking and scenario-based teaching are two of the pillars of
2
The Didactics of Early Childhood Education.

The Pillars of Didactics in Early Education refer to those indispensable principles.

that tell us how and what to teach children under 6 years old and that we want today
recover/reposition given that we observe a trend towards ways of organizing tasks
responding to logics of other levels. In many cases, proposing the same task so that
all the children do it at the same time and in the same place tends to be almost the only organization
group installed in the daily life of kindergarten classrooms and what is necessary
review even more in the daily life of nursery classrooms.

Multitasking involves offering two or more activity proposals simultaneously among which the
children can choose to carry out, try, complement, experiment, dramatize, discover, act.
Each of the proposals is constructed by providing materials in a specific space, areas, corners.
or however they want to call them, areas or zones in the total space of the room or the room and others
available nearby spaces that are decided to be enabled to prepare the proposal.

Why is multitasking a privileged organizational mode?

Multitasking is a privileged organizational modality because it promotes the development of attitudes of

autonomy, promotes work in small groups, respects individual learning times.
By offering challenging proposals, it contributes to the achievement and daily realization of a Comprehensive Education.

Next, we will briefly develop each of these arguments.

1
The present conference took place within the framework of the Early Childhood Education Congress. 'The Initial Level, encounters and
bets between training and teaching profession” Superior Normal School No. 3 “Mariano Moreno” Rosario. Sta. Fe. 31 of
August 2013
2
Violante, R. Soto, C. (2011) The Pillars of Early Childhood Education Didactics. Available at:
[Link]
Fosters the development of autonomy attitudes
First of all, multitasking allows children to choose by engaging in the game or activity they prefer.
feel truly motivated interested in promoting autonomy in choice. Of everything that is given to him
offers and approaches him, the child chooses and begins to play, to explore, to build, to draw, to read, etc.
According to the different simultaneous proposals.
Autonomy is also promoted in the sense that children have the materials within their reach.
to be able to access it without having to ask the teacher for it. Since they have various alternatives
they are also autonomous in the choice of deciding what material they are going to work with, what they are going to do, how,

with whom, whether alone or with others.

This first argument requires the teacher to create scenarios rich in possibilities,
designed in such a way that the materials are visible, accessible, arranged with aesthetic criteria, in
sufficient amount. It is necessary to avoid 'hypo' and 'hyper' stimulation. (Julia Prieto, 1990)3.
Some multitasking formats do not involve a choice on the part of the children but rather it is the teacher who...
define the subgroups and the tasks according to learning possibilities, and specific purposes that are
it is proposed for each child and small group. This is a modality that does not conflict with the
presentation of alternatives to choose from but that complement each other. In this last case, autonomy is
develops or promotes in a more restricted way, it would only be present in relation to the way in which the
the child accesses the materials and organizes themselves to carry out a task defined by the teacher and in the
case of older children, defined by the children themselves.

Promote work in small groups.

Since several alternatives are offered, it generally results in the formation.
spontaneous or not (we will elaborate on it later) of small groups.
Participating in a small group allows children greater interaction, greater direct participation.
to take action, propose, agree, that is to say, it makes the start of a true experience possible
cooperative, to cooperate with others because there is a number of children that makes it possible. They should also

consider the differences according to ages with diverse qualitative variants within the common proposal.

3
Julia Prietonos talks about "virtuous" stimulation and its related "vices": hyper and hypo-stimulation. Through these concepts, she refers to
the way we interact with babies and how we organize the development of activities for a day. For more information see Prieto Julia Ferrari's 'Children in'
risk and early education" Notebook No. 8 C.I.C.E. 1990
For this, the teacher must have an adequate number of alternatives with quantity and quality of
materials in each appropriate option, arranged in the space distanced or sectorized
zoned through some indicator that narrows and defines each particular proposal.
We will later develop in greater detail all the options that the teacher has to work with.
with the small group and the different possible criteria to consider for organizing them and making decisions
didactic decisions.

3-Offers alternatives (challenging proposals) all conceived as opportunities to achieve a

meaningful learning.
In order for an activity to produce true learning... (D.C.1989 MCBA) it must, among other things
conditions, to offer opportunities for meaningful learning to be possible, these are made
presents when we propose direct experiences with objects, posing problematic situations to
resolver, activities that demand creativity in the ways of carrying them out. To be meaningful
The real learning possibilities of children and their prior knowledge must be considered. They turn out
Significant are those learnings where the child has a place as an active, producing, and constructing subject.
of their knowledge. This is achieved when the teacher is able to create challenging situations, that
provoke the children, invite them to take action.

4-Enables the development of the activity in terms of flexible times that respond to demands
individual and group sessions simultaneously. It allows respecting the individual learning times of each
one and of all the children.
The demand to perform the same task all together "at the same time" in the same place, waiting
similar results, it is a perspective that seeks to "invisibilize" "homogenize" the particulars
individual forms through which real learning processes occur. For this reason the
multitasking is presented as the offer of possible alternatives with flexible times for its execution
given that children can carry out actions and ways of knowing, exploring while respecting their
personal times. The teacher observes and prepares interventions as situations arise and
you will be able to choose which subgroup to work with in more depth while other children can work independently.

being engaged in very enriching activities. Unnecessary waiting times are avoided, times
inert substances that sometimes cause anguish, restlessness, a climate of disorder, issues that can be avoided
through this organizational modality.
5-Contributes to the achievement and daily realization of a Comprehensive Education.

Offering alternatives to choose from, promoting autonomy, facilitating small group work and the
interaction with others contributes to Personal and Social Development (one of the axes of Integral Education) by
the same time that each of the offers proposes the teaching of diverse content related to
the processes of Cultural Literacy (second axis of Integral Education) understood in a sense
broad. This is how proposals are offered to teach the game, the number as a memory of the position and the
quantity, the physical characteristics of the objects, the roles and functions of workers from different
social contexts, the behavior of living beings, the use of tools for painting, drawing,
to model, the songs, the stories, the poems along with autonomy, the shared work with others
etc.
The teacher, when designing the proposals for the different alternatives of multitasking, must carry a
registration of what is offered in order to fulfill the teaching of content that addresses the different
areas of knowledge, artistic-expressive languages, knowledge of the world, development
corporal, the practices of language and mathematics. Thus, in day-to-day life, a
proposal for Integral Education.

Significant learning is then promoted, respectful of the times and interests of the children,
that contribute to the development of a Comprehensive Education that is proposed teach autonomy,
cooperation and work with others, building knowledge related to various areas such as
part of the development of a cultural literacy process understood in a broad sense.

All these reasons respond to the criteria proposed by Zabalza to consider when assembling proposals.
Quality Early Education. In this sense, the multitasking proposal responds to the requirements.
(...)well-defined spaces, easily accessible and specialized (easily identifiable by the
children also from the standpoint of their function as well as the activities that are carried out in them
the need to leave spaces and moments throughout the day where each child decides for themselves
what is going to be done” (…) individualized attention to each child (…) differentiation of
activities to address all dimensions of development and all capabilities (...) materials
diversified and polyvalent (...)(that is to say) one of the fundamental tasks of a teacher of
Early Childhood Education is about knowing how to organize a stimulating environment, enabling the children who attend.
that classroom has infinite possibilities for action, thus expanding their experiences of
discovery and consolidation of learning experiences. (...) (Zabalza, 1996:50 to 52)

Thinking of Multitasking as one of the privileged ways to organize teaching for children
Children under 6 years old involves reviewing three didactic variables / three pedagogical devices of interest
Time, groups, and space.

Multitasking involves particular considerations regarding these three pedagogical devices.

(time, groups, space) that assume particular characteristics for each case.

The distribution of TIME and multitasking

In relation to the consideration of Time as one of the central pedagogical devices, I will take
contributions of Stein, R. Szulanski, S (1997)4with their proposals of 4 times of activities and Gibaja

(1993)5with their conceptualizations about instructive time and inert time.

From the Nursery, it is important to consider the different daily 'activity times' that
Stein, R. Szulanski, S. (1997) propose times for routine or everyday activities, group activities,
of activity of choice, and intermediate time activities.

With times of daily activities, it refers to the times allocated for meals (lunch,
snack, breakfast) to personal hygiene (hand washing, diaper changing, toilet training),
of hygiene and order of the room (arranging the materials, setting the table for tea, helping to assemble the
room environment with aesthetic sense, watering the plants, taking care of them) and dreaming or rest times in
tranquil serene spaces that help children and teachers maintain a climate of physical well-being
general psychic, individual, group and institutional. Within daily activities, better
said in the everyday flow we include moments to listen to music, look at books, sleep,
to converse individually or in small groups.

4
Stein, R. Szulanski, S. (1997) Preschool education in Israel. A significant experience. Tel Aviv University.
5
Gibaja (1993) The Instructive Time. Buenos Aires. Aique.
Intermediate activity times refer to the times it takes to transition from one central activity to another where
It is essential that the waits reconcile respect for individual and group times.
they will be times of opportunities to develop enriching activities such as
draw freely on a blackboard with chalk, look at magazines, play traditional regulated games such as:
to play rock-paper-scissors, I see-I see, partner clapping games; as well as reciting poetry,
riddles, etc.

In times of choice activities, scenarios with diverse and simultaneous proposals are presented,
what we know as multitasking. In the nursery, areas can be offered in the room with
different materials that promote different actions and activities by children, in a
sector dolls for the 'as if' game, in another sector containers and objects for games of
sound exploration, on another table of books, on other canvases and tulles to build 'houses' to enter and exit,
to hide and appear. In the face of these simultaneous scenarios, children choose to act in the same way,
focusing on what awakens the greatest individual interest. In kindergarten, play-
Work or play in corners or in sectors or corners of activity is one of the activities, among others,
electives.

Lastly, it proposes time for group activities where all the children share the same
proposal, they listen to a story, they explore, they observe, they play with soap bubbles, they dance differently

rhythms with handkerchiefs and colored fabrics, etc. These moments must be limited and of shorter duration
since they are proposals in many cases directed in which they are required to participate in a
activity established by the teacher.

Everything said needs to be taken into account to set up the daily and weekly agenda. As stated so far
the different variables are taken into account: individual-group participation, directed proposal or
elective, attention to basic needs of childhood: nutrition, hygiene, sleep, and play, greater or
less interaction with the adult, which implies the assumption of different degrees of autonomy by the
child. The interesting thing is to offer a daily proposal that includes all these alternatives assigning
times to varied offers that represent challenges and different proposals.
On her part, Regina Gibaja (1993)6In a study on school time, it differentiates, among other things
categories, the "instructive time" of the "inert time". Although it is a nomination intended for the
primary education, we believe it can also be useful for the Initial Level:
The instructional time is defined as: '...the academic time dedicated to learning content.
instructions with a difficulty level suitable for the students.” It is the “…potential time
"productive" (p.56-57). The teacher is the main promoter of instructional activities throughout the day.
when initiating proposals that are valuable, appropriate, and maintain a steady pace for all children.
Inert time is described as: "the time in which the potential for learning is absent;…the
the teacher's activity is not teaching" (p. 57). It is a "empty" time that includes interruptions or
external visits, disorder (generalized, partial or individual), time without task or absence of activity
without causing disorder. The teacher may be present, but she is 'in another thing', in
withdrawal.

The Multitasking proposal, in its various formats, aims to offer time for elective activities.
every day. Following various authors (Stein, R. Szulanki, S 1997, Zabalza, 1996, Gallego Ortega,
1998 Godschmied, E., 2000; Willis and Ricciutti, 1985; Galperin, S 1997 Soto, C. Violante, R. 2011, among
Others) every day a period of elective activity must be included where children can choose to
playing, with whom, how, with what material decision that implies an organization of the room space or
from other shared institutional spaces zoned, sectorized with alternative proposals
permanent and variable according to the ongoing projects being developed in the rooms.

On the other hand, we must consider the presence of alternative activities in the 'activity times'.
"intermediaries" as referred to by Stein, R. and Szulanski, S to refer to the moments of transition between
a group activity and another where the individual completion times of the children are diverse due to
This reason while some children are still working on the proposal offered to the total group, there may be
another subgroup organizing and a third that has already completed all the tasks. In these cases, the offer of
Simultaneous activity in a multitasking manner allows for respecting the time of each child and each subgroup.
without falling into inert times, all will be instructive times since these activities 'to wait for
"the children who spend more time finishing a group proposal" are not empty, inert times, of

6
Gibaja, R. 1993. the same source.
expectations that lead to dispersion and a climate of unease only if they are well planned.
by the teachers; they become other learning experiences thanks to the planned teaching
by the teacher moving away from rigid general models with time demands on everyone
children equally.

Multitasking encourages the implementation of flexible times that can respect the times.
individual and group sessions simultaneously.

To conclude this section, it is very interesting to take as a unit of analysis for reflection
systematically about our own teaching practices, the narrative or planning of a day, or a
week recording all and each of the activities that are developed and offered to the children.
This involves asking oneself, for example, how much daily time is devoted to elective activities?
How much to the daily activities? Are intermediate activities planned? How much to total group activities?
Then, together with other colleagues and also alone, define whether what we really do is what
we want for our children.

So... as a conclusion and opening of this section and to continue reflecting we ask ourselves:
In the daily activity schedule, there is a strong and sustained presence of the
elective activities related to multitasking?
Does the daily and weekly time distribution favor the presence of multitasking?

GROUPS and multitasking.

When we think about the ways groups can be organized to carry out activities, we...
they recognize proposed activities for the entire group, in small groups, and for individual participation. In the
In Early Childhood Education, we emphasize prioritizing and giving more time to the development of activities.

organized into small groups or individualized participation since it is central, as has already been
has explained to respect personal, individual learning times by creating an environment, atmosphere
of a calm work environment where everyone, in their own time and possibilities, is committed to tasks
that promote the appropriation of teaching contents.
Regarding groups, this organizational modality of Multitasking leads to the formation of
small groups for the development of activities allow children greater interaction among themselves
them and a start of cooperative work in the 4 and 5-year-old classrooms implies contributing to the development of the
autonomy and a kind of interactions among equals where the different levels of appropriation of
Children can function as engines for greater and richer learning.

If we stop to think about the organization of activities in small groups, we recognize

different ways to guide its formation. Firstly, it can be proposed that they be grouped in
spontaneously either by choosing what or with whom to play or developing the different proposals.

On the other hand, it is also appropriate to plan the formation of the small groups defined by
in advance by the teachers. In these cases, it is possible to choose to form homogeneous or heterogeneous groups.
Depending on the objective and work proposal, one criterion or another may be appropriate. For example, if you
think about forming groups for the writing production perhaps gathering children of a similar level of
the appropriation of the writing system favors true participation as well as in others
moments of being next to a colleague with a higher level of knowledge regarding something
The proposed task can involve the child who has not yet reached the methods of resolution.
suitable enriching itself in an interplay of diverse interactions and roles, is in the group who
executes, who observes, who looks and participates only in some segments of the resolution process, among
other possible ways. The truth is that alternating (according to the objectives) with the
formation of homogeneous and heterogeneous groups, sometimes maintaining the same groups for
some periods of time and then changing them opens a network of rich interactions between the
members of a group.

From this perspective, the multiyear room.7it constitutes an opportunity to participate in experiences
enriching where the contributions of children of different ages make them part of a task perhaps
more complex than being part of homogeneous age groups would not be possible to carry them out. In the case
from rooms of homogeneous ages, it is very enriching to plan once or twice a week
Activities and/or workshops for mixed age groups, 'blended' (forming groups of children aged 3, 4, and 5 years)
After mid-year, those of 2 years can also be included) with monthly or weekly proposals.

7
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Nation (2007) The multi-age classroom in initial education: a proposal for multiple readings. Buenos Aires.
These heterogeneous age groups that continue to work together, for example, for a period
determined, in the development of a sequence of 4 to 10 activities they can build new
knowledge participating in, for example, a workshop for the construction of sustainable toys
in the air or a Cooking Workshop by participating in diverse and complementary experiences.

The greater the opportunities to alternate, combine, and at times maintain the same.
subgroups to share the same long-term production process, at other times to change,
among other possible ways, it broadens children's life experience by providing them with life contexts
enriching in multiple, complementary social interactions that contribute to their well-being
process of constituting your identity and life with others. (axis of experience for teaching in the classrooms
of 2 and 3 years according to [Link] 2001

So the proposal we hold is that we can alternate between organizational modalities.

various according to objectives and content to be taught in groups defined by the teacher that respond to
various criteria to promote different issues.

The proposal to work in small groups is not an exclusive consequence of the organization in
Multitasking. For example, a proposal to the entire group can be developed in small groups with the
same materials but repeated in the subgroups so that the children can work with a higher degree
of participation.

Working in small groups allows for respect for personal timelines for the processes of
appropriation, exchange, and possible cooperation. Joint work among a few initiates the path towards
decentralization and the shared task with a greater degree of participation. A climate of
pleasant work, with concentration and participation from as many children as possible avoiding
unnecessary waits to start the "doing".
Working in small groups means sectorized spaces, functionally offered simultaneously and the
presence of small groups formed according to the different alternatives already outlined.
The table presented below systematizes what has already been stated, showing the various variables.
linked to what the teacher offers or decides and what is proposed to the child to choose.
Total group Small group Individual

Everyone gathered Same task for all subgroups but it Different tasks for the different subgroups.
they perform on the same they distribute in small groups Multitasking
time the same
proposal for They are assembled The teacher can define the Assemble the groups The teacher can define the

example listen groups subgroups and the members that spontaneously subgroups and the members that
spontaneously are included in each one. According to they are included in each one. According to
stories, dance, paint
with roller, between not various criteria. various criteria.

others
Homogeneous Heterogeneous Homogeneous Heterogeneous

Appreciate eos eos

To sing According to attitude towards the task According to attitude towards the task

According to the level of appropriation of According to the level of appropriation of

Visit a square
writing system writing system

According to prior knowledge According to prior knowledge

Multitasking favors work in small groups, as it is one of the main consequences.

of your proposal.

Groups can form spontaneously according to the choices made by the children.
They can also be defined by the teacher (following the criterion of homogeneity and/or heterogeneity)
as already indicated.

The alternating work during the day and week of various forms of task organization leads to
mobilization of roles, with greater possibilities of enriching experiences in the exchange
with others.

So... as a way to close and open this section and to continue reflecting, we ask ourselves:
Is the assembly considered a variable of interest to influence achieving better learning outcomes?
small groups, some stable, others variable, some homogeneous, others heterogeneous or is
a variable that is left to chance?
The organization of SPACE and multitasking

Physical space is considered an unavoidable aspect. Loris Malaguzzi8indicates that the '...the environment is
an educator more than, among other things, does not pay social security...” with this statement it is argued to
in favor of the educational potential that scenarios have. Teaching by building scenarios9it is one of the
pillars of the Didactics of Early Education, as well as one of the pedagogical principles for building
Good Parenting proposals10

Creating spaces while considering aesthetic criteria is a challenge that allows for the offering of 'shows.'
to appreciate in the unfolding of the everyday. To think as if from a window in the living room one does
present the foliage of a tree or a plant located in an open space that can be seen, take care of the
number of objects, colors and their diversity, the way shelves and spaces are arranged for
store materials or to make them available to children. All of these should be issues
no minors. "The space becomes a substantive part of the training project: it becomes one of
the basic variables of the project (it is a curricular element) is no longer the place where one works, it is not
not only a facilitating element but also constitutes a learning factor” (Forneiro, L. p.242)11Lo
this indicates that space is part of the dimensions to be planned and anticipated with the
objective of provoking certain learnings in children.

Design the shared and individual spaces, the institutional aesthetics and schedule.
systematically the materials, more suitable for the group of children and the learning proposals that

8
Malaguzzi Cited in Cabanellas, I. Eslava, C. Tejada, M. Hoyuelos, A (2005) Territories of Childhood. Dialogue between architecture and pedagogy. Ed. Grao. Page.
156.
9
We resume what has already been presented in other writings. We understand by 'scenario' '(...) the preparation of the communicational environment (that is, spatial,
emotional, social...), in which the teacher includes play materials and creates an environment conducive to true communication happening; that is, he/she offers
the conditions for the game to be possible. The educational scenario is the construction of a set of elements that go beyond the
The physical arrangement of spaces and materials also implies the creation of a climate, the creation of a playing field as a construction of a place of
fiction with the intention of facilitating learning by the child. Although this definition refers to playful scenarios for play, its characteristics
They are generalizable to all didactic scenarios" (Soto, C. and others 2001).
10
To enlarge, see
Violante, R. Soto, C. (2011) Didactics of Early Education: The Pillars. Conference presented at the Forum for Early Education.
Teaching Policies and curricular definitions. MCyE.

Soto, C. Violante, R. (2008) How to assemble proposals for 'Good Parenting'? Some pedagogical-didactic principles. In Soto, C. Violante, R.
Pedagogy of Parenting. A theoretical field under construction.
11
Iglesias Forneiro (1996) The organization of spaces in early childhood education. In Zabalza ed. (1996) Quality in early childhood education. Madrid.
Narcea
what is intended to be achieved becomes one of the very appropriate ways to teach children.
under 6 years old.

A stage with images of artists to be appreciated at children's height, tables with rollers and paint.
to explore the possibilities of tools and materials to produce images invites to
crear, apreciar, pintar, explorar.
The availability of fabrics that create secret spaces, everyday objects, dolls to dress and give them
to eat promote dramatic actions without the need to verbally explain what is expected to
the children carry out.

In this way, the proposal for heuristic exploration games, building games, of
Dramatization needs scenarios that invite, call for, and challenge participation and interest in.
part of the children. For this reason, one of the privileged ways to teach the youngest is
creating scenarios. As noted, L Malaguzzi (2008) states that space is a teacher
that no salary is paid, pointing out the educational value of the spaces, their design, their potential for
to educate.

We advocate for the possibility of setting up a room that has scenarios/areas/sectors ready for action.
presented simultaneously well equipped with interesting materials and activities for
develop. The prototype of this proposal refers to organizing the space of the room into corners or
sectors or Workshops or Areas of activity, these are some of the nominations that appear in the
texts to reference various areas each with particular materials accessible for the
children and with proposals for activities to carry out by choosing from alternatives.12

It is interesting to take the contributions of Iglesias Forneiro, L (1996) to characterize the different
models of classroom/room space organization and see the relationships with multitasking proposals.

A centrally organized room with tables and chairs and shelves on the walls corresponds to the
model that the cited author characterizes as 'of personal territories'. In these, priority is given to the

12
To expand on Play-work, in sectors, in corners or Activity corners. See. Violante, R. (2013) Play-work/play in corners/in
sectors or corners of activities. Changes and permanences Available in e- Eccleston Magazine. Early Childhood Education Topics. Year 9. Number 18. 2013
Unable to access the content from the provided URL.
individual and group activity total. The second model organizes the space of the room into various
sectors with diverse functions, zoning it according to various areas of activities to choose from. In general
in these rooms, very defined spaces are delimited that provide intimacy and concentration towards the
interior of each of the proposals. In this case, the tables can be in a different area as well.
from the zoned sector. Finally, the third model, the mixed model, places the tables inside the areas.
of play and work and the children when they participate in group activities usually sit at the tables
scattered or temporarily moved towards the center of the room to achieve a gathering of everyone
the group.

So... as a way to close and open this section and to continue reflecting, we ask ourselves:
What characteristics does the spatial organization of our rooms have?

Does the spatial organization of the room favor multitasking?

So far we have seen how Time, Groups, and Space constitute three organizers of the
everyday practices and at the same time can be taken as central pedagogical devices for
analyze teaching practices as they occur in everyday life.

The design of

the distribution of time for the day and the weekly schedule. The time in the sequences
proposals for the development of didactic units and projects;
the size of the group in the various proposals, the interplay and alternation between proposals of
individual participation, in small group and to total group, as well as
the organization of the room space, the permanent zoning or sectorization of alternatives
possible,
They are all units of analysis to review daily practices and their pedagogical consequences.

For this reason, Time, Group, and Spaces are key pedagogical devices to design and develop.
and evaluate the teaching proposals offered to children under 6 years old.

Next, we will develop some reflections regarding what happens with the proposal of
Multitasking in the Maternal Garden and in the Kindergarten.
Multitasking in the Maternal Garden (0-3). As a constitutive form of everyday becoming and as
alternatives in the construction of permanent and mobile scenarios.

In the nursery, multitasking is essential since the activities of feeding, hygiene,

Dream and play happen simultaneously in subgroups or individually, especially in the baby room.
Then adjustments follow for some institutional times that must be very respectful.
of the possibilities of each child in particular.

Ullua J. (2009) clearly characterizes multitasking in the nursery when he states that
enter a nursery and try to recognize what activity is taking place, they appear
various subgroups in which some babies are resting, others playing, others drinking
bottle or lap of one of the teachers. In this sense, it clearly expresses that multitasking is
constitutive of everyday becoming in the J. Maternal rooms.

Considering what Jorge Ullua proposed, from my perspective it is necessary to add another
consideration. I understand that in addition to the multitasking that constitutes the becoming in the maternal.... within

the proposals for play activities or other alternatives should be thought of as simultaneous offers, therefore
less than two, so that children can choose... to go back and forth from area to area.... to dramatize by feeding them

a baby doll... leave everything or carry it in your arms... look at a book... then build towers with blocks of
foam...approach the teacher to ask for hugs...let oneself be embraced and return to the toys...the
materials... the simultaneous proposals..... In summary, let’s look at what has been said in the following table:

Multitasking in daily life

Nutrition Hygiene Dream Game and other activity proposals

Permanent scenarios. Simultaneous offers to choose from

Multitasking in the activity proposal.

Propose at least two alternatives simultaneously. In different areas of the room.

Games Explore to read Play with him Exercise the Build Draw ,
del discover the books body. coordination assemble y to paint, others.
like properties poems Proposals motor . disarm.
yes physics of the appreciate for Skills.
objects images development
motor
self-employed
In this sense, Soto, C Violante, R (2008) propose the presentation of permanent scenarios and
mobiles as one of the principles to consider when making "Good Parenting" proposals (...) The
Everyday scenario where children spend their day should constitute an enriching life context.
(Zabalza, 2000) in this sense we believe that permanent scenarios and other options must be offered in the rooms.
mobile proposals-alternatives that change during the development of the day.

When we think of permanent scenarios, we imagine a room that offers objects throughout the entire day.
to explore, ramps to climb, books to look at, dolls and everyday objects to dramatize, pencils to
drawing... among other different possibilities depending on the ages of the children.

The permanent scenarios are invitations to play and find possible challenges that children can choose from.
according to their interests and needs at any time during the day without having to wait for the teacher to give
start the activity for the entire group.

Let's recover the idea of thinking about logics to organize proposals that respond more to everyday life.
typical of households and very different from the 'school' logics focused on the organization of time and
spaces for homogeneous groups where everyone simultaneously develops the same actions and proposals.
From this proposal, we suggest among other possibilities the following play spaces as part of the scenario.
permanent of the rooms:
Permanent spaces or scenarios for:
Motor games
Exploration games with various objects and materials
Construction games
Games for motor skills training and coordination
Games of 'as if'
Appreciation of artistic productions
Artistic-expressive, bodily, plastic and sound production
Other proposals

These permanent scenarios may be present in part according to periods, they do not necessarily have to
offering themselves all at the same time. Some weeks take on particular definitions for each of the rooms,
offering specific proposals for babies, walkers, and 2-year-old children.
It is interesting to reflect based on the testimony of a student who during the first
The second semester of 2013 had the opportunity to develop a multitasking experience in the two-year classroom.
years and at the end of the workshop he comments: 'I realized how important it is to think about how to design each'

space, what materials to offer, what contents to teach in each of the offerings and not to be attentive
to focus our planning on how to get all the children to pay attention to the same thing
"time to a same proposal" It is clear to see how the search for resources to achieve something that is not
it is appropriate to demand from young children, sometimes it may appear as a central concern for acquisition

mastery of practical teaching situations and recognizing that what is called upon is what is proposed
and as proposed by addressing the need of young children to wander, come and go, in a
rich to do, and undo, explore, speak, observe and rest in so much activity characteristic of a
walker and 2-year-old child, which as we know, is the central point.

While children are taken from the baby room to the 2-year-old room from the organization's
task focused on individual times to the inclusion of institutionalized times always has to
propose it with great flexibility and never stop considering (also in the 5-year-old classrooms and why not
first grades of primary school) the times and individual needs. This can be concretized if
Include the multitasking proposal as one of the essential daily activities.

Let's look at some examples:

In the areas of institutional improvement advised by Claudia Alonso, a group of teachers supervising the 2-year-old classrooms.
([Link], P. Foray, G. Castiñera) from EI No. 6 of DE 15 worked on some contributions from Reggio Emilia and based on
there they put it into practice by setting up various play and activity sectors presented simultaneously in institutional spaces
shared. The music room transformed into a dramatization sector, the covered SUM hall area for games
construction, the park walls opening the access door and integrating it into the interior space are covered with papers
Walls, paint and rollers are left so that they can paint, already in the park next to the slide and other devices that
they promote the execution of motor activities. They organize this in the afternoons. After the nap, the children attend the
sectors and three rooms work together.
In the 1 and 2-year-old room during the year 2012, they thought of an alternative way to organize the 'waking up after the nap.'
As the children were waking up, respecting their individual sleep times, alternative scenarios were offered to them.
In the case of the 1-year classroom, the student interns: Ferragut, C. Goin, V. Kozono, M. T. and Wagner, S. M. set up an area.
with a table and chairs set up to sit and have milk. A second sector stage to build with small boxes, and a
third scenario with books, images to 'read' and appreciate..... In the two-year-old room, Capristo, L. Podestá, M. Kartofel, F.
Valena, M. (2012)13They offered a sector to play with finger puppets with a small theater, a sector to appreciate images of works of

13
Capristo, L. Podestá, M.B. (2023) How to organize 'the awakening' in a 2-year-old classroom? 'The literacy environment as the third teacher. Environments for
Aesthetic awareness and play 3) Experience report Available in the e- Eccleston Journal. Early Childhood Education Topics. Year 9. Number 18. 2013
Unable to access the content of the provided URL.
 artists on cards and books, finally the third sector games to exercise psychomotor coordination, elements for
to thread, to screw, and to unscrew.

The responses of small children are generally of great concentration and interest. The atmosphere is surprising.
which generates in front of the offer of simultaneous scenarios with challenges, problems to be solved in action,
possibilities to explore, act, among others.

We will delve further into Teaching by creating scenarios, a principle that entails accepting that
For the different contents, there are various scenarios to propose. In this sense, one can
recognize scenarios for…. dramatizing, building, exploring, painting, modeling…etc.14

Motor games. The sector for motor games must offer babies supports, ramps, etc. to explore the
motor possibilities in relation to the acquisition of the sitting position, crawling until standing up and
start walking with support. The research of Pikler and the proposals developed by Ana María
Porstein (2005) offers criteria and alternatives for defining how to shape this sector, turning it into a space.
that offers motor challenges to babies.
Then in the room for walkers and 2-year-old children, supports could be offered to reinforce walking, carts,
slidable cube boxes, small stairs and inclined planes, pedal-operated toy cars, some baskets for
to throw paper balls, fabric, foam, etc., proposals so that during the second year of life they can be strengthened
the motor achievements linked to walking, ascending and descending, jumping, throwing, etc. This could be a
permanent option for children to discover their motor possibilities freely throughout the
course of the day.

Exploration games with various objects and materials. In this area, it is expected that children will take action.
about different materials to appropriate their physical and cultural properties. In this way, they would be
knowing: textures, colors, sizes, shapes, materials when in contact with different objects. This corner
they assume different characteristics according to ages. In the case of babies, different rattles, teething rings, boxes
containers. The proposal of the 'basket of treasures' by Goldschmied and E. Jackson, S. (2000) offers a way
to organize these exploration games among others. The materials with diverse properties that everyone offers
The texts referring to how to organize proposals with children during the first year of life are of interest.
All the reflections arising from the research of Stambak and others (1983) in the text 'The babies and
"Things" are extremely enriching for teachers to creatively design this area.

14
Below is transcribed a selection of excerpts from . Soto, C. Violante, R. (2008) How to develop proposals of
"Good Teaching" in Soto, C. Violante, R. (2008) Pedagogy of Raising. Paidos. Bs. As.
Let's bear in mind that the child interacts with cultural objects in their social environment (spoons, mates, pots,
cleaners, brushes) so it is expected that these objects will be present to be explored. In the case of
the walkers, we recognize the proposal of heuristic games by Goldschmied, E. and
Jackson, S. (2000) in which the material proposes elements to put inside others, and various containers;
different elements that at the end of the game are stored classified with the help of the kids who recognize them,
they gather and store. A sand table with elements (twig from trees, leaves, etc) to mix, separate,
let pass, make rain, streams. A basket of sound elements to construct sounds when performing different
modes of action (shake, hit, rub, etc.) with elements of wood, metals, and various others. They are some of the
possible examples that teachers will surely gather in rich repertoires.

Construction Games. They begin around 18 months (Stambak et al., 1983) the games of 'putting
about" starting the building games. Lightweight blocks, stacking and knocking down boxes can be included.
Cardboard cylinders, lightweight cans that can be stacked on top of each other. In the 2-year-olds room, include blocks with
slopes, inclined planes, hollow wooden blocks. The constructions can be enriched with various
small cars, animals, people, trees, furniture, among others to reconstruct scenes
daily or visited by children.

Games to exercise motor coordination Games can be offered that allow for motor exercise
necessary for threading, lacing, resolving plantings, fittings, piggy banks to put objects
with different motor adjustments, etc. From these materials to the resolution of simple puzzles
suitable for 2-year-olds. (see photos at Ludoteca ISPEI "Sara C. de Eccleston")15

The "as if" games begin towards the end of the first year of life, following Silvia Español (2001), with
the first enactable symbols that babies show their incipient representation. Babies can
start playing "as if" the dolls were sleeping or drinking their bottles. The game of "little meals"
proposed and analyzed in the research "babies and the symbolic" in the already cited text "Babies and the
Things also confirms the need to offer objects for the 'as if' play starting with objectives.
linked to daily actions, eating, sleeping, to then enrich with variations that aim to
let them start building the different social roles in the pleasurable participation of dramatic games in the
2-year-old room. Permanent scenario of family environments, the bed to fall asleep or to put the dolls to sleep, the
kitchen to prepare meals, different clothes to assume characteristics of known and familiar people, the
Dads, moms, grandparents, etc. from a sector with everyday objects to the stage of the well-known.

15
Available inUnable to translate URL content directly. Please provide text instead.
"Casita" for playing different roles must be established as a permanent offer where they can gather.
children throughout the day during play periods.

Appreciation of artistic productions A sector with carpet or rubber, with cushions that offers to the hand
Books to look at and share with other adults, to read alone, to explore in case of the little ones.
There will also be a table of books and chairs for those who enjoy looking at books while seated. There they can be included in the

walls images, productions by artists, drawings by other children, that are renewed and changed
periodically, placed at the height of children covered with acrylic so they can touch it, look at it without
break them. In this very corner, there could be the sound system where different rhythms and melodies are offered.
to listen lying down on the cushions, embraced by the teacher, sitting in comfortable positions that each
one will find. This sector of artistic appreciation may also include videos, if the conditions of the
institution allows it. Everything located at children’s height so they can comfortably see, hear, touch
enjoy the different artistic productions.

Finally, a sector or place for artistic-expressive production that will be included starting from the room of
walkers, or sound production in the case of babies. A large table at the height of the children. The different
Known materials for modeling, painting, drawing, when it comes to image productions. Sound objects
various when it comes to participating in sound production activities; the basket of can be found
objects to produce sounds (the basket of sound treasures). This material can be included here or in the sector of
the exploration of objects in whatever way is most comfortable for the teacher and the children.

All these possible permanent scenarios offer children an environment that challenges and summons them with
possibilities to explore, play, appreciate, listen, and rest according to their personal times and needs.

Throughout what has been said, the emphasis is placed on the importance of space design as a curricular element.
planning (Forneiro, 1996). Other authors in this same line speak of the dialogue between architecture and the
teaching (Cabanellas, 2005).16
In this section, we have presented the different ways to offer multitasking to children under 3.
years with the assembly of permanent and mobile alternative scenarios. Next, we will characterize
the ways in which multitasking can be presented/proposed in kindergarten (3-6)

16
Cabanellas, I. and others (2005): Territories of Childhood. Dialogue between Architecture and Pedagogy. Barcelona: Graó.
Multitasking in Kindergarten. The different formats.

Systematizing and retrieving some organizational formats of various activity proposals that
they have been present in the history of teaching in kindergarten classrooms, I will present to
Here are the ones I recognize as possible multitasking formats.

Firstly, the Game-work JT is recognized as one of the proposals focused on multitasking.

The JT or Game in corners, or in sectors or Activity Corners is characterized by the fact that in each corner or
Various tasks with diverse objectives and materials are presented in the sector. At the same time, they can be recognized

within the proposals of Play in Corners: 1- the proposal of traditional corners

(Dramatizations, Constructions, Art, Quiet Games, Library, Sciences, Carpentry) or 2-
this same one but with the inclusion of other alternative corners such as: The water corner, the
kitchen corner, the musical corner... or other possible ones that arise from the different proposals
developed by the teachers. Finally, 3- proposes the Game in corners including in
they specific proposals related to the development of a particular project which sometimes
It is supposed to work only with certain corners where aspects of the ongoing project are taken into account.

particular.

As has been pointed out, it is important to differentiate. the 'classic' Multitasking proposals

"traditional" (Proposal A of the following table) that refer to Play-Work / in Corners or in

Sectors or corners of activity already explained in the previous paragraph, of others that I will present next.
continuation (Workshops, Work-play. Proposal B of the following table).

From my point of view, in this second group (Proposal B in the table), the development of is proposed.
different simultaneous tasks but all contribute to the achievement of a common shared objective.
I include in this group the case of Workshops and Work-play. For example, a Workshop on Games
Mathematicians propose different games, and all contribute to achieving a shared objective.
proposes that children become acquainted with mathematical content such as numbers as memory of
the amount, of the position etc. and the proposed tasks/alternative games to choose from are different. The
children will be able to achieve these same objectives by participating in obstacle course games (presented in a

sector) throwing games (as another alternative) card games, filling games, games
traditional, etc. or also a workshop of different games of course: they can choose between the game of the
oca, car racing, ludo. That is to say, different proposals to choose from presented simultaneously but all
contribute to the same goal. Another example could be suggesting to them that 'The whole room is a corner of
Art” and in each sector they can choose to work with: Modeling, Painting, Drawing, or Collage. Something like that.
like an Art Workshop but where different techniques are presented simultaneously as diverse
proposals to choose between them. This format is recognized in many cases as a proposal
from Workshops.

Another format different from the Corner Game is what is referred to in some texts.
"Work-Play". The children create different materials (for example, one group creates the bills,
another the cash register, another the price list, etc.) to then gather them in a group activity of
Dramatization. Responding in the same format, other alternatives could also be considered where
each subgroup prepares something necessary to later carry out a group activity where the productions of
small groups come together and integrate. For example, if you want to build a model of some
social space they are investigating (for example The zoo) One group models the animals, others the
paths, others the ticket office, etc. then each group places their productions on the common model. In these
In cases, the first activity is multitasking as the children can choose from various proposals.
construction of materials.

All these proposals are being designed for children of the same ages, but they are very appropriate.
also when working with children of mixed or integrated ages, or multi-age classrooms. It is presented
the aforementioned in a chart that summarizes the presented alternatives.
Some 'formats' that multitasking takes on

Game Work / in Corners / in Sectors Workshops Work Game.

.
Proposal A Proposal B Proposals A and B. same
Different tasks in each sector Different tasks in each sector
Different materials Different materials
Different objectives With a common goal. A
group proposal.
J.T. Corners J.T: others J.T linked Ex. Different proposals Ex.
traditional corners especially mathematical games. Assemble materials
alternatives with the development for a game
of a project. dramatic
I work with integrated ages.
I work with children of the same age. Homogeneous age groups. Mixed
Multitasking can also be used as an organizational alternative when development is needed.
some work (with a specific interaction from the teacher with the small group) for example
for the production of a written piece, or to discuss how to produce something in particular, etc. In these
cases may organize different alternative proposals in which children can work in a way
autonomous (for example constructions, dramatizations, known quiet games) and simultaneously go
calling the subgroups defined by the teacher in order to work specifically on the
production or reading of what is proposed.

In conclusion

Multitasking in Early Childhood Education requires the design and setup of Scenarios/Spaces/Zones that
showcased simultaneously, challenging, provocative, inviting participation and learning.

The times of 'elective' activities should be part of the daily activities just like
that stable routines, playtime in the yard, breakfast. Work in sectors must have a
daily time non-negotiable.

The organization into small groups that arises from the proposal of elective activities and spaces
zoned facilitates the tracking of individual learning and the real participation of children
in the development of the activities.

For these reasons, multitasking and the necessary construction of alternative and simultaneous scenarios are
they constitute privileged devices to organize quality proposals, of 'Good Teaching'
what makes the right to education of young children aged 0-6 a reality.

Bibliography:

Zabalza, M.A. (1996) Quality in Early Childhood Education. Ed. Narcea. Madrid.

Gibaja, R. 1993. The Instructional Time. Buenos Aires, Aique.

Soto, c. Violante, R. (2008) How to create 'Good Parenting' proposals? Some pedagogical principles
didactic. In Soto, C. Violante, R. (2008) Pedagogy of Parenting. A theoretical field in construction. Buenos Aires.
Paidos.

Stein, R. and Szulanski (1997) Preschool education in Israel. A significant experience. University of Tel-
Aviv. (Pages 151-153 The times of Activities.)

Ullua, J. (2009) Teaching in the Maternal Garden as a multitasking space. Ed. Creative Port. Buenos Aires.
Cabanellas, Eslava Tejada and Hoyuelos (2005) Possible territories in the preschool in Cabanellas, I
Territories of Childhood. Dialogues between Architecture and Pedagogy

Violante, R. (2012) Multitasking in Early Education. Study sheet for teachers La Pampa. Mimeograph.

Willis, A. and Ricciutti, H. (1985) Guidelines for preschool education for children aged 0 to 2 years. MORATA. Chapter IX Space

physical and equipment. Chapter VII Routine Care.

Duprat, H. Estrin, S. Malajovich, A. (1977) "Towards the maternal garden" Ed..- Busqueda Bs. As. Cap. IV Nursing room I.
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Goldschmied, E. Jackson, S. (2000) Early Childhood Education from 0 to 3 years. Morata Madrid.
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Iglesias Forneiro (1996) The organization of spaces in early childhood education. In Zabalza ed. (1996)
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Gallego Ortega (comp) (1998) Early Childhood Education. Málaga Ed. Aljibe. Chapter IV The Organization of the Environment

school: the space, the materials, the time.

Violante, R. Soto, C. (2011) The Pillars of Early Childhood Education Didactics. Available at:
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Prieto Julia Ferrari from 'Children at Risk and Early Education' Notebook No. 8 C.I.C.E. 1990

Gibaja (1993) The Instructive Time. Buenos Aires. Aique.

Violante, R. Soto, C. (2011) Didactics of Early Education: The Pillars. Conference presented within the framework
From the Forum for Early Education. Teaching Policies and Curriculum Definitions. MCyE.

Violante, R. (2013) The play-work/play in corners/in sectors or activity corners. Changes and
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